me, and that'll save
me something of their talk."

Well, well, she was doing the best she could--though Lawrence on his
blind, obedient way to Africa was scarcely going on a farther, lonelier
journey than that on which Joanna was setting out.

"Oh, Martin," she whispered, lifting her eyes to his picture on her
chest of drawers--"I wish I could feel you close."

It was years since she had really let herself think of him, but now
strange barriers of thought had broken down, and she seemed to go to and
fro quite easily into the past. Whether it was her love for Bertie whom
in her blindness she had thought like him, or her meeting with Lawrence,
or the new hope within her, she did not trouble to ask--but that
strange, long forbidding was gone. She was free to remember all their
going out and coming in together, his sweet fiery kisses, the ways of
the Marsh that he had made wonderful. Throughout her being there was a
strange sense of release--broken, utterly done and finished as she was
from the worldly point of view, there was in her heart a springing hope,
a sweet softness--she could indeed go softly at last.

The tears were in her eyes as she climbed out of bed and knelt down
beside it. It was weeks since she had said her prayers--not since that
night when Bertie had come into her room. But now that her heart was
quite melted she wanted to ask God to help her and forgive her.

"Oh, please God, forgive me. I know I been wicked, but I'm unaccountable
sorry. And I'm going through with it. Please help my child--don't let it
get hurt for my fault. Help me to do my best and not grumble, seeing as
it's all my own wickedness; and I'm sorry I broke the Ten Commandments.
'Lord have mercy upon us and write all these thy laws in our hearts, we
beseech thee.'"

This liturgical outburst seemed wondrously to heal Joanna--it seemed to
link her up again with the centre of her religion--Brodnyx church, with
the big pews, and the hassocks, and the Lion and the Unicorn over the
north door--she felt readmitted into the congregation of the faithful,
and her heart was full of thankfulness and loyalty. She rose from her
knees, climbed into bed, and curled up on her side. Ten minutes later
she was sound asleep.

Sec.37

The next morning after breakfast, Joanna faced Ellen in the dining-room.

"Ellen," she said--"I'm going to sell Ansdore."

"You're what?"

"I'm going to put up this place for auction in September."

"Joanna!"