"
"It has brought me more than you can ever realize, Amey," she
interrupted, falling back among her pillows, tired from her exertion.
"It has held the cup of a soothing friendship to my parched and
fevered lip whose draught has dispelled every sorrow that lay hopeless
and heavy upon my heart. If life could tempt me, now, to return to my
former vigour and strength, it need only hold up to my dying eyes the
picture of your unselfish heroism. When one has a friend, such as you
have been, the pleasures of the world have a double sweetness; in a
little while" she added, lowering her voice, and looking away towards
the western horizon, into which the setting sun had begun to dip his
yellow rays, "I will have left all these things behind me; the joys
and sorrows of my young life will recede together into the mists of
time, as I go on to my eternity--but, I know there will be some
remaining who will carry my memory, the memory of my little life, that
was not more than half spent, through all the years of her own happy
one, someone to pray for me, to commune with me in spirit, even when I
have passed into that shadow-land. And that will be you, my Amey.
Perhaps it will comfort you then, to remember that I died in peace and
contentment after all--for my poor prayer has been heard in heaven.
When I wrote you that last letter, about my dawning compensation, I
could see that I had not made my sacrifice in vain, Bayard was
changing, every one saw it, resolving himself into the better man, he
has since become, and more than that, Amey--oh, how it thrills me to
think of it!" she exclaimed with reverent ardour "a change has taken
place elsewhere! We received a letter from the superintendent of the
asylum where poor Inez is confined, telling us that she had many lucid
moments of late, and that her attendants had frequently found her upon
her knees, with streaming eyes and trembling hands, imploring
forgiveness for her past follies.
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