change. Had I
not still worshipped the earth under your feet I would have died rather
than tell you. But love makes me bold. I have watched you so long and
prayed for you so often. I have seen little differences in you that
nobody else saw. And to-day I know. I knew when you picked up Timothy
and flew at Will. Since then I've wandered Heaven can tell where, just
thinking and thinking and wondering and seeing no way. And all the time
God meant me to come and find you and tell you."

She understood; she gave one bitter cry that started an echo from ruined
mine-workings hard at hand; then she turned from him, and, in a moment
of sheer hopeless misery, flung herself and her wrecked ambitions upon
the ground by the wayside.

For a moment the man stood scared by this desperate answer to his words.
Then he put his burden down, approached Chris, knelt beside her, and
tried to raise her. She sat up at last with panting breast and eyes in
which some terror sat.

"You!" she said. "You to knaw! Wasn't my cup full enough before but
that my wan hope should be cut away, tu? My God, I 'mauld in sorrow
now--very auld. But 't is awver at last. You knaw, an' I had to hear it
from your awn lips! Theer 's nought worse in the world for me now."

Her hands were pressed against her bosom, and as he unconsciously moved
a little towards her she shrank backwards, then rose to her feet.
Timothy woke and cried, upon which she turned to him and picked him up.

"Go!" she cried suddenly. "If ever you loved me, get out of my sight
now, or you'll make me want to kill myself again."

He saw the time was come for strong self-assertion, and spoke.

"Listen!" he said. "You don't understand, but you must. I'm the only man
in the world who knows--the only one, and I've told you because it was
stamped into my brain to tell you, and because I love you perhaps better
than one creature has any right to love another."

"You knaw. Isn't it enough? Who else did I care for? Who else mattered
to me? Mother or brother or other folk? I pray you to go an' leave me.
God knaws how hard it was to hide it, but I hugged it an' suffered more
'n any but a mother could fathom 'cause things weer as they weer. Then
came this trouble, an' still none seed. But 't was meant you should, an'
the rest doan't matter. I'd so soon go back now as not."

"So you shall," he answered calmly; "only hear this first. Last time I
spoke about what was in my heart, Chris, you told me you c