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"Is it late?" she said

He looked at his watch

"No--half-past eleven," he said And hein the roolasses

Tilly was seated beside the fire in the kitchen, her head in

her hands She started up when he entered

"Why haven't you gone to bed?" he said

"I thought I'd better stop an' lock up an' do," she said Her

agitation quietened hiave her some little order, then

returned, steadied now, al him, as he ood to irlish and terrible, with a queer, wide

look in her eyes His heart leaped in hiuish of love

and desire, he went blindly to her and took her in his arms

"I want to," he said as he drew her closer and closer in She

was soothed by the stress of his eling in to hio from past and future, was reduced to the moment with

her In which he took her and ith her and there was nothing

beyond, they were together in an elenness But in the n and unknown to him Only, within the fear

was pride, belief in hiotten in her new hour of coour and joy, so that he quivered to touch her