heir peace must
hang upon the variations in one another's moods; and that moods must
vary in all mortals. He persuaded himself that this was a necessary
consequence of the relation, and to be received as a slight set-off
against the unfathomable blessings of sympathy. He concluded that he
had deceived himself about his feelings for Margaret: he must have been
mistaken; for he could now receive from her the opening confidence of a
sister; he could cordially agree to the arrangement of her living with
them; he could co-operate with her in the preparation for the coming
time, without any emotion which was inconsistent with his duty to
Hester. With unconscious prudence, he merely said this to himself, and
let it pass, reverting to his beautiful, his happy, his own Hester, and
the future years over which her image spread its sunshine. The one
person who relished the task of preparation more than Margaret herself
was Hope. Every advance in the work seemed to bring him nearer to the
source of the happiness he felt. Every day of which they marked the
lapse appeared to open wider the portals of that home which he was now
more than ever habituated to view as the sanctuary of duty, of holiness,
and of peace. All remarked on Mr Hope's altered looks. The shyness
and coldness with which he had seemed to receive the first
congratulations on his engagement, and which excited wonder in many, and
uneasiness in a few, had now given place to a gaiety only subdued by a
more tender happiness. Even Mrs Grey need no longer watch his
countenance and manner, and weigh his words with anxiety, and try to
forget that there was a secret between them.

One ground of Mr Hope's confidence was Hester's candour. She had truly
told her sister, she felt it was no time for pride when he offered
himself to her. Her pride was strong; but there was something in her as
much stronger in force than her pride as it was higher in its nature;
and she had owned her love with a frankness which had commanded his
esteem as much as it engaged his generosity. She had made a no less
open avowal of her faults to him. She had acknowledged the
imperfections of her temper (the sorest of her troubles) both at the
outset of their engagement, and often since. At first, the confession
was made in an undoubting confidence that she should be reasonable, and
amiable, and serene henceforth for ever, while she had him by her side.
Subsequent experience had moderated this