w
myself its master, and welcome its dear mistress, so my darling."

He bent to give her tender greeting, but Sylvia arrested him.

"Not yet, Adam! not yet! Go on, before it is too late to tell me as you
wish."

He thought it was some maidenly scruple, and though he smiled at it he
respected it, for this same coyness in the midst of all her whims had
always been one of her attractions in his eye.

"Shy thing! I will tame you yet, and draw you to me as confidingly as I
drew the bird to hop into my hand and eat. You must not fear me, Sylvia,
else I shall grow tyrannical; for I hate fear, and like to trample on
whatever dares not fill its place bravely, sure that it will receive its
due as trustfully as these little mosses sit among the clouds and find a
spring to feed them even in the rock. Now I will make a speedy end of
this, pleasant as it is to sit here feeling myself no longer a solitary
waif. I shall spare you the stormy scenes I passed through with Ottila,
because I do not care to think of my Cleopatra while I hold 'my fine
spirit Ariel' in my arms. She had done her best, but had I been still
heart-free I never could have married her. She is one of those tameless
natures which only God can govern; I dared not, even when I thought I
loved her, for much as I love power I love truth more. I told her this,
heard prayers, reproaches, threats, and denunciations; tried to leave
her kindly, and then was ready for my fate with you. But I was not to
have my will so easily. I had fallen into the net, and was not to leave
it till the scourging had been given. So like that other wandering
Christian, I cried out, submitted, and was the meeker for it. I had to
wait a little before the ship sailed; I would not stay at El Labarinto,
Gabriel's home, for Ottila was there; and though the fever raged at
Havana, I felt secure in my hitherto unbroken health. I returned there,
and paid the penalty; for weeks of suffering taught me that I could not
trifle with this body of mine, sturdy as it seemed."

"Oh, Adam, who took care of you? Where did you lie and suffer all that
time?"

"Never fret yourself concerning that; I was not neglected. A sister of
the 'Sacred Heart' took excellent care of me, and a hospital is as good
as a palace when one neither knows nor cares where he is. It went hardly
with me, I believe; but being resolved to live, I fought it through.
Death looked at me, had compassion, and passed by. There is a Haytien
prove