"I thought I should have had to support her," he said, as he walked towards Briarmains, "and it is she who has made me strong. That look of pity, that gentle touch! No down was ever softer, no elixir more potent! It lay like a snowflake; it thrilled like lightning. A thousand times I have longed to possess that hand--to have it in mine. I _have_ possessed it; for five minutes I held it. Her fingers and mine can never be strangers more. Having met once they must meet again."
"I thought I should have had to support her," he said, as he walked towards Briarmains, "and it is she who has made me strong. That look of pity, that gentle touch! It lay like a snowflake; it thrilled like lightning. A thousand times I have longed to possess that hand - to have it in mine. I have possessed it; her fingers and mine can never be strangers more. Having met once they must meet again."