第4章

"Man！man！"shecontinued，"thosewerethedays！andthosewerethemen！Ihaveheardsuchpreachingaswouldcauseyourhearttoquakewithinyou，andmakeyoutolistenwiththefearofdeathuponyoulestitshouldstop。"

"Itmusthavebeenterriblepreaching，indeed，"saidBrownsoftly。

"Terrible！ay，terrible’stheword。Lad，lad，"saidtheoldlady，turninguponBrownherpiercingblue—greyeyes，"intheoldMullinChurchIhaveseentheveryraftersthrobbing，andstrongmenandwomenswayinglikethetree—topsintheglenwhileBurnswasragingforthuponthemliketheTummelinspate，whilevisionsoftheeternalthings——thethroneofGodandtheJudgmentDay——filledoureyes。"Shepausedafewmomentsandthensinkingbackintoherchairshewenton，"Ay，terriblepreaching，yon，likethestorm—blastsweepingthehillsidesandrendingthefirsinthePass。Yes！yes！

Butgentleattimesandwinning，liketherainfallingsoftatnight，wooingatthebluebellsandthedaisiesintheglen，orlikeamothercrooninoverthebabeatherbreast，tillmenweptforloveandlongingafterHimself。Ay，lad，lad，yonwasthepreaching。"

Therewasalongsilencewhiletheywaitedforhertocontinue。

"Whatwasthatsermon，mother，atMullinthattimeuponthewords’Willyealsogoaway？’youremember？"atlengthaskedShockcunningly。

Hismothersighed。"Ay，andthatwasasairmontodrawtheheartouto’you。Thatwasthemeltingday，whilethebigmengrippedtheirstickshardandthewomenwipedattheireyesthatwouldneverbedonerunning，andthatman’svoicesoughingoverthemlikethewindinthepinesintheevening，Yes！yes！But，"suddenlyrecallingherself，"come，lads，youmustbeofftoyourbooks。"

Theyoungmensatafewmomentssilentlygazingintothefire，andthenBrownroseandsaid，"Good—night，mother。You’rethegreatestpreacherIknow，andIwouldnotmindawholehourfromyou。"Hisvoicewasearnestandhiseyessoftandtenderashestoopedandkissedhercheek。

"Good—night，laddie，"answeredMrs。Macgregor，pattinghishandgently。"Idoubt，afterall，thefaultnowadaysisnotwiththepreachingsomuchaswiththehearing。"

"Well，I’moff。Youwillseemeto—morrowwithmyflockofstrayingsheep。ButIwarnyouthatafteryouhearthatmanfromtheWestyouwillallbevolunteeringasmissionaries。"

TheoldladytookupherknittingagainandafterthedoorhadcloseduponBrownsatbackinherchairwithawearysigh。

"You’retiredto—night，mother，"saidShockgently。

"Tired？AndwhatforwouldIbetired？No，no，butthedayislong。"

"Yes，somedays，mother。Butthelongestpass。"

Sheglancedquicklyatherson，butsaveforaquiveringofthelipsusuallysofirm，therewasnosignofthepainwhichbothknewlayattheheartofeach。Hermoodofimpatiencehadpassed。Shewasoncemoreherself，calmandstrong，lookingwithsteadfasteyesintothefuture，knowingwellthatwhateverthedaysmightbring，Hewhoforfiftyyearshadbeenherrefugeandherstrengthwouldnotfailher。

TheappealfortheWestwasthethemeofconversationattheFairbankshome，wheretheusualcompanyhadassembled。TheDonwasdescribingtheSuperintendent’saddressattheCollegeandthrillinghislistenerswithhisownenthusiasm，whenBrownentered。

"Hello！Atitagain？"criedBrown。"Ifhedoesn’tavoidthatfierycrossfellow，TheDonwillbeofffortheWestfirstthingyouknow。"

"Tellus，"criedBetty，"washeasgreatasallthat？Mr。BalfourherewouldhaveusbelievethatthisWesternmanisreallysomethingwonderful。"

