ow I blessed God for having
given me an unselfish husband who trusted me completely, and who
could understand what true friendship between man and woman means,
and what one owes to a friend. You might so easily have
misunderstood, and you are so blessedly understanding. Thank you,
dearest, for seeing that it was right of me to go, and for thinking
of nothing but that. I feel so proud of you, and so proud to be
your wife. Well, I caught the train at Tunis mercifully, and got
here at evening. He is frightfully ill. I hardly recognized him.
But his mind is quite clear, though he suffers terribly. He was
poisoned by eating some tinned food, and peritonitis has set in. We
can't tell yet whether he will live or die. When he saw me come in
he gave me such a look of gratitude, although he was writhing with
pain, that I couldn't help crying. It made me feel so ashamed of
having had any hesitation in my heart about coming away from our
home and our happiness. And it was difficult to give it all up, to
come out of paradise. That last night I felt as if I simply
couldn't leave you, my darling. But I'm glad and thankful I've done
it. I have to do everything for him. The doctor's rather an ass,
very French and excitable, but he does his best. But I have to see
to everything, and be always there to put on the poultices and the
ice, and--poor fellow, he does suffer so, but he's awfully brave
and determined to live. He says he will live if it's only to prove
that I came in time to save him. And yet, when I look at him, I
feel as if--but I won't give up hope. The heat here is terrible,
and tries him very much now he is so desperately ill, and the
flies--but I don't want to bother you with my troubles. They're not
very great--only one. Do you guess what that is? I scarcely dare to
think of Sicily. Whenever I do I feel such a horrible ache in my
heart. It seems to me as if I had not seen your face or touched
your hand for centuries, and sometimes--and that's the worst of
all--as if I never should again, as if our time together and our
love were a beautiful dream, and God would never allow me to dream
it again. That's a little morbid, I know, but I think it's always
like that with a great happiness, a happiness that is quite
complete. It seems almost a miracle to have ha