John drew her hands down and looked at her with a strange expression.
"He's beyond the reach of pain and disappointment now, dear——"
"Dead?" she gasped.
The man only nodded, and clung desperately to her hands while her head sank in a flood of tears.
"We'll cherish his memory," he said in a curiously quiet voice, "as one of the sweetest bonds between us, my love——"
"Yes—always!" was the low answer.
For the life of him John Vaughan couldn't tell the terrible fact that his hand had struck him down. God alone should know that.
When she had recovered from the shock of the announcement Betty caressed his hand gently:
"We just love whom we love, dearest, and we can't help it. I am yours and you are mine. It's not a question of good or bad, right or wrong. We love—that's all."
"Yes, we love—that's all and it's everything. There's no more doubt, dear?"