Hester at last began to see something of this. She recalled how she had never once gained from him a worthwhile reply to anything she had said. She had, in her foolishness, supplied from her own imagination the defective echoes of his response! She saw many things otherwise than before. She loved the man enough to die for him, but it was quite another thing to marry him, And now that her spirit was awakened toward the truer nature of things, it was Cornelius, no longer Vavasor, who occupied her thoughts. His dear, good little wife was doing all she could for him, but it would take sister and mother and all to save him! She could not do so much for him as Amy now, but by and by there would be his father to meditate with—to that she would give her energy!

But his poor mother! Would she even recognize him—so terribly scarred and changed? He was young, and might in time grow more like his old self, but for now he was anything but pleasant to look at. Corney had always been one who took pleasure in his own looks, regarding himself as superior on most grounds, and particularly on that of good looks. But now he could not but admit that he was anything but handsome to behold. It was a pain that in itself could do little to cast out the evil spirit that possessed him. But it was something that the evil spirit, while it remained in him, should be deprived of one source of its nourishment. It was a good thing that from any cause, the transgressor should find his ways hard. After his first look at himself, he threw the mirror from him and burst into tears, which he did not even try to conceal.

It was notable that from that time he was more dejected and less peevish. Still Hester found it difficult to bear with his remaining peevishness and bad temper, knowing what he had made of himself, and that he knew she must know it. But at such hard moments she had the good sense to leave him to the soothing ministrations of his wife. Amy never set herself against him. First of all she would show him that she understood what was troubling him, then would say something sympathetic or coaxing, and always had her way with him. She had the great advantage that he had not yet once quarrelled with her.

That gave a ground of hope for her influence with him that his sister had long lost. God had made Amy so that she had less trouble from selfishness than most people. Hester had far more trouble than Amy in conquering her self-assertiveness. In Hester it was, no doubt, associated with a loftier nature, and the harder victory would have its greater reward, but until finally conquered it would continue to hinder her walk in the true way. So Hester learned from the sweetness of Amy, as Amy from the unbending principles of Hester.