cannot help being angry, if I may so speak, at the thought of such
unjust, such unwise assumption of the prerogative in a parent. It is
God who joins together in orderly marriage--not man; and when man
attempts to assume the place of God in this matter, his work is
evil. I would give my child, were I a parent, all the light, all the
intelligence in my power to give him, and then let him choose for
himself. To do more, would be, in my opinion, a sin against God,
and, as such, I would shun it with horror."

In time, the deep affliction of mind which Ellen had experienced
subsided. She felt the injustice of Mrs. Linden's conduct, and,
though she had no indignant nor unkind feeling toward her, she
thought of her without an emotion of filial regard. Year after year
went by, and, as no notice whatever was taken of Charles and his
wife by Mrs. Linden, they did not again venture near her, nor take
any pains to conciliate her favour. Her treatment of Ellen had so
outraged her son, that he tried to forget that he had a mother; for
he could not think of her without a bitterness which he did not wish
to feel. The only means of knowing what took place at home was
through his sister, between whom and himself had always existed a
warm affection. She wrote to him frequently, and he as well as his
wife wrote to her often. Their letters to her were, at her request,
sent under cover to a friend, to prevent the unpleasant consequences
that would ensue, should the proud, overbearing mother become aware
of the correspondence.

From his sister, who had something of his own independence of
feeling, Charles learned, that his brother William, at his mother's
instance, was about to marry Antoinette Billings. And, also, that an
application had been made to the legislature to have his name