"You needn't be afraid," he reiterated. "Eustace is too much of a
sportsman to amuse himself at the expense of an unsophisticated child
like that."

Isabel suppressed a shiver. "I don't think he is so scrupulous as you
imagine," she said. "We must watch, Stumpy; we must watch."

He patted her arm with his quiet smile. "And we mustn't let ourselves get
over-anxious," he said. "Now go to bed, like a dear girl! You are looking
absolutely worn out."

Her lips quivered as she smiled back. "At least you are getting better
nights," she said.

"Yes, I sleep very well," he answered. "I want to know you are doing the
same."

Her face shone as though reflecting the lights of a city seen from afar.
"Oh yes, I sleep," she said. "And sometimes I dream that I have really
found the peaks of Paradise. But before I reach the summit--I am awake."

He drew her to him, and kissed her. "It is better that you should wake,
dear," he said.

She returned his kiss with tenderness, but her eyes were fixed and
distant. "Some day the dream will come true, Stumpy," she said softly.
"And I shall find him there where he has been waiting for me all these
years."