The end was only a question of time now, and the prize well worth the
waiting. By instinct, once more, he turned to the river.
"And she understood at once," he said, looking at the water. "She found out my
pet besetting sin on the spot, and paid it off. My God, how she understood! And
she said I was better than she was! Better than she was!" He laughed at the
absurdity of the notion. "I wonder if girls guess at one-half a man's life.
They can't, or--they wouldn't marry us." He took her gift out of his pocket,
and considered it in the light of a miracle and a pledge of the comprehension
that, one day, would lead to perfect happiness. Meantime, Maisie was alone in
London, with none to save her from danger. And the packed wilderness was very
full of danger.
Dick made his prayer to Fate disjointedly after the manner of the heathen as he
threw the piece of silver into the river. If any evil were to befal, let him
bear the burden and let Maisie go unscathed, since the threepenny piece was
dearest to him of all his possessions. It was a small coin in itself, but
Maisie had given it, and the Thames held it, and surely the Fates would be
bribed for this once.
The drowning of the coin seemed to cut him free from thought of Maisie for the
moment.
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