“Yes; for a moment. At first I thought it quite hopeless, but I

have unquestionably seen, for a single moment, the face that I

once knew so well. Hush! Let us draw further back. Hush!”

She had moved from the wall of the garret, very near to the

bench on which he sat. There was something awful in his

unconsciousness of the figure that could have put out its hand and

touched him as he stooped over his labour.

Not a word was spoken, not a sound was made. She stood like a

spirit, beside him, and he bent over his work.

It happened, at length, that he had occasion to change the

instrument in his hand, for his shoemaker’s knife. It lay on that

side of him which was not the side on which she stood. He had

taken it up, and was stooping to work again, when his eyes caught

the skirt of her dress. He raised them, and saw her face. The two

spectators started forward, but she stayed them with a motion of

her hand. She had no fear of his striking at her with the knife,

though they had.

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He stared at her with a fearful look, and after a while his lips

began to form some words, though no sound proceeded from

them. By degrees, in the pauses of his quick and laboured

breathing, he was heard to say:

“What is this?”

With the tears streaming down her face, she put her two hands

to her lips, and kisse