Grantley Mellen held his wife to his heart and whispered fond and loving words, such as he had breathed during their brief courtship before a shadow clouded over the beauty of their lives. "There shall be no more clouds," he whispered, "no more trouble. Look up, Elizabeth! Say that you love me--that you are glad as I am." "I do love you, my husband--with all my heart and soul I love you! I _am_ glad--very, very glad." "And I love you, Bessie. I did not know how well until I went away. But we shall never part any more--never more." Elizabeth was weeping drops as cold as the rain on her face. It was unusual for her to allow any feeling of joy or pain to overcome her so completely. "You are weak and nervous to-night, Bessie," he said, tenderly. "I was wrong to come upon you so suddenly." "No, no!" she cried, vehemently. But even in her denial she shuddered, remembering whom she had just left and how she had met her husband. Then she arose to go, but staggered in her walk and held herself up with difficulty. He looked at her with such tender love in his eyes that she held out her arms to him. He drew her close to his bosom: "Elizabeth, we will be happy now." "Yes, yes," she said, in the same hurried manner, "we will be happy now--quite happy." She went out of the room as she said these words and entered her chamber, locking the door carefully behind her, as if she feared that he might intrude upon her. Half an hour after the newly-united husband and wife met at the supper-table, and Grantley Mellen saw that Elizabeth had quite recovered from the sudden shock of his arrival in that unexpected way. "I cannot realize it yet," she said, coming into the room and walking up to the hearth where he stood; "I cannot believe you are actually here." She stole close to his side and folded his hand in hers. For an instant there was a slight hesitation amounting almost to timidity, as if she were doing something or assuming a place to which she had no right, but it passed quickly. She was looking up into his face with a pleasant smile, a little pale yet from her recent emotion, or else those two years which had elapsed since their parting had robbed her of a portion of her girlish bloom,--but self-possessed and full of happiness. Grantley Mellen looked at her more closely as she stood there in the cheerful light. Two years had changed her, but that was natural; he was altered too. "Do I look very different, Elizabeth?" he asked. She shook her head. "You are browned, you look a little older, perhaps; but you are not really changed--you are Grantley still." "I cannot tell if you are altered," he said; "I must wait till I have seen you a day or two. You seem paler--thinner." She shivered a little, but quickly regained her self-control and cheerfulness. "You cannot judge how I look to-night," she said. "I am sorry Elsie is gone." "When did she go away, Elizabeth?"