d his acres when he was tired of wandering.
His age at present was nearing fifty. When quite a young man, he had
married rather rashly--a girl whose acquaintance he had made during a
voyage. In a few years' time, he and his wife agreed to differ on a
great many topics of moment, and consequently to live apart. Mrs.
Glazzard died abroad. William, when the desire for retirement came upon
him, was glad of the society of a son and a daughter in their early
teens. But the lad died of consumption, and the girl, whose name was
Ivy, for a long time seemed to be clinging to life with but doubtful
tenure. She still lived, however, and kept her father's house.

Ivy Glazzard cared little for the pleasures of the world--knew, indeed,
scarcely more about them than she had gathered from books. Her
disposition was serious, inclined to a morbid melancholy; she spent
much time over devotional literature, but very seldom was heard to
speak of religion. Probably her father's avowed indifferentism imposed
upon her a timid silence. When the Revivalist services were being held
in Polterham, she visited the Hall and the churches with assiduity, and
from that period dated her friendship with the daughter of Mr. Mumbray,
Mayor of the town. Serena Mumbray was so uncomfortable at home that she
engaged eagerly in any occupation which could excuse her absence for as
many hours a day as possible. Prior to the outbreak of Revivalism no
one had supposed her particularly pious, and, indeed, she had often
suffered Mrs. Mumbray's rebukes for levity of speech and indifference
to the conventional norm of feminine behaviour. Though her parents had
always been prominent in Polterham society, she was ill-educated, and
of late years had endeavoured, in a fitful, fretful way, to make amends
to herself for this injustice. Disregarding paternal censure, she
subscribed to the Literary Institute, and read at hap-hazard with
little enough profit. Twenty-three years old, she was now doubly
independent, for the will of a maiden aunt (a lady always on the worst
of terms with Mr. and Mrs. Mumbray, and therefore glad to encourage
Serena against them) had made her an heiress of no slight
consideration. Young men of Polterham regarded her as the greatest
prize within view, though none could flatter himself that he stood in
any sensible degree of favour with her. There seemed no reason why Miss
Mumbray should not marry, but it was certain that as yet she behaved
disdainfully