"You have chosen wisely. I am so glad!"

"Oh, Gabriella!" he cried, "if you had failed me in that, I do not
know what I should have done! Science! Science! There is the fresh
path for the faith of the race! For the race henceforth must get
its idea of God, and build its religion to Him, from its knowledge
of the laws of His universe. A million years from now! Where will
our dark theological dogmas be in that radiant time? The Creator of
all life, in all life He must be studied! And in the study of
science there is least wrangling, least tyranny, least bigotry, no
persecution. It teaches charity, it teaches a well-ordered life, it
teaches the world to be more kind. It is the great new path of
knowledge into the future. All things must follow whither it leads.
Our religion will more and more be what our science is, and some
day they will be the same."

She had no controversy to raise with him about this. She was too
intently thinking of troublous problems nearer heart and home.

And these rose before him also: he fell into silence.

"But, oh, Gabriella! how long, how long the years will be that
separate me from you!"

"No!" she exclaimed, her whole nature starting up, terrified. "What
do you mean? No!"

"I mean while I am going through college; while I am preparing a
place for you."