And, as she left them, there had come to both a sort of vision of the Infinite, in sight of which the whole of earthly existence was but as an hour, and the sum of human suffering but as the pin prick to a strong man, and yet both human suffering and human existence were infinitely worth while. And over them stole a wonderful peace as they realized the greatness of God's universe, and that in it was no wasted thing, no wasted pain, but order where there seemed confusion, and a soul of goodness where there seemed evil.
And, after all, what was this dream compared with the reality which she knew to exist? Well, it was perhaps a little fragment, a dim shadow, a seeing through the glass darkly; but mostly it was a comfort because she was all the time conscious that there was an infinitely Better which it has not entered into the heart of man to conceive.
Brian came in for his morning visit with a face so worn and anxious that it made her smile.
“Oh!” she said, looking up at him with quiet, shining eyes, “how I have been troubling you all these weeks! But you are not to be troubled any more, darling. I am going to get better.”
And with a sort of grateful, loving tenderness, she drew his face down to hers and kissed him.
“Where is Tom?” she asked presently, beginning for the first time to take an interest in the world again.
“Tom has gone to Oakdene for a day or two,” said Brian. “He is going to be Donovan's private secretary.”
“How glad I am!” she said. “Dear old Tom, he does so deserve to be happy!”
“They want you to go there as soon as you are well enough to be moved,” said Brian.
“I should like that,” she said with a touch of her old eagerness of manner. “I want to get well quickly; there is so much work for us to do you know. Oh, Brian! I feel that there is work which HE would wish me to do, and I'm so glad, so glad to be left to do it!”