In the gray of the morning Mr. Raymount awoke. He was aware of a great silence about him. He looked out the window and saw in the east the first glimmer of a lovely spring day. The stillness awed, almost frightened him. His very soul seemed hushed, as if in his sleep a Voice had said, “Peace! Be still!”

He felt like a naughty child, who, having slept, seems to have slept away his naughtiness. Yesterday seemed far away—only the shudder of it was left. But he knew if he began to think it would be back with its agony. Had some angel been by his bedside to soothe him? A demon had surely possessed him! Had it been but hinted as within the bounds of possibility that he should behave to a woman as he had behaved, he would have laughed the idea to scorn!

He had always thought himself a chivalrous gentleman! This was the end of his faith in himself! His grand Hester would not feel herself safe from him! Truly a demon had possessed him—might not an angel indeed have been by him as he slept?

Then rose in his mind’s eye the face of Amy Amber. What had become of the poor girl? Surely his wife and daughter would be taking care of her. But still he must do something for her, and somehow make atonement for treating her so brutally.

Hope dawned feebly on his murky horizon. He would be good to her. There was something to be done for everybody. If she had gone back out into the night, he would spend every penny he had to find her!

Cornelius would know where she was. He must see him! And he would tell him he was sorry he had struck him, too. What could have gotten into him that he had whipped his own son!

In the still, dark gray of the morning he went to his son’s room.

When he reached the door he saw it was open a little. The next instant he heard a soft voice inside speaking persuadingly. He went closer and listened. It was Amy Amber’s voice!—in his house! in his son’s room!

And after the lesson he had given them the night before!

He looked in quietly. The dainty little figure was half lying on the bed, with an arm thrown around his son. He could not see her face, but he could clearly hear her words through the dusk.

“Corney darling, you must get up. You must come away. I have come to take you away from them. I knew they were not treating you well. That was what made me come. I know you have done something very wrong to make your father so angry with you. It doesn’t matter to me. I am your own. But you cannot have said you were sorry or he would have forgiven you. He can’t be a bad man—though he did hurt me dreadfully!”

“He is a very good man!” muttered Corney from the pillow.