he sobbed. "He had such a strange, wild look, I was
frightened...."

"But what did you do afterwards?"

"He asked me to go and see him; and I went whenever he asked me...."

"Then your godmother didn't know?"

"She guessed it on the first day; and, when I refused to take anything
from him, she beat me and locked me up."

"Well, what then?"

"I managed to get out at night, by the roof...."

I would not let the subject drop:

"Then you were very, very happy when you were with him?"

But she exclaimed, artlessly:

"Oh, not at all! But he loved me, he said; and I thought that he would
always stay here, for my sake.... He went away soon, without letting me
know. When I understood that he was not coming back, I loathed myself
and him ... and I tried to do away with myself...."

She burst into fresh sobs.

I should have liked to rise and lead her away. I should have liked to
say:

"Come, cease these repinings; let us walk across the silent fields and
forget all this for ever! Every one feels love differently and looks at
it in a different light. Come, waste no time in repentance and don't go
on being angry with that man! Faults that diminish our ignorance are not
faults, but almost graces which chance bestows upon us. Come! And break
away from the bitterness that is spoiling your beauty!"

But, with a sigh, she leant her head on my shoulder and I sat motionless
and dumb: that little action on her part suddenly altered the whole
course of my feelings.

At moments of deep emotion, many different voices speak in our hearts.
They seem to clash, to drown and contradict one another; but really
they are hesitating and waiting. Even as human voices require the
striking of a chord before harmonising, so do these inner voices wait
for our unhappy friend to speak a word that shall unconsciously give the
note of the thoughts that will comfort and soothe him.

Rose whispered:

"Oh, you do not speak! Your silence frightens me!"

"Don't be afraid of it, dearest. Silence nearly always means that the
words which will follow will be just." And, summoning all my tenderness,
I added, "You see, I am trying to bind all my most diverse thoughts
together. I should like to hand them to you as I would a bunch of
flowers, for you to choose the one that will restore your peace of mind.
I am afraid of hurting you, I understand your wound so well."

The girl presses against my breast; and our kisses meet in a spontaneous
outburst o