ain, or pleasure.

He answered the smile with one of constraint.

Feeling in the pocket of his lounge coat, he uttered abruptly:

"I brought you a few sweets, dear; passed a shop on my way; thought--"

He handed over a packet of chocolates and sat back with a sigh
expressive of satisfaction, while, with a cry of delight and
gratitude, she untied the ribbons.

"You are a dear!" she said tremulously. "I must share them with the
children; and this pink ribbon--pink for a girl, blue for a boy! It'll
do for baby's bonnet. What lovely ribbon, silk all through!"

"Oh, well, they weren't cheap chocolates," Osborn observed.

"I see that. They're delicious." She broke one slowly between her
teeth. Sweets! They brought back those dear old spoiled-girl days to
her; precious days which no woman values till she has lost them, and
the prize of which no man understands.

"Glad you like them," he said, looking at her with a strange, an
almost guilty softness. "I like you to have things that you enjoy. You
know that, don't you?"

"Of course I do, dear."

Osborn cleared his throat and leaned forward again, his clasped hands
between his knees. He looked down at the hands attentively, appearing
to take an undue interest in them.

He began slowly:

"Er--speaking of things you'd enjoy, old girl, we--we've often talked
about--wondered when--my ship would be coming in. Grand to see her,
wouldn't it be, steaming into harbour, fine as paint, full cargo and
all?"

He choked slightly over his words, as with excitement, and that
shining in his eyes intensified. She caught it as for a moment he
lifted them, and it took her breath away, but in the same instant she
knew that this shining was not for her.

"Osborn!" she uttered, and could say no more.

He continued: "I've got something to tell you."

"I felt it when you first came in. Oh, Osborn, darling, don't keep me
waiting. What is it?"

"Well--in a way--it's what we've both been thinking of--"

"The ship's--come in!"

As she breathed rather than spoke the words she sank back in her
chair; her conviction was so sure that she could have shrieked with
ecstasy; yet at the same time it came with such an overpowering relief
that she had the sensation of one kept too long from sleep lying down
at last to rest. She would have been content to wait, until after a
long dreamful contemplation of the news, for detail and description of
the voyage and adventure of the most elusive craft