CHAPTER VII
"To do our best is one part, but to wash our hands smilingly of the consequences is the next part, of any sensible virtue."
In much that frame of mind, Doris arose the day following Martin's call.
By some subtle force the débris of the past seemed to have been disposed of; the misunderstanding on her part and David's.
"It is the 'call' that makes everything possible or tragically wretched," she said, "and one cannot be blamed for being born deficient. Thank God I fitted in, though, when others were called away."
With David's understanding and coöperation the present could be confronted and the "hand washing of consequences" undertaken.
"I have done my best," Doris felt sure of this, "my best, and now I must do a bit of trusting. It has been my one daring adventure. It must not fail."
After many attempts she wrote and dispatched a letter to George Thornton, simply stating that she was about to send the children to school.
While waiting for his reply she turned her attention to Mary, for in any case, she decided, the children must be placed in another's care. What Mary felt when Doris explained things to her no one was ever likely to know. The girl's face became blanker; the lines stiffened.
"It was," Doris confided later to Martin, "as if I were wiping the past out as I spoke."