"Well，Idon’tknow，"saidBrown。"Youneverthinkofwhetherheiswonderfulornot，butonethingIknow，hemakesyouseethings——themountainsandthatfoot—hillcountry，theminingcampsandallthatsaloonandgambling—hellbusiness，tillyoucansmellthebrimstoneandyouwanttobeinit。"

"What？Intothebrimstone？"laughedLloyd。

"Iamratherincoherent，Iconfess。Butthatoldchapsuitsme。IfI

wereaTheologue，andunattached，I’dbethere。"

"There’snodoubtitisagreatcountry，withvastopportunities，"

saidTheDon，glancingatBetty。

"Yes，"saidMrs。Fairbanks，frowningasshenotedtheglance，"anddoubtlessanyyoungmanwhohasthenecessaryenterpriseandcouragewillmakehisfortunewiththegrowthofthatcountry。"

"Butwhyunattached？Whatdoyoumeanbythat？"enquiredBetty。

"Unattached？Why，youknow，justlikeme——amanwithnofamilytiestospeakof。Didyoutellthemthatyarn，Lloyd？Well，I’lltellyou。YouknowtheSuperintendentwastellingthefellowsofthedifficultyhehadinsecuringmen。Well，hemanagedtogetamanfromanEasternCollegewhomheappointedtotheCariboo——rightsortofchap，too，apparently——acceptedtheappointment——everythingwasarranged——happened，however，hewasengagedtoayoungladybroughtupinthelapofluxury，andthatsortofthing。Whensheheardofheryoungmanbeingappointedtothisoutlandishplace，shepromptlycollapsedintoafaint，sisterwentintohysterics，motherintoablindrage，result——youngmanresigned。’Soyousee，gentlemen，’

saidtheoldchapdryly，’whenyouhavetoconsiderthetastesandtemperament，notonlyoftheyoungman，butofhisyoungladyandofallhernearfamilyrelatives，thedifficultyofsecuringmenfortheWestissensiblyincreased。"

"Ithinkthatisjusthorridofhim，"exclaimedBettyindignantly。

"Theyoungladyoughttobeconsulted。Don’tyouthinkso？"turningtoLloyd。

"Whycertainly，andyet——"

"Mostassuredly，"saidMrs。Fairbanks。"Wouldyouaskayoungladytogooutandburyherselfaliveinsuchacountryasthat，oraskhertowaitanindefinitenumberofyearstilltheyoungmanshouldreturn？Whyitissimplymonstrous。"AndMrs。FairbanksfixedherglassesfirmlyonhernoseandgazedatBrownasifshewouldannihilatehim。

"WhycertainlyIwould，"repliedBrown，quiteunabashed;"andifshelovedme，"placinghishandoverhisheart，"shewouldbegladtodoeither。Iwouldsimplyremark，’Mylove，I’moffforGreenland。’

’Wait，mydear，’shewouldpromptlyreply，’tillIgetmyfurs。’"

"Allthesame，"saidLloydseriously，"itwouldbeaterriblelifeforanywoman，andamanshouldhesitatebeforeaskinghertoshareit。"

"Nosociety，nothingcongenialinenvironment！Quiteimpossible！"

exclaimedMrs。Fairbankswithgreatemphasis。"Andquiteabsurdtodreamofit。"

"Then，"repliedBrownwarmlytoLloyd，"theonlyavailablemenforyourChief，apparently，arehopelessoldbachelorsoryoungmen，howeverworthylikemyself，whoarestillunappropriated。"

"Exactly，"saidMrs。Fairbankswithanairoffinality。

"But，Mrs。Fairbanks，"exclaimedTheDon，"whatofoursoldiersandofficerswhogotoIndiaandotheroutlandishplaces？Theytaketheirwivesalongwiththem，Iunderstand？"

"That’squiteadifferentthing，Mr。Balfour，"saidMrs。Fairbanks。

"ThesemengoouttoservetheirQueenandcountry，anditisrecognisedastheproperthing，and——well，yousee，itisquitedifferent。"

"Imustsay，"exclaimedHelen，fasteningtoforestallthehotanswersheknewtobeatTheDon’slips，"IagreewithMr。Brown。Ifaman’sworkcallshimtoGreenland，hiswifeoughttogowithhimorsheoughttobewillingtowaithisreturn。"

