THE GIFT. 
429 
forcing them away. It was more than a 
thought. It was an instinct ; and the 
instinct, quickening, became an overwhelming 
wish. She wanted to give something — she 
who had seen something given that day — 
object-lesson and example had been strong. 
She had seen something done for somebody, 
She joined her hostess in the grounds of the 
Academy, in the cricket-field, under the trees. 
She looked very beautiful, very stately, in 
her soft summer dress. The Duke greeted 
her ; Prince Heinrich monopolized her. She 
and Prince Heinrich walked together in the 
green and leafy grounds. They talked of 
risk taken, a life offered for a life. And it 
came to her that life, without giving, can be 
full but most incomplete. A strange exalta- 
tion took her and compelled her, lifting her, 
leading her to obey the ordering of her heart. 
many things. Put they spoke most of Sir 
John Dixon’s deed. 
“ I am glad to have seen it,” said Prince 
Heinrich, presently. “ It was big — very big ! 
He is a fine man, this general of yours. The 
