"Oh!" she cried, "what shall I do? It was my mother's." The words were scarcely out of her mouth when Alec was in the water. Bubbles rose and broke as he vanished. Kate did not scream, but stood, pale, with parted lips, staring into the pool. With a boiling and heaving of the water, he rose triumphant, holding up the brooch. Kate gave a cry and threw herself on the grass. When Alec reached her, she lay sobbing, and would not lift her head. "You are very unkind, Alec," she said at last, looking up. "What will your mother say?" And she hid her face and began to sob afresh. "It was your mother's brooch," answered Alec. "Yes, yes; but we could have got it out somehow." "No other how.--I would have done that for any girl. You don't know what I would do for _you_, Kate." "You shouldn't have frightened me. I had been thinking how greedy the pool looked," said Kate, rising now, as if she dared not remain longer beside it. "I didn't mean to frighten you, Kate. I never thought of it. I am almost a water-rat." "And now you'll get your death of cold. Come along." Alec laughed. He was in no hurry to go home. But she seized his hand and half-dragged him all the way. He had never been so happy in his life. Kate had cried because he had jumped into the water! That night they had a walk in the moonlight. It was all moon--the air with the mooncore in it; the trees confused into each other by the sleep of her light; the bits of water, so many moons over again; the flowers, all pale phantoms of flowers: the whole earth, transfused with reflex light, was changed into a moon-ghost of its former self. They were walking in the moon-world. The silence and the dimness sank into Alec's soul, and it became silent and dim too. The only sound was the noise of the river, quenched in that light to the sleepy hush of moon-haunted streams. Kate felt that she had more room now. And yet the scope of her vision was less, for the dusk had closed in around her. She had ampler room because the Material had retired as behind a veil, leaving the Immaterial less burdened, and the imagination more free to work its will. The Spiritual is ever putting on material garments; but in the moonlight, the Material puts on spiritual garments. Kate sat down at the foot of an old tree which stood alone in one of the fields. Alec threw himself on the grass, and looked up in her face, which was the spirit-moon shining into his world, and drowning it in dreams.--The Arabs always call their beautiful women _moons_.--Kate sat as silent as the moon in heaven, which rained down silence. And Alec lay gazing at Kate, till silence gave birth to speech: "Oh Kate! How I love you!" he said. Kate started. She was frightened. Her mind had been full of gentle thoughts. Yet she laid her hand on his arm and accepted the love.--But how? "You dear boy!" she said.