“I am keeping it,” he said; “and shall keep it all the better if I stay away from her. I cannot go and see her; I cannot. If you will have it, I shall say something you would be sorry for. Do not ask me. Phemie—Phemie—for heaven’s sake, leave me alone.”
But she would not leave him alone. She prayed and entreated of him to go and see his wife. She persisted that unless he did so, he would be but quibbling with his word—breaking faith with her. She reminded him that it was Georgina’s child as well as his who lay before him; and at last, finding her words had none effect, she left the room, and tried to soothe his wife with such excuses for his absence as she could invent.
After a time, however, a message came from Basil, desiring to speak with her.
“I will go and tell her I shall never reproach her, if you wish me to do so,” he said. “You have been very good to me, Phemie—very good, and kind, and patient; and you have gone through much for my sake, and I will pleasure you in this matter if you like.”
“God bless you, Basil,” answered Phemie—“God bless and comfort you;” and she stood aside while he passed into his wife’s room, closing the door behind him.
CHAPTER X.
BASIL’S COMFORTER.
There is a story told of a boy who, journeying through a thick wood, prayed diligently that Providence would deliver him from the dangers of the forest, until at last the trees were left behind, and the open country reached. Then said the lad, breathing a deep sigh of relief, “That will do; I can take care of myself now.”
What the boy said, we feel—not merely in our relations with the Almighty, but day by day in our dealings with our fellows.
While the danger is imminent, we are glad of any assistance, of any help, but the moment the wood is left behind, and safer ground reached, we mentally echo the lad’s cry, and exclaiming, “We can take care of ourselves now,” are glad to be rid of our benefactors, and think we never can get the pilot fast enough off our decks—on to his own.
It was not long before Phemie discovered that Georgina, having got back her husband and escaped his anger, desired to be rid of the instrument who had brought about this result.