‘See you!’ said she, starting back, but
still holding him and looking up earnestly into his
face. ‘See you!’ and then she poured
out her love with all the passion of a Ruth: ’"Whither
thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will
lodge.... Where thou diest, will I die, and there
will I be buried; the Lord do so to me, and more also,
if aught but death part thee and me.” See
you, Alaric; oh, it cannot be that they will hinder
the wife from being with her husband. But, Alaric,’
she went on, ’do not droop now, love—will
you?’
‘I cannot brazen it out,’ said he.
’I know too well what it is that I have done.’
’No, not that, Alaric; I would not have that.
But remember, all is not over, whatever they may do.
Ah, how little will really be over, whatever they
can do! You have repented, have you not, Alaric?’
‘I think so, I hope so,’ said Alaric,
with his eyes upon the ground.
’You have repented, and are right before God;
do not fear then what man can do to you. I would
not have you brazen, Alaric; but be manly, be collected,
be your own self, the man that I have loved, the man
that I do now love so well, better, better than ever;’
and she threw herself on him and kissed him and clung
to him, and stroked his hair and put her hand upon
his face, and then holding him from her, looked up
to him as though he were a hero whom she all but worshipped.
‘Gertrude, Gertrude—that I should
have brought you to this!’
‘Never mind,’ said she; ’we will
win through it yet—we will yet be happy
together, far, far away from here—remember
that—let that support you through all.
And now, Alaric, you will come up for one moment and
kiss him before you go.’
‘The man will be impatient.’
’Never mind; let him be impatient-you shall
not go away without blessing your boy; come up, Alaric.’
And she took him by the hand and led him like a child
into the nursery.
’Where is the nurse? bring him here—papa
is going away—Alley, boy, give papa a big
kiss.’
Alaric, for the first time for the fortnight, took
the little fellow into his arms and kissed him.
‘God bless you, my bairn,’ said he, ’and
grant that all this may never be visited against you,
here or hereafter!’
‘And now go,’ said Gertrude, as they descended
the stairs together, ’and may God in His mercy
watch over and protect you and give you back to me!
And, Alaric, wherever you are I will be close to you,
remember that. I will be quite, quite close to
you. Now, one kiss—oh, dearest, dearest
Alaric—there—there—now
go.’ And so he went, and Gertrude shutting
herself into her room threw herself on to the bed,
and wept aloud.
MR. CHAFFANBRASS
