"But you are mine, Donelle, and all the powers in the world cannot alter that. I am going to make you believe me. What do I care for anything but this? You have driven everything but yourself from sight. When you play, great heavens, Donelle, when you play to me, moving about as you did that first and only time in my cabin, you took me into a Great Place. Don’t tremble, little girl, don’t. Every quiver hurts me. I am going to make you forget the brute in me; I’m going to meet your love, dear heart, with one as fine, so help me God! Trust me, Donelle, trust me and when you can tell me that you do trust me, we will go to Mam’selle. She will understand, she has the mighty soul. Oh, Donelle!" Norval leaned over the tender face, almost touched it with his lips, but did not. "My little white love!" he whispered. "But you will come and play for me?" he pleaded. "Yes." "And you will, you will give me a fair show?" She smiled wanly. "If I ever give you cause again to fear me, I hope——" Then Donelle raised her hand and laid it across his lips. "I am so afraid of this wonderful thing that is happening to me," she said, "and you mustn’t say—well! what you were going to say just then." "Don’t fear the love, my darling. It’s the sacredest thing in the world." Norval had taken the hand from his lips and now held it in his own. "And we’ll keep it holy, Donelle. That is our part." "Yes, yes; but to think, to think!" "Don’t think, sweet, here. Come close and try to—to—love for a moment without remembering." "Why, how can I?" "Try." And so they stood with the golden light of the west on their faces. Norval did the thinking. He thought of the quickest possible method of setting Katherine free and making it right for him to kiss Donelle. He thought of the wild realization of his true nature—a nature that had been distorted and contracted by inheritance and training. He did not want the beaten tracks, that had always been the trouble. He wanted the unbroken trails, God! how he had thirsted and hungered for just what this little, wild, sweet thing in his arms represented. Love, simple, primitive love, music, understanding! And then Norval thought of Anderson Law! Thought of him, longed for him at that moment as a blind man might long for guiding, not to the right path, but on it. "You may kiss me now!" This in a whisper. The quick surrender startled Norval. He bent his head, still thinking of Law. "My woman," he said to that uplifted face, "when I have the right, that somehow I forfeited, I will kiss you." "But you said we were not to think; when you think, you remember." "Yes, Donelle, we remember and we look ahead with faith." Gently Norval let her free. He smiled at her, and the look in his eyes made her stand very straight, but she smiled back. "I am so happy," she said simply. "And I thought I was never to be happy again."