“To get you into that uniform.”
“Why?”
“Your wits will tell you later. Promise me one thing. If you promise, you will make me meet much easier whatever is to happen.”
“Yes, yes, I promise.”
“You are not to leave this room for two minutes. And now I’m going down.”
She held out both her hands to him, and the fiery light that glowed in through the window showed him a face calm, beautiful—in it a new look that made him catch his breath. They gazed a moment into each other’s eyes. Then she loosed her hands, and before he knew what she intended she had drawn down his head and had kissed him on his forehead.
“Sonya!” he cried, “Sonya!” and he caught her wildly to him, and for one heaven-scaling moment all that lay on the yonder side of that moment was forgotten.
She gently freed herself, for the flames had leaped through the floor and were now springing toward the ceiling. “I must go,” she said softly.
“And is this to be the end of it all?” he cried in agony. “Only this one moment?”
“So it seems.” There were tears in her eyes, and in the flame-light they gleamed like stars.