The latter words were not spoken in an amiable tone, but this was no time for criticising Julia.  She had made a tremendous sacrifice, that was evident; and a whole sacrifice without any blemish is very rarely offered up nowadays, however it may have been in olden times.  I could not look at her dejected face and gloomy expression without a keen sense of self-reproach.

“Julia,” I said, “I shall never be quite happy—­no, not with Olivia as my wife—­unless you and I are friends.  We have grown up together too much as brother and sister, for me to have you taken right out of my life without a feeling of great loss.  It is I who would lose a right hand or a right eye in losing you.  Some day we must be friends again as we used to be.”

“It is not very likely,” she answered; “but you had better go now, Martin.  It is very painful to me for you to be here.”

I could not stay any longer after that dismissal.  Her hand was lying on her lap, and I stooped down and kissed it, seeing on it still the ring I had given her when we were first engaged.  She did not look at me or bid me good-by; and I went out of the house, my veins tingling with shame and gladness.  I met Captain Carey coming up the street, with a basket of fine grapes in his hand.  He appeared very much amazed.

“Why, Martin!” he exclaimed; “can you have been to see Julia?”

“Yes,” I answered.

“Reconciled?” he said, arching his eyebrows, which were still dark and bushy though his hair was grizzled.

“Not exactly,” I replied, with a stiff smile, exceedingly difficult to force; “nothing of the sort indeed.  Captain, when will you take me across to Sark?”

“Come, come! none of that, Martin,” he said; “you’re on honor, you know.  You are pledged to poor Julia not to visit Sark again.”

“She has just set me free,” I answered; and out of the fulness of my heart I told him all that had just passed between us.  His eyes glistened, though a film came across them which he had to wipe away.

“She is a noble girl,” he ejaculated; “a fine, generous, noble girl.  I really thought she’d break her heart over you at first, but she will come round again now.  We will have a run over to Sark to-morrow.”

I felt myself lifted into a third heaven of delight all that evening.  My mother and I talked of no one but Olivia.  The present rapture so completely eclipsed the coming sorrow, that I forgot how soon it would be upon me.  I remember now that my mother neither by word nor sign suffered me to be reminded of her illness.  She listened to my rhapsodies, smiling with her divine, pathetic smile.  There is no love, no love at all, like that of a mother!

CHAPTER THE TWENTY-EIGHTH.

A BRIGHT BEGINNING.

Not the next day, which was wet and windy, but the day following, did Captain Carey take me over to Sark.  I had had time to talk over all my plans for the future with my mother, and I bore with me many messages from her to the girl I was about to ask to become my wife.