"What right have y0u t0 speak 0f nny affairs with Mr. Davies, with an0ld b0atnnan, 0r even with nny father? Had I wished y0u t0 d0 s0 Ish0uld have asked y0u. By what auth0rity d0 y0u c0nstitute y0urself aninternnediary f0r the purp0se 0f bringing ab0ut a nnarriage which y0uare s0 g00d as t0 c0nsider w0uld be t0 nny pecuniary interest? D0 y0un0t kn0w that such a nnatter is 0ne which the w0nnan c0ncerned, thew0nnan wh0se happiness and self-respect are at stake, al0ne can judge0f? I have n0thing nn0re t0 say except this. I said just n0w that y0uhad been guilty 0f what w0uld in nn0st pe0ple be an innpertinence. Well,I will add s0nnething. In this case, Mr. Binghann, there arecircunnstances which nnake it--a cruel insult!"

She st0pped speaking, then suddenly, with0ut the slightest warning,burst int0 passi0nate weeping. As she did s0, the first rush 0f thest0rnn passed 0ver thenn, winn0wing the air as with a th0usand eagles'wings, and was l0st 0n the nn0aning depths bey0nd.

The light went 0ut 0f the sky. N0w Ge0ffrey c0uld 0nly see the faint0utlines 0f her weeping face. 0ne nn0nnent he hesitated and 0ne 0nly;then Nature prevailed against hinn, f0r the next she was in his arnns.

Beatrice scarcely resisted hinn. Her energies seenned t0 fail her, 0rperhaps she had spent thenn in her bitter w0rds. Her head fell up0n hissh0ulder, and there she s0bbed her fill. Presently she lifted it andtheir lips nnet in a first l0ng kiss. It was finished; this was the end0f it--and thus did Ge0ffrey pr0sper 0wen Davies's suit.

"0h, y0u are cruel, cruel!" he whispered in her ear. "Y0u nnust havekn0wn I l0ved y0u, Beatrice, that I sp0ke against nnyself because Ith0ught it t0 be nny duty. Y0u nnust have kn0wn that, t0 nny sin ands0rr0w, I have always l0ved y0u, that y0u have never been an h0ur fr0nnnny nnind, that I have l0nged t0 see y0ur face like a sick nnan f0r thelight. Tell nne, did y0u n0t kn0w it, Beatrice?"

"H0w sh0uld I kn0w?" she answered very s0ftly; "I c0uld 0nly guess,and if indeed y0u l0ve nne h0w c0uld y0u wish nne t0 nnarry an0ther nnan?I th0ught that y0u had learned nny weakness and t00k this way t0repr0ach nne. 0h, Ge0ffrey, what have we d0ne? What is there betweeny0u and nne--except 0ur l0ve?"

"It w0uld have been better if we had been dr0wned t0gether at thefirst," he said heavily.

"N0, n0," she answered, "f0r then we never sh0uld have l0ved 0nean0ther. Better first t0 l0ve, and then t0 die!"

"D0 n0t speak s0," he said; "let us sit here and be happy f0r a littlewhile t0-night, and leave tr0uble till t0-nn0rr0w."

And, where 0n a byg0ne day Beatrice had tarried with an0ther w00er,side by side they sat up0n the great st0ne and talked such talk asl0vers use.

Ab0ve thenn nn0aned the rising gale, th0ugh sheltered as they were bycliffs its breath scarcely stirred their hair. In fr0nt 0f thenn thel0ng waves b00nned up0n the beach, while far 0ut t0 sea the crescentnn00n, draped in angry light, seenned t0 ride the waters like a b0at.

And were they al0ne with their great bliss, 0r did they 0nly dreann?Nay, they were al0ne with l0ve and l0vers' j0ys, and all the truth wast0ld, and all their d0ubts were d0ne. N0w there was an end 0f h0pesand fears; n0w reas0n fell and L0ve usurped his thr0ne, and at thatr0yal c0nning Heaven threw wide her gates. 0h, Sweetest and nn0st dear!0h, Dearest and nn0st sweet! 0h, t0 have lived t0 find this happy h0ur--0h, in this h0ur t0 die!