He bent down his head to her, and she came close to his ear: "_Will, I love you, and if I could I would be your wife to-morrow._" "And you will kiss me, too," he said. He felt a slight, warm touch on his lips; and when he raised his head his face was quite white, and his eyes were wild. "Why, we _are_ to be married to-morrow!" he said. "It will be about eleven when I reach the church, and I shall walk up and down between the empty pews until you come. I see the whole thing now—you walking in at the door with your friends, your dear eyes a little frightened, looking at me as if you wanted me to take you away at once from among the people. Then we shall be off, dearest, sharp and fast, up to your house; you will hurry to change your things, and then, with a good-bye to everybody, we are off—we two, you and I, Annie, away anywhere, so that we may be alone together. And I wish to God, Annie, that you and I were lying down there beneath that water, dead and drowned!" They had come to the river—the broad smooth river, with the wonderful breadths of soft light upon it, and the dark olive-green shadows of the sombre wharves and buildings on the other side. "Will, Will, you frighten me so!" she said, clinging to his arm. "You needn’t be frightened," he said, sadly. "I am only telling you what might happen. Can’t you see all these things when you try to see them? For many a night past—ever since the evening we spent overlooking the Rhine—I have seen that marriage-scene before my eyes, and it is always you who are there. You remember that evening when you sate up in the balcony, among the vine-leaves, with the moon hanging up over the river? There’s a German song I once heard that warns you never to go near the Rhine, because life is too sweet there; and we have been there, and have received the curse of this discontent and undying regret." Then he broke out into a bitter laugh. "We were to be lovers; and this is pretty lovers’ talk." "You really do frighten me, Will," she said. "I never saw you look so before. Oh, my dear, don’t be so very, very sad and despairing, for I have nothing to comfort you with—not even one poor word; and it seems so wretched that we two should not be able to comfort each other."