Oh! It is heart-breaking to see how religious people injure their own cause.Surely they might have learned by this time that punishment for opinion is never right, that it brings only bitterness, and misery, and more error! How is one to believe that this is right that God means all this bigotry and injustice to go on producing evil?""Surely it will teach the sharp lesson that all pain teaches," said Brian."We Christians have broken His order, have lost the true idea of brotherly love, and from this arises pain and evil, which at last, when it touches our own selfish natures, will rouse us, wake us up sharply, drive us back of necessity to the true Christ-following.Then persecution and injustice will die.But we are so terribly asleep that the evil must grow desperate before we become conscious of it.It seems to me that bigotry has at least one mortal foe, though.You are always here; you must show them by your life what the Father is THAT is being a Christian!""I know," said Erica, a look of almost passionate longing dawning in her eyes."Oh! What a thing it is to be crammed full of faults that hinder one from serving! And all these worries do try one's temper fearfully.If they had but a Donovan to live with them now!
But, as for me, I can't do much, except love them."Brian loved her too truly to speak words of praise and commendation at such a time.
"Is not the love the crux of the whole?" he said quietly.
"I suppose it is," said Erica, pushing back her hair from her forehead in the way she always did when anything perplexed her.
"But just at present my life is a sort of fugue on Browning's line 'How very hard it is to be a Christian?'
Sometimes I can't help laughing to think that there was a time when I thought the teaching of Christ unpractical! Do you mind ringing the bell for me; the others will be in directly, and will be glad of tea after that headachy place.""Is there nothing else I can do for you?" asked Brian.
"Yes, one thing more help me to remember the levers of the second order.It's my physiology class tonight, and I feel, as Tom would express it, like a 'boiled owl.'""Let me take the class for you."
"Oh, no, thank you," she replied."I wouldn't miss it for the world."It was not till Brian had left that Erica, taking up the article on cremation, was struck by some resemblance in the handwriting.She must have seen Brian's writing before, but only this afternoon did she make that fresh discovery.Crossing the room she took from one of the book shelves a dark blue morocco volume, and compared the writing on the fly leaf with her MS.
"From another admirer of 'Hiawatha.'" There could be no doubt that Brian had written that.Had he cared for her so long? Had he indeed loved her all these years? She was interrupted by the maid bringing in the tea.
"Mr.Bircham's boy is here, miss, and if you please, can cook speak to you a minute?"Erica put down the Longfellow and rolled up "Cremation.""I'm sure she's going to give warning!" she thought to herself.
"What a day to choose for it! That's what I call an anti-climax."Her forebodings proved all too true.In a minute more in walked the cook, with the sort of conscious dignity of bearing which means "I am no longer in your service.""If you please, miss, I wish to leave this day month.""I shall be sorry to lose you," said Erica; "what are your reasons for leaving?""I've not been used, miss, to families as is in the law courts.
I've been used to the best West End private families.""I don't see how it can affect you," said Erica, feeling, in spite of her annoyance, much inclined to laugh.
