“Then,” declared the girl, “you must have thought, no matter how much I loved the man to whom I was engaged, that you could make me turn from him.”
Roddy held out his hands appealingly.
“Don’t put it that way!” he begged. “I’ve never thought I was better than any other man. I certainly never thought I was good enough for you. All I’m sure of is that no man on earth can care for you more. It’s the best thing, the only big thing, that ever came into my life. And now it’s the only thing left. Yesterday I thought I was rich, and I was glad because I had so much to offer you. But now that I’ve no money at all, now that I’m the Disinherited One, it doesn’t seem to make any difference. At least, it would not to me. Because if I could make you care as I care for you, it wouldn’t make any difference to you, either. No one on earth could love you more,” pleaded Roddy. “I know it. I feel it. There is nothing else so true! Other men may bring other gifts, but ‘Mine is the heart at your feet! He that hath more,’” he challenged, “‘let him give!’ All I know,” he whispered fiercely, “is, that I love you, I love you, I love you!”
He was so moved, he felt what he said so truly, it was for him such happiness to speak, that his voice shook and, unknown to him, the tears stood in his eyes. In answer, he saw the eyes of the girl soften, her lips drew into a distracting and lovely line. Swiftly, with an ineffable and gracious gesture, she stooped, and catching up one of his hands held it for an instant against her cheek, and then, springing to her feet, ran from him up the garden path to the house.
Astounded, jubilant, in utter disbelief of his own senses, Roddy sat motionless. In dumb gratitude he gazed about him at the beautiful sunlit garden, drinking in deep draughts of happiness.
So sure was he that in his present state of mind he could not again, before the others, face Inez, that, like one in a dream, he stumbled through the garden to the gate that opened on the street and so returned home.
That night McKildrick gave him permission to enter the tunnel. The gases had evaporated, and into the entrance the salt air of the sea and the tropical sun had fought their way. The party consisted of McKildrick, Peter and Roddy and, as the personal representative of Inez, Pedro, who arrived on foot from the direction of the town.
“She, herself,” he confided secretly to Roddy, “wished to come.”
“She did!” exclaimed Roddy joyfully. “Why didn’t she?”