appiness by an assault on her own disposition.

It is not good to linger over this portion of their story. Clarissa
did, finally, take over the task of reforming as much of humanity as
she could persuade to see the need of it, and she laid {154} aside the
business of looking after her husband and her child. Miss Josephine
Charleroy, ten years her brother's senior, and competent rather than
sympathetic, assumed these discarded responsibilities.

By slow degrees, Paul Charleroy's circumstances became less
straitened. He did place his text-book well, and derived a
considerable income therefrom; on the death of old Dr. Lettarby he
succeeded to the full professorship, with the munificent salary of
twenty-five hundred a year. Last of all, some time after Clarissa and
he were made free of each other by legal means, he did actually marry
Evelyn Ames.

Thus, it will be seen, Clarissa's forecasts were fulfilled. Her
notions were absolutely practicable; they really, all of them, worked,
and worked well. In the long run they even worked {155} beneficently,
but one prefers to attribute this to the mercy of Providence rather
than to the foresight of Clarissa.

Marvel Charleroy was twelve years old when her father married again,
and life began for her. The little girl noted, dimly at first, then
with growing wonder and appreciation, how interesting the commonplace
things became under the new rule. Though her frocks were simple as
ever, their adaptation to her self made it a pleasure to wear them;
she seemed suddenly to have acquired a definite place in the family
life, a position with duties and with compensating pleasures. Her
friendships were considered, her friends noticed and welcomed. For the
first time she felt herself an individual. Somebody was interested in
what she did and said and thought. Her own shy young consciousness of
personality was reflected {156} back to her, strengthened, and
adorned. She perceived with something like awe that the girl named
"Marvel" did not live only in her breast. Her father and his wife knew
a Marvel whom they believed to be industrious and clever, loving and
helpful. These qualities were multiplied tenfold by her perception
that they were looked for from that Marvel whom the heads of the house
seemed so happy to own and to cherish.

The child throve. She who had wondered vaguely at the stress laid by
her books upon the satisfactions of home, now tasted thirstily of that
delight. And she