"Helen，youspeaklikeasentimentalschool—girl，"repliedMrs。

Fairbankswithatouchofhaughtyscorn。"Ofcourseifamanismarriedanddutycallshimtoaforeignland，hemustgo。Butwhyshouldagirlthrowawayherprospectsandcondemnherselftoalifeofobscurityandisolationbyattachingherselftoamanwhochoosestotakeupsomefantasticmissioninsomeoutlandishplaceorother？"

"Why？Becauseshelovesamanwhosedutycallshimthere，"exclaimedHelen，hergreyeyesglowing。

"Bravo！"repliedBrown。"IfIseeaWesternmissionarywantingahelpmeet——that’stheproperword，Ibelieve——Ishallknowwheretosendhim。"

"Nonsense，"criedMrs。Fairbanksquitecrossly，"butsurelyweneednotdiscussthequestionanyfurther。"

"Well，ifImayofferanopinion，"saidTheDoninadeliberate，strainedvoice，"thatcountryistheplaceformenwithenterprisewhobelieveinthemselves，andIthinknomanisthrowinghisprospectsawaywhoidentifieshimselfwithit——norwomaneither，forthatmatter。Andwhatistrueofotherprofessionsoughttobetrueoftheministry。"

"Iagree，"criedBrown，addingwickedly，"justthespotforyou，Lloyd。"

"Why，Ishouldlikenothingbetter，"saidLloyd，"ifcircumstancesindicatedthatmyworklaythere。"

"Well，well，what’scometoyouall？"criedMrs。Fairbanks，holdingupherjewelledhandsindespair。

"TheOccidentalmicrobe，"suggestedBrown。

"Andthemonumentalnonsenseitis，"saidMrs。Fairbanks，"formenofhighcultureandspecialtrainingtolosethemselvesinsuchacountryasthat。"

"But，"persistedBrown，"theysaythatthat’stheveryplaceforsuchmen。Why，thatcountryisfullofhigh—classchaps——Universitygrads，Lords，Dukes，andsuch，aswellastheprofessionalgambler，andotherhighlytechnicalexperts。TheSuperintendentdeclaredto—

nighthewouldn’thaveanybuthigh—classmenhence，Lloyd！"andBrownwavedhishandtowardthatgentleman。

"Ihavenodoubt，"saidMrs。Fairbankswithseveredeliberation，"thatMr。Lloydhasthegoodsensetoperceivethathisspecialtrainingfitshimforsomethingquitedifferent，andIthinkhewillnotbemadenoughtothrowawayhisbrilliantprospectsinanysuchsillymanner。Butcome，letushavesomemusic。Mr。Lloyd，youandBettysingsomethingforus。"

Astheymovedtothepiano，BrownlookedupatTheDon。Hishandsome，haughtyfacewassethardandinhiseyesburnedalightthatBrownhadoftenseenthereonthefootballfield。

"He’sgoingtotackleandtacklehard，too，pooroldchap。Notmuchchance，though，againstthatcombinationofChurchandState。"

"Oh，thatwetwowereMaying，"sangLloydinhisfinetenorvoice，withBettyrespondinginlikesentiment。

"Well，Iratherhopenot，"mutteredBrowntohimselfashecrossedtheroomtowhereHelenwasseated。Pausingamomentbesideherhesaidinalowtone，"TheDonhashadanofferonthenewrailwayconstructionintheWest——twoyears’appointment。Goandtalktohimaboutit。Looksfierce，doesn’the？"AndHelen，noddingintelligently，lingeredamomentandthenmovedtowhereTheDonsat，whileBrownwenttowardthepiano。"MustgettheseyoungstersinoculatedwiththeOccidentalmicrobe，"hemutteredashetookhisplacebesideMrs。Fairbanks，whowaslisteningwithpleasedapprovaltothe"Maying"duet，thepausesofwhichBrownindustriouslyemployedinsoothingherruffledfeelings。SowelldidhesucceedthatwhenheprofferedthehumblerequestthattheyoungladiesshouldbeallowedtoaccompanyhimtoShock’schurchinthemorning，Mrs。Fairbanksgaveareluctantassent。

