see your happiness
completed, Morgan, even though this may be our last meeting. Till then
I dare not go; you are not to be trusted to take the happiness that is
within your grasp. You know I claim to be a connoisseur of women, and
I am perfectly satisfied that you shall marry your Margaret. That is
the highest compliment I could pay her. There is that indefinable,
unseizable something in her face which reveals the whole personality,
and it won me immediately. We have met three or four times now, but,
of course, I do not figure sufficiently in her consciousness that she
should mention me specially to you. One thing I am grateful to you
for, that you are respecting my wish that she should not know we have
ever been friends. After all, I am only a sort of imaginary figure to
whom you come and talk, and I haven't really counted in your life. You
know I have a weakness for mysticism, and I like to think of myself as
a sort of phantom that just accompanied you on your way a little and
perhaps helped you a little at a critical moment and then disappeared.
So promise me Margaret shall never, never know."

"She knows everything but that," he replied. "It hurts me to make the
promise, but I understand why you wish me to. Besides, I must look on
this one reservation from her as the penalty--the lingering symbol of
the past. But there is now one thing I should like to mention, Helen,
and that is, I want to recur to that money, the five hundred pounds I
borrowed of you. You see I have tasted blood."

"When you feel you can spare the money, dear Morgan, I should wish you
to do some good work with it. Seek out those who may need it--a
struggling student, a starving poet, a brave orphaned boy or girl
toiling to support the younger children. Save some human being from
despair, and restore his faith and hope. That is the best repayment
you could make me. And now there is one thing I should like to ask
you. Do you think----"

She hesitated. His look bade her continue.

"Well," she continued, smiling a little. "I was going to ask you to
kiss me--a real kiss--if you thought your Margaret could spare me one.
You have never given me a real kiss, Morgan, and it would be for the
last time."

She looked down almost demurely. For sole reply he took her in his
arms and their lips came together. Gently she disengaged herself at
length; and, as the hot tears fell from his eyes, he felt impelled to
fall on his knees and cover his face with his