flourishing, meaningless marriage, in which "for better, for
worse" signifies nothing but better, no worse--all this poured strength
on strength into my heart, and seemed to warm it and do it good.

"I will tell you your duty," said he. "Your duty is to go home and
forget me. In due time some one else will find the loveliest and dearest
being in the world--"

"Eugen! Eugen!" I cried, stabbed to the quick. "How can you? You can not
love me, or you could not coldly turn me over to some other man, some
abstraction--"

"Perhaps if he were not an abstraction I might not be able to do it," he
said, suddenly clasping me to him with a jealous movement. "No; I am
sure I should not be able to do it. Nevertheless, while he yet is an
abstraction, and because of that, I say, leave me!"

"Eugen, I do not love lightly!" I began, with forced calm. "I do not
love twice. My love for you is not a mere fancy--I fought against it
with all my strength; it mastered me in spite of myself--now I can not
tear it away. If you send me away it will be barbarous; away to be
alone, to England again, when I love you with my whole soul. No one but
a man--no one but you could have said such a thing. If you do," I added,
terror at the prospect overcoming me, "if you do I shall die--I shall
die."

I could command myself no longer, but sobbed aloud.

"You will have to answer for it," I repeated; "but you will not send me
away."

"What, in Heaven's name, makes you love me so?" he asked, as if lost in
wonder.

"I don't know. I can not imagine," said I, with happy politeness. "It is
no fault of mine." I took his hand in mine. "Eugen, look at me." His
eyes met mine. They brightened as he looked at me. "That crime of which
you were accused--you did not do it."

Silence!

"Look at me and say that you did," I continued.

Silence still.

"Friedhelm Helfen always said you had not done it. He was more loyal
than I," said I, contritely; "but," I added, jealously, "he did not love
you better than I, for I loved you all the same even though I almost
believed you had done it. Well, that is an easy secret to keep, because
it is to your credit."

"That is just what makes it hard. If it were true, one would be anxious
rather than not to conceal it; but as it is not true, don't you see?
Whenever you see me suspected, it will be the impulse of your loyal,
impetuous heart to silence the offender, and tell him he lies."

In my haste I had not seen this aspec