And then a strange thing happened—the strangest of all strange things! An unforeseeable, an unimaginable thing!

Corydon had started up, and was listening; and now suddenly he felt her arms stealing about him. “Thyrsis!” she whispered. “Thyrsis!”

“Oh, what shall I do?” he sobbed.

“What’s the matter?”

“Oh, it was so horrible! horrible!”

“Thyrsis!” she panted, swiftly. “Don’t say that!”

“How could I have done it?” he rushed on. “What a monster I am!”

“No! no!” she cried. “You don’t understand, I love you! Don’t you know that I love you?”

And she tightened her clasp about him, she stole into his arms again. “Forgive me!” she whispered. “Please, please—forgive me, Thyrsis!”

He stared at her, dazed. “Forgive you?”