"It's partly the fault of the women and the girls who spoil boys and men, isn't it? But there's scarcely one amongst us but owns in his secret heart that all that is noble in him he owes to the influence of some good woman—a mother, a sister, or an aunt—and Jack, come to man's estate, will look back and call Aunt Betty's name blessed."
Tears stood in Betty's eyes, but her smile was sweet and tender.
"If that prophecy comes true, I shall consider that life has been worth living," she said.
"Let us hope that there may be other causes by that time which will make your life very much worth living; others who will need you even more than little Jack, a husband, perhaps, and—children of your own."
The colour mounted to Betty's face flooding it from brow to chin, then faded leaving her deadly pale. Tom was standing over her looking down on her with a smile that told her more clearly than any words that he loved her, that the husband his imagination pictured was himself.
"Betty," he said, using her Christian name for the first time, "I did not mean to speak yet. I meant to wait until I am recalled to England and have a likelihood of a home to offer you, but your regret at losing your Jack led me on. Should I do, can you think of me as the husband? Betty, my dear, my whole heart cries out to you, I love you so. I don't know when it began, but I almost think it was the first day we ever met, and you caught me at cricket. It will be the biggest blow of my life if you catch me out now. Betty, my sweet one, what answer will you give me? My whole happiness hangs on it. Is it yes, or no?"
Betty looked into his face with a tremulous smile, put out her hands to him, and the next moment was clasped in his arms.
"My darling," he said, as he reverently kissed her, "you shall never have cause to regret your decision."
In the first few moments of their tumultuous happiness neither wished to speak; it was enough for Betty to feel Tom's arm round her, and to know that she was his for evermore, his helpmeet, sharing his home and work, the one man in the world she had ever loved, for a pretty helpful girl like Betty had had other men who wished to marry her, but not one of them had even set her pulses beating, much less suggested himself as her husband, but now she had entered her kingdom! Was ever girl quite as happy as she was at this moment?
Later on they talked of their future. Tom had mapped out work that would take him about two years to carry through, and then he meant to go home.