"Very well; let's both be honest. I've fought it because I've had enough decency to see the impossibility--oh, my God!--what's the use being fool enough to talk about it. I haven't one cent on earth that's my own; I'm worse than a beggar, if we are going to be quite honest about matters, since I am a debtor." "Oh," said Alexina; "oh, don't." "I fought it out, or thought I had, down there in the glades, and then got up and came back because I couldn't let you go--without--" "I'm glad," said Alexina, "I'm glad." "You don't know what you're saying." "I do know," said the girl. "I'm glad, I'm glad--" "Alexina!" "I'm glad." Her young face was white and solemn in the moonlight, but her eyes came up to his with a splendid courage. "I'm glad," she repeated. It might have been a moment, an hour, a day, an æon, the two looked at each other. Then their hands went out to each other, for very need of human touch in the great awe of it. When he spoke both were trembling. "Will you wait?" he asked her. "It may be long." But the note in his voice was new. The fight even then was begun. "Yes," she told him, grave eyes meeting grave eyes, for young love is solemn. Then he drew her to him and sight and sound went out, and the solid round earth was spurned. And yet they were but two of the long, unending line, mounting thus to God and His heaven, for it is for this we are come into the world. Suddenly Alexina slipped her hands from his and fled. Molly was on the porch with Mr. Jonas. A toy harness from the cotillion favors jangled on her dress. She had sunk laughing on a bench to get breath. "Yes," she told Mr. Jonas, "we go in the morning, to Cannes Brulée." Alexina was coming up on the porch and to Molly. Straight she slipped to her knees and her arms went around her mother. "Dear me, Malise," said Molly. The head of the girl hid itself in the curve of the mother's neck and shoulder. "Dear me, Malise," said Molly, "you're such a child." THE END THE McCLURE PRESS, NEW YORK Transcriber's Note A table of contents has been added by the transcriber for the convenience of the reader. Hyphenation and spelling has been made consistent where there was a prevalence of one form over another. Please note that the author appears to have used both US and UK spelling. Typographic errors have been repaired--for example, deleting superfluous letters, fixing omitted or incorrect punctuation. End of Project Gutenberg's The House of Fulfilment, by George Madden Martin