e was of the town!

* * * * *

The weeks which followed were rare ones. Anne went forth joyous in the
morning, and came home joyous at night. She saw Richard daily; now on the
road, again in the schoolhouse, less often, but most satisfyingly, by the
fire at Bower's.

Geoffrey, noting jealously these evenings that the young doctor spent in
the long front room, at last spoke his mind.

"What makes you look like that?" he demanded, as having watched Richard
safely out of the way from an upper window, he came down to find Anne
gazing dreamily into the coals.

"Like what?"

"Oh, a sort of seventh-heaven look."

"I don't know what you mean."

"You won't admit that you know what I mean."

She rose.

"Sit down. I want to read to you."

"I am afraid I haven't time."

"You had time for Brooks. If you don't let me read to you I shall have to
sit all alone--in the dark--my eyes are hurting me."

"Why don't you ask Dr. Brooks about your eyes?"

"Is Dr. Brooks the oracle?"

"He could tell you about your eyes."

"Does he tell you about yours?"

With a scornful glance she left him, but he followed her. "Why shouldn't
he tell you about your eyes? They are lovely eyes, Mistress Anne."

"I hate to have you talk like that. It seems to separate me in some way
from your friendship, and I thought we were friends."

Her gentleness conquered his mad mood. "Oh, you little saint, you little
saint, and I am such a sinner."

So they patched it up, and he read to her the last chapter of his book.

"_And now in the darkness they lay dying, young Franz from Nuremberg, and
young George from London, and Michel straight from the vineyards on the
coast of France._"

In the darkness they spoke of their souls. Soon they would go out into
the Great Beyond. What then, after death? Franz thought they might go
marching on. Young George had a vision of green fields and of hawthorn
hedges. But it was young Michel who spoke of the face of God.

* * * * *

Was this the Geoffrey who had teased her on the stairs? This man who
wrote words which made one shake and shiver and sob?

"Oh, how do you do it, how do you do it?" The tears were running down her
cheeks.

She saw him then as people rarely saw Geoffrey Fox. "God knows," he said,
seriously, "but I think that your prayers have helped."

And after she had gone up-stairs he sat long by the fire, alone, with his
hand shad