y seen it in my dreams for so long." She raised herself on her arm
and lifted his face from the pillow. "Now let me sit up. I shall never
see enough of you. Never! Never! Oh, how wicked and how foolish I was!"

"It was I who was wicked," said Barney bitterly, "wicked and selfish and
cruel to you and to others."

"Hush!" She laid her hand on his lips. "Sit here beside me. Now, Barney,
don't spoil this one hour. Not one word of the past. You were a little
hard, you know, dear, but you were right, and I knew you were right. I
was wrong. But I thought there would be more in that other life. Even at
its best it was spoiled. I wanted you. The great 'Lohengrin' night when
they brought me out so many times--"

"I was there," interrupted Barney, his voice still full of bitter pain.

"I know. I saw you. Oh! wasn't that a night? Didn't I sing? It was
for you, Barney. My soul, my heart, my body, went all into Ortrud that
night."

"It was a great, a truly great thing, Iola."

"Yes," said Iola, with a proud little laugh, "I think the dear old
Spectator was right when it said it was a truly great performance, but I
waited for you, and waited and waited, and when you didn't come I found
that all the rest was nothing to me without you. Oh, how I wanted you,
Barney, then--and ever since!"

"If I had only known!" groaned Barney.

"Now, Barney, we are not to go back. We are to take all the joy out
of this hour. Promise me, Barney, you will not blame yourself--now or
ever--promise me, promise me!" she cried, eagerly insistent.

"But I do, Iola."

"Oh, Barney! promise me this, we will look forward, not back, will you,
Barney?" The pleading in her voice swept away all feeling but the desire
to gratify her.

"I promise you, Iola, and I keep my word."

"Yes, you do, Barney. Oh, thank you, darling." She wreathed her arms
about his neck and laid her head upon his breast. "Oh!" she said with a
deep sigh, "I shall rest now--rest--rest. That's what I've been longing
for. I could not rest, Barney."

Barney shuddered. Only too well he knew the meaning of that fateful
restlessness, but he only held her closer to him, his heart filled with
a fierce refusal of his lot.

"There is no one like you, Barney, after all," she murmured, nestling
down with a delicious sigh of content. "You are so strong. You will make
me strong, I know. I feel stronger already, stronger than for months."

Again Barney shuddered at that cruel deception, so chara