e felt it
loyal to Alan to try from Stella to extract a point of view regarding
him. Anyway, he reassured himself, nothing could be done at present.

Toward the end of term Mrs. Ross wrote a letter to Michael whose news
was sufficiently unexpected to rouse the two of them to a conversation
of greater length than any they had had since term began.

COBBLE PLACE,

November 30.

My dear Michael,

You will be surprised to hear that I have become a Catholic, or I
suppose I should say to you, if you still adhere to your theories,
a Roman Catholic. My reasons for this step, apart of course from
the true reason--the grace of God--were, I think, connected a good
deal with my boy. When your friend Mr. Prescott killed himself, I
felt very much the real emptiness of such a life that on the
surface was so admirable, in some ways so enviable. I am dreadfully
anxious that Kenneth--he is Kenneth Michael now--I hope you won't
be vexed I should have wished him to have Michael also--well, as I
was saying--that Kenneth should grow up with all the help that the
experience of the past can give him. It has become increasingly a
matter of astonishment to me how so many English boys manage to
muddle through the crises of their boyhood without the Sacraments.
I'm afraid you'll be reading this letter in rather a critical
spirit, and perhaps resenting my implication that you, for
instance, have come through so many crises without the Sacraments.
But I'm not yet a good enough theologian to argue with you about
the claims of your Church. Latterly I've felt positively alarmed by
the prospect of grappling with Kenneth's future. I have seen you
struggle through, and I know I can say win a glorious victory over
one side of yourself. But I have seen other things happen, even
from where I live my secluded life. If my husband had not been
killed I might not perhaps have felt this dread on Kenneth's
account. But I like to think that God in giving me that great
sorrow has shown His purpose by offering me this new and unimagined
peace and security and assurance. I need scarcely say I have had a
rather worrying time lately. It is strange how when love and faith
are the springs of action one must listen with greater patience
than one could listen for any lesser motive to the opinions of
other