d pounds, it will leave me a poor man," he
said.

"Oh, _do_ give her the money and be a poor man," Victoria implored. "I
shall be so happy if we are poor--a thousand times happier than she
could be with millions."

Stephen caught the hand that half unconsciously the girl held out to
him, and pressed it hard. "If you will go back to your hotel now," he
said to Margot, in a quiet voice, "I will call on you there almost at
once, and we can settle our business affairs. I promise that you shall
be satisfied."

Margot looked at them both for a few seconds, without speaking. "I'll
go, and send a telegram to Montreal which will make somebody there
happier than any other man in Canada," she answered. "And I'll expect
you in an hour."

When she had gone, they forgot her.

"Do you really mean, when you say we--_we_ shall be happy poor, that
you'll marry me in spite of all?" Stephen asked.

"Oh, yes, if you want me still," Victoria said.

"Does a man want Heaven!" He took her in his arms and held her close,
closer than he had held her the night at Toudja, when he had thought
that death might soon part them. "You've brought me up out of the
depths."

"Not I," the girl said. "Your star."

"Your star. You gave me half yours."

"Now I give it to you all," she told him. "And all myself, too. Oh,
isn't it wonderful to be so happy--in the light of our star--and to
know that the others we love will be happy, too--my Saidee, and your Mr.
Caird----"

"Yes," Stephen answered. "But just at this moment I can't think much
about any one except ourselves, not even your sister and my best friend.
You fill the universe for me."

"It's filled with love--and it _is_ love," said Victoria. "The music is
sweeter for us, though, because we know it's sweet for others. I
_couldn't_ let her spoil your life, Stephen."

"My life!" he echoed. "I didn't know what life was or might be till this
moment. Now I know."

"Now we both know," she finished.

THE END

TRANSCRIBER'S NOTES

Page and line numbers in these notes refer to the original printed text.

Obvious punctuation corrections have been applied silently where
applicable.

As much as possible, the original spelling in the book has been
preserved. The authors commonly use different hyphenation for several
words throughout (for example, "note-book" on page 283, line 9, as
opposed to "notebook" on page 285, line 16). There are mixes of English,
American, and French spe