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"Why so it is," says I, "in very truth--but--"

"But what, sir?" she questioned, lifting ader

"There may come a day e may weary of it, how then?"

"Nay we are too busy--"

"Can it--could it be"--says I, beginning to staht live here thus content to the end of your days?"

"The end of htfully into the fire "Why, Martin, this is a long way in the future I do pray, and our future is in the hands of God, so wherefore trouble?"

"Because I who have been stranger to Happiness hitherto, dread lest it may desert me and leave me the more woeful"

"Are you then happy at last--and so suddenly, Martin?"

Now this putback over the tilooms and ill-humours, happiness had come to er the miserable wretch I was," quoth I at last

"Because of late you have forgot to grieve for yourself and past wrong and sorrows, Martin Mayhap you shall one day forget them quite"

"Never!" quoth I

"Yet so do I hope, Martin, with all h

"Why then, fain would I forget an I -bench, the shame of stripes--the blood and bestiality of it all--these I et"

"Why then, Martin--dear Martin," says she, all suddenly slipping from her stool to kneel before me and reach out her two hands "I do pray our Heavenly Father, here and now before you, that you, reony and sha your eance froive, Martin, and win thereby your manhood and a happiness undrea, her eyes all tender pleading; and I (O deaf and purblind fool!) hearing, heard not and seeing, saw nought but the witching beauty of her; and now, having her hands inher so near, I loosed her hands and turned away lest I should crush her to el--'tis i down into the fire and never a word; suddenly she turned as to leaveon her stool, drew out her hairpins and shook down her shining hair that showed bronze-red where the light caught it And beholding her thus, her lovely face offset by the curtain of her hair, her deep, long-lashed eyes, the vivid scarlet of her ht nowhere show me a maid so perfect in beauty nor so vitally a woman