"I came to heal the wound I made in your heart," she said, while a pink wave swept over her face.
Still he held her, drawing her closer to him.
"The lips," he said, "on the lips, as a penance."
"My penance is easy," she said with a happy ring in her voice.
Then drawing a chair close to the side of his bed, she let him gather her hands in his.
"Strange!" he said. "During my illness I dreamed it would be this way. I must have dreamed a long time. You were always with me, I thought. You were always in white, and often brought me flowers. Once, I found myself in heaven. You met me, and smiled and said, 'Come.' You brought me the most heavenly being I ever beheld, and placing my hand in his, said significantly, 'He loved much!' Then you vanished. And the heavenly being smiled upon me. And my heart grew glad. I began to understand the mysteries of life. Then I thought how you had led me to the very fountain of love, that I might know how to love you purely. I began to feel I could renounce all my hopes of your love, because there was something in that other presence that taught me that great Love asks no return. It just loves on, and on. Then I thought this heavenly being called me brother. And thousands of voices began to sing, 'Glory to God in the highest!'"
"Beautiful!" she said.
"Then I seemed to float in space, and I knew that you were near me. Your arms were full of flowers, and you offered up silent prayers for me that bridged the gulf between us."
She kissed him again, saying softly:
"Beloved, I did bridge the gulf with prayers. How stupid I was not to know sooner!"