True, it seemed impossible that he should ever wake to see how ugly his conduct had been. But there were powers in God’s heart that had not yet been brought to bear upon him. Perhaps this was one of them—letting him disgrace himself. If he could but be made ashamed of himself, there would be hope! In the meantime she must get the beam out of her own eye that she might see to take the mote or beam, whichever it might be, out of Corney’s! Again she fell upon her knees and prayed God to enable her. Corney was her brother, and must forever be her brother, even if he were the worst thief under the sun! God would see to their honour or disgrace, what she had to do was to be a sister! She rose determined that she would not go home until she had done all she could to find him.

Presently the fact, which at various times cast a dim presence upon her horizon without thoroughly attracting her attention, became plain to her—that she had in part been drawn toward her fiancé because of his social position. Certainly without loving him, she would never have consented to marry him for that, but had she not come the more readily to love him because of it? Had he not been a prospective earl, were there not some things in him which would have possibly repelled her a little more? Would she, for instance, have tried so hard to like the verses he brought her? Clearly, she must take her place with the sinners!

26. A Talk with the Major

—Twenty-Six —

A Talk With the Major

While she thus meditated, major Marvel made his appearance. He had been watching outside, saw her uncle go, waited another hour, then came to the door and was shown to the room where she still sat, staring out on the frosty trees of the square.

“Why, my child,” he said with almost paternal tenderness, “your hand is as cold as ice! Why do you sit so far from the fire?”

She rose and went to the fire with him. He put her in an easy chair and sat down beside her. Common, pudgy, red-faced, bald-headed as he was, she came to him with a sense of refuge. He could scarcely have understood one of her difficulties, would doubtless have judged not a few of her scruples nonsensical. Nevertheless, it was a comfort to her to feel a human soul in a human body near her. For the mere human is divine, though not the divine, and to the mere human essential comfort. She was able to look upon the major as a friend in whom she could trust. Unity of opinion is not necessary to confident friendship and warm love.