"Undoubtedly，Iamagreatstrategist，"saidBrowntohimselfnextmorningashesatwatchingwithsurreptitiousglancesthefacesoftheyoungladiesbesidehim。Thepreacherwasathisbest。Thegreatlandwherehislifemissionlay，withitsprairies，foot—hillsmountains，andvalleys，andalltheirmarvellousresources，wasspreadoutbeforetheeyesofthecongregationwithallthepassionateprideofthepatriot。Thelifeofthelonelyrancherandofhismorelonelywife，thedesperatestruggleformanhoodbythemeanofthemineandtherailroadandthelumbercamp，themagnitudeoftheissuesatstake;thepathosofdefeat，thegloryoftriumph，wereallportrayedwithapowerthatcompelledthesympathyofhishearers，whiletheshrewdcommon—senseveinthatranthroughallconvincedtheirintellectsandwontheirconfidence。Perplexity，wonder，horror，compassion，filledtheirheartsandwerereflectedwithrapidsuccessionontheirfaces，ashetoldhisstoriesofthewreckofhumanlivesandconsequentagonyofhumanhearts。

"ByJove！they’vegotit，"exclaimedBrowntohimself。"ThedearMrs。Fairbankshasnoanti—toxineforthismicrobe。"HiseyesturnedtoShockandtherewereheldfast。"He’sgotit，too，confoundhim，"

hegrumbled。"Surely，hewouldn’tbebeastenoughtoleavehisoldmotheralone。"Themother’sfacewasastrangesight。Onittheanguishofherheartwasplainlytobeseen，butwiththeanguishtheraptgloryofthosewhotriumphbysacrifice。

AsthecongregationbrokeuptheyoungladieshurriedtogreetMrs。

Macgregor。FromthedayofthefootballmatchtheyhadcarefullyandpersistentlynursedtheacquaintancethenbeguntilltheyhadcometofeelathomeintheMacgregorcottage。Hence，whenBettyfellintosevereillnessandtheywereattheirwits’endforanurse，theygladlyacceptedMrs。Macgregor’sprofferedhelp，andduringthelonganxiousweeksthatfollowed，thewholefamilycametoregardwithrespect，confidence，andfinallywarmaffection，thedignifiedoldladywho，withsuchkindly，shrewd，andtendercare，nursedthesickgirlbacktostrength。Helenespecially，whohadsharedthelongwatchwithher，hadmadeforherselfalargeplaceinherheart。To—day，afteranexchangeofgreetings，HelendrewMrs。

Macgregorbackandallowedtheotherstogoon。Forsometimetheywalkedinsilence，Helenholdingtheoldladytightbythearm。

"Well，whatdoyouthinkofthat？"shesaidfinally。"Wasn’titwonderful？ItmakesoneproudtobeaCanadian。Whatacountrythatmustbe！IfIwereonlyaman！It’stoobadthatmenhaveallthegoodthings。Wouldn’tyouliketogoyourself？"

"ThatIwould，"saidtheoldladyeagerly，"thatIwould。ButI

doubtit’snotforme。Butyon’saman。"

"Yes，"criedHelenenthusiastically，"heisamantofollow。Ofcourse，itwasastrangesermonforachurch——thosestoriesofhis，Imean，andallthosefiguresaboutcoalbedsandgoldandcattle。

I’mnotusedtothatsortofthingandIdon’tliketoseethepeoplelaugh。"

"Ay，he’swise，"repliedtheoldladyshrewdly。"Whenamanlaughshe’snearertolettinghismoneygo。Ay，he’swise，yonman。"

"Ofcourse，Ithinkhe’sextreme，"saidHelen。"YouwouldthinktohearhimtherewasnoplacebuttheWestandthateveryyoungministermustgooutthereandgiveupeverything。"

"There’sfewtogo，Idoubt，"saidtheoldladyinamusingtone，"andyonareterrible—likeplacesforthoseladstolive。"

"Yes，buteveryonecan’tgo。"

"No，no。That’sit。That’sjustit。Notmanycangoandnotmanyarefittogo。Butthosethatcan——"theoldladypaused，drawingherbreathinsharply。

