im. Nevertheless Faith wished he had gone south.

She did not feel sure that Mr. Linden would be pleased with the state
of matters, as days went on, and she was sure she was not pleased
herself. There was something she did not understand. The doctor's
manner was not presuming, in a way; neither did he obtrude even his
sorrow upon her; yet he took the place of a privileged person--she felt
that--and she was obliged to see his pain in the very silence and in
the play of words or of face which she thought assumed to conceal it.
She was very sorry for him, and in the same breath thought she must
have been wrong in something, though she could not see how, or things
would never have come to such a point.

She could not guess--how could she!--that the doctor was playing a
desperate game and had thrown his last stake on the chance of a flaw in
Mr. Linden's confidence towards her or in hers towards him, or of a
flaw in the temper of either of them, or a flaw in their pride, or
affection! There are flaws in so many characters! Did but either of
them lack moral courage, or truth, or trust, or common sense, like a
great many of the rest of the world--and the doctor had gained his
ground! For Dr. Harrison had determined that Faith's religious opinions
should not stand in his way; she should think as he did, or--he would
think with her!

Of all this Faith knew nothing. She had only an intuitive sense that
something was not right; and doubt and annoyance kept her strength
back. She lost ground again. All summed itself up in a longing for Mr.
Linden to come.

Meanwhile Mr. Linden had received and read the following despatch, and
studied and taught before and after it as best he might.

_Pattaquasset_, _April_, 18--.

"MY DEAR LINDEN,

I do not know what impulse prompts me to write this letter to you--A
very strong one, probably, that makes fools of men--Yet even with my
eyes open to this, I go on.

I have unwittingly become your rival. Not in fact, indeed, but in
character. I have been so unfortunate as to love a person you are
somehow concerned in--and before I knew that you had any concern of the
kind. That is a very simple story, and only one to be smothered--not to
be brought to open air,--were it all. But the course of the months
past, which has too late brought me this knowledge of myself, has also
made me believe that--had I a fair field--were there no contrary ties
or fetters of conscience--I should not lo