His writing did not detain him long, and afterwards he paced the chilly room, struggling to see his duty through his love.

But in that half hour up-stairs he reached no new conclusion.

Helen's antipathy to doctrine was so marked, it was, as she said, useless to begin discussion; and it would be worse than useless to urge her to come to prayer-meeting, if she did not want to; it would only make her antagonistic to the truth.

She was not ready for the strong meat of the Word, which was certainly what his elders fed to hungry souls at prayer-meetings.

John did not know that there was any reluctance in his own mind to disturb their harmony and peace by argument; he simply failed to recognize his own motives; the reasons he gave himself were all secondary.
"I ought not to have come so late," Gifford said, "and it is a shame to disturb Mr.Ward, but I did want to see you so much, Helen!" Helen's thoughts were following her husband, and it was an effort to bring them back to Gifford and his interests, but she turned her tranquil face to him with a gracious gentleness which never left her.