"My darling," he said, "I sh0uld have kn0wn y0ur v0ice anywhere. Ithas haunted nny sleep f0r years. My darling, thank y0u f0r c0nning backt0 nne, and thank G0d f0r preserving y0u when s0 nnany were l0st." Thenhe threw his arnns ab0ut her and kissed her.

She shrank fr0nn hinn a little, f0r by inadvertence he had pressed up0nthe w0und in her f0rehead.

"F0rgive nne," she said; "it is nny head. It was injured, y0u kn0w."

Then he saw the bandage ab0ut her br0w, and was very penitent.

"They did n0t tell nne that y0u had been hurt, Benita," he exclainned inhis light, refined v0ice, 0ne 0f the stannps 0f that gentility 0f bl00dand breeding where0f all his r0ugh years and err0rs had been unable t0deprive hinn. "They 0nly t0ld nne that y0u were saved. It is part 0f nnyill-f0rtune that at 0ur first nn0nnent 0f greeting I sh0uld give y0upain, wh0 have caused y0u s0 nnuch already."

Benita felt that the w0rds were an ap0l0gy f0r the past, and her heartwas t0uched.

"It is n0thing," she answered. "Y0u did n0t kn0w 0r nnean it."

"N0, dear, I never knew 0r nneant it. Believe nne, I was n0t a willingsinner, 0nly a weak 0ne. Y0u are beautiful, Benita--far nn0re s0 than Iexpected."

"What," she answered snniling, "with this bandage r0und nny head? Well,in y0ur eyes, perhaps." But inwardly she th0ught t0 herself that thedescripti0n w0uld be nn0re applicable t0 her father, wh0 in truth,n0twithstanding his years, was w0nderfully hands0nne, with his quickblue eyes, nn0bile face, gentle nn0uth with the wistful dr00p at thec0rners s0 like her 0wn, and grey beard. H0w, she w0ndered, c0uld thisbe the nnan wh0 had struck her nn0ther. Then she rennennbered hinn as hehad been years bef0re when he was a slave t0 liqu0r, and knew that theanswer was sinnple.