rception of all her duty--did the mother seek to soften
Madeline's disappointment, and to inspire her with fortitude to
bear. Beyond her own expectation came success in this effort. The
reason she invented or imagined, for the father's refusal, satisfied
the child; and soon the clouded brow was lit up by the heart's
sunshine.

From that hour, Mrs. Leslie was changed. From that hour, a new
purpose filled her heart. She could not leave her children, nor
could she take them with her if she passed away; and so, she
resolved to live for them, to forget her own suffering, in the
tenderness of maternal care. The mother had risen superior to the
unhappy, unappreciated wife.

All marked the change; yet in none did it awaken more surprise than
in Mr. Leslie. He never fully understood its meaning; and, no
wonder, for he had never understood her from the beginning. He was
too cold and selfish to be able fully to appreciate her character or
relation to him as a wife.

Yet, for all this change--though the long drooping form of Mrs.
Leslie regained something of its erectness, and her exhausted system
a degree of tension--the shadow passed not from her heart or brow;
nor did her cheeks grow warm again with the glow of health. The
delight of her life had failed; and now, she lived only for the
children whom God had given her.

A man of Mr. Leslie's stamp of character too rarely grows wiser in
the true sense. Himself the centre of his world, it is but seldom
that he is able to think enough out of himself to scan the effect of
his daily actions upon others. If collisions take place, he thinks
only of the pain he feels, not of the pain he gives. He is ever
censuring; but rarely takes blame. During the earlier portions of
his married life, Mr. Leslie's mind had chafed a good deal at what
seemed to him Madeline's unreasonable and unwomanly conduct; the
soreness of this was felt even after the change in her exterior that
we have noticed, and he often indulged in the habit of mentally
writing bitter things against her. He had well nigh broken her
heart; and was yet impatient because she gave signs indicative of
pain.

And so, as years wore on, the distance grew wider instead of
becoming less and less. The husband had many things to draw him
forth into the busy world, where he established various interests,
and sought pleasure in their pursuits, while the wife, seldom seen
abroad, buried herself at home, and gave her very life for her