He wanted to kiss her again, but she evaded it: “Only when the cuckoo calls,” she said, laughing. “Now we must make our plans.”
“Will you not regret it? Will not Victor Adolph be in despair?”
“I think not. It will more likely be a relief to him; for the sacrifice, the hindrances ... all that sort of thing has been a burden to him, and hurt my pride. I want the gift of myself to....”
“Insure absolute happiness, celestial bliss,” interrupted Helmer, completing her sentence; “to make the man who receives this gift feel like a king and be a Crœsus....”
“And do you feel all that, Chlodwig?”
“That and more besides than I can tell. You must know that speech has no satisfactory expression, for our highest emotions—poets do their best to compass it, and therefore they strive by means of rhyme and rhythm to give pinions to speech—but it is all in vain.”
“Still I am going to try,” said Franka, “to describe how I feel: without rhythm and without rhyme, perhaps not even very coherently; but you will certainly understand me. It belongs to my treasure of happiness, this knowledge, that you understand and always will understand what I feel in the deepest depths of my soul. And I understand thee, my poet, my teacher, my beloved. So then, listen, thou who art wont to speak in figures; with two little pictures I can give the whole enigma of my happiness: a haven and a chest. The haven is—”
The explanation was interrupted: for once more and this time much nearer the cuckoo began to call. At the same instant Helmer’s kiss was glowing on her mouth. After the third note, the cuckoo ceased. Franka released herself, but the complaisant bird began again, and when he ceased the second time, Helmer permitted his tremulous but willing prisoner to escape from his arms.
“You see, Love has far more intelligible means of expression than words; but now go on with what you were going to say: the haven is—”
Franka drew a tremulous sigh and passed her hand over her forehead. “Yes, I know—the haven is the sweet security of being protected.—Whatever may come—I am safe!”