And doubly sacred when , as tonight , it followed upon an hour spent with her ? Its mingled delight and pain were almost more than he could bear . He went through the kitchen and the hall and up the narrow staircase with a glory in his eyes that thus were held from seeing his sordid surroundings . Link Houseman , sprawled out on the platform before the kitchen door , saw him pass with that rapt face , and chuckled . Link was ill enough to look at any time , with his sharp , freckled features and foxy eyes . When he chuckled his face was that of an unholy imp . But the schoolmaster took no heed of him . Neither did he heed the girl whom he met in the hall . Her handsome , sullen face flushed crimson under the sting of his utter disregard , and her black eyes followed him up the stairs with a look that was not good to see . `` Sis , '' whispered Link piercingly , `` come out here ! I 've got a joke to tell you , something about the master and his girl . You ai n't to let on to him you know , though . I found it out last night when he was off to the shore . That old key of Uncle Jim 's was just the thing . He 's a softy , and no mistake . '' * * * * * Upstairs in his little room , the schoolmaster was writing his letter . The room was as bare and graceless as all the other rooms of the farmhouse where he had boarded during his term of teaching ; but it looked out on the sea , and was hung with such priceless tapestry of his iris dreams and visions that it was to him an apartment in a royal palace . From it he gazed afar on bays that were like great cups of sapphire brimming over with ruby wine for gods to drain , on headlands that were like amethyst , on wide sweeps of sea that were blue and far and mysterious ; and ever the moan and call of the ocean 's heart came up to his heart as of one great , hopeless love and longing crying out to another love and longing , as great and hopeless . And here , in the rose-radiance of the sunset , with the sea-music in the dim air , he wrote his letter to her . My Lady : How beautiful it is to think that there is nothing to prevent my loving you !
There is much -- everything -- XXXXX prevent me from telling you that I love you .
From as like on than through to under up with