A moment still she wavered, fighting against the sweet mastery of his will with all her woman’s strength, and then—O Heaven! it was done, and his arms were round about her, her head upon his breast, and her voice was lost in sobs and broken words of love.
O, radiant-winged hour of more than mortal joy; the hearts which you have touched will know when their time comes that they have not beat quite in vain!
“O, radiant-winged hour!”
And so they sat, those two, quite silent, for there seemed to be no need for speech; words could not convey half they had to say, and, indeed, to tell the honest truth, their lips were, for the most part, otherwise employed.
Meanwhile the sun went down, and the sweet moon arose over the quiet sea, and turned their little ship to silver. Eva gently disengaged herself from his arms, and half-rose to look at it; she had never thought it half so beautiful before. Ernest looked at it too. It is a way that lovers have.
“Do you know the lines?” he said; “I think I can say them:
‘With a swifter motion,
Out upon the ocean,
Heaven above and round us, and you along with me:
Heaven around and o’er us,
The Infinite before us,
Floating on for ever, upon the flowing sea.’”
“Go on,” she said, softly.