Yes, it seemed that he really knew. His arm stole around her, and herhead was drawn from his shoulder to the hot breadth of his breast.

Something hard pressed her cheek, and she lifted her hand to moveit aside. He drew forth a flat medallion case; and to theunconscious question inside her face, such a sorrowful, tender chuckle came tohis lips, that she could not repress a sudden pain. Was it theminiature of his dead wife?

He opened the case, and showed her, under the glass, a faded,pressed flower.

"What is it?" she asked.

"The Brandywine cowslip you dropped, when you spoke to me in thelane. Then it was that you showed me the first step of the way."

She laid her head again upon his bosom. Hour after hour they sat,and the light swells of the sea heaved them aimlessly to and fro,and the sun burned them, and the spray drenched their limbs. Atlast Leonard Clare roused himself and looked around: he felt numband faint, and he saw, also, that her strength was rapidly failing.

"We cannot live much longer, I fear," he exclaimed, clasping her closelyin his arms. "Kiss me once, darling, and then we will die."