‘Laura!’ said Oscar in a voice that was scarcely raised above a whisper. She turned her head and looked at him. Their eyes met. For a moment each seemed to be gazing into the other’s heart. Then Oscar went a step nearer and held out both his hands. An instant later he had his arms round her and his lips were pressed to hers. ‘My own at last, after all these weary years!’ he murmured. The figure in black had come a step or two nearer. She flung back her veil with a sudden passionate gesture. ‘Oscar Boyd!’ The words were spoken with a sort of slow, deliberate emphasis. The lovers fell apart as though a thunderbolt had dropped between them. Oscar’s face changed on the instant to a ghastly pallor. With one hand, he clutched the back of a chair; the other went up to his throat, as though there were something there which stopped his breathing. For the space of a few seconds the ticking of the clock on the chimney-piece was the only sound that broke the silence. Then came the question: ‘Who are you?’ breathed rather than spoken. In clear incisive tones came the answer: ‘Your wife!’ * * * * * The day was three hours older. The news that Mr Boyd’s wife, who was supposed to have been drowned several years before, had unexpectedly proved that she was still in existence, was not long before it reached the ears of everybody at Rosemount, from Captain Bowood himself to the boy in the stables. As soon as he had recovered in some degree from the first shock of surprise, Oscar had gone in search of Mrs Bowood; and having explained to her in as few words as possible what had happened, had asked her to grant him the use of one of her parlours for a few hours. Mrs Bowood, who was the soul of hospitality, would fain have gone on the instant and welcomed Mrs Boyd, as she welcomed all her guests at Rosemount, and it may be with even more _empressement_ than usual, considering the remarkable circumstances of the case. Mr Boyd, however, vetoed her proposition in a way which caused her to suspect that there must be something more under the surface than she was aware of; so, with ready tact, she forbore to question him further, and at once placed a sitting-room at his disposal.