Royall, whose ghastly pallor made him look as if death had already claimed him for its own, smiled feebly on the visitors, and murmured: “Lutie, you may go into the next room while I speak to Daisie.” They were alone--the beautiful, wretched girl and the husband who loved her so vainly and was slipping away from her so fast into the darkness of death. He gazed at her with adoration in his dim blue eyes, and faltered: “You did not leave me, Daisie. I am so glad, for I do not expect to live long, and I will die happy if you stay by me to the last.” Her heart was touched by his fervent love, and impulsively she smoothed his cold hand caressingly. But he sighed, and continued: “I do not deserve your kindness, and I would not dare to accept it--only that I believe I am--slipping away from life.” “Oh, no, no--there is a chance!” she said gently. “Would you wish me to live, Daisie?” “Yes--oh, yes!” “For you, dear?” wistfully. “Do not let us speak of that now. I--I am too nervous,” she murmured. “I understand, and I will not tease you by begging for your love--for I have a confession to make to you--my dying confession--and when you have heard it I cannot blame you if you hate me.” How she pitied him now--she who had hated him only last night. But death cancels all resentments. She wiped the dew from his cold brow with her soft and gentle hand. She stroked his fair curls softly, thinking how handsome he was in his fair style--only no one could approach her splendid lover, Dallas. “I shall pray God to let you live,” she whispered; and a sudden hatred came to her for the fiend whose cowardly bullet had laid low this promising life. “Wait till I tell you all,” he sighed remorsefully. “Ah, Daisie, I have done you a cruel wrong, but I cannot go down to death without confessing it, and then you will hate my very memory.” “No, no--I will forgive you!” she murmured, out of her womanly sympathy. “Ah, you don’t know it yet,” Royall Sherwood cried, half accusingly, and added: “I told you last night that I did not know what Lutie had done, but it was false. I was in the plot to deceive you. I went to her with my troubles, and my fear of losing you, since you were going away, and she suggested the plan to get you to help us last night, and make the wedding a real one. I agreed to it, and won you for my bride by a fraud, a hideous lie.” Startled beyond the power of speech, she gazed at him in dumb horror. “Ah, I knew you would hate me! But I could not die without making my peace with God,” he moaned faintly. “I told the preacher about it last night, and he prayed for me, and said I must tell you all, so as to win God’s forgiveness and yours. You can forgive me, can’t you, since I was so soon cut down in my wickedness, and forced to repent? And, Daisie, I have sent for my lawyer. I shall leave you my whole fortune in atonement, so that you may one day be happy with Dallas Bain.”