‘No,’ says she slowly, simply, and with a touch of trouble, as if bringing her mind with difficulty back to something far away. ‘You must give me your attention for a moment,’ says he sharply. Ever since he discovered that she was not only the possessor of a very good name, in spite of its ugliness, but also the heiress of a very considerable sum of money, all passion has died out of his tone. If he thought, however, by this to deceive her with regard to his honest feeling for her, he is entirely mistaken. ‘There are things to which you will have to listen—to which you ought to wish to listen. And if’—with a frown—‘you will not think of your good fortune, of what will you think?’ There is a long silence. And then there is a little rush towards him, and two arms are flung round his neck. ‘I am thinking,’ cries she softly, clinging to him, ‘that now I can marry you.’ * * * * * Heavenly moments on this side of the sky are few and far between. It is Ella, so strangely unlike a woman, who breaks into the delicious silence. ‘That night! I wish now——’ ‘Wish nothing, so far as that is concerned. That night I saw you first gave you to me.’ ‘But——’ ‘That sounds like fright,’ interrupts he, laughing. ‘But you are not easily frightened, are you? That night—you see, I insist upon going back to it’—catching her hands and drawing her to him—‘no, you shall not be ashamed of it. That night in which we both met for the first time you were not frightened. You walked towards death without a qualm.’ ‘Ah, I was too wretched then to be frightened of anything!’ says she. She looks at him, a smile parts her lips, and slowly, slowly she leans towards him until her cheek is resting against his. ‘I should be frightened now,’ says she softly, tenderly. His arms close round her. He clasps her to his heart. CHAPTER LVI. ‘Your heart is never away, But ever with mine, for ever, For ever, without endeavour, To-morrow, love, as to-day; Two blent hearts never astray, Two souls no power may sever, Together, O my love, for ever!’ There was a deal of trouble over it for a while, but when that faded photograph and the certificate and the diary were brought into a larger light things smoothed down. Shangarry saw at once how it must end, and accepted the situation gracefully; but Mrs. Prior was a little hard to manage until Ella (who refused point-blank to meet her) declared her determination not to take more than half the money that had been left to her by Sir John Burke, her grandfather. It was quite astonishing how Mrs. Prior softened towards her after that. But Ella stood firm and would not see her.