Sir Josiah stood watching them, knowing that these two had found a happiness that was almost beyond his understanding.
And then he would have turned and gone quietly away, but Kathleen called to him.
"Won’t you come here and sit with us in the sunshine dear? Don’t go, don’t go!"
He came back with a happy pleased look on his old face.
"I didn’t think you and Allan would want the old man," he said, "I thought you two—together——"
"We want you always, when you are here our little world is all complete," she said softly. "I have those whom I love and those who love me," she lifted her hand and held it against his cheek.
And so on the sunwarmed old stone bench they sat, and there was no sound save the steady ’clip clip’ of old Markabee’s shears and the rustle of the falling glossy green leaves from the ivied wall.
About them, was the sunshine and the glory of the flowers in bloom, the little pool lay shimmering like molten gold, and from its midst rose the slim white figure of the stone maiden, for ever holding the broken pitcher on her sun kissed shoulder.