d soft, caressing notes in the lower
tones. Their profiles could be clearly distinguished on the granite wall
against which they reclined; Gaud with her white headgear and slender
black-robed figure, and beside her the broad, square shoulders of her
beloved. Behind and above rose the ragged dome of the straw thatch, and
the darkening, infinite, and colourless waste of the sea and sky floated
over all.

Finally, they did go in to sit down by the hearth, whereupon old Yvonne
immediately nodded off to sleep, and did not trouble the two lovers very
much. So they went on communing in a low voice, having to make up for
two years of silence; they had to hurry on their courtship because it
was to last so short a time.

It was arranged that they were to live with Granny Moan, who would leave
them the cottage in her will; for the present, they made no alterations
in it, for want of time, and put off their plan for embellishing their
poor lonely home until the fisherman's return from Iceland.

CHAPTER II--THE SEAMAN'S SECRET

One evening Yann amused himself by relating to his affianced a thousand
things she had done, or which had happened to her since their first
meeting; he even enumerated to her the different dresses she had had,
and the jollifications to which she had been.

She listened in great surprise. How did he know all this? Who would have
thought of a man ever paying any attention to such matters, and being
capable of remembering so clearly?

But he only smiled at her in a mysterious way, and went on mentioning
other facts to her that she had altogether forgotten.

She did not interrupt him; nay, she but let him continue, while an
unexpected delicious joy welled up in her heart; she began, at length,
to divine and understand everything. He, too, had loved--loved her,
through that weary time. She had been his constant thought, as he was
guilelessly confessing. But, in this case, what had been his reason for
repelling her at first and making her suffer so long?

There always remained this mystery that he had promised to explain to
her--yet still seemed to elude--with a confused, incomprehensible smile.

CHAPTER III--THE OMINOUS WEDDING-DRESS

One fine day, the loving pair went over to Paimpol, with Granny Moan, to
buy the wedding-dress.

Gaud could very easily have done over one of her former town-lady's
dresses for the occasion. But Yann had wanted to make her this present,
and she had not resisted t