The things which belong—

BY THE SAME AUTHOR
CRUMP FOLK GOING HOME THE LONELY PLOUGH THE OLD ROAD FROM SPAIN BEAUTIFUL END THE SPLENDID FAIRING THE TRUMPET IN THE DUST
THE THINGS WHICH BELONG—
(“ The things which belong unto thy peace ”)
BY CONSTANCE HOLME
MILLS & BOON, LIMITED 49 RUPERT STREET LONDON, W.1
Published 1925 Made and printed in Great Britain at The Mayflower Press, Plymouth . William Brendon & Son, Ltd.
The author wishes to say that, in spite of the “local colour” in this book, the situation between the characters is purely imaginary.
THE THINGS WHICH BELONG—
HE dropped the pen.... More strictly speaking, it fell as if weighted from his fingers. He had an extraordinary feeling that he would never use a pen again.
A flush came into Mattie’s face, but she said nothing. He had always expected that, if ever this moment arrived,—impossible as it had seemed that it ever should arrive,—she would meet it with a flood of joyful speech; but now she was silent. It was the second time this evening that she had surprised him by her silence,—this wan and weary early-spring evening which marked the finish of a bleak and soulless day. Searching vaguely, however, among recollections which had left impression without form, he remembered that people often did fall silent at the late fulfilment of a long desire....
Instead of speaking, she sighed. It was such a sigh, he thought, as the dying give just before they pass on into new life. In that last breath there is everything that they see before them, and everything that they leave behind. Mattie’s sigh was like that.