“Drink， then， thou lofty creature！” exclaimed Aylmer， withfervid admiration. “There is no taint of imperfection on thyspirit. Thy sensible frame， too， shall soon be all perfect.”
She quaffed the liquid and returned the goblet to his hand.
“It is grateful，” said she with a placid smile. “Methinks itis like water from a heavenly fountain； for it contains I knownot what of unobtrusive fragrance and deliciousness. It allaysa feverish thirst that had parched me for many days. Now，dearest， let me sleep. My earthly senses are closing over myspirit like the leaves around the heart of a rose at sunset.”
She spoke the last words with a gentle reluctance， as if itrequired almost more energy than she could command topronounce the faint and lingering syllables. Scarcely had theyloitered through her lips ere she was lost in slumber. Aylmersat by her side， watching her aspect with the emotions properto a man the whole value of whose existence was involvedin the process now to be tested. Mingled with this mood，however， was the philosophic investigation characteristic ofthe man of science. Not the minutest symptom escaped him.
A heightened flush of the cheek， a slight irregularity of breath，a quiver of the eyelid， a hardly perceptible tremor through theframe，—such were the details which， as the moments passed，he wrote down in his folio volume. Intense thought had setits stamp upon every previous page of that volume， but thethoughts of years were all concentrated upon the last.
While thus employed， he failed not to gaze often at the fatalhand， and not without a shudder. Yet once， by a strange andunaccountable impulse he pressed it with his lips. His spiritrecoiled， however， in the very act， and Georgiana， out of themidst of her deep sleep， moved uneasily and murmured as ifin remonstrance. Again Aylmer resumed his watch. Nor wasit without avail. The crimson hand， which at first had beenstrongly visible upon the marble paleness of Georgiana’scheek， now grew more faintly outlined. She remained not lesspale than ever； but the birthmark with every breath that cameand went， lost somewhat of its former distinctness. Its presencehad been awful； its departure was more awful still. Watch thestain of the rainbow fading out the sky， and you will know howthat mysterious symbol passed away.
“By Heaven！ it is well-nigh gone！” said Aylmer to himself，in almost irrepressible ecstasy. “I can scarcely trace it now.
Success！ success！ And now it is like the faintest rose color.
The lightest flush of blood across her cheek would overcomeit. But she is so pale！”
He drew aside the window curtain and suffered the light ofnatural day to fall into the room and rest upon her cheek. Atthe same time he heard a gross， hoarse chuckle， which he hadlong known as his servant Aminadab’s expression of delight.
“Ah， clod！ ah， earthly mass！” cried Aylmer， laughing in asort of frenzy， “you have served me well！ Matter and spirit—earth and heaven—have both done their part in this！ Laugh，thing of the senses！ You have earned the right to laugh.”
These exclamations broke Georgiana’s sleep. She slowlyunclosed her eyes and gazed into the mirror which her husbandhad arranged for that purpose. A faint smile flitted over herlips when she recognized how barely perceptible was nowthat crimson hand which had once blazed forth with suchdisastrous brilliancy as to scare away all their happiness. Butthen her eyes sought Aylmer’s face with a trouble and anxietythat he could by no means account for.
“My poor Aylmer！” murmured she.
“Poor？ Nay， richest， happiest， most favored！” exclaimed he.
“My peerless bride， it is successful！ You are perfect！”
“My poor Aylmer，” she repeated， with a more than humantenderness， “you have aimed loftily； you have done nobly.
Do not repent that with so high and pure a feeling， you haverejected the best the earth could offer. Aylmer， dearest Aylmer，I am dying！”
Alas！ it was too true！ The fatal hand had grappled withthe mystery of life， and was the bond by which an angelicspirit kept itself in union with a mortal frame. As the lastcrimson tint of the birthmark—that sole token of humanimperfection—faded from her cheek， the parting breath of thenow perfect woman passed into the atmosphere， and her soul，lingering a moment near her husband， took its heavenwardflight. Then a hoarse， chuckling laugh was heard again！ Thusever does the gross fatality of earth exult in its invariabletriumph over the immortal essence which， in this dim sphereof half development， demands the completeness of a higherstate. Yet， had Alymer reached a profounder wisdom， he neednot thus have flung away the happiness which would havewoven his mortal life of the selfsame texture with the celestial.
The momentary circumstance was too strong for him； he failedto look beyond the shadowy scope of time， and， living once forall in eternity， to find the perfect future in the present.