oftener than once every month and then only from Friday to Sunday
night. These days of freedom were now prized tenfold more dearly than
if he had had his time free to do as he wished.

Heretofore it had been his dearest wish to employ his spare
time with books, reading and studying to improve his mind and for the
pleasure that books gave him. Now his thoughts refused to concentrate
upon anything but Miss Jewel.

After some weeks of acquaintance there was an exchange of
letters which grew into a long correspondence. Those were happy days
for Jaffray! Eagerly he would look forward to the mail and from the
receipt of each of Renestine's letters to the next he would be in a
heaven all his own. He sent her songs and books of verse; he wrote long
and throbbing letters, and Winter and Spring, Summer and Autumn were
just one long summer day for him with the music of the birds overhead
and the earth a garden of blossoms.


CHAPTER III

TWO years went by and Renestine had been the bride of Jaffray Starr
three months. Grown into womanhood, she was radiant; happy in her love
and secure in the faith of her choice, she went forth from her sister's
home full of hope and cheer. Renestine had had many suitors, had had
much admiration. She could have become the wife of a young adoring
banker; she had refused to listen to the suit of men of more substance
than her husband; but because of the quiet manliness of Jaffray Starr,
because of his keen intellect, because of his nobility of heart and
generous nature, she gave her heart into his keeping, sure that she had