ved
you, longed for a sight of you, for a word from you, even if it had
been a word about a stick or a pin. And always and everywhere I have
determined to be true to myself, true to you, true to every principle of
honor and common-sense, and to say nothing to you of love until by some
success I have achieved the right to do so. By words which made me fancy
that you showed a personal interest in me, you have banished all those
resolutions; you have--But I am getting madder and madder. Shall I leave
this room? Shall I swear never to speak--"

She looked up at him. The ashiness had gone out of her face. Her eyes
were bright, and as she lifted them towards him a golden softness and
mistiness came into the centre of each of them, as though he might look
down through them into her soul.

"If I were you," said she, "I would stay here and say whatever else you
have to say."

He told her what more he had to say, but it was with his arms around her
and his eyes close to hers.

"Do you know," she said, a little afterwards, "that for years, while you
have been longing to get to the pole, to see down into the earth, and
to accomplish all the other wonderful things that you are working at in
your shops, I too have been longing to do something--longing hundreds
and hundreds of times when we were talking about batteries and lenses
and of the enterprises we have had on hand."

"And what was that?" he asked.

"It was to push back this lock of hair from your forehead. There, now;
you don't know how much better you look!"

Before Clewe left the house it was decided that if in any case it should
become necessary for him to start for the polar regions these two were
to be married with all possible promptness, and they were to go to the
North together.

That afternoon the happy couple met again and composed a message to the
arctic seas. It was not deemed necessary yet to announce to society
what had happened, but they both felt that their friends who were so far
away, so completely shut out from all relations with the world, and yet
so intimately connected with them, should know that Margaret Raleigh and
Roland Clewe were engaged to be married.

Roland sent the message that evening from his office. He waited an
unusually long time for a reply, but at last it came, from Sammy. The
cipher, when translated, ran as follows:

"Everybody as glad as they can be. Specially Sarah. Will send regular
congratulations. Private message soon fr