loved; she who aspired to teach,
had been taught. That strong will of hers, which had once been so
dominant, had suddenly fallen down powerless; she no longer wanted to
have her own way--she wanted to have Christopher's. Her warfare against
him was at last accomplished. To the end of her days she knew she would
go on weighing herself in his balances, and measuring herself according
to his measures; but now she would do so willingly, choosing to be
guided by his wisdom rather than her own, for she no more belonged to
herself but to him. The feeling of unrest, which had oppressed her for
so many years, now fell from her like a cast-off garment. Christopher
was the answer to her life's problem, the fulfilment of her heart's
desire; and although she might be obliged to go down again into the
valley of the shadow, she could never forget that she had once stood
upon the mountain-top and had beheld the glory of the promised land.

And she never remembered that now her fortune was secured to her, and
that the Willows and the Osierfield would always be hers; even these
were henceforth of no moment to her, save as monuments of Christopher's
love.

So in the dingy dining-room, on that hot summer's afternoon, Elisabeth
Farringdon became a new creature. The old domineering arrogance passed
away forever; and from its ashes there arose another Elisabeth, who out
of weakness was made stronger than she had ever been in her strength--an
Elisabeth who had attained to the victory of the vanquished, and who had
tasted the triumph of defeat. But in all her exaltation she knew--though
for the moment the knowledge could not hurt her--that her heart would be
broken by Christopher's death. Through the long night of her ignorance
and self-will and unsatisfied idealism she had wrestled with the angel
that she might behold the Best, and had prayed that it might be granted
unto her to see the Vision Beautiful. At last she had prevailed; and the
day for which she had so longed was breaking, and transfiguring the
common world with its marvellous light. But the angel-hand had touched
her, and she no longer stood upright and self-reliant, but was bound to
halt and walk lamely on her way until she stood by Christopher's side
again.

This exalted mood did not last for long. As she sat in the gloomy room
and watched the blazing sunshine forcing its way through the darkened
windows, her eye suddenly fell upon two notches cut in the doorway,
where she and