n
never forgive myself!"

"I can not forgive you, because I have nothing to forgive; you did me no
wrong in opening my eyes. And God can not forgive you, because there
never was a God; so you did Him no wrong. And Willie can not forgive
you, because there is no Willie now; so you did him no wrong."

"My dearest, it can not all have gone from you forever; it will come
back to you, and you will believe as I do."

Felicia shook her head. "Never; it is too late. You have taken away my
Lord, and I know not where you have laid Him; and, however long I live,
I shall never find Him again."

And she went out of the room in the patience of a great despair, and
left her husband alone with his misery.

CHAPTER XVI

THIS SIDE OF THE HILLS

On this side of the hills, alas!
Unrest our spirit fills;
For gold, men give us stones and brass--
For asphodels, rank weeds and grass--
For jewels, bits of coloured glass--
On this side of the hills.

The end of July was approaching, and the season was drawing to a close.
Cecil Farquhar and Elisabeth had seen each other frequently since they
first met at the Academy _soiree_, and had fallen into the habit of
being much together; consequently the thought of parting was pleasant to
neither of them.

"How shall I manage to live without you?" asked Cecil one day, as they
were walking across the Park together. "I shall fall from my ideals when
I am away from your influence, and again become the grovelling worlding
that I was before I met you."

"But you mustn't do anything of the kind. I am not the keeper of your
conscience."

"But you are, and you must be. I feel a good man and a strong one when I
am with you, and as if all things were possible to me; and now that I
have once found you, I can not and will not let you go."

"You will have to let me go, Mr. Farquhar; for I go down to the Willows
at the end of the month, and mean to stay there for some time. I have
enjoyed my success immensely; but it has tired me rather, and made me
want to rest and be stupid again."

"But I can not spare you," persisted Cecil; and there was real feeling
in his voice. Elisabeth represented so much to him--wealth and power and
the development of his higher nature; and although, had she been a poor
woman, he would possibly never have cherished any intention of marrying
her, his wish to do so was not entirely sordid. There are so few wishes
in the hearts of any of us