paler. She had struggled in a blind child-fashion
to maintain a religion that would embrace her manifold life, but now it
appeared that, after all, Ephraim endorsed the general view; his refusal
to comply openly with it came of wilfulness, not unbelief. The
stronghold of her peace was gone. "My papa never spoke to me about
religion in that way, but I don't think he believed that."

Ephraim thought of the weak and reckless young father, of the careless
life broken suddenly by death.

"He has learned the truth now," he said shortly.

After a pause, in which she did not speak, he betook himself to his own
rooms, leaving Susannah to the companionship of the lonely house, the
howling wind, the gathering night, and a new fear of a state eternal and
infernal, into which she might so easily slip. Ephraim said so, and he
would never have proclaimed what he would not comply with unless its
truth were very sure.

As for him, his self-despite was pain that rendered him oblivious of her
real danger. Where was his boasted justice? Gone before a breath of
jealousy. The neighbours had told him that she had smiled on Halsey,
and the abuse of the Smithites, in which his mother indulged in the
blindness of religious party-spirit, had fallen from his lips as soon as
his own passion had been touched. Had his former candour, then, been the
thing his mother called it, _indifference_ to, rather than reverence for
truth?

This was the travail of soul that Susannah could have as little thought
of as he had of hers. It held Ephraim in its fangs for many days.

CHAPTER V.

The return of Smith and his few followers, and the speedy publication of
the first edition of the Book of Mormon, stirred anew the flames of
religious excitement. All other sects were at one in decrying "the
Mormons," as they now began to be called by their enemies. There was
perhaps good reason for intelligent disapprobation, but Understanding
was left far behind the flying feet of Zeal, who, torch in hand, rushed
from house to house. It was related that Joseph Smith was in the habit
of wounding inoffensive sheep and leading them bleeding over the
neighbouring hills under the pretext that treasure would be found
beneath the spot where they would at last drop exhausted; and there were
dark hints concerning benighted travellers who, staying all night at the
Smiths' cabin, had seen awful apparitions and been glad to fly from the
place, leaving their property behind