But suddenly her face lights and flushes, and a glad, tender gleam beams from her beautiful eyes. She sees a manly form coming with quick, firm tread toward the wharf.
He also is evidently musing upon something pleasant for a smile of rare sweetness curls his handsome lips, and lights his noble face.
All at once he lifts his head, and, as if drawn by some magnetic influence, his eyes meet those of his betrothed, and, with a bound, he is beside her carriage in an instant.
“My darling! I did not expect this,” he said, with a warm clasp of her hand, his face all aglow.
“I could not help it, Earle; it was foolish in me, I suppose, after you had once said ‘good-by,’” she said, with a lovely color rising in her cheeks.
“A very agreeable kind of foolishness to me, dear; and I shall take it as a good omen for my journey, that I have had such a pleasant surprise,” he answered, smiling tenderly down upon that lovely face, with its shining golden crown.
It was the most beautiful thing in all the world to him.
“I was not sure of seeing you, but I thought at least I should see the vessel that was to take you away from me, and that would be something,” she returned, with an answering smile, though it bade fair to be rather a dewy one, judging from the tears in her eyes.
“Do you so dread to have me go, Editha? I wish I might have taken you with me,” he said, wistfully, as he noted the tears “something unaccountably impresses me that you will not be safe until I have you within my sheltering care.”
“I shall not express another regret if it is going to trouble you so; but, Earle, I shall be glad to have you safely back again,” she returned, leaning toward him with a yearning on her fair face that thrilled him through and through.