Since evenfall a wall of cloud, massive and portentous, had been climbing up over the western hills, slowly but with ominous steadiness obscuring the moon-swept sky with its far, pale wreaths of stars, blotting it out with monstrous folds and convolutions of impenetrable purple-black. Along its crest fire played like swords in the sunlight, and now and again sheeted flame lightened the monstrous expanse so that it glowed with the pale phosphorescence of a summer sea. As Duncan hurried homeward over sidewalks chequered in silver and ink, the advance of the cloud army seemed to become accelerated. With increasing frequency gusts of air set the trees a-shiver until their sibilant whispers of warning filled the valley. The rolling of the thunder grew more sharp, more instant upon the flashes.... When there was no wind the air seemed to quiver with terror--as a dog cringes to the whip.... But of this Duncan was barely conscious. He gained the gate in the fence of wood paling, opened it, and entered. The lawn and house were lit with the unearthly radiance of moonlight threatened by eclipse. He could see the light in Graham's study and, through the open doors, the faint glow of the hall-lamp. But there was no one visible. He hurried up the path, tortured by impatience, fear, longing, despair.... Then he saw what seemed at first a pale shadow detach itself from darker shades in the shrubbery and move toward him. "Nat, is it you?" "Betty!" His whole heart was in that cry; the girl thrilled to its timbre as though a master hand had struck a chord upon her heart-strings. "Nat, what--what is it?" "Betty, I want to tell you something." She came very slowly toward him, torn alternately by fear and hope. What did he mean? "Do you happen to remember that I told you a while ago I was engaged to Josie Lockwood?" [Illustration: "Forever and ever and a day"] "Nat! Could I forget? ... Why?" "Because ... it's broken off, Betty." "Broken off! ... How? Why?" "Because it had to be, sweetheart: because I love you." She was very close to him then. Her uplifted face shone like marble in the fading light. "Nat, I ... I don't understand." "Then, listen--I must tell you. It was all a plan, a scheme, my coming here, Betty. Everything I did, said, thought, was part of a contemptible trick.... I meant to marry Josie Lockwood, whom I'd never seen, for her money. ... Now you know what I was, dear.... But it's different, now. I'm not the same man who came to Radville ten months ago. I've learned a little to understand the right, I hope: I've learned to love and reverence goodness and purity and unselfishness and ... And I want to be a man, the kind of a man you thought me: a man worthy of you and your love, Betty.... Because I love you. I want you to be my wife. ... And, O Betty, Betty, I need you to help me!"