e should have thus thrown herself
overboard from the ship and cast herself away from the pilotage which
had hitherto been the guide of her conduct? Why--why--why had her
mother deserted her in her need? As she thought of her mother she
knew that her plan of rebellion was nothing; but why--why had her
mother deserted her?

As for him, and these new tidings which had come to the cottage
respecting him, she would have cared for them not a jot. Mrs.
Cornbury had cautioned her not to believe all that she heard; but she
had already declined,--had altogether declined to believe any of it.
It was to her, whether believed or disbelieved, matter altogether
irrelevant. A wife does not cease to love her husband because he
gets into trouble. She does not turn against him because others have
quarrelled with him. She does not separate her lot from his because
he is in debt! Those are the times when a wife, a true wife, sticks
closest to her husband, and strives the hardest to lighten the weight
of his cares by the tenderness of her love! And had she not been
permitted to place herself in that position with regard to him
when she had been permitted to love him? In all her thoughts she
recognized the right of her mother to have debarred her from the
privilege of loving this man, if such embargo had been placed on her
before her love had been declared. She had never, even within her
own bosom, assumed to herself the right of such privilege without
authority expressed. But her very soul revolted against this
withdrawal of the sanction that had been given to her. The spirit
within her rebelled, though she knew that she would not carry on that
rebellion by word or deed. But she had been injured;--injured almost
to death; injured even to death itself as regarded all that life
could give her worth her taking! As she thought of this injury that
fierce look of which I have spoken came across her brow! She would
obey her pastors and masters. Yes; she would obey them. But she could
never again be soft and pliable within their hands. Obedience in
this matter was a necessity to her. In spite of that wild thought
of throwing off her maiden bonds and allowing her female armour to
be splashed and sullied in the gutter, she knew that there was that
which would hinder her from the execution of such scheme. She was
bound by her woman's lot to maintain her womanly purity. Let her
suffer as she might there was nothing for her but obedience. She
could not