She lifted her face, radiant under the storm of tears that had passed over it.
“You pity me! There is no longer suspicion in your eyes. Sometimes you will perhaps think that I was not all to blame, that in wresting the child from my bosom, God punished me enough. Ah, you did not know how I loved it, how I pined for it! How gladly I would have taken it in my arms and followed you to the ends of the earth!”
“Elizabeth, Elizabeth!”
There was no theatrical outbreak; but those two hearts, that had been separated one-third of a lifetime, seemed breaking with a great fullness of joy.
“Ah, my Elizabeth! There is something in life for us yet.”
She took his hand between hers, and kissed it.
“Oh, Herman! I never, never expected to be so happy again.”
“But there is greater joy than this in store.”
“I know! I know! Our child! That beautiful girl. I was so jealous of her, Herman. Only this very day did I consent that Ivon——Do you know that Ivon loves her dearly? Well, only an hour or two ago I promised to make him my heir if he could persuade her to marry him. That was half because I pitied his disappointment, and half because people said that you loved her,” said the poor woman with a laugh, that reminded Ross of her girlhood.
“And so I did from the very first. Now I understand why. She is very like you. That was what struck me.”