s after Rose's health, a few
unexplained stares and 'humphs' and grunts, a few irrelevant
disquisitions on her nephew's merits of head and heart, were all she was
able to allow herself. And yet she was inwardly seething with a mass of
sentiments, to which it would have been pleasant to give
expression--anger with Rose for having been so blind and so presumptuous
as to prefer some one else to Hugh; anger with Hugh for his persistent
disregard of her advice and the duke's feelings; and a burning desire to
know the precise why and wherefore of Langham's disappearance. She was
too lofty to become Rose's aunt without a struggle, but she was not too
lofty to feel the hungriest interest in her love affairs.

* * * * *

But, as we have said, the person who for the time profited most by
Rose's shaken mood was Catherine. The girl coming over, restless under
her own smart, would fall to watching the trial of the woman and the
wife, and would often perforce forget herself and her smaller woes in
the pity of it. She stayed in Bedford Square once for a week, and then
for the first time she realised the profound change which had passed
over the Elsmeres' life. As much tenderness, between husband and wife as
ever--perhaps more expression of it even than before, as though from an
instinctive craving to hide the separateness below from each other and
from the world. But Robert went his way, Catherine hers. Their spheres
of work lay far apart; their interests were diverging fast; and though
Robert at any rate was perpetually resisting, all sorts of fresh
invading silences were always coming in to limit talk, and increase the
number of sore points which each avoided. Robert was hard at work in the
East End under Murray Edwardes's auspices. He was already known to
certain circles as a seceder from the Church who was likely to become
both powerful and popular. Two articles of his in the _Nineteenth
Century_, on disputed points of Biblical criticism, had distinctly made
their mark, and several of the veterans of philosophical debate had
already taken friendly and flattering notice of the new writer.
Meanwhile Catherine was teaching in Mr. Clarendon's Sunday school, and
attending his prayer-meetings. The more expansive Robert's energies
became, the more she suffered, and the more the small daily
opportunities for friction multiplied. Soon she could hardly bear to
hear him talk about his work, and she never opene