mouldering fire; he on the
stool, she in the deep chair.

"Do you remember, Sandy, lil' Madam Bubble?"

"I reckon I remember nothing else so--clearly."

He looked away, he could trust himself no farther.

"And the 'Biggest of Them All'--you remember him?"

"I--I have forgotten him, Cynthia."

"No--you have not forgotten him, Sandy!"

"He--he does not seem to have any place, lil' Cyn."

"Oh! yes and yes he does! I reckon he is bigger than even you or
I--know!"

Did she suspect the terrible weakness of desire that was overpowering
him? At this thought Sandy gripped his hands closer; he felt her deep,
true eyes upon him and a rush of blood dyed his dark face to crimson.
Cynthia saw this and laid her cool hand upon his shoulder while she
asked bravely, daringly:

"Do you love me--Sandy?"

What other woman on earth could have put that question at such a time?
He and she were alone in the empty woods and the night held them.
Sandy turned to her.

"As God hears me--yes, lil' Cyn, with all my heart and soul. I have
loved you all my life."

"In this bag," Cynthia touched the bag at her waist, "are the letters I
wrote to you, Sandy, while you were away. I hid them in an old tree by
Stoneledge. The tree kept them safe for--me. There are a right
many--all answers to the one you sent me. Do you want them, Sandy?"

"Yes."

"Here--Sandy!"

The letters, more precious than any other gift, lay in his keeping at
last.

"God bless you, lil' Cyn."

She smiled divinely.

"I wandered far down in the valley, Sandy, and I had a hard lesson to
learn; a hard thing to do, and I've come home to find you waiting for
me. Oh! tell me, dear, isn't there one law, just one in our land to
set a lil' girl free who has made a mistake?"

Behind the two by the fire a door opened and, on the threshold stood
Levi Markham perplexed and awed. Slowly the meaning of the scene came
to him; Matilda had somewhat prepared him; the question of the girl by
Sandy's side shed a blinding light upon the confusion of his thoughts.
Standing there, rugged and strong, he seemed the personification of
power and solution. But he was waiting; he must know what Sandy felt!
He drew back into the cold, dark passage and played the eavesdropper
for the first and last time in his life.

"Mine! mine!" Never had Sandy's voice known that tone before. Levi
bowed his head.

"You are mine! Yes, lil' Cyn, there is a law, there must be a law that
can