“Please come,” said Robert.  He looked at her at once like a conqueror and a pleading child.  Ellen placed her hand on his arm, and they went to the seat under the clump of birches.  They were quite alone, for the whole great company was streaming towards the fireworks.  A fiery wheel was revolving in the distance, and rockets shot up, dropping showers of stars.  Ellen gazed at them without seeing them at all.

Robert, seated beside her, looked at her earnestly.  “I am going to put back the wages on the old basis to-morrow,” he said.

Ellen made no reply.

“Business has so improved that I feel justified in doing so,” said Robert.  His tone was almost apologetic.  Never as long as he lived would he be able to look at such matters from quite the same standpoint as that of the girl beside him.  She knew that, and yet she loved him.  She never would get his point of view, and yet he loved her.  “I have waited until I was able to do that before speaking to you again,” said Robert.  “I knew how you felt about the wage-cutting.  I thought when matters were back on the old basis that you might feel differently towards me.  God knows I have been sorry enough for it all, and I am glad enough to be able to pay them full wages again.  And now, dear?”

“It has been a long time,” said Ellen, looking at her little hands, clasped in her lap.

“I have loved you all the time, and I have only waited for that,” said Robert.

Later on Robert and Ellen joined Fanny and the others.  It was scarcely the place to make an announcement.  After a few words of greeting the young couple walked off together, and left the Brewsters and Tennys and Mrs. Zelotes standing on the outskirts of the crowd watching the fireworks.  Granville Joy stood near them.  He had looked at Robert and Ellen with a white face, then he turned again towards the fireworks with a gentle, heroic expression.  He caught up Amabel that she might see the set piece which was just being put up.  “Now you can see, Sissy,” he said.

Eva looked away from the fireworks after the retreating pair, then meaningly at Fanny and Andrew.  “That’s settled,” said she.

Andrew’s face quivered a little, and took on something of the same look which Granville Joy’s wore.  All love is at the expense of love, and calls for heroes.

“It’ll be a great thing for her,” said Fanny, in his ear; “it’ll be a splendid thing for her, you know that, Andrew.”

Andrew gazed after the nodding roses on Ellen’s hat vanishing towards the right.  Another rocket shot up, and the people cried out, and watched the shower of stars with breathless enjoyment.  Andrew saw their upturned faces, in which for the while toil and trial were blotted out by that delight in beauty and innocent pleasure of the passing moment which is, for human souls, akin to the refreshing showers for flowers of spring; and to him, since his own vision was made clear by his happiness, came a mighty realization