ht of the moon was
growing. She made at first no effort to rise, but lay still and looked
up at him from under splendid lifted lashes, while his own gaze fell
into the depth of hers like a plummet into a deep pool. This continued
for almost a full minute, when he turned quickly away and walked to the
hearth, indrawing a heavy breath.

He could not endure that which beset him; it was unbearable, because her
eyes had maddeningly seemed to ask him some wistful question. Why did
she let her loveliness so call to him. She was not a trifler who
could play with meanings. Perhaps she did not know what her power was.
Sometimes he could believe that beautiful women did not.

In a few moments, almost before he could reach her, she was rising, and
when she got up she supported herself against the open door, standing
in the moonlight. If he was pale, she was pale also, and her large eyes
would not move from his face, so drawing him that he could not keep away
from her.

"Listen," he broke out suddenly. "Penzance told me--warned me--that
some time a moment would come which would be stronger than all else in a
man--than all else in the world. It has come now. Let me take you home."

"Than what else?" she said slowly, and became even paler than before.

He strove to release himself from the possession of the moment, and in
his struggle answered with a sort of savagery.

"Than scruple--than power--even than a man's determination and decent
pride."

"Are you proud?" she half whispered quite brokenly. "I am not--since I
waited for the ringing of the church bell--since I heard it toll. After
that the world was empty--and it was as empty of decent pride as of
everything else. There was nothing left. I was the humblest broken thing
on earth."

"You!" he gasped. "Do you know I think I shall go mad directly perhaps
it is happening now. YOU were humble and broken--your world was empty!
Because----?"

"Look at me, Lord Mount Dunstan," and the sweetest voice in the world
was a tender, wild little cry to him. "Oh LOOK at me!"

He caught her out-thrown hands and looked down into the beautiful
passionate soul of her. The moment had come, and the tidal wave rising
to its height swept all the common earth away when, with a savage sob,
he caught and held her close and hard against that which thudded racing
in his breast.

And they stood and swayed together, folded in each other's arms, while
the wind from the marshes lifted its voice like