is
heart, had sent him speeding into the throng to heal the secret
sorrows that his quickened sight could see, then the reason of the
gift would have been plain to him; but with the clearer vision had
come this deadly apathy, this strange and bitter loathing for a world
where all seemed so sweet outwardly and was so heavy-hearted within.
And Herbert thought of how once as a child he had seen a beautiful
rose-bush just bursting into bloom; and he had gone near to draw the
sweet scent into his nostrils, and had recognised a dreadful heavy
odour below and behind the delicate scent of the roses, and there,
when he put the bush aside, was the swollen body of a dog that had
crept into the very heart of the bush to die, and tainted all the air
with the horror of death. He had hated roses long after, and now it
seemed to him that all the world was like that.

He came suddenly out of his sad reverie with a start; the bell of the
church began to toll for vespers, and he rose up wearily enough to go.
His work, he hardly dared confess to himself, was a heavy burden to
him; of old he had found great peace, day by day, in the quiet
evensong in the dark cool church, the few worshippers, the gracious
pleading of the ancient psalms, so sweet in themselves, and so
fragrant with the incense of immemorial prayer; and he thought that,
besides the actual worshippers, there were round him a great company
of faithful souls, unseen yet none the less present--all this had been
to him a deep refreshment, a draught of the waters of comfort; but now
there was never a gathering when the dark trouble of thought in other
souls was not visibly revealed to him.

He went slowly across the little garden in front of the house; there
by the road grew a few flowers--for Herbert loved to have all things
trim and bright about him. A boy was leaning over the rail looking at
the flowers; and Herbert saw, in the secret light that hung round the
child, the darkening flush that told of the presence of some
conscience-stricken wish. The child got hurriedly down from the rail
at the sight of Herbert, who stopped and called him. "Little one," he
said, "come hither." The child stood a moment absorbed, finger on lip,
and presently came up to Herbert, who gathered a few of the flowers
and put them into the child's hands. "Here is a posy for you," he
said, "but, dear one, remember this--the flowers were mine, and you
did desire them. God sends us gifts sometimes and som