er it, the more
unnatural they become! It separates souls, begetting an aloofness
which, misunderstood, ends in mistrust and alienation; and it lies
at the root of too many of the fatal misconceptions of life. There
are loving hearts that would pay any price to be freed from the
self-enfolding toils that wrap them in these crisis hours. And so
would Miriam's, for she felt herself shrink within herself at the
approach of Matt. She knew nothing of mental moods, never having
heard of them, nor being able to account for, or analyze, them.
All she knew, poor girl, was that for the first time in her life
she was not herself; and as she responded to Matt's warm greeting,
she felt she was not the wife, nor the woman, who but a few weeks
ago had so affectionately farewelled him, and who but a few
moments ago so longed for his return.

Nor was Matt unconscious of this change, for as soon as the
greeting was over he said, with tones of anxiety in his voice:

'What ails thee, my lass?'

'Who sez as onnythin' ails me?' was her reply, but in a tone of
such forced merriment that Matt only grew the more concerned.

'Who sez as onnything ails thee?' cried he. 'Why those bonny een
o' thine--an' they ne'er tell lies.'

Miriam was walking at his side, her dark eyes seeking the ground,
and half hidden by the droop of their long-fringed lids. Indeed,
she was too timid to flash their open searching light, as was her
wont, into the face of Matt; and when she did look at him, as at
times she was forced to, the glance was furtive and the gaze
unsteady.

'Come, mi bonny brid (bird),' said her husband, betraying in his
voice a deeper concern, 'tell thi owd mon what's up wi thee. I've
ne'er sin thee look like this afore. Durnd look on th' grass so
mich. Lift that little yed (head) o' thine. Thaa's no need to be
ashamed o' showing thi face--there's noan so mony at's better
lookin'--leastways, I've sin noan.'

Miriam was silent; but as Matt's hand stole gently into hers, and
she felt the warm touch of his grasp, her heart leapt, and its
pent-up burden found outlet in a sob. Then he stayed his steps,
and looked at her, as a traveller would pause and look in
wonderment at the sudden portent in the heavens of a coming storm,
and putting his hand beneath the little drooping chin, he raised
the pretty face to find it wet with tears.

'Nay! nay! lass, thaa knows I conrot ston salt watter, when it's
i' a woman's een.

But Miriam's tears fell a