r eyes to the stars and they shone back
a great radiance of joy to her. The quiet darkness of the vast earth all
about her seemed suddenly to have become the sweetest spot she had
known. She had never thought there could be joy like this.

Gradually she quieted the wild throbbing of her heart and tried to set
her thoughts in order. Perhaps she was taking too much for granted.
Perhaps he was talking of another girl, some one he had met the day
before. But yet it seemed as if there could be no doubt. There would not
be two girls lost out in that desert. There could not--and her heart
told her that he loved her. Could she trust her heart? Oh, the dearness
of it if it were true!

Her face was burning too, with the sweet shame of having heard what was
not meant for her ears.

Then came the flash of pain in the joy. He did not intend to tell her.
He meant to hide his love--and for her sake! And he was great enough to
do so. The man who could sacrifice the things that other men hold dear
to come out to the wilderness for the sake of a forgotten, half-savage
people, could sacrifice anything for what he considered right. This fact
loomed like a wall of adamant across the lovely way that joy had
revealed to her. Her heart fell with the thought that he was not to
speak of this to her,--and she knew that more than for anything else in
life, more than anything she had ever known, she longed to hear him
speak those words to her. A half resentment filled her that he had told
his secret to Another--what concerned her--and would not let her know.

The heart searching went on, and now she came to the thorn-fact of the
whole revelation. There had been another reason besides care for herself
why he could not tell her of his love,--why he could not ask her to
share his life. She had not been accounted worthy. He had put it in
pleasant words and said she was unfitted, but he might as well have made
it plain and said how useless she would be in his life.

The tears came now, tears of mortification, for Hazel Radcliffe had
never before in all her petted life been accounted unworthy for any
position. It was not that she considered at all the possibility of
accepting the position that was not to be offered her. Her startled mind
had not even reached so far; but her pride was hurt to think that any
one should think her unworthy.

Then over the whole tumultuous state of mind would come the memory of
his voice throbbing with feeling as he sai