CHAPTER XLI.
"Love is strong as death. Many waters can not quench love, neither can floods drown it."--_The Proverbs of Solomon._
The war was over at last; peace was declared. The last review had beenheld, and the last volunteer had gone home.
Two persons were standing on the old observatory floor, at the highestpoint of the island, looking at the little village below, the sparklingStraits, and the blue line of land in the distant north. At least Annewas looking at them. But her lover was looking at her.
"It is enough to repay even the long silence of those long years," hesaid.
And others might have agreed with him. For it was a woman exquisitelyand richly beautiful whom he held in his arms, whose tremulous lips hekissed at his pleasure, until, forgetting the landscape, she turned tohim with a clinging movement, and hid her face upon his breast. Herheart, her life, her being, were all his, and he knew it. She loved himintensely.
"Something may be allowed to a starved man," he had said, the first timethey were alone together after his arrival, his eyes dwelling fondly onher sweet face. "Do not be careful any more, Anne; show me that you loveme. I have suffered, suffered, suffered, since those old days atCaryl's."
On this June afternoon they lingered on the height until the sun sanklow in the west.
"We must go, Ward."
"Wait until it is out of sight."
They waited in silence until the gold rim disappeared. Then they turnedto each other.
"Your last day alone; to-morrow you will be my wife. Do you rememberwhen I asked you whether the whole world would not be well lost to us ifwe could but have love and each other? We had love, but the rest wasdenied. Now we have that also.... Anne, I was, and am still, an idle,selfish fellow. Whatever change there has been or will be is owing toyou. For you love me so much, my darling, that you exalt me, and I forvery shame try to live up to it."
He looked at her, and she saw the rare tears in his eyes.
Then he brushed them away, smiled, and offered his arm. "Shall we godown now, Mrs. Heathcote?"
They were married the next morning in the little military chapel. Mrs.Rankin was at the fort again, Lieutenant Rankin being major and incommand. The other poor wives who had been her companions there werewidows now; the battle-fields round Richmond were drawn with lines offire upon their hearts forever. Mrs. Rankin, though but just arrived,left her household goods unpacked to decorate the chapel with wreaths ofthe early green. Miss Teller and Miss Lois, both in such excitementthat they spoke incoherently, yet seemed to understand each othernevertheless, superintended the preparations at the church-house.
As a wedding gift, Gregory Dexter sent the same package Anne had oncereturned to him; the only addition was a star for the hair, set withdiamonds.
* * * * *
"I said that perhaps you would accept these some time" (he wrote). "Willyou accept them now? They were bought for you. It will give me pleasureto think that you are wearing them. I have no right to offer you a ring;but the diamond, in some shape, I must give you, as the one imperishablestone. With unchanging regard,
"GREGORY DEXTER."
* * * * *
"You have no objection?" said Anne, with a slight hesitation in hervoice.
"No," answered Heathcote, carelessly; "it would hurt him too much if wereturned them. But what a heavily gorgeous taste he has! Diamonds,sables, and an India shawl!"
He had never been jealous of Dexter. Why should he be jealous now?
The new chaplain read the marriage service, but Pere Michaux gave thebride away. Not only the whole village was present, but the whole waterparish also, if not within the chapel, then without. People had begun tocross from the mainland and islands at dawn, so as to be in time; theStraits were covered by a small fleet. Miss Teller was the onlystranger, save the bridegroom himself.
Anne was dressed simply in soft white; she wore no ornaments. Mr. andMrs. Heathcote would not be rich; on the contrary, they would begintheir married life with a straitened income, that is, in worldly wealth.In youth, beauty, and a love so great that it could not be measured inwords, the bridegroom was richer than the proudest king. As for thebride, one look in her eyes was enough.
"I, Anne, take thee, Ward, to my wedded husband, to have and to hold,from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, insickness and in health, to love, cherish, and to obey, till death us dopart, according to God's holy ordinance; and thereto I give thee mytroth."
"Anne," said Miss Teller, drawing the new-made wife aside, "I want towhisper something. I will not tell Ward--men are different. But I want_you_ to know that Helen's grave is covered with heliotrope in Greenwoodthis morning, and that I am sure she knows all, and is glad."
THE END.
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