On she went among the trees, past recently deserted sugar camps, away from human habitations, into and through the heart of the forest, joyous and glad in her beauty and young life and hope, and happy thoughts; and finally she came to the creek; here she drew up her still fresh horse, and rode slowly through its clear, rapid waters, and turned down on its other bank.  How glad it seemed, gurgling and rippling, and swirling, with liquid music and motion!  Slowly she rode down and with a half timid feeling, as somehow doubting if she would not return.  But it was all silent and quiet; the sunshine and the voice of the stream seemed to re-assure her, and the strange feeling passed away, as she entered the little nook so dear to her memory.  How silent and empty it was, in the rich, bright light of the mid-forenoon!  She dismounted, and taking her skirt upon her arm, was about to step under the rude shed, with the thought of the birds who had reared their young there the year before, when Prince lifted his head with a forward movement of his ears, and turning her eyes down the stream, they fell upon Barton, who had just passed around the lower angle of the rocks, and paused in speechless surprise, within a few feet of her.

With a little cry of joy, she threw out her hands and sprang towards him.  Her forgotten skirt tripped her, and she would have fallen, but the quick arms of Barton were about her, and for an exquisite moment she abandoned herself fully to him.

“Oh, Arthur, you have come to me!”

Their lips found each other, the great mass of dark brown hair almost overflowed the light brown curls, and their glad tears mingled.

“Julia!  I am alive—­awake! and you are in my arms!  Your kiss has been on my lips!  You love me!”

“With my whole heart and soul!”

“Oh, how blessed to die at this moment!” murmured Bart.

“Would it not be more blessed to live, love?” she whispered.

“And you have always loved me?”

“Always—­there—­there!” with a touch of her lips at each word.

“I thought—­”

“I know you did.  You shall never, never think again—­there!”

She withdrew from his arms, and adjusted her skirt, and stood by him in her wondrous beauty, radiant with the great happiness that filled her heart.

Barton was still confused, and looked with eyes wide open with amazement, partly at seeing her at all, partly at her marvellous beauty, which to him was seraphic, and more and most of all, at the revelation of her great love.

“Oh Julia!  How was this? how is this—­this coming of Heaven to me; this marvel of your love?”

“Did you really think, Arthur, that I had no eyes; that I had no ears; that I had no woman’s heart?  How could you think so meanly of me, and so meanly of yourself?”

“But you so scorned me.”

“Hush! that was your word:  it was not true; you were even then in my foolish girl’s heart.  Don’t speak of that to me now; surely you must have known that that was all a mistake.”