Was ever anyone in the world so happy before?"
"There's one person who is as happy," said Maud; "you can't guess
what I feel. Does it sound absurd to say that if you told me to
stand still while you cut me into little bits, I should enjoy it?"
"I won't forget that," said Howard; "anything to please you--you
need not mind mentioning any little wishes you may have of that
kind."
They laughed like children, and when they came to the village, they
became very ceremonious. At the Vicarage gate they shook hands, and
Howard raised his hat. "You will have to make up for this dignified
parting some time," said Howard. "Sleep well, my darling child! If
you ever wake, you will know that I am thinking of you; not far
apart! Good-night, my sweet one, my only darling."
Maud put one hand on his shoulder, but did not speak--and then
slipped in light-footed through the gate. Howard walked back to the
Manor, through the charmed dusk and the fragrance of hidden
flowers, full of an almost intolerable happiness, that was akin to
pain. The evening star hung in liquid, trembling light above the
dark down, the sky fading to a delicious green, the breeze rustled
in the heavy-leaved sycamores, and the lights were lit in the
cottage windows. Did every home, every hearth, he wondered, mean
THAT? Was THAT present in dim and dumb lives, the spirit of love,
the inner force of the world? Yes, it was so! That was the secret
hidden in the Heart of God.
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