Bad Hugh

There was a gleam of sunshine now to illumine the thick darkness, and,

in the first moments of his joy Hugh wound his arm around the slight

form, and tried to bring it nearer to him. But Alice stepped back and

answered: "No, Hugh, that would be wrong. It may be I shall never come to love

you save as I love you now, but I'll try--I will try," and unmindful of

her charge to him, Alice parted the damp curls clustering around his

forehead, and looked into his face with an expression which made his

heart bound and throb with the sudden hope that even now she loved him

better than she supposed.

It was growing very late, and the clock in the adjoining room struck one

ere Alice bade Hugh good-night, saying to him: "No one must know of this. We'll be just the same to each other as we

have been."

"Yes, just the same, if that can be," Hugh answered, and so they parted.