re to you than your husband. I hear his silver voice holding
spellbound hundreds of people; I see his majestic forehead and his
auburn locks and the strands of his silken mustache."

Those words made Gwen very happy, and she deceived herself that they
were true. She composed verses and gave them to Ben.

"Not right to Nature is this," said Ben. "The mother is wrong. How many
children you have, Messes Enos-Harries?"

"Not one. The husband is weak and he is older much than I."

"The Father has kept His most beautiful gift from you. Pity that is."
Tears gushed from Ben's eyes. "If the marriage-maker had brought us
together, children we would have jeweled with your eyes and crowned with
your hair."

"And your intellect," said Gwen. "You will be the greatest Welshman."

"Whisper will I now. A drag is the wife. Happy you are with the
husband."

"Why for you speak like that?"

"And for why we are not married?" Ben took Gwen in his arms and he
kissed her and drew her body nigh to him; and in a little while he
opened the door sharply and rebuked his wife that she waited thereat.

Daily did Gwen praise and laud Ben to her husband. "There is no one in
the world like him," she said. "He will get very far."

"Bring Mistar Lloyd to Windsor for me to know him quite well," said
Enoch.

"I will ask him," Gwen replied without faltering.

"Benefit myself I will."

Early every Thursday afternoon Ben arrived at Windsor, and at the coming
home from his shop of Enoch, Ben always said: "Messes Enos-Harries has
been singing the piano. Like the trilling of God's feathered choir is
her music."

Though Ben and Gwen were left at peace they could not satisfy nor crush
their lust.

Before three years were over, Ben had obtained great fame. "He ought to
be in Parliament and give up preaching entirely," some said; and Enoch
and Gwen were partakers of his glory.

Then Gwen told him that she had conceived, whereof Ben counseled her to
go into her husband's bed.

"That I have not the stomach to do," the woman complained.

"As you say, dear heart," said Ben. "Cancer has the wife. Perish soon
she must. Ease our path and lie with your lout."

Presently Gwen bore a child; and Enoch her husband looked at it and
said: "Going up is Ben Lloyd. Solid am I as the counter."

Gwen related her fears to Ben, who contrived to make Enoch a member of
the London County Council. Enoch rejoiced: summoning the congregation of
Thornton Vale to be witn