“I couldn’t have stood it much longer without you, Dicky,” I whispered, and then, forgetting everything else in the world but our happiness, my husband’s lips met mine in a long kiss of reconciliation.

A half choked little cry startled me, and I saw Grace Draper get to her feet unsteadily and start for the door, with her hands outstretched gropingly before her, almost as if she were blind.  Katherine Sonnot hurried to her, and then Jack spoke to me for the first time since he had brought Dicky into the room.

“Good-by, Margaret, until I see you again,” he said hurriedly.  “Good-by, Dicky, I must go to Katherine.”

“Good-by, old chap,” Dicky returned heartily, and in his tone I read the blessed knowledge that my cherished dream had come true, that my husband and my brother-cousin were friends at last.  And from the look upon Jack’s face as his eyes met Katharine’s, I knew that he, too, had found happiness.

I saw the trio go out of the room, the girl who had wronged me, and the friends who had helped me.  Then my eyes turned to the truest, most loyal friend of all, Lillian, who stood near us, frankly weeping with joy.  I put out my hand to her, and drew her also into Dicky’s embrace.  How long a cry it had been since the days when I was wildly jealous of her old friendship with Dicky!

“Will you come away with me for a new honeymoon, sweetheart?” Dicky asked, tenderly, after awhile, when Lillian had softly slipped away and left us alone together.

Into my brain there flashed a sudden picture of the homely living room in the Brennan house at Marvin, with the leaping fire, which I knew Jim would have for us whenever we came, with Katie’s impetuous welcome.  I turned to Dicky with a passionate little plea.

“Oh!  Dicky,” I said earnestly, “take me home.”