He smiled as he reflected that she thought her presence could make him
unhappy, when his whole soul craved for her.

"Maybe it is someone else's happiness I am thinking of," he said quietly.

Someone else! The little green god within her seized on the remark. She
confronted him with blazing eyes.

"I knew it!" she said. "But you might have been honest--you might have
told me the truth. Oh God! and I've suffered all that--all that----"

The voice of Natalie came, singing, up the passage. Without another word
Angela went to her room, leaving Jim bewildered by this strange outburst.

It was late in the evening, and a full moon sailed in the clear sky. The
night was remarkably warm, and Devinne and Natalie and Jim were sitting on
the veranda which skirted the south side of the house. Jim sat in a brown
study, pondering over Angela's changed attitude. Devinne, as if by some
pre-arranged plan, silently vanished into the house. Jim was suddenly
brought to his senses by feeling Natalie's soft hand on his.

"You are verra--vat you call him--preoccupied, eh?"

"I was thinking."

"Of what?"

"Oh, of many things."

"The future?"

"Sure! It's that that's got me beat."

Her hand tightened on his.

"Why should you care for the future? Ees not zee present--beautiful?"

"Aye--if it could be always the present," he muttered.

"But zee future can be verra beautiful if one wishes so. Eet ees for you
and for me to make zat future jus lak heaven!"

Jim pulled himself up with a jerk. It was not the words that affected him
so much as the blaze of quick passion in her eyes.

"There's only one heaven for me, and I guess I've fallen out of it," he
said. "Let us go in."

"No, no! The night is so wonderful--all, all is wonderful. Everywhere zere
ees love--in zee trees, in zee wind. Do you not feel him?"

If Jim felt anything at all it was blue fear. He came to see the position
as it was. She believed him a free man--even believed he might love her.
The seemingly trivial actions of the afternoon became newly interpreted.
Before he could get his breath Natalie rose to the occasion.

"You vill come back to-morrow after zee boat has gone? It has been so
beautiful, zese two days. Say you vill come back!"

"Natalie!" he gasped.

She flung her arms round his neck and pressed her face to his.

"Ees eet zat I am too bold for your Eenglish ways? But I am not
ashamed--no. I love you--oh, so much!----"

With a gasp he unlinked her