The Shadow-Third

THEY met in the old conventional way,
And married, and that was the end
Of a little matter that touched three hearts —
A girl, a man, and his friend.
You see, when he saw her great blue eyes
The love of his life began,
And — well — it was money the woman craved,
Not flesh and blood and a man.
She married, for money, her lover's friend —
And thus it came to be
That the man went out of life one night
As a wind goes out to sea.
She did not smile nor sorrow, they say;
She showed no sign of care,
But, ever since, 'twixt the wedded twain
There stands a vacant chair.
And when they stroll through the street at times,
Or pace some garden green,
They walk so spaced, it will seem to you
That a man might walk between.