art, behind the
rustling screen of leaves. Against the rock, with some simple woodcraft
of stones and dry twigs, Alden made a fire, while Edith spread the white
cloth that covered Madame's basket and set forth the dainty fare.

[Sidenote: At Sunset]

They ate in silence, not because there was nothing to say, but because
there was so much that words seemed empty and vain. Afterward, when the
flaming tapestry in the West had faded to a pale web of rose and purple,
faintly starred with exquisite lamps of gleaming pearl, he came to her,
and, without speaking, took her into his arms.

For a long time they stood there, heart to heart, in that rapturous
communion wholly transcending sense. To him it was not because she was a
woman; it was because she was Edith, the mate of his heart and soul.
And, to her, it was a subtle completion of herself, the best of her
answering eagerly to the best in him.

At last, with a sigh, he pushed her gently away from him, and looked
down into her eyes with a great sadness.

"Never any more, beloved. Have you thought of that?"

"Yes, I know," she whispered. "Never any more."

"I'll want you always."

"And I you."

"Sometimes my heart will almost break with longing for you, craving the
dear touch of you, though it might be only to lay my hand upon your
face."

[Sidenote: The Day's Duty]

"Yes, I know."

"And at night, when I dream that we're somewhere together, and I reach
out my arms to hold you close, I'll wake with a start, to find my arms
empty and my heart full."

"The whole world lies between us, dear."

"And heaven also, I think."

"No, not heaven, for there we shall find each other again, with no
barriers to keep us apart."

"I shall live only to make myself worthy of finding you, dearest. I have
nothing else to do."

"Ah, but you have."

"What?"

"The day's duty, always; the thing that lies nearest your hand. You
know, I've begun to see that it isn't so much our business to be happy
as it is to do the things we are meant to do. And I think, too, that
happiness comes most surely to those who do not go out in search of it,
but do their work patiently, and wait for it to come."

"That may be true for others, but not for us. What happiness is there in
the world for me, apart from you?"

"Memory," she reminded him gently. "We've had this much and nobody can
take it away from us."

[Sidenote: Memories]

"But even this will hurt, heart's dearest, when we see eac