that it was he and not she that was acting had sunk into his hearty and the truth of it overcame him it was he who had been acting he had pretended an anger which he did not feel and it was quite true that whatever she did he could not really fed anger against her she was in his heart the dream of his whole life he could feel anger against himself but not against her she was right he must forgive her for how could he live without her into what he had been foolishly in these convictions which broke like in his heart and brain spreading a strange illumination in much darkness he saw her beauty and sex and in the vision were the eyes and of the dead wife and all the yearning and of his own life seemed reflected back in this f air oval face lit with luminous eager eyes and in the of gold hair fallen about her ears and thrown back hastily with long fingers and the wonder of her sex in the world seemed to shed a light on distant and he understood the strangeness of the common event of father and daughter standing face to face divided or divided by the mystery of the passion of which all things are made his own sins were remembered they fell like soft fire breaking in a dark sky and his last sensation in the whirl of complex diffused and passing sensations was the thrill of terror at the little while remaining to him wherein he might love her a few years at most his eyes told her what was happening in his heart and with that beautiful movement of rapture so natural to her she threw herself into his arms i knew father dear that you d forgive me in the end it was impossible to think of two like us living and dying in i should have killed myself and you dear you would have died of grief but i dreaded this first meeting i had thought of it too much and as i told you i had acted it so often have i been so severe with you that you should dread me no darling but of course i ve behaved � there s no use talking about it any more but you could never have been really in doubt that a lover could ever change my love for you � i mustn t speak about him only i wish you to understand that i ve never ceased to think of you i ve never been really happy and i m sure you ve been miserable about me often enough but now we may be happy winter storms in the may you know the lied in the first act of the and now that we re friends i suppose you ll come and hear me tell me about your choir she paused a moment and then said my first thought was for you on landing in england there was a train waiting at victoria but we d had a bad crossing and i fell so ill that i couldn t go next day i waa i had not the courage and he proposed that i should wait till i had song margaret so depended on the success of my first appearance he was afraid that if i had had a scene with you i might break down you say but doesn t he put her to sleep on a fire surrounded rock he puts her to sleep on the rock but it is she who asks for flames to protect her from the unworthy her request and throws herself into his arms let the coward s rock � for but one shall win the bride who is than i the god oh that s it is it then with what flames shall i surround you i don t know i ve often wondered the flame of a promise � a promise never to leave you again father i can promise no more i want no other promise the eyes of the portrait were fixed on them and they wondered what would be the words of the dead woman if she could speak announced that the coachman had returned father i ve lots of things to see to i m going to stop to dinner if you ll let me i m afraid � you need not trouble about the dinner � and i will see to that we have made all necessary arrangements is that your carriage you ve got a fine pair of horses well one can t be for nothing but if you re stopping to dinner you d better stop the night i m giving the to morrow i m giving it in honour of it was he who helped me to overcome father you shall tell me all about after dinner he walked about the room singing the lied winter storms in the may and he stopped before the thinking he saw her still there and his thoughts sailed on as clouds in a spring she had come back his most wonderful daughter had come back he turned from his wife s portrait fearing the thought that her joy in their daughter s return might be than his but unpleasant thoughts fell from him and happiness sang in his brain like spring awakened and the scent in his nostrils was of young leaves and flowers and his very flesh was happy as the warm earth in spring winter storms he sang in the may with tender radiance the spring i must hear her sing that i must hear her at s feet his eyes filled with happy tears and he put questions aside she was coming to morrow to hear his choir and what would she think of it a shadow passed across his face if he had known she was coming he d have taken 