"Butsurelyamanmaydohisworkwithoutgivingupeverythingheholdsdear，"persistedHelen。

"’Forsakethnotallthathehath，’"quotedtheoldladysoftly。

"Yes，butthat’snotforeverybody，"insistedHelen。

"’Whosoever，’"quotedMrs。Macgregoragain，withasternrelentlessnessinhertone。"Ay，therewillbenoslippingoutfromunderyon。"

"Butsurely，"arguedHelen，"itisnotreasonabletothinkthateveryyoungministerisboundtoforsakehomeandfriends，andallthat，andgoouttothesewildplaces。"

"Noteveryonewillbecalled。Theapplicationwillnotbeeasyforanyofus，Idoubt。Oh，no！itwillnotbeeasy。"

"Butsurely，Mrs。Macgregor，thereareotherclaimsuponmen。"

"Thereissonlyoneclaim，lassie，onlyoneclaim。Hisclaimisthefirst。Allotherclaimswilljustbeworkingoutthatfirstone。Ay，that’sit，"shesaid，asifarrivingatdecision，"onlyoneclaim。

Godpeetyus！Oneclaim，"sheaddedwithasuddenbreakinhervoice。

AtthatbreakHelenglancedattheoldlady。Thestrongfacewasworkingstrangely。Thetearswereslowlymakingtheirwaydownthewrinkledface。

"Oh，Mrs。Macgregor！"exclaimedHelen，"thatseemsanawfullyharddoctrine。DoyouthinkGodeverwantsamantoleavefather，mother，wife，helplessbehind？"

"No，no，lassie，nothelpless。But——，"shecouldgonofurther。

"But，"shecontinuedafteramomentortwo，clutchingHelenbythearm，"he——will——be——going——away，lassie，hewillbegoingaway。Hewillbeleavingmeand——itissthewilloftheLord。Oh！lassie，lassie，heedmenot。Hemustneverseethetearsonmyface。"

"Don’t！don’t！"criedHeleninasuddenanguish。Shehadnoneedoffurtherwordstotellherwhattheoldladymeant。"Hewouldneverdosuchathing！Hecouldnotdoit！"

"Couldnot？"answeredMrs。Macgregor。"Ay，hecould，"shesaidproudly。"ThankGodhecould。Hewillnotbeshaminghisblood。Butoh！itisshimselfwillcarryasoreheartawaywithhimandleaveasoreheartbehind。"

"Oh，Mrs。Macgregor！"criedHelen，whileherbreathcamefastandherhandwenttoherownheart，"perhapshewillnotthinkittobehisduty。Perhapshewillnot——"

"Indeed，indeed，andIsawitinhissfacelastnight，andclearerthaneverto—day。Hehassheardthevoiceanditissforhimtoobey——andforus。"

TheywerenearMrs。Macgregor’shome，wheretheothersstoodwaitingforthematthegate。

"MayIcometoseeyou？"saidHelenhurriedly。

"Ay，come，"saidMrs。Macgregorwithakeenlookather，"youwillbeneeding——Iwillbeneedinghelp。"

Theotherstheyfoundeagerlydiscussingthesermon，buttherewaslittlecriticism。TheSuperintendenthadwonhisvolunteers。OnShock’sfacesattheserenityofagreatdecision，inhisdeepblueeyesthelightofagreatenterprise。Ashesaidgood—byetoHelen，shebecameawarethathisusualhesitating，nervousawkwardnesshadgivenplacetoquiet，thoughtfuldignity。Agreatresolveandagreatsacrificehadliftedhimfarabovethingssmallandcommon。

V

"YEA，ANDHISOWNLIFEALSO"

WhenHelenenteredherownroomshehadleisuretoanalysethetumultofemotionfillingherheart。Amazement，shame，anger，dismay，grief，weresurgingacrosshersoul。

