"Won't you speak to me, Jasper?" she said, and then my heart jumped so that I was less able to speak than before; but I opened my arms, wondering all the time if I were not dreaming a beautiful dream.
Yes, she came to me, my darling, whom I despaired of ever seeing again—she came shy and coy, I thought, but love was shining from her eyes for all that.
"My little love!" I cried; "and so you have come at last," and I took her in my great arms, my Naomi, the only maiden I ever did love, or ever can love. For love comes but once—that is, such a love as mine. And her head was nestled on my heart, just as a mother nestles the babe she loves, and a joy, such as even I had never felt before, came to me that wintry morning as the sun shone on the ice crystals.
There be men in these days who laugh at such a love as mine, but they who do this have never entered into the secret of life's joy. I do not expect to be understood by such, and my words to them will be but as a sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal; but to those whose hearts have been filled with a great absorbing love, I know that my tale will have a meaning, simple as it may be, and badly, as I am afraid, it has been told.
For some seconds my heart was too full to speak. After the weary days of hopeless waiting, thus to enter into joy seemed to make words too poor to tell what was in my heart.
Presently, however, I asked her questions as to what had happened since I parted with her at the cottage by Mullion Sands, and she told me her story. There was but little to tell however—that is, from the time she had been left alone with Tamsin and Mrs. Crantock. She had been taken from the cottage to the carriage, and although to a degree forced, she had been treated kindly. Indeed, she had not been long there before I came with her father. Then I asked her concerning him, what she thought of him, and whether he had not brought her great joy.
"Everything seems so strange, Jasper," she said. "I had never dreamed of such a thing, you know; and sometimes I can hardly believe it is true."
"And is he not kind to you?"
"Oh, very kind, and he has made me love him. He has had so much sorrow, such a terrible past, you know; and he is now so gentle, so loving, that I cannot help pitying him and loving him. And yet I cannot understand him. He must know that the Tresidders are my enemies, and yet he insists on my staying at Pennington; he knows I hate Nick Tresidder, and yet he encourages him in the thought that I shall wed him."
"But you never will?" I cried.