the evening I used to write letters--part of the
evening."

"Child! child!"--He dropped her hands, and began to pace up and down
the moderate limits of Mrs. Derrick's best carpet. Until after a few
turns Faith put herself straight in his way and intercepted him, with a
very innocent face.

"Faith, did no one protest against this--for me?"

"Yes, sir."--

"And you knew that I had guarded--that I had _tried_ to guard you
against any such possibility?"

Faith paused. "Yes, I knew,--but Endy, that couldn't make any
difference."

"It did not--How, could not?"

"It ought not," she said softly and colouring.

"Can you tell why?"

"You know, Endy, it was better,--it was right,--it was better that I
should work for myself."

"Never, Mignonette--while I could work for you. How do you expect to
manage when you are my wife?--And do you think I had no right even to
_know_ about it?"

"I thought--now was the best time--" Faith said.

"Am I to learn from this and similar instances what my wife will expect
of me if I chance to be sick or in trouble?"

It touched her. She coloured again to the roots of her hair.

"Do you think I did wrong, Endy?" she said doubtfully, yet in an
appealing fashion.

"I cannot say you did right."

"But when you could do me no good,"--said Faith very gently,--"and I
should only have given you pain--for nothing?"

"It would not have given me pain to have you tell it--and the thing
does now. Besides, in a great many cases the thought that it is pain
'for nothing' is a mistake. I might know some remedy when you did not.
Self sacrifice will never run wild in my nature--as it is inclined to
do in yours, but just imagine it once in the ascendant and me with a
bad headache (which I never have),--it can only give you pain to hear
of it--so I tell you of it the next day. But if I had told you at the
time--what conjurations of your little fingers! what quick-witted
alleviations!--till the headache becomes almost a pleasure to both of
us."

Faith was very near the unwonted demonstration of tears. She stood
still, looking down, till she could look up safely.

"I will not do so again, Endy.--About important things, I mean,"

"You know, Faith, I am speaking less of this one case, than of the
daily course of future action. Is not perfect frankness, as well as
perfect truth, best? And if I call for your sympathy in all manner of
small and great things, will you let mine lie idle?"

"I might li