And it happened that her faith was rewarded and on the very day of days when one drop more of happiness made the cup fairly spill over.  Larry was summoned to the telephone just as he had been once before on a certain memorable occasion to be told that a cabled message awaited him.  The message was from Geoffrey Annersley and bore besides his love and congratulations the wonderful news that Roderick Farringdon had escaped from a German prison camp and was safe in England.

Ruth shed many happy tears over this best of all bridal gifts, not enough to dim the shining blue of her eyes but enough to give them a lovely, misty tenderness which made her sweeter than ever Larry thought, and who should have magic eyes if not a bridegroom?

A little later came Carlotta and Dick, the latter well and strong again but thin and pale and rather sober.  Tony loved him for grieving for Alan as she knew he did.  He too had known and loved the dead man and understood him perhaps better than she had herself.  For after all no man and woman can ever fully understand each other especially if they are in love.  So many faint nuances of doubt and fear and pride and passion and jealousy are forever drifting between lovers obscuring clarity of vision.

Carlotta was prettier than ever with a new sweetness and womanliness which her love had wrought in her during the year.  People who had known her mother said she was growing daily more like Rose though always before they had traced a greater resemblance to the other side of the house, to her Aunt Lottie particularly.  She and Philip were to be married in the spring.  “When the orioles come” Carlotta had said remembering her father’s story of that other brief mating.

Tony and Carlotta slipped away from the others to talk by themselves.  Carlotta too had known and liked Alan and to all such Tony clung just now.

“He was so different at the end,” she said to her friend.  “I wish you could have known him that way—­so dear and gentle and wonderful.  He kept his promise everyway, lived absolutely straight and clean and fine.”

“He did it for you, Tony.  He never could have done it for himself.  He wouldn’t have thought it worth while.  Don’t tell me if you don’t want to but I have guessed a good many things since I knew about Dick and I have wondered if he wasn’t rather glad—­to get killed.”

“Yes, Dick thinks and I think too that he let the dagger find him.  I have always called him my royal lover.  His death was the most royal part of all.”

Carlotta was silent.  She hoped that somewhere Alan was finding the happiness he seemed always to have missed on earth.  Then seeing her friend’s lovely eyes with the heavy shadow in them where there had been only sunshine before her heart rebelled.  Poor Tony!  Why must she suffer like this?  She was so young.  Was life really over for her?  For Carlotta in her own happiness life and love were synonymous terms.  Something of what was in her mind she said to her friend.