Christian's Mistake by Dinah Maria Mulock Craik
page 50 of 257 (19%)
page 50 of 257 (19%)
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of any newly-married wife, married for love, leap for joy, and look
forward hopefully to that life which, with all its added cares, a good man's affection can make so happy to the woman who is his chosen delight. But in Christian's face was no happiness; only that white, wild, frightened look, which had come on her marriage day, and then settled down into what she now wore--the aspect of passive submission and endurance. "But I will do my duty. And he will do his, no fear of that! He is so good--far better than I. Yes, I shall do my duty?" _"Faith, hope, and charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity."_ There is a deeper meaning in this text than we at first see. Of "these three," two concern ourselves; the third concerns others. When faith and hope fail, as they do sometimes, we must try charity, which is love in action. We must speculate no more on our duty, but simply do it. When we have done it, however blindly, perhaps Heaven will show us the reason why. Christian went down stairs slowly and sadly, but quite calmly, to spend--and she did spend it, painlessly, if not pleasantly--the first evening in her own home. Chapter 3. |
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