yes, I have been asleep--I should have known from the
beginning why, why I wanted to see you so much--I should never have
come--and I should have understood in the wood that we could not leave
it without bringing Love with us--and now we may not be happy any more."

And then it was his turn to be exalted with wild joy.

"Do you know what you have said," he whispered, breathless. "Your words
mean that you love me--Theodora--darling mine." And once again passion
blazed in his eyes, and he would have taken her in his arms; but she put
up her hands and gently pushed him from her.

"Yes," she said, simply, "I love you, but that only makes it all the
harder--and we must say good-bye at once, and go our different ways. You
who are so strong and know so much--I trust you, dear--you must help me
to do what is right."

She never thought of reproaching him, of telling him, as she very well
could have done, that he had taken cruel advantage of her
unsophistication. All her mind was full of the fact that they were both
very sad and wicked and must help each other.

"I _cannot_ say good-bye," he said, "now that I know you love me,
darling; it is impossible. How can we part--what will the days be--how
could we get through our lives?"

She looked at him, and her eyes were the eyes of a wounded thing--dumb
and pitiful, and asking for help.

Then the something that was fine and noble in Hector Bracondale rose up
in him--the crust of selfishness and cynicism fell from him like a mask.
He suddenly saw himself as he was, and she--as she was--and a
determination came over him to grow worthy of her love, obey her
slightest wish, even if it must break his heart.

He dropped upon his knees beside her on the greensward, and buried his
face in her lap.

"Darling--my queen," he said. "I will do whatever you command--but oh,
it need not be good-bye. Don't let me sicken and die out of your
presence. I swear, on my word of honor, I will never trouble you. Let me
worship you and watch over you and make your life brighter. Oh, God!
there can be no sin in that."

"I trust you!" she said, and she touched the waves of his hair. "And now
we must not linger--we must come at once out of this place. I--I cannot
bear it any more."

And so they went--into an _allee_ of close, cropped trees, where the
gloom was almost twilight; but if there was pain there was joy too, and
almost peace in their hearts.

All the anguish was for the afterwards. Love,