“Happy, dear?” she whispered.
“Happy? Madelaine, there’s a dull, poignant ache way down inside—that I’m going to awaken soon and find it all a dream. I can’t explain it. The world is changed. To-night—this moment—I’m the happiest man in it and I’d go through it all again if I thought that in the end I’d reach the luxury of this moment.”
“We’re going to have a big church wedding, laddie, dear—if you’ll agree. There must be lights and flowers and laughter and music—a surfeit of it, because we’ve wanted it so long, both of us. Besides, it’s the last thing mother’ll be able to do for me. It would break her heart if she couldn’t.”
“You’ve written to her about—me?” Nathan asked thickly.
“Do you think I could keep it to myself, you foolish boy? And she’s going to meet us at the Springfield station and you’re to stay with us a few days before you go up to Vermont and close your position with your mill people.”
“When will it happen, dear—the lights and the laughter, the flowers and the music?”
“I’d like it to be the first of October, laddie. Mother will certainly want that much time to prepare. But never mind. The weeks will go quickly. And you’ll be right near-by in New York. You must come up every week-end. And I’ll be in New York to do my wedding shopping too, laddie. Also there’s the question of our house. We’ll want to settle that in the meantime.”
The man was silent. The moon came up out of a tropical sea and made a pathway of silver straight to their feet. His voice shaking with emotion, he finally said:
“Madelaine dear, there’s something I’ve been wanting to speak about for a long, long time. It’s about myself. In a way I’m glad you saw father. Maybe you can understand why I’ve wanted to be a little bigger and better than he has shown himself. But I haven’t had any one to coach me, dear. I’ve grown rather hit-or-miss and had to get the corners removed in a hard, rough way. And I’m afraid they’re not all removed—far from it.”
“Coach you?”