No--he and Nella-Rose were alone and
helpless in the danger-haunted hills. He and she!
The sun made an effort to come forth later but the rush and roar of the
oncoming torrent seemed to daunt it. For an hour it struggled, then gave
up. But during that hour Truedale led Nella-Rose from the house.
Silently they made their way to a little hilltop from which they could
see an open space of dull, leaden sky. There Truedale took the girl's
hands in his and lifted his eyes while his benumbed soul sought whatever
God there might be.
"In Thy sight," he said slowly, deeply, "I take this woman for my wife.
Bless us; keep us; and"--after a pause--"deal Thou with me as I deal
with her."
Then the earnest eyes dropped to the frightened ones searching his face.
"You are mine!" Truedale spoke commandingly, with a force that never
before had marked him.
"Yes." The word was a faint, frightened whisper.
"My darling, kiss me!"
She kissed him with trembling lips.
"You love me?"
"I--I love you."
"You--you trust me?"
"I--oh! yes; yes."
"Then come, my doney-gal! For life or death, it is you and I, little
woman, from now on!"
Like a flash his gloom departed. He was gay, desperate, and free of all
hampering doubts. In such a mood Nella-Rose lost all fear of him and
walked by his side as complacently as if the one minister in her sordid
little world had with all his strange authority said his sacred "Amen"
over her.
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