described, by one who saw below the surface, as a perfectly
beautiful woman in an absolutely plain shell; and no man had as yet
looked beneath the shell, and seen the woman in her perfection. She
would have made earth heaven for a blind lover who, not having eyes
for the plainness of her face or the massiveness of her figure,
might have drawn nearer, and apprehended the wonder of her as a
woman, experiencing the wealth of tenderness of which she was
capable, the blessed comfort of the shelter of her love, the perfect
comprehension of her sympathy, the marvellous joy of winning and
wedding her. But as yet, no blind man with far-seeing vision had
come her way; and it always seemed to be her lot to take a second
place, on occasions when she would have filled the first to infinite
perfection.

She had been bridesmaid at weddings where the charming brides,
notwithstanding their superficial loveliness, possessed few of the
qualifications for wifehood with which she was so richly endowed.

She was godmother to her friends' babies, she, whose motherhood
would have been a thing for wonder and worship.

She had a glorious voice, but her face not matching it, its
existence was rarely suspected; and as she accompanied to
perfection, she was usually in requisition to play for the singing
of others.

In short, all her life long Jane had filled second places, and
filled them very contentedly. She had never known what it was to be
absolutely first with any one. Her mother's death had occurred
during her infancy, so that she had not even the most shadowy