my dear, my more than dear, have I not hungered? I think
a woman starves for love as a man never can." From his arm the hand
stole up and caught him round the neck, the other joining it, and his
face was drawn down to her own. "Am I shameless, beloved? No! for
there is no shame in love, and Stephen, my heart, my hero, my man of
men, I love you, I love you, I love you."

But presently, as she lay in his arms, her head drawn into the hollow
of that which held her near, the grey eyes smiled up at him in a return
to the tender mockery he knew and loved so well, nor was it less sweet
for the moisture behind the lashes.

"Yesterday----"

"Hush, beloved, do not talk of yesterday," nor, for the moment, could
she. But she was wilful, and being a woman, had her way.

"Yesterday you sang; will you ever sing again?"

"Yes, listen!

'Heigh-ho, love is my life,
Live I in loving, and love I to live.'

Until to-day I never knew how true that is. Ursula, my sweet, you must
teach me the ending, for I have never yet found one to please me."

"You talk of endings when life has just begun. Tell me, was Homer
blind?"

"So they say," he answered, marvelling much what new shift of thought
was coming next.

"I thought so," and the smile deepened until the grey eyes shone
through their thin veil of unshed tears. "And Homer was blind
yesterday or he would have seen I expected a very different question."

"Yes, laugh at my foolishness; I love to see you laugh, you who have
laughed so little all these days. But I think the time of laughter has
come for us both."

"Until you go back to Valmy."

"And that must be soon."

On the instant she belied his optimism, for the laughter faded from her
eyes leaving her once more the woman of many sorrows, and with a sigh
she released herself from his clasp.

"I hate Valmy; I have a horror of it and of your terrible King. He
always seems to me like some dry-hearted, cold-hearted beast rather
than a man. Is there nothing human in him?"

"He is more human than you think. Ursula, I know it, so you need not
shake that dear, wise head of yours."

"You say so because you are so human yourself. Dear, I love you for
your charity."

"Love me for what you will so long as you do love me," answered he.
"And do not be afraid. I am quite sure I am not making any mistake.
The King trusts me as he never trusted Monsieur de Commines."

"And how well he trusts him we saw last night," s