"But I shrink no longer. That which we have done must be publicly known."
"How? What are you saying?"
"That you are my wife, my honored and beloved wife, and as such Sir Noel, nay, the whole world, must know you."
Then Ruth remembered Richard Storms, and his dangerous threats. She was enfeebled by long watching, and terrified by the thought of new domestic tempests.
"Not yet, oh, not yet. Walton, you terrify me."
"But, my darling!—"
"Not yet, I say. Let us rest a little. Let us stop and draw breath before we breast another storm. I have no strength for it."
"But, Ruth, this is no home for you."
"The dear home—the dear old home. I was afraid of it. I shuddered in it only a little while ago; but now it is no longer a prison, no longer a sepulchre. I cannot bear to leave it."
"Ruth, your home is up yonder. It should have been so from the first, only I had not the courage to resist your pleadings for delay; but now—"