and laid his lips to hers.

"My beloved! . . . Oh, Diana, if you could guess the agony--the
torture of the last ten days!" And he leaned his cheek against her
hair, and stood silently for a little space.

Presently fear overcame him again--quick fear lest she should ever
regret having given herself to him.

"Heart's dearest, have you realised that it will be very hard
sometimes? You will ask me to explain things--and I shan't be able to.
Is your trust big enough--great enough for this?"

Diana raised her head from his shoulder.

"I love you," she answered steadily.

"Do you forget the shadow? It is there still, dogging my steps. Not
even your love can alter that."

For a moment Diana rose to the heights of her womanhood.

"If there must be a shadow," she said, "we will walk in it together."

"But--don't you see?--I shall know what it is. To you it will always
be something unknown, hidden, mysterious. Child! Child! I wonder if
I am right to let you join your life to mine!"

But Diana only repeated:--

"I love you."

And at last he flung all thoughts of warning and doubt aside, and
secure in that reiterated "I love you!" yielded to the unutterable joy
of the moment.

CHAPTER XVI

BARONI'S OPINION OF MATRIMONY

"_Per Dio_! What is this you tell me? That you are to be
married? . . . My dear Mees Quentin, please put all such thoughts of
foolishness out of your mind. You are consecrated to art. The young
man must find another bride."

It was thus that Carlo Baroni received the news of Diana's
engagement--at first with unmitigated horror, then sweeping it aside as
though it were a matter of no consequence whatever.

Diana laughed, dimpling with amusement at the _maestro's_ indignation.
Now that she had given her faith, refusing to allow anything to stand
between her and Max, she was so supremely happy that she felt she could
afford to laugh at such relatively small obstacles as would be raised
by her old singing-master.

"I'm afraid the 'young man' wouldn't agree to that," she returned
gaily. "He would say you must find another pupil."

Baroni surveyed her with anxiety.

"You are not serious?" he queried at last.

"Indeed I am. I'm actually engaged--now, at this moment--and we
propose to get married before Christmas."

"But it is impossible! _Giusto Cielo_! But impossible!" reiterated
the old man. "Mees Quentin, you cannot haf understood. Perhaps, in my
anxiety that you s