Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: so elated with her own genius that she had up Hester to lock at it; but after the first surprised exclamation Hester only remarked: "Are you mad, Barbara? Where have you learnt all this sinful extravagance ?" After which uncalled-for censure, Bab never invited her up into her snuggery again ; but Leigh came often, and stayed long, trailing his lazy length on the Oriental couch, and maintaining all the while that it was " awfully jolly, and no end snug ;" and Barbara agreed with him. CHAPTER lit HESTER. " And did she love him ?—what if she did not! Then home was still the home of happiest yean ; Nor thought was exiled to partake his lot, Nor hnart lost courage through foreboding fears ; Nor echo did against her secret plot, Nor music her betray to painful tears; Nor life become a dream, and sunshine dim, And riches poverty because of him. " But did she love him ?—what and if she did t Love cannot cool the burning Austral sand, Nor show the secret waters that lie hid In arid valleys of that desert land. Love has no spells can scorching winds forbid, Or bring the help which tarries near to hand, Or spread a cloud for curtaining failed eyes That gaze up, dying, into alien skies." Jban Inuelow. That was a strange remark that Barbara made to Mrs. Strath during their homeward walk about herself and Hester—strange, yet profoundly true—" If you hunt through the whole wide world, you cannot find two human beings so utterly dissimilar, so completely antagonistic;" and Mrs. Strath felt she Whs right. They were dissimilar—for sisters, strikingly so ; but Hester's character is one that must bear a little psychological inquiry to be comprehended even imperfectly, its most distinctive traits being subtle and least strongly marked. The secret of Hester's character—of Hester's l...