"Yes." She understood the help that was needed. "Then come." Together they went out to the street. He hailed a taxicab and they entered and drove away. Neither spoke during that ride. When they reached the house he led her to the parlor. "If you will wait here," he said, "I will get the nurse away." In a few minutes he returned. "You may go up now." He watched her ascend, heard her quick light tread along the hall above and the closing of a door. "Esther!" he whispered. "My poor Esther! Who will help you?" CHAPTER XIII THE HAPPY ENDING She halted just within the closed door. At first he could not believe it was she. For a little he went blind, a black streaming mist hiding her from him. But when it cleared away she was still there. Their eyes met and clung across the room. "Esther! You came! I didn't believe--" "He asked me to come." "He asked you! I don't understand--" "Would you rather I had stayed away?" For answer he held out hungry arms toward her. He would have sat upright; pain and weakness were forgotten. But she was at his side in a breath. "You must not." She put her hands on his shoulders to restrain him. He caught them and held them close to him. She let him for a moment, then gently freed them from his clasp. "It is no worse than he says--your hurt?" "It isn't bad at all." "You're sure? You see, I didn't know until I got to the office. And they made it out very bad there. They even said you mightn't live. And I had to wait until he came with definite word. It was terrible. When I thought--oh, David!" The steadiness she had had to keep up before others gave way. Suddenly she sat on the bed, pressing both hands tightly against her face. "Don't, Esther!" Her weakness hurt him. "Don't! There's nothing to cry for." "Let me. I'll be all right--in a minute." He let her then. And he wished that the hot iron in his own heart could be cooled a little in tears. But his eyes were dry and aching and the iron burned deeper. There _was_ something to cry for. "Now!" It was the tempter whispering. "Now is the time to tell her." But a strange paralysis was on his tongue and will. She waited until she could achieve the smile she wanted him to see. Then she let her hands fall to her lap. And in the brightness of that smile the tears on her lashes were dewdrops that had caught the morning sunlight. "Speak up! Now!" It was the imp again. "Why do you falter?" Now was the time to tell her of that beautiful kingdom and how he proposed to win it for them, to ask her to wait until he could lead her through its gates. And still he could not. . . . And suddenly he knew that he never could. . . . "There!" The smile was perfect. "That is over. I didn't mean to be so foolish. It's only because I had been thinking it was so much worse. Now I can take time to be glad. About this, I mean."