We pledged this good purpose in champagne, and gave him thanks worthy of the accomplished deed. In the morning we coaled anew, and from the warship received help of engineers and artificers, who strengthened our patched propeller and battened down more firmly our ballast.
In the evening we parted with much esteem and desire for future foregatherings—we to turn northward and home by the south seas, the Bluebell setting her course for Buenos Ayres.
As the day died in the crimson of the sunset, my darling and I stood beside the taffrail and watched the ruby glories fade. We had just interviewed Lady Delahay on behalf of Vi and Gerry. With artful devices had I pictured the latter’s probable career in his profession with my influence at his back, and desperately had I exaggerated the possible worth of his share of the Mayan treasure. Denvarre, too, had magnanimously promised that the whole patronage of the family should be exerted to gain him attachéships and like lucrative posts. The result had been a tardy and unwilling, but official, benison of Gerry’s aspirations, and in the stern the young couple sat hand-in-hand with the more or less complacent assent of the lady’s mother.
So in perfected content my love and I stood together in the bow, and saw the sun sink into the main and the stars rush out into soft splendors above us. A thousand miles behind us were the terrors of the land of fire—terrors forgiven, in that they had knit our lives and now loomed shadowy through a mist of happiness. Our prow was pointing to the islands of eternal summer; and in our hearts love’s endless summer reigned.
THE END
A TENDER LOVE STORY
BY THE AUTHOR OF
“ALICE OF OLD VINCENNES”
MILLY: