ght of that!" she exclaimed, interrupting
him with a burst of tears and sobs. "I wouldn't for the world have
wrought harm to you or any of them."

"No, love, I know you wouldn't. I believe your motives were altogether
kind and self-sacrificing," he said soothingly; "and you yourself would
have been the greatest sufferer; the world judges hardly--how hardly my
little girl-wife has no idea; wicked people would have found wicked
motives to which to impute your act and caused a stain upon your fair fame
that might never have been removed.

"But there, there, love, do not cry any more over it; happily, the whole
thing is a secret between us two, and we may now dismiss the disagreeable
subject forever.

"But shall we not promise each other that we will never part in anger,
even when the separation may not be for an hour? or ever lie down to sleep
at night unreconciled, if there has been the slightest misunderstanding or
coldness between us?"

"Oh, yes, yes, I promise!" she cried eagerly; "but, oh, dear Ned, I hope
we will never, never have any more coldness or quarrelling between us,
never say a cross word to each other."

"And I join you, dearest, in both wish and promise."

"I am growing very babyish," she said presently with a wistful look up
into his face; "I can hardly bear to think of being parted from you for a
day; and I suppose you'll have to be going off again to attend to that
business affair?"

"Yes, as soon as I see that my wife is quite well enough to undertake the
journey; for I'm not going again without her."

"Oh, will you take me with you, Ned?" she cried joyfully. "How very good
in you."

"Good to myself, little woman," he said, smiling down at her; "it will
turn a tiresome business trip into a pleasure excursion. I have always
found my enjoyment doubled by the companionship of my better half."

"I call that rank heresy," she said laughing, "_you're_ the better half as
well as the bigger. I wish I were worthy of such a good husband," she
added earnestly and with a look of loving admiration. "I'm very proud of
you, my dear--so good and wise and handsome as you are!"

"Oh, hush, hush! such fulsome flattery," he returned, coloring and
laughing. "Let me see; this is Friday, so near the end of the week that I
do not care to leave home till next week. We will say Tuesday morning
next, if that will suit you, love?"

"Nicely," she answered. "Oh, I'm so glad you have promised to take me with
you!"