Ships That Pass in the Night

ay passed but Bernardine

ye could have known that

ermaid, knew it, and sp

nar

fellow!" she said

tter of course. The Petershof climate had got into her head; and it is a well-known fact that this glorious air has the effect on some people of banishing from their minds all inconvenient notions of duty and devotion, and all memory of the special object of their sojourn in Petershof. The coolness and calmness with which such people ignore

t the respective behaviours of their respective friends. Not a pleasing chronicle: no very choice pages to add to the book of real life; still, valuable items in

his subject. She spoke with indignation, and he an

med to these exhibitions of selfishness and neglect. I should be astonished if they did not take place. Don't mix yourself up with anything. If people are neglected, they are neglected, and there is the end of it.

ruffled, "with the quintessence of self-protectiv

ount of other people. Don't even trouble to criticize them; it is only a nuisance to yourself. All this simply points back to my first suggestion: fill up your time with some hobby,

hand as thou

hen I can't bear to talk with

y for him. And he moved away from her,

rly to her visits. He said her voice was gentle and her manner quiet; there was no bustling vitality about her to irrita

coming to see him. As for the reading, no one could read the Sporting and Dramatic News and the Era so well as Little Brick. Sometimes

ittle," he said once. "Those

, but Bernardine kne

e made to realize that her husband was becoming rapidly worse. Whilst engrossed with this thought, a long train of sledges and toboggans pa

," said Bernardine to herself

me over her. "After all, it

s passed away

had seen his wife. He coughed a great deal, and seemed to be worse than usual, an

uch of a pleasure to you, but

look as people wear when they wish to ask some

emed to summo

the sort. I know you're clever and thoughtful, and all that; you could tell me more than all the parsons put tog

dine s

said kindl

hat you think. Do you believe we get another chance, and are glad to behave less like curs and brutes? Or is it all ended in that lonely little churchyard here? I've never troubled about these things before, but now I know I am so near

mystery-nothing but a mystery. Everything that we say, can be but a guess. People have gone mad over t

d, "at least tell me what you think: and don't be

waiting eagerl

y one. So there is no need to fret over failure, when one hopes one may be allowed to redeem that failure later on. Besides which, life is very hard. Why, we ourselves recognize that. If there be a God, some Intelligence greater than human intelligence, he will understand better than ourselv

"it is quite good enough for me. And it does not matter

What does matter, is to judge gently, and not to come down like a sledge-hammer on

other people's failings," he repeated slowl

you have,"

ok his

o, eating my heart away with bitterness, until you came. Since then I have sometimes

wearily on

, Little Brick," he sa

t your sermon. And I'

epped noiselessly across the