At the same instant an arm encircled
her, checked her, held her closely.
"So, sweetheart!" said Julian Carfax, his voice soothing, womanly, but
possessing withal a note of vitality, of purpose, that she had never
heard in it before.
She suffered his hold with a faint but desperate cry.
"You don't know me," she said, with a gasping effort. "You don't--" The
words failed. He was pressing her to him ever more closely, and she felt
his fingers gently fumbling at her veil. With a sudden passionate
movement she put up both hands, and threw it back.
"There!" she said, with a sound, half laugh, half sob, and turned
herself wholly to him.
The next instant, as his lips pressed hers, all the anguish of doubt
that had come upon her was gone like an evil spirit from her soul. She
knew only that they stood alone together in a vast space that was filled
to the brim with the noonday sunshine. All her heart was flooded with
rejoicing. The gates had opened wide for her, and she had entered in.
VII
BACK TO EARTH
Priscilla never quite realised afterwards how it was that the whole of
that long summer day slipped by and her confession remained still
unspoken. She did make one or two attempts to lead round to the subject,
but each seemed to be foredoomed to failure, and at last she abandoned
the idea--for that day, at least. It seemed, after all, but a paltry
thing in face of her great happiness.
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