As to the boy, be thankful if nothing worse ever happens to him.

Let the thing die out as quickly as possible; and especially with regard to Gwendolen--let it be as if it had never been." The rector's dominant feeling was that there had been a great escape.
Gwendolen in love with Rex in return would have made a much harder problem, the solution of which might have been taken out of his hands.
But he had to go through some further difficulty.
One fine morning Rex asked for his bath, and made his toilet as usual.
Anna, full of excitement at this change, could do nothing but listen for his coming down, and at last hearing his step, ran to the foot of the stairs to meet him.

For the first time he gave her a faint smile, but it looked so melancholy on his pale face that she could hardly help crying.
"Nannie!" he said gently, taking her hand and leading her slowly along with him to the drawing-room.

His mother was there, and when she came to kiss him, he said: "What a plague I am!" Then he sat still and looked out of the bow-window on the lawn and shrubs covered with hoar-frost, across which the sun was sending faint occasional gleams:--something like that sad smile on Rex's face, Anna thought.

He felt as if he had had a resurrection into a new world, and did not know what to do with himself there, the old interests being left behind.