But when a man has striven, when he has done all he
knows, and when, in spite of it, a thing comes to pass,
let him wait ten years before he says that it is a
misfortune. It is part of the main line of his destiny
then, and is working to an end. A man loses his fortune;
he gains earnestness. His eyesight goes; it leads him to
a spirituality. The girl loses her beauty; she becomes
more sympathetic. We think we are pushing our own way
bravely, but there is a great Hand in ours all the time.
You'll wonder what has taken me off on this line.
Only that I seem to see it all in action in my own life.
But, as usual, I have started merrily off with an
appendix, so I shall go back and begin my report as
nearly as possible where I ended the last. First of all,
I may say generally that the clouds were thinning then,
and that they broke shortly afterwards. During the
last few months we have never once quite lost sight
of the sun.
You remember that we (Paul and I) had just engaged a
certain Miss Williams to come and keep house for us. I
felt that on the basement-lodger principle I had not
control enough; so we now entered upon a more business-
like arrangement, by which a sum (though, alas! an
absurdly small one) was to be paid her for her services.
I would it had been ten times as much, for a better and
a more loyal servant man never had. Our fortunes seemed
to turn from the hour that she re-entered the house.
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