as heavenly music in their ears,
and the moon's silver rays upon the sea were the road by which their
linked souls travelled to the throne of Him who had lit their lamp of
love, and there made petition that through all life's accidents and
death's darkness it might burn eternally.

For the love of these two was deep and faithful, and already seemed to
them as though it were a thing they had lost awhile and found once
more; a very precious jewel that from the beginning had shone upon their
breasts; a guiding-star to light them to that end which is the dawn of
Endlessness.

Who will not smile at such thoughts as these?

The way of the man with the maid and the way of the maid with the man
and the moon to light them and the birds to sing the epithalamium of
their hearts and the great sea to murmur of eternity in their opened
ears. Nature at her sweet work beneath the gentle night--who is there
that will not say that it was nothing more?

Well, let their story answer.

CHAPTER IV

A YEAR LATER

Something over a year had gone by, and Barbara, returned from her
foreign travels, sat in the drawing-room of Lady Thompson's house in
Russell Square.

That year had made much difference in her, for the sweet country girl,
now of full age, had blossomed into the beautiful young woman of the
world. She had wintered in Rome and studied its antiquities and art. She
had learned some French and Italian, for nothing was grudged to her in
the way of masters, and worked at music, for which she had a natural
taste. She had seen a good deal of society also, for Lady Thompson was
at heart proud of her beautiful niece, and spared no expense to bring
her into contact with such people as she considered she should know.

Thus it came about that the fine apartment they occupied in Rome had
many visitors. Among these was a certain Secretary of Legation, the Hon.
Charles Erskine Russell, who, it was expected, would in the course
of nature succeed to a peerage. He was a very agreeable as well as an
accomplished and wealthy man, and--he fell in love with Barbara. With
the cleverness of her sex she managed to put him off and to avoid any
actual proposal before they left for Switzerland in the early summer.
Thither, happily, he could not follow them, since his official duties
prevented him from leaving the Embassy. Lady Thompson was much annoyed
at what she considered his bad conduct, and said as much to Barbara.

Her niece listened,