They sat in the darkness of the storm. When the lightnings flashed each had a vision of the other's face, tense and still. There was nothing that could be done. The sailor, who was hardy enough, now muttered prayers and now objurgations upon the faithless weather. He tried to assure his passengers that not St. Anne herself could have foreseen what was going to occur that afternoon. Certainly Jean Gouillou had not. "That's understood," said Hagar, smiling at him in a flash of lightning; and, "Just do your best now," said Fay. The wild storm continued. Wind and wave tossed and drove the helpless boat. Now it laboured in the black trough of the waves, now it staggered upon the summits; and always it laboured more heavily, and always it was more laggard in rising. The Breton and Fay took turns in bailing the water out. It was now, save for the lightning, dark night. At last it was seen--though still they worked on--that there was little use in bailing. The boat grew heavier, more distressed. The sea was running high. "Some wave will swamp us?" "Yes. It is a matter of time--and not long time, I think." Hagar put out her hands to him. "Then I will tell you now--" He took her hands. "Is it your answer?" "Yes, my dear.... Yes, my dear." They bent toward each other--their lips met. "Now, whether we live or whether we die--" The wild storm continued. The slow sands of the night ran on, and still the boat lived, though always more weakly, with the end more certainly before her. The Breton crossed himself and prayed. Hagar and Fay sat close together, hand in hand. After midnight the storm suddenly decreased in force. The lightning and thunder ceased, the clouds began to part. In another hour there would be a sky all stars. The wind that had been so loud and wild sank to a lingering, steady moaning. There was left the tumultuous, lifted sea, and the boat sunken now almost to her gunwales. Fay spoke in a low voice. "Are you afraid of death?" "No.... You cannot kill life." "It will not be painful, going as we shall go--if it is to happen. And to go together--" "I am glad that we are going together--seeing that we are to go." "Do you believe that--when it is over--we shall be together still?" "Consciously together?" "Yes." "I do not know. No one knows. No one can know--yet. But I have faith that we shall persist, and that intelligently. I do not think that we shall forget or ignore our old selves. And if we wish to be together--and we do wish it--then I think we may have power to compass it." "It has sometimes seemed to me," said Fay, "that After Death may prove to be just Life with something like fourth dimensional powers. All this life a memory as of childhood, and a power and freedom and scope undreamed of now--" "It is possible. All things are possible--save extinction.--I think, too, it will be higher, more spiritual.... At any rate, I do not fear. I feel awe as before something unknown and high." "And I the same."