ife's hand in his.

"You can really forgive me, Madaline?" he said. "You owe me no ill-will
for all that I have made you suffer?"

She smiled as she looked at him.

"No," she replied. "How could there be ill-will between you and me? You
did right--in your place I should have acted as you did."

He caressed the fair, sweet face.

"Thank you, my darling," he said. "How thin you are!" he added. "How you
have worn yourself away with fretting! What must I do to bring the roses
back to this sweet face, and the light that I remember so well to the
dear eyes?"

She looked up at him, her whole soul in her eyes.

"You have but one thing to do, and that is--love me," she said; "and
then I shall be the happiest wife in all the world. If a choice were
offered me of all the good gifts of this world, mine would be my
husband's love."

Lord Arleigh looked thoughtfully at her. The sunshine glistened through
the green boughs, and touched her graceful golden head as with an
aureole of glory.

"I am beginning to think," he said, "that all that happens is for the
best. We shall be wiser and better all our lives for having suffered."

"I think so too," observed Madaline.

"And my darling," he said, "I am quite sure of another thing. There are
many good gifts in the world--wealth, fame, rank, glory--but the best
gift of all is that which comes straight from Heaven--the love of a
pure, good wife."

Looking up, they saw the earl crossing the lawn to meet them.

"Madaline," he said, gently, when he was close to them, "how rejoiced I
am to see that look on your face. You have no thought of dying now?"

"Not if I can help it, papa," she replied.

"I think," continued the earl, "that this is the happiest day of my
life. I must say this to you, Norman--that, if I had chosen from all the
world, I could not have chosen a son whom I should care for more than
for you, and that, if I had a son of my own, I should have wished him to
be like you. And now we will talk about our future--I am so proud to
have two children to arrange for instead of one--our future, that is to
have no clouds. In the first place, what must we do with this good
foster-mother of yours, Madaline, whose great love for you has led to
all this complication?"

"I know what I should like to do," said Lady Arleigh, gently.

"Then consider it done," put in her husband.

"I should like her to live with me always," said Lady Arleigh any
capacity--as housekeeper, or wh