. She hated herself for being suspicious; but Tom had been
so unlike himself since Rose's visit, and it was such an unheard-of
thing that he should take a day's holiday during her father's absence,
that it was scarcely possible to avoid drawing the natural inference.
She was very unhappy about him, but did not of course feel justified in
saying a word to any one else about the matter. Charles Osmond happened
to look in for a few minutes later on, expecting to find Raeburn
at home, and then in her relief she did give him an account of the
unfortunate Sunday though avoiding all mention of Tom.

"It was just like you to come at the very time I was wanting some one to
talk to," she said, sitting down in her favorite nook on the hearth rug
with Friskie on her lap. "Not a word has been said of that miserable
Sunday since though I'm afraid a good deal has been thought. After all,
you know, there was a ludicrous side to it as well. I shall never forget
the look of them all when Rose and I came down again: Mr. Fane-Smith
standing there by the table, the very incarnation of contemptuous anger,
and father just here, looking like a tired thunder cloud! But, though
one laughs at one aspect of it, one could cry one's eyes out over
the thing as a whole indeed, just now I find myself agreeing with Mr.
Tulliver that it's a 'puzzling world.'"

"The fact is," said Charles Osmond, "that you consent patiently enough
to share God's pain over those who don't believe in Him; but you grumble
sorely at finding a lack of charity in the world; yet that pain is God's
too."

"Yes," sighed Erica; "but somehow from Christians it seems so hard!"

"Quite true, child," he replied, half absently. "It is hard most hard.
But don't let it make you uncharitable, Erica. You are sharing God;'s
pain, but remember it is only His perfect love which makes that pain
bearable."

"I do find it hard to love bigots," said Erica, sighing. "They! What do
they know about the thousand difficulties which have driven people into
secularism? If they could but see that they and their narrow theories
and their false distortions of Christ's Gospel are the real cause of it
all, there would be some hope! But they either can't see it or won't."

"My dear, we're all a lot of blind puppies together," said Charles
Osmond. "We tumble up against each other just for want of eyes. We shall
see when we get to the end of the nine days, you know."

"You see now," said Erica; "you never