him to do so. He was glad to see his
wife immersed in grave historical and scientific reading; he said to
himself that in this way she would be delivered from her religious
prejudices, and some day attain to 'free thought.' Adela as yet had no
such end in view, but already she understood that her education, in the
serious sense, was only now beginning. As a girl, her fate had been that
of girls in general; when she could write without orthographical errors,
and could play by rote a few pieces of pianoforte music, her education
had been pronounced completed. In the profound moral revolution which
her nature had recently undergone her intellect also shared; when
the first numbing shock had spent itself, she felt the growth of an
intellectual appetite formerly unknown. Resolutely setting herself
to exalt her husband, she magnified his acquirements, and, as a duty,
directed her mind to the things he deemed of importance. One of her
impulses took the form of a hope which would have vastly amused Richard
had he divined it. Adela secretly trusted that some day her knowledge
might be sufficient to allow her to cope with her husband's religious
scepticism. It was significant that she could face in this way the
great difficulty of her life; the stage at which it seemed sufficient
to iterate creeds was already behind her. Probably Mr. Wyvern' 5
conversation was not without its effect in aiding her to these larger
views, but she never spoke to him on the subject directly. Her
native dignity developed itself with her womanhood, and one of the
characteristics of the new Adela was a reserve which at times seemed to
indicate coldness or even spiritual pride.

The weather made it possible to spread the children's tea in the open
air. At four o'clock Letty came, and was quietly happy in being allowed
to superintend one of the tables. Adela was already on affectionate
terms with many of the little ones, though others regarded her with awe
rather than warmth of confidence. This was strange, when we remember how
childlike she had formerly been with children. But herein, too, there
was a change; she could not now have caught up Letty's little sister and
trotted with her about the garden as she was used to do. She could no
longer smile in the old simple, endearing way; it took some time before
a child got accustomed to her eyes and lips. Her movements, though
graceful as ever, were subdued to matronly gravity; never again would
Adela turn an