If he had waited, he would now have been free to seek his darling, his pure star, Halcyone, in all honor.

He could have taken her dear, tender hand, and led her proudly to the seat by his side--and crowned her with whatever laurels her sweet spirit would have inspired him to gain.

And it was all too late! too late! He reviewed the whole chain of events, and perceived how it had been his own doing--what had happened in each step--and this knowledge added to the bitterness of his pain.

It was from now onward that his nights were often agony.

Every movement, every word of Halcyone came back to him, from the old days of long ago when she had given him the oak leaf, to the moment of her looking into his eyes, with all her soul in hers, as she had answered his passionate question.