He bent over her hand and kissed it, and kissed it, while his frame shook with uncontrollable emotion. Then looking up through his dimmed eyes, he said, “My darling, that was the sweetest music, that sentence, that I shall ever hear in this world or in all the worlds beyond it in eternity!” “When did you first begin to love me?” she asked. “I don’t know. But I loved you the first moment you looked into my face while I was speaking that day. And I recognised you instantly as the Dream of my Soul. I have loved you for ever, ages before we were born in this world, somewhere, our souls met and knew and loved. And I’ve been looking for you ever since. When I saw you there in the crowd that day looking up at me with those beautiful blue eyes, I felt like shouting ‘I have found her! I have found her!’ and rushing to your side lest I should not see you again.” “It is strange--this feeling that we have known each other forever. The moment you touched my hand that first day, a sense of perfect content and joy in living came over me. I couldn’t remember the time when I hadn’t known you. You seemed so much a part of my inmost thoughts and every day life. I laughed this morning from sheer madness of joy when you told me your love. I knew you were going to tell me to-day. You tried yesterday, but I held you back. I wanted you to tell me here at this beautiful spot, that the music of this water might always sing its chorus with the memory of your words.” “Let me kiss your lips once!” he pleaded. “No, you shall hold my hand and kiss that. Your touch thrills every nerve of my being like wine. It is enough. I promised Mama I would never allow a man to kiss me without asking her. And we are like loving comrades. I couldn’t violate a promise to her. I will, when she says so.” “Then I ’ll ask her. I know she’s on my side.” “Yes, I believe she loves you because I do.” “What did you whisper to her that night, when we came late, and you said she would be angry?” “Told her I loved you.” “If I could only have caught that whisper then! You don’t know how it delights me to think your mother likes me. I couldn’t help loving her. It seems to me a divine seal on our lives.” “Yes, and what specially delights me is, you have completely captured Papa, and he’s so hard to please.” “You don’t say so!” “Yes, he’s been preaching you at me ever since you came the first time. I pretended to be indifferent to draw him out. He would say, ‘Now Sallie, there’s a man for you,--no pretty dude, but a man, with a kingly eye and a big brain. That’s the kind of a man who does things in the world and makes history for smaller men to read.’ And then I’d say just to aggravate him, ‘But Papa he’s as poor as Job’s turkey!’” “Then you ought to have heard him, ‘Well, what of it! You can begin in a cabin like your mother and I did. He’s got a better start than I had, for he has a better training.’” “I am certainly glad to hear that!” Gaston cried with elation.