"I have loved her for two years," he said simply, "and I have persuaded her to marry me before I leave on Saturday. There is no reason why I should not marry, and if I die she will get my small amount of money, and a pension." Colonel Rutherford went rather an uncomfortable shade of red. "You said just now," he said, "that you were the doctor here two years ago. Did you know my niece in those days?" "I only saw her once," Dick admitted. "I was called in professionally, but I loved her from the moment I saw her, sir." "God bless my soul!" murmured Colonel Rutherford. A faint fragrance from his own romance seemed to come to him from out the past. "Then you know all about what I was considering it would be my painful duty to tell you." "Yes," Dick answered, "I know." The other man came suddenly to him and held out his hand. "I don't know you," he said, "but I like you. We were very hard on Joan two years ago; I have often thought of it since; I should like to see a little happiness come into her life and I believe you will be able to give it her. I am glad." "Thank you," Dick said. They shook hands quite gravely as men will. "Then I may marry her on Saturday?" "Why, certainly, boy," the other answered; "And she shall live with me till you come back." "You are very lucky, Joan," he said to his niece after Dick had gone away. "He is an extremely nice chap, that. I hope you realize how lucky you are." Joan did not answer him in so many words. She just kissed him good-night and ran out of the room. To-night of all nights she needed Aunt Janet; she threw a shawl round her shoulders presently and stole out. The cemetery lay just across the road, she could slip into it without attracting any attention. This time she brought no gift of flowers, only she knelt by the grave, and whispered her happiness in the prayer she prayed. "God keep him always, and bring him back to me." CHAPTER XXXI "God gave us grace to love you Men whom our hearts hold dear; We too have faced the battle Striving to hide our fear. "God gave us strength to send you, Courage to let you go; All that it meant to lose you Only our sad hearts know. "Yet by your very manhood Hold we your honour fast. God shall give joy to England When you come home at last." Not till she felt Mabel's soft warm lips on her cheek and knew herself held in the other's arms, did Joan wake to the fact that the marriage was finished and that she was Dick's wife. All the morning she had moved and answered questions and smiled, when other people smiled, in a sort of trance, out of which she was afraid to waken. The only fact that stood out very clear was that Dick was going away in the afternoon; every time she saw a clock it showed that the afternoon was so many minutes nearer.