Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. Marjort's love for Mrs. Morton, her little aunt, was one of the strongest feelings of her nature. From her she gained what she so earnestly needed, sympathy; not a powerful, helpful sympathy, perhaps, one that would have led her on and out of herself, to higher, clearer views, but at least a tender interest, a loving forbearance, and a gentle following, where she could not wholly understand or wholly agree. Marjory need fear from her no pitying laughter, no sordid suggestions, no practical views of life dragged in at a wrong time; Mrs. Morton knew too well herself something of her niece's troubles to try anything of that sort for her cure; she too had once been restless, dissatisfied, questioning, but in her case, happily the restlessness had been calmed, and the question- ing answered in the way, it may be, God intended, the mind of every woman should be set at rest? by the answer of an all-absorbing, satisfying, earthly love. She felt this now, that left alone, widowed and childless, she looked back upon her past life, she felt that God had answered her in the joy of her heart, and meekly she bowed her head and thanked him, feeling as every true woman would, that it was better to have had that joy, even though the blank was so bitter now, than to have led a grey, uncoloured life unto the end, feeling that a love such as hers had been was the best answer God could have devised for her. But this very satisfaction prevented her from entering altogether into Marjory's feelings. True, she had been wearied and unsettled, but all that had long passed away, and now when her niece poured forth her troubles to her she could only listen, help if possible, and long for an answer, such as her own had been. Vol. L o This was not likely in Marjory's case. Somehow e...