"You have chosen well," he said, and had to make a conscious effort to keep the mirth in his face from passing into his voice."Nurse Rosemary will be discreet.Very good.Then we may take it the One Woman was beautiful?"But Garth looked perplexed."I do not know," he answered slowly."Icannot see her through the eyes of others.My vision of her, in that illuminating moment, followed the inspired order of things,--spirit, soul, and body.Her spirit was so pure and perfect, her soul so beautiful, noble, and womanly, that the body which clothed soul and spirit partook of their perfection and became unutterably dear.""I see," said the doctor, very gently."Yes, you dear fellow, Isee." (Oh, Jane, Jane! You were blind, without a bandage, in those days!)"Several glorious days went by," continued Garth."I realise now that I was living in the glow of my own certainty that she was the One Woman.It was so clear and sweet and wonderful to me, that Inever dreamed of it not being equally clear to her.We did a lot of music together for pure enjoyment; we talked of other people for the fun of it; we enjoyed and appreciated each other's views and opinions; but we did not talk of ourselves, because we KNEW, at least _I_ knew, and, before God, I thought she did.Every time I saw her she seemed more grand and perfect.I held the golden key to trifling matters not understood before.We young fellows, who all admired her, used nevertheless to joke a bit about her wearing collars and stocks, top boots and short skirts; whacking her leg with a riding-whip, and stirring the fire with her toe.But after that evening, I understood all this to be a sort of fence behind which she hid her exquisite womanliness, because it was of a deeper quality than any man looking upon the mere surface of her had ever fathomed or understood.And when she came trailing down in the evening, in something rich and clinging and black, with lots of soft old lace covering her bosom and moving with the beating of her great tender heart; ah, then my soul rejoiced and my eyes took their fill of delight! I saw her, as all day long I had known her to be,--perfect in her proud, sweet womanliness.""Is he really unconscious," thought the doctor, "of how unmistakable a word-picture of Jane he is painting?""Very soon," continued Garth, "we had three days apart, and then met again at another house, in a weekend party.One of the season's beauties was there, with whom my name was being freely coupled, and something she said on that subject, combined with the fearful blankness of those three interminable days, made me resolve to speak without delay.I asked her to come out on to the terrace that evening.We were alone.It was a moonlight night."A long silence.The doctor did not break it.He knew his friend was going over in his mind all those things of which a man does not speak to another man.
At last Garth said simply, "I told her."
No comment from the doctor, who was vividly reminded of Jane's "Then--it happened," when SHE had reached this point in the story.
After a few moments of further silence, steeped in the silver moonlight of reminiscence for Garth; occupied by the doctor in a rapid piecing in of Jane's version; the sad young voice continued:
"I thought she understood completely.Afterwards I knew she had not understood at all.Her actions led me to believe I was accepted, taken into her great love, even as she was wrapped around by mine.
