Part 45 (1/2)

Tessa clung to his arm. ”I'd like to come and take care of her always,”

she said, rather wistfully. ”I can easily be spared, Uncle Everard. And I'm really not nearly so naughty as I used to be.”

He smiled at the words, but did not respond. ”Where's Scooter?” he said.

They spent some time hunting for him, but it was left to Peter finally to unearth him, for in the middle of the search Mrs. Ralston came softly out upon the verandah with the baby in her arms, and at once all Tessa's thoughts were centred upon the new arrival. She had never before seen anything so tiny, so red, or so utterly beautiful!

Bernard left his breakfast to join the circle of admirers, and when the doctor arrived a few minutes later he was in triumphant possession of the small bundle that held them all spellbound. He knew how to handle a baby, and was extremely proud of the accomplishment.

It was not till two days later, however, that he was admitted to see the mother. She had turned the corner, they said, but she was terribly weak.

Yet, as soon as she heard of the presence of her brother-in-law, she insisted upon seeing him.

Everard brought him in to her, but for the first time in her life she dismissed him when the introduction was effected.

”We shall get on better alone,” she said, with a smile. ”You come back--afterwards.”

So Everard withdrew, and Bernard sat down by her side, his big hand holding hers.

”That is nice,” she said, her pale face turned to him. ”I have been wanting to know you ever since Everard first told me of you.”

He bent with a little smile and kissed the slender fingers he held.

”Then the desire has been mutual,” he said.

”Thank you.” Stella's eyes were fixed upon his face. ”I was afraid,”

she said, with slight hesitation, ”that you might think--when you saw Everard--that marriage hadn't altogether agreed with him.”

Bernard's kindly blue eyes met hers with absolute directness. ”No, I shouldn't have thought that,” he said. ”But I see a change in him of course. He is growing old much too fast. What is it? Overwork?”

”I don't know.” She still spoke with hesitation. ”I think it is a good deal--anxiety.”

”Ah!” Bernard's hand closed very strongly upon hers. ”He is not the only person that suffers from that complaint, I think.”

She smiled rather wanly. ”I ought not to worry. It's wrong, isn't it?”

”It's unnecessary,” he said. ”And it's a handicap to progress. But it's difficult not to when things go wrong, I admit. We need to keep a very tight hold on faith. And even then--”

”Yes, even then--” Stella said, her lips quivering a little--”when the one beloved is in danger, who can be untroubled?”

”We are all in the same keeping,” said Bernard gently. ”I think that's worth remembering. If we can trust ourselves to G.o.d, we ought to be able to trust even the one beloved to His care.”

Stella's eyes were full of tears. ”I am afraid I don't know Him well enough to trust Him like that,” she said.

Bernard leant towards her. ”My dear,” he said, ”it is only by faith that you can ever come to knowledge. You have to trust without definitely knowing. Knowledge--that inner certainty--comes afterwards, always afterwards. You can't get it for yourself. You can only pray for it, and prepare the ground.”

Her fingers pressed his feebly. ”I wonder,” she said, ”if you have ever known what it was to walk in darkness.”

Bernard smiled. ”Yes, I have floundered pretty deep in my time,” he said. ”There's only one thing for it, you know; just to keep on till the light comes. You'll find, when the lamp s.h.i.+nes across the desert at last, that you're not so far out of the track after all--if you're only keeping on. That's the main thing to remember.”

”Ah!” Stella sighed. ”I believe you could help me a lot.”