l for conversation had been seen and
answered. So far, all went satisfactorily, and there was nothing left
but to commence the main business of the night.

What should I talk to Jessie about? I could not frame any lengthy
sentences, indeed--for that, time and patience would not suffice. Nor
could I tell her any especial piece of news: all such matters had
already been discussed between us. Nor did it seem any thing but
ridiculous to repeat, in such a labored manner, any of the ordinary
commonplaces about health, or the time, or weather. The most I could
do, in fact, would be to telegraph some short and simple idea,
expressive of my affection for her, and of my ardent faith in its
coming realization. This she would comprehend, and, like a proverb, it
would tell, in brief, a whole long story.

Watching until the reflectors again came round, I seized the lever,
held the machinery in suspense for a whole minute, and then set it
free again. Another circuit, and this time I arrested the motion for
only fifteen seconds. A third, and here again a suspension of a whole
minute. In this way, by putting the three circuits together, I had
contrived to spell out the letter C--as in a telegraph office the
operator would write a letter, though probably not the same one, with
a long, a short, and a long scratch upon the paper slip.

Again: and now I let the reflectors remain stationary, first, for a
minute, then twice for fifteen seconds each. This--a long, and two
short arrestations--spelled the letter H. So, little by little, I
wrote out with the lighthouse flash against the dark sky the simple
sentence,

"_Christmas is coming._"

It was plain and expressive. It spoke to Jessie of the approaching
day, when she should make her long-deferred decision, and when I so
ardently anticipated that she would be mine. It reminded her that the
time was now only a few hours distant. It told her that even those few
hours were almost too long for me to wait. It was a short message,
indeed, but the difficulty of thus spelling it out, letter by letter,
made it long enough. Already, ere I had finished, my arm, as well as
my attention, was fatigued; and when, at last, I made the long signal
of conclusion, and gained, in reply, the token that I had been
comprehended, I felt that I had done enough for one night, at least.

Then, remaining awake, with some difficulty, until morning came, I put
out the lights, and went down to see after old Barr