"There he is," cried Sue, springing lightly to her feet.
Tessa was relieved that she said "he" instead of "Gerald" or "Dr. Lake."
"If you will not stay all night, too, Miss Jewett, he shall take you home."
"I can not, dear. I only came because I wanted to talk with Sue Greyson once more before I lost her."
Rubbers and waterproof were hurried on, and Tessa was left alone with the fire, the rain, and her work.
Suppose that it were herself who was to be married to-morrow-
Would she wish to run away? Run away from whom? Although her Ralph Towne had died and been buried, that old, sharp, sweet, memory was wrapped around her still; it would always be sweet although so sharp-and bitterly, bitterly sharp although so sweet; if it might become wholly the one or wholly the other, but it could never be that; never unless she learned Love"s lesson as Mrs. Towne had laid it before her. But that was so utterly and hopelessly beyond her present growth!
Would he despise her if he could know how much that happy time was in her thoughts? Was she tenacious where stronger minds would forget? He would think her weak and romantic like the heroine of a story paper novel; that is, if he could think weak any thing so wholly innocent.
She trusted the emerald ring on her finger; at times it burned into her flesh; sometimes she tore it off that she might forget her promise, and then-oh, foolish, incomprehensible, womanly Tessa!-she would take it again and slip it on with a reverence and love for the old memory that she could not be ashamed of although she tried.
Had she been too hard upon Ralph Towne in their latest interview? Why need she have given shape to her hitherto unspoken thoughts concerning his life; she could not tell him of her prayers that he might change and yet become-for it was not too late-the good, good man that she had once believed him to be. He had taken away her faith in himself; he might give it back, grown stronger, if he would. If he only would!
Dr. Greyson"s step was in the hall; Sue"s voice was less excited, her father was speaking quietly to her. Sue, poor Sue! She would never be again the free, wild Sue Greyson that she was to-night.
Tessa felt Dr. Lake"s mood; she could have written out his thoughts, as he drove homeward in the rain; she dreaded his hilarious entrance, how his eyes would shine, with tears close behind them!
Her reverie was interrupted by the entrance that she dreaded. "Ah, Mystic, praying for my happiness here alone! I know you are. I come to be congratulated."
"I congratulate you," she said rising and taking his hand. Not so very long afterward, when she saw his cold, dead hands folded together and touched them, she remembered with starting tears this soft, hot, clinging clasp.
"You didn"t dream of this two months ago, did you?" he cried, dropping into the chair that Sue had been sitting in. "You didn"t know that I was born under a lucky star despite all my woeful past. I have turned over a new leaf; I turned it over to-night in the rain; it is chapter first.
Such a white page, Mystic. Don"t you want to write something on it for me?"
"I wouldn"t dare."
"Oh, yes, you would! What do you wish for me? Write that."
"I wish for you-" she rolled the white wool over her hand.
"Well, go on! Something that must come true!"
"-The love that suffers long and is _kind_."
"Whew!" He drew a long breath. "There is no place for that in me."
Sue entered noisily. She did every thing noisily.
"Come here, Susan." Dr. Lake caught her in his arms, but she slipped through them, moving to Tessa"s side, seating herself upon the rug, and resting both hands in Tessa"s lap.
"I was reading the other day"-he stooped to smooth Sue"s flounce-"of a fellow who fell dead upon his wedding day, as soon as the knot was tied.
Perhaps it was tied too tight and choked him. Suppose I drop dead, Susan, will you like to be a bewitching young widow so soon? Whom would you find to flirt with before night?"
"Gerald, you are wicked!"
"Probably this bridegroom had heart disease. I haven"t heart disease, except for you, my Shrine, my Heart"s Desire."
"Isn"t he wretched, Tessa? He tells me all kinds of stories about people dying of joy!"
He bent forward, drawing her towards him backward, and with both arms around her, kissed the top of her head and her forehead.
"You mustn"t do so before folks," said Sue shaking herself free.
"Mystic isn"t folks! She is my guardian angel."
"I know that you would rather have married her."
"But she wouldn"t rather have married me, would you, Mystic?"
"I can"t imagine it," returned Tessa, as seriously as he had spoken.
"Set your jealous heart at rest, Sue."
"I never thought of it, but once in my life," he continued, musingly, "and that was when I was down in the deeps about you, Susan; I did think that she might drag me out-a drowning man, you know, will catch at a straw. It was one night when she was weeding her pansies and refused to ride with me. I"m glad that you never _did_ refuse me, Mystic, you couldn"t be setting there so composedly."
"Oh, yes, I would; I should have known that you were insane."
"I was insane-all one week."
"I believe that," said Sue.
"I wonder what we shall all be thinking about the next time that we three sit here together! It will be too late for us to go back then, Susan; the die will be cast, the Rubicon crossed, another poor man undone forever. Are you regretting it, child?" drawing her again towards him backward and gazing down into her face. "Shall we quit at this last last minute? Speak the word! You never shall throw it up at me, that I urged you into it. It will be a mess for us if we do hate each other after awhile."
"I will never hate you, Gerald."
"But I might hate you, though, who knows?" smoothing her hair with his graceful, weak hands.
"Then Tessa shall be peacemaker," said Sue straightening herself.
"No; I will not," replied Tessa, gathering her work and rising. "Sue, you will find me up-stairs."
"Then I"m coming, too; I don"t want to stay and be sentimental. Gerald will talk-I know him-and I will cry, and how I would look to-morrow! I want you to do a little fixing for me and to try my hair low and then high."
"I like it high," said Dr. Lake.
"I don"t. I like it low. Tessa you shall try it low, like Nan Gerard"s.
Say, Gerald, shall I put on my dress after she has fixed my hair and come down and let you see it."
"I think I have seen it. Didn"t you try it on for me and tell me that that fellow liked it? I hate that dress; if you dress to please me, you will wear the one you have on now."
"This old thing! I see myself. No, I shall wear my wedding dress. It fits to perfection. I want to look pretty once in my life."
"You will never look prettier than you do this minute! Come here,"