ut Ragnor, during his short
interval of rest, had arrived at that heighth and depth of confidence
in God's wisdom which made him sure that in the end the folly and
wickedness of men would "praise Him"; so he was ready to help, and
calm and strong in his sorrow.

At this point, Rahal rose and a servant came in and began to clear the
table and carry away the remains of the meal. Then Rahal rose and took
Thora's hand and Ian went with them to the parlour. She spoke kindly
to Ian who at her first words burst into bitter weeping, into an
almost womanly burst of uncontrollable distress. So she kissed and
left him with the only woman who had the power to soothe, in any
degree, the sense of utter helplessness which oppressed him.

"I want to go to the Crimea!" he said, "I would gladly go there. It
would give me a chance to die happily. It would repay me for all my
miserable life. I want to go, Thora. You want me to go, Thora! Yes,
you do, dear one!"

"No, I do not want you to go. I want you here. Oh, what a selfish
coward I am. Go, Ian, if you wish--if you feel it right to go, then
go."

This subject was sufficient to induce a long and strange conversation
during which Thora was led to understand that some great and cruel
circumstances had ruined and in some measure yet controlled her
lover's life. She was begging him to go and talk to her father and
tell him all that troubled him so cruelly when Rahal entered the room
again.

"Dear ones," she said, "the house is cold and the lamps nearly out.
Say good night, now. Ian must be up early--and tomorrow we shall have
a busy day collecting all the old linen we can." She was yet as white
as the long dressing gown she wore but there was a smile on her face
that made it lovely as she recited slowly:

"Watching, wondering, yearning, knowing
Whence the stream, and where 'tis going
Seems all mystery--by and by
He will speak, and tell us why."

And the simple words had a charm in them, and though they said "Good
night," in a mist of tears, the sunshine of hope turned them into that
wonderful bow which God 'bended with his hands' and placed in the
heavens as a token of His covenant with man, that He would always
remember man's weakness and give him help in time of trouble. Now let
every good man and woman say "I'll warrant it! I never yet found a
deluge of any kind but I found also that God had provided an ark for
my refuge and my comfort."

CHAPTER VIII

THORA'S