made a little swaying movement. A moment later
she found herself in Jervis Blake's arms, listening with
a strange mingling of joy, surprise, shame, and, yes,
triumph, to his broken, hoarsely-whispered words of
love.

He, being a man, could only feel -- she, being a
woman, could also think, aye, and even question her
own heart as to this amazing thing which was happening,
and which had suddenly made her free of the
wonderful kingdom of romance of which she had so
often heard, but the existence of which she had always
secretly doubted. Whence came her instinctive response
to his pleading: "Oh, Rose, let me kiss you! Oh,
Rose, my darling little love, this may be the last time
I shall see you!"

Was it at the end of a moment, or of an eon of
time, that there fell athwart their beating hearts a
dull, rasping sound, that of the two great inner bolts
of the huge oak door being pushed back into their
rusty sockets?

They parted, reluctantly, lingeringly, the one from
the other; but whoever had drawn back the bolts did
not open the door, and soon they heard the sounds
of heavy, shuffling feet moving slowly away.

"I expect it's Mrs. Bent, the verger's wife," said
Rose, in a low, trembling voice.

Jervis looked at her. There was a mute, and at
once imperious and imploring demand in his eyes.
But Rose had stepped across the magic barrier, she
was half-way back to the work-a-day world -- not very
far, but still far enough to know how she would feel

[[117]]

p116 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p117w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p118

v?