The Lighted Match

The man wheeled, not suddenly, but heavily and slowly. "I am real," he

answered simply.

Cara put out one hand like a sleep-walker, and came forward, still

incredulous.

"Cara, dearest one!" he said impetuously. "You must have known that I

would be near you--that I would be standing by, even though I couldn't

help!"

She shook her head. "I have been having these hallucinations, you know,

of late." She explained as though to herself. "I guess it's--it's just

missing people so that does it."

She was close to him now, close, too, to the sheer drop of the cliff,

walking forward with eyes wide and fixed on his face. He took a quick

step forward and swept her to him, crushing her against his breast.

She gave a glad exclamation of realization, and her own arms closed

impulsively around his neck.

"You are real! You are real!" she whispered, looking into his eyes, her

gauntleted hands holding his face between them.

"Cara," he begged, "listen to me. It's my last plea. You said in the

letter I have in my pocket--there where your heart is beating--that you

could not refuse me if I came again. Dear, this is 'again.' The Isis

is a speck out there at sea awaiting a signal. Will you go? I have no

throne to offer, but--"

"Don't," she cried, holding a hand over his lips. "For a minute--just

for a little golden minute--let us forget thrones." Then as the furrow

came back between her brows: "Oh, boy, it's my destiny to be always

strong enough to resist happiness when I might have it by being less

strong, and always too weak to bear bravely what must be borne--when it

can't be helped."

He stood silent.

After a moment she went on. "And I love you. Ah, you know that well

enough, but up there beyond your head which I love, I see the green and

white and blue flag of Galavia which I hate, and destiny commands me to

be disloyal to you for loyalty to it. On the eve of life imprisonment,"

she went on, clinging to him, "I have stolen away to play truant perhaps

for the last time--still craving freedom, longing for you; and now I

find freedom, and you, just to lose you again! I can't--I can't--yes--I

can--I will!"

Suddenly he held her off at arms' length and looked at her with a

strange wide-eyed expression of discovery.

"But," he cried with the vehemence of a sudden thought, "you are up

here--safe! Safe, whatever happens down there! Nothing that occurs there

can affect you!"

"Safe, of course," she spoke wonderingly. "What danger is there?"

The man turned. "For God's sake--let me think a moment!" He dropped on

the pine needles and sat with his hands covering his face and his

fingers pressed into his temples. She came over.