Her husband kissed her. Passively she took the caress, and again she
sighed. Dr. Grey looked at her earnestly, then spoke in much
agitation--

"Christian, tell me truly, were you hurt at what occurred just now? I
mean in the nursery."

"No, not in the least. It was inevitable."

"It was. Many things in life, quite inevitable, have yet to be met and
borne, conquered even, if we can."

"Ay, _if_ we can!"

And Christian looked up wistfully, almost entreatingly, to her husband,
who, she now knew, and trembled at the knowledge, so solemn was the
responsibility it brought, had loved her, and did love her, with a depth
and passion such as a man like him never loves but one woman in all
his life.

"Christian," he began again, with an effort, "I want to say something to
you. Once in my life, when I was almost as young as you are, I made a
great mistake. Therefore I know that mistakes are not irretrievable.
God teaches us sometimes by our very errors, leading us through them
into light and truth. Only we must follow Him, and hold fast to the
right, however difficult it may be. We must not be disheartened: we
must leave the past where it is, and go on to the future; do what we
have to do, and suffer all we have to suffer. We must meet things as
they are, without perplexing ourselves about what they might have