"Howcanhethinkofleavinghismother？Itisashame！"shecriedindignantlytoherself。Butwhythishotsenseofshame？"Nonsense！"

sheprotestedvehementlytoherself，"itisthatpoor，dearoldladyIamthinkingof。"Sherememberedthatsuddenstabatherheartattheoldlady’sbrokenwords，"Hewillbegoingaway，lassie，"andhercheekflamedhotagain。"Itisallnonsense，"sherepeatedangrily，andtherebeingnoonetocontradicther，shesaiditagainwithevengreateremphasis。Butsuddenlyshesatdown，andbeforelongshefoundherselfsmilingatthememoryoftheoldlady’sproudcry，"Couldnot？Ay，hecould。"Andnowsheknewwhyherheartwassofullofhappypride。ItwasforShock。Hewasamanstrongenoughtoseehisdutyandbraveenoughtofacewhattohimwasthebitternessofdeath，forwellsheknewwhathismotherwastohim。

"Hewillgo，"shewhisperedtoherlooking—glass，"andI’dgowithhimto—morrow。But"——andherraceflamedhot——"hemustneverknow。"

Buthedidcometoknow，tohisowngreatamazementandoverwhelming，humblinggladness。

Shock’sdeterminationtoofferhimselftothefarWestawakenedinhisfriendsvariousemotions。

"Itisjustanotherinstanceofhowreligiousfanaticismwillleadmentothemostfantasticandselfishacts，"wasMrs。Fairbanks’

verdict，whicheffectedinBrownaswiftconversion。HithertohehadstrivenwithmightandmaintoturnShockfromhispurpose，usinganyandeveryargument，fairorunfair，topersuadehimthathisworklaywhereithadbeenbegun，inthecitywards。HewasthemoreurgedtothiscoursethathehadshrewdlyguessedHelen’ssecret，sosacredlyguarded。ButonhearingMrs。Fairbanks’exclamation，heatonceplungedintoawarmdefenceofhisfriend’scourse。

"ThefinestthingIeverheardof，"hedeclared。"Nooneknowswhatthesetwoaretoeachother，andyettheretheyare，bothofthem，arrivingattheopinionthatShock’sworkliesintheWest。"

"Buttoleavehismotheralone！"exclaimedMrs。Fairbanksindignantly。

"Sheisnottobealone，"saidBrown，makingthereandthenasuddenresolve。"BythegreatestofluckformeIamturnedoutofmyquarters，andsheistotakemein，andwhileIcan’tfillShock’splace，stillIamsomebody，"addedBrown，ferventlyhopingtheoldladywouldnotrefusehimshelter。

"Iamnotsurethatamanisevercalledtoleavehismothertothecareofstrangers，"saidLloyd，who，afterlongindecisionandmuchconsultationwithvariousfriends，haddeterminedthathisparticulargiftsandtrainingfittedhimforParkChurch。

"Oh！blankitall！"saidBrowntoHelen，"Ican’tstandthatrot！"

"Ibegyourpardon，"saidMrs。Fairbanks，lookinghaughtilyatBrownthroughherglasses。

"Iwasabouttosay，"repliedBrown，inthesweetestoftones，"thatifthesetwowhoaremostinterested，andwhoareextremelysaneandreasonablepersons，havecometoanagreementuponaquestion，I’dbankonthatdecisionasbeingaboutthething。"AtwhichHelengavehisarmaquicksqueeze。

"Well，mother，"saidBetty，"Ithinkhe’sfine，andIneveradmiredhimsomuchasnow。Youknowhemayneverseeheragain，andshehasthewholeofhisheart。"

"Notquite，Iguess，"saidBrowninalowtonetoHelen，who，blushingvividly，repliedinliketone，"Youseemtoberemarkablywellinformed。"

"Iknow，"saidBrownconfidently。"Butheisamineofblindstupidity！Ifsomeonewoulddighimup，explorehim——blasthim，inshort！Confoundhim！"

ButwhentheSuperintendentlearnedofallthatShock’sdecisioninvolved，hemadeapointtoinsertamonghismultitudinousengagementsavisittotheMacgregorcottage。

"Itwasagreatscene，Iassureyou，"saidBrown，whowasdescribingitafterwardstotheyoungladies。

"ThosetwooldSpartans，alliceandgraniteoutside，allmoltenlavawithin，stooduplookingateachotheraminuteortwowithoutthequiverofaneyelidandthentheoldchiefburredout:"

"’Youaretobecongratulateduponyourson，Mrs。Macgregor。’"

"’Ay，’saidsheinamatteroffacttone，’hewillbedoinghisduty，Iwarrant。’"

