Will hide me in eternal gloom.
And she will live—as gay—alone,
As though I had been never known.”
He closed his heavy eyes as soft footsteps and the flutter of a woman’s robe came down the ward between the rows of white beds. Some one suddenly knelt beside his narrow cot.
“A kind Sister of Charity to pray for me,” he thought; but a soft hand fell on his head caressingly, and tears splashed down hotly on his wasted cheek.
“Rolfe, my darling husband!” sobbed a tender voice, and his eyes flashed open wildly.
“Viola! Is this a dream?”
“No, it is not a dream, my darling. It is your wife, Viola, your true, loving wife. Do not be excited, dear, for the good doctor said I must be careful, lest the happiness of seeing me might agitate you too much. Be quiet, dear, for I will do all the talking after you have just said you will forgive me for causing you so much sorrow. But I have so much to tell you, and the first thing is this: Papa made a great mistake, for I loved you all the while, and we shall never be parted again!” sealing the promise with a tender, lingering kiss.
THE END.