And I am sure my prayer will be answered." She passed into her chamber, but her angelic influence remained.

In his very soul the man thanked God for the tribulation which brought this woman into his life.

He had traversed the wilderness to find an oasis of rare beauty.

What might lie beyond he neither knew nor cared.
Through the remainder of his existence, be it a day or many a year, he would be glorified by the knowledge that in one incomparable heart he reigned supreme, unchallenged, if only for the hour.

Fatigue, anxiety, bitter recollection and present danger, were overwhelmed and forgotten in the nearness, the intangible presence of Iris.