"’And，believeme，yourmutualsacrificehasnotbeenunnoticed。’"

"’ItisnotgreatbesideHisown，butitissallwecould。Itissourlife。’"

"Theoldchapbowedlikeaprinceandthenhisvoiceburredlikeabuzzsawasheanswered，’RememberIdidnotaskyouforhim！’"

"’No，itwassnotyou。’"

"’ButIwanttotellyou，’saidthechief，’IamproudtogetasonwhofortheCausecanforsakesuchamother，andIthankGodforthemotherthatcangiveupsuchason。’"

"Andthenhegrippedherhandwiththatdownwardpullofhis，——hegaveittomeoncewhenheheardIwasShock’sfriend，andnearlyjerkedmeoffmyfeet，——andwithoutmorewordshewasgone，whileI

stoodbehindthemlikeablubberingidiot。"

"Oh，isn’tsheadear！"exclaimedBetty，"poorthing。"

"Poorthing！"echoedHelenwarmly，"indeedshedoesn’tthinkso。

She’sasproudofhimasshecanbe，andfeelsherselfrichinhislove;andsosheis。"

HertoneandmannerstruckBrownwithsuddenpity。

"Hanghisstupidity！"hesaidtohimself，"can’ttheoldblokesee。

Buthehasnotsuchablamedlowopinionofhimselfthathecan’timagineanygirl，muchlessagirllikethat，lookingathim，andevenifhedidcometoseeithewouldnotthinkofaskinghertosharethelifehe’sgoingtooutthere;and，byJove！itwouldbehardenoughforher。IguessIwon’ttaketheresponsibilityofinterferinginthisbusiness。"

ButBrownhadnoneedtointerfere。Mrs。Fairbanks，ofallpeople，didwhatwasnecessary。OnthemorningofShock’sdepartureitwasshewhodeclaredthatsomeoneshouldtakepityon"thatdearoldlady，"andshouldstandbyherinherhourof"desertion。"

"SoIthinkIshalldriveoverthisafternoon;and，Helen，perhapsyouhadbettercomewithme。Youseemtohavegreatinfluencewithher。"

ButHelenwasofquiteanothermind。Sheshrankfromintrudinguponwhatsheknewwouldbeasacredhourtomotherandson。ButwhenMrs。FairbanksexpressedherdeterminationtogoHelenfinallyagreedtoaccompanyher。

"Oh，let’sallgo，mother，"saidBetty。

"Idonotthinktheywillwantyou，Betty，butyoumaygoalong，"

andsothethreeladiesproceededintheafternoontotheMacgregorhome。

ButatthepartingofShockandhismothertherewerenotearsorlamentations，oratleastnonethatanycouldwitness。Throughthelongnightbefore，theyeachknewtheothertobekeepingthewatchofloveandagony;yet，eachalone，theydrankthecupofsacrifice。

ItwasonlywhenthemorningwasnearingthatShockcouldbearitnolonger，andhastilydressinghecameintohismother’sroomandkneelingbyherbedsideputhisarmsabouther。

"Mother，mother，whyhaveyounotbeensleeping？"hewhispered。

Hismotherturnedtohimandtookhisheadtoherbosominacloseembrace，butnowordscamefromher。

"But，mother，don’tbegrievinglikethis，"sobbedShock，"orhowcanIleaveyouatall。"

"Laddie，laddie，whydidyoucomeintome？Ihadmindedtogiveyouupwithouttears，andthisissmyhourofweakness。Therenow，letyourheadliethere。Whist！lad，och—hone。Itisstwenty—fouryearssincefirstyoulaythere，lad，andthoughgriefhasscometomemany’stheday，yetneverthroughyou，neveroncethroughyou，andyouwillberememberingthat，lad。Itwillcomfortyouafter——after—

—afterI’mgone。"

"Gone，mother！"criedShockinsurprise。

"Yess，forthisissthewordgiventomethisnight，thatyouwillseemyfacenomore。"

"Oh，mother！mother！don’tsaythatword，forIcannotbearit，"andpoorShockburiedhisfaceinthepillow，whilehisgreatframeshookwithsobs。