.

"He goes to his grave to-day, to wait, in the great silence, for the
final solution of God's infinite mysteries, and, as you and I believe,
for God's sure reward. He goes with the love of us all, with the
forgiveness of us all, and with the hope of us all that when we come to
die, we may be as certain of Heaven as he."

Perceiving that his grief was overmastering him, Thorpe proceeded
quickly to the benediction. In the pause that followed, Ralph leaned
toward the woman who sat beside him.

"Have you," he breathed, "forgiven him--and me?"

Miss Evelina nodded, her beautiful eyes shining with tears.

"Mother!" said Ralph, thickly. Like a hurt child, he went to her, and
sobbed his heart out, in the shelter of her arms.

XXIII

Undine Finds Her Soul

The year was at its noon. Every rose-bush was glorious with bloom, and
even the old climbing rose which clung, in its decay, to Miss
Mehitable's porch railing had put forth a few fragrant blossoms.

Soon after Araminta had been carried back home, she discovered that she
had changed since she went away. Aunt Hitty no longer seemed
infallible. Indeed, Araminta had admitted to herself, though with the
pangs of a guilty conscience, that it was possible for Aunt Hitty to be
mistaken. It was probable that the entire knowledge of the world was
not concentrated in Aunt Hitty.

Outwardly, things went on as usual. Miss Mehitable issued orders to
Araminta as the commander in chief of an army issues instructions to
his subordinates, and Araminta obeyed as faithfully as before, yet with
a distinct difference. She did what she was told to do out of
gratitude for lifelong care, and not because she felt that she had to.

She went, frequently, to see Miss Evelina, having disposed of
objections by the evident fact that she could not neglect any one who
had been so kind to her as Miss Evelina had. Usually, however, the
faithful guardian went along, and the three sat in the garden, Evelina
with her frail hands listlessly folded, and the others stitching away
at the endless and monotonous patchwork.

Miss Mehitable had a secret fear that the bloom had been brushed from
her rose. Until the accident, Araminta had scarcely been out of her
sight since she brought her home, a toddling infant. Miss Mehitable's
mind had unerringly controlled two bodies until Araminta fell off the
ladder. Now, the other mind began to show distressing signs of
activity.

By dint of ext