“Yes,” said Anabelle.
“Yes,” repeated Rollo, “and this is what it is. I should like to marry you, Anabelle. But for several reasons I may not be able to do so. My worldly goods, to which Dr. Ordway referred, are of very little value, and moreover, from something Jonas said to me this morning I fear I may not be long for this world.”
“Oh, Rollo,” cried the little girl, and put her hand over his.
“But as I understand it,” continued Rollo, “we must first be engaged, and perhaps we should not take but one step at a time. Shall we be engaged, Anabelle?”
“Let’s,” she answered.
“I regret,” said Rollo, “that I have no engagement ring, but perhaps for the present another piece of jewelry will serve.”
So saying, he drew from his pocket the scarf pin which Uncle George had given him.
As he went forward to fasten it in Anabelle’s dress she leaned toward him. It was as if two roses had been brought together by a breeze straying through a garden. Through Rollo’s heart spread a shivering thrill which carried no presentiment of an untimely end, but a feeling that he should live forever.
“Oh, Anabelle,” he whispered through her hair. “This must be the ending which Jonas prophesied—but what a happy ending it is!”
“It is only the beginning,” said Anabelle weeping.