lieve has held me back in a region of sadness and
solitude that I need not have lingered in, but for that."

There was a great commotion in the rookery, and presently a flock of
rooks swept across the window, in loud controversy, and away over the
garden in a circle, and then up and up till they were a grey little
patch of changing shape, in the blue of the sky.

The dying man followed them with his eyes. He had watched such streaming
companies start forth from the old rookery, ever since his boyhood. The
memories of that time, and of the importunate thoughts that had haunted
him then, at the opening of life, returned to him now.

He had accomplished a fraction of what he had set out to attempt, with
such high hopes. His dream of personal happiness had failed; many an
illusion had been lost, many a bitterly-regretted deed had saddened him,
many an error had revenged itself upon him. He drew a deep sigh.

"And if the scheme of the universe be a reasonable one," he said half
dreamily, "then one can account better for the lives that never fulfil
themselves; the apparent failure that saddens one, in such numberless
instances, especially among women. For in that case, the failure is only
apparent, however cruel and however great. If the effort has been
sincere, and the thought bent upon the best that could be conceived by
the particular soul, then that effort and that thought must play their
part in the upward movement of the race. I cannot believe otherwise."

Hadria's head was bent. Her lips moved, as if in an effort to speak, but
no sound came.

"To believe that all the better and more generous hopes of our kind are
to be lost and ineffectual, that genius is finally wasted, and goodness
an exotic to be trampled under foot in the blind movements of
Nature--that requires more power of faith than I can muster. Once
believe that thought is the main factor, the motive force of the
universe, then everything settles into its place, and we have room for
hope; indeed it insists upon admission; it falls into the shadow of our
life like that blessed ray of sunlight."

It lay across the bed, in a bright streak.

"The hope leads me far. My training has been all against it, but it
comes to me with greater and greater force. It makes me feel that
presently, when we have bid one another farewell, it will not be for
ever. We shall meet again, dear Hadria, believe me." She was struggling
with her tears, and could answer nothing.