longer--certainly not now."

Kate's shoulders relaxed. A sigh of relief spent itself; Harry was still
an honest gentleman, whatever else he might have done!

"And now comes the worst of it, Kate." His voice sank almost to
a whisper, as if even the birds should not hear this part of his
confession: "Yes--the worst of it--that I have had all this to
suffer--all this misery to endure--all these insults of my father to
bear without you! Always, before, we have talked things out together;
then you were shut away and I could only look up at your windows and
rack my brain wondering where you were and what you were doing. It's all
over now--you love somebody else--but I shall never love anybody else: I
can't! I don't want to! You are the last thing I kiss before I close my
eyes; I shut them and kiss only the air--but it is your lips I feel; and
you are the first thing I open them upon when I wake. It will always be
so, Kate--you are my body, my soul, and my life. I shall never have you
again, I know, but I shall have your memory, and that is sweeter and
more precious to me than all else in the world!"

"Harry!" There was a strange cadence in her voice--not of
self-defence--not of recrimination--only of overwhelming pity: "Don't
you think that I too have had my troubles? Do you think it was nothing
to me to love you as I did and have--" She stopped, drew in her breath
as if to bolster up some inward resolution, and then with a brave lift
of the head added: "No, I won't go into that--not to-day."

"Yes--tell me all of it--you can't hurt me more than you have done. But
you may be right--no, we won't talk of that part of it. And now, Kate,
I won't ask you to stay any longer; I am glad I saw you--it was better
than writing." He leaned forward: "Let me look into your face once
more, won't you?--so I can remember the better.... Yes--the same dear
eyes--and the hair growing low on the temples, and the beautiful mouth
and--No--I sha'n't forget--I never have." He rose from his seat and held
out his hand: "You'll take it, won't you?--just once--Good-by!"

She had not moved, nor had she grasped his hand; her face was still
towards him, her whole frame tense, the tears crowding to the lids.

"Sit down, Harry. I can't let you go like this. Tell me something
more of where you are going. Why must you go to sea? Can't you support
yourself here?--isn't there something you can get to do? I will see my
father and find out if--"

"No, you wo