stn't stay longer,' said Virginia, rising after a painful silence.
'I am always afraid to be away from her even for an hour; the fear of
dreadful things that might happen haunts me day and night. How glad I
shall be when Alice comes!'

Rhoda had no words of sympathy. Her commiseration for Virginia was only
such as she might have felt for any stranger involved in sordid
troubles; all the old friendliness had vanished. Nor would she have
been greatly shocked or astonished had she followed Miss Madden on the
way to the railway station and seen her, after a glance up and down the
street, turn quickly into a public-house, and come forth again holding
her handkerchief to her lips. A feeble, purposeless, hopeless woman;
type of a whole class; living only to deteriorate--

Will! Purpose! Was _she_ not in danger of forgetting these watchwords,
which had guided her life out of youth into maturity? That poor
creature's unhappiness was doubtless in great measure due to the
conviction that in missing love and marriage she had missed everything.
So thought the average woman, and in her darkest hours she too had
fallen among those poor of spirit, the flesh prevailing. But the soul
in her had not finally succumbed. Passion had a new significance; her
conception of life was larger, more liberal; she made no vows to crush
the natural instincts. But her conscience, her sincerity should not
suffer. Wherever destiny might lead, she would still be the same proud
and independent woman, responsible only to herself, fulfilling the
nobler laws of her existence.

A day or two after this she had guests to dine with her--Mildred Vesper
and Winifred Haven. Among the girls whom she had helped to educate,
these two seemed by far the most self-reliant, the most courageous and
hopeful. In minor details of character they differed widely, and
intellectually Miss Haven was far in advance. Rhoda had a strong desire
to observe them as they talked bout the most various subjects; she knew
them well, but hoped to find in them some new suggestion of womanly
force which would be of help to her in her own struggle for redemption.

It was seldom that either of them ailed anything. Mildred still showed
traces of her country breeding; she was the more robust, walked with a
heavier step, had less polish of manner. Under strain of any kind
Winifred's health would sooner give way, but her natural vivacity
promised long resistance to oppressing influences. Mildred had