d not paused to ask a question of
herself, to think of the possibilities. She loved him, and the thought
of his love thrilled her even now amidst all her despair. But the
moment his words of love had been spoken, even with the first
wonderful thrill of joy had come the reality of awakening. Then--then
it was that the evil of her fate had unmasked itself and showed its
hideous features, leering, mocking, in the memory of what had gone
before, taunting her for her weakly efforts to escape the doom marked
out for her.

All this she thought of in her black moments. All this and far, far
more than could ever take shape in words. And her terror of what was
to come became unspeakable. But through it all one thing, one gleam of
hope obtruded itself. It was not a tangible hope. It was not even a
hope that could have found expression. It was merely a picture that
ever confronted her, even when darkness seemed most nearly to
overwhelm her.

It was the picture of Buck's young face, full of strength and
confidence. Somehow the picture was always one of hope. It caught no
reflection of her own trouble, but lived in her memory undiminished by
any despair, however black.

Once or twice she found herself wondering at it. Sometimes she felt it
to be merely a trick of memory to taunt her with that which could
never be, and so she tried to shut out the vague hopes it aroused.
But, as time went on, and the hour for her aunt's return drew near,
the recurrence of the picture became so persistent that it was rarely
out of her mental vision. It was a wonderful thought. She saw him as
she had seen him when first he laughed her threat of disaster and
death to scorn. She could never forget that moment. She could hear his
laugh now, that laugh, so full of youthful courage, which had rung
through the old barn.

Pondering thus her mind suddenly traveled back to something which, in
the midst of all her tribulations, had completely passed out of her
recollection. She was startled. She was startled so that she gasped
with the sudden feeling it inspired. What was it? Something her aunt
had said. Yes, she remembered now. And with memory the very words came
back to her, full of portentous meaning. And as they rushed pell-mell
through her straining brain a great uplifting bore her toward that
hope which she suddenly realized was not yet dead.

"Go you and find a love so strong that no disaster can kill it. And
maybe life may still have some compensat