No king on a throne ever detected more evidences of the world’s gladness than did the rover, thinking away the hours of that balmy afternoon. He forgot all about dinner, when the sun went down, and he had nearly forgotten old man Donner, when at length he started to his feet, in the twilight, in love with the evening for having come so soon, although half an hour before he had been thinking the day would never end.
He was soon at the gate in front of Donner’s house, listening, watching the darkened windows, holding his breath as every fragrant zephyr trailed its perfumes by, thinking Garde was coming, preceded by the redolence attendant on her loveliness.
But he had many such breathless moments of suspense, in vain. Evening glided into the arms of night. The hours winged by, on raven wings, and still no Garde appeared. Adam paced up and down, restoring, time after time, the picture of Garde as he had seen her, during those precious few moments before the interruption.
He was not conscious of the flight of time. He was well content to be near where his lady was and to wait there, knowing that she knew he was waiting, thinking of her, as he knew she was thinking of him. He clasped his hands back of his head; then he folded his arms, the better to press on his heart; then he stopped and tossed kisses to the silent house, after which he again walked back and forth, pausing to listen, and then going on as before.
At length, near midnight, he stood looking up at the stars, completely absorbed in a dream he was fashioning to suit himself.
There was a faint flutter.
“Adam—oh, are you there?” said a sweet voice, subdued and a bit tremulous. “Oh, I am so glad you didn’t go away, discouraged.”
Adam had turned about instantly, a glad sound upon his lips. In one stride he reached the gate and caught her two trembling hands where they rested on the pickets.
“Dearest!” he murmured to her joyously. “At last!”
“I can only stop a minute, Adam,” said Garde, who was quaking a little, lest her grandfather wake and come again into the garden. “He has been very restless, and he wouldn’t go to sleep, and he wakes up so easily! But I couldn’t let you go away like that. And I have tried to come out five times, but he woke up every time, and now I must say good night, Adam, and run right back at once.”