第174章 Life and trust.(3)

So it had,but his understanding of Jennie's case was superficial indeed,and he ascribed to his opiate a virtue that it had never possessed.The balm that had soothed her wounded spirit was the thought of saved life and the happiness that might result to those in whom she was deeply interested.The dreaded anniversary had passed,and she was profoundly grateful that it had ended in physical exhaustion rather than in vain and agonized regret.She readily obeyed the physician's injunction to keep very quiet for two or three days,for memory during the past few weeks had caused a fever of mind that was scarcely less wearing than would have been the disease against which rest was the best safeguard.The condition in which she found Van Berg suggested some light on the dark problem of her life,but she only sighed deeply:"I shall never know in this world why he does not come."When told how Ida had taken care of her and watched till all danger was passed,she murmured to herself,"Brave,noble Ida Mayhew!but I may be able to reward her yet."She needed very little care,and felt no surprise that Ida now permitted others to render these attentions,contenting herself with brief but gentle inquiries concerning her welfare.Jennie only took pains to learn that Ida would not leave the Lake House till Monday of the following week,and then rested and waited.She was not sure of Van Berg,and until she was she would shield Ida as herself.But if it were true,as she surmised that Van Berg imagined that honor and loyalty bound him to her,while his heart was disposed to reward the maiden who had given him hers,she hoped that a little wise diplomacy on her part might do no harm.She very justly feared that Van Berg's gratitude to herself would be so strong that he would consider nothing else,and she also feared that in order to accomplish her kind intentions towards them,it might become necessary for her to tell him the sad story of her life--a story which she had never yet put in words.Therefore she sought to obtain the strength and tranquility of mind which this effort might tax to the utmost.She also imagined that if she could only see Ida and Van Berg together a few times,her course would be clearer.

Van Berg's vital forces had not been drained by weeks of mental distress,and he rallied rapidly.Stanton took care of him with a sort of grim faithfulness which his friend appreciated,but neither of them made any reference to the subject uppermost in their minds.

On the afternoon of the day following his rescue,he was able to use crutches,and seated in his arm-chair was carried down to the hotel parlor.The guests thronged around him with congratulations,and Ida came forward promptly with the others but her manner was the most undemonstrative and quiet of any who spoke to him.His earnest look and the pressure of his hand meant so much to her,however,that she soon retreated to the solitude of her room,and her smile was almost glad as she murmured:

"Oh,how much better it is to just take God at his word and do right!If I had yielded to my strong temptation I would not have won him,for now he is bound to Miss Burton by every motive.But by doing right I have kept his respect.Thank God for the glance I have just received,for it is worth far more than any expressions of dishonorable passion.My conscience is light,if my heart is heavy!"In the quiet and friendly courtesy that Van Berg and Ida maintained towards each other,a casual observer would have seen nothing to excite remark,and the gossips at the house believed they had been misled by the facts that the artist had followed Ida to the city,and returned with her as if by arrangement.They now all agreed that he could not do less than bestow himself as a reward upon the "pretty little school ma'am,"as some of the tattling genus persisted in calling Miss Burton.Mr.Mayhew had written that unexpected business complications had arisen which required his whole attention,and as he was acting in trust for others he could not give his time just then to making the change that Ida had wished,but that he would arrange matters so he could enter on his vacation the following week,and then would take Ida wherever she wished to go.He wrote daily,and his letters were sources of double cheer to Ida,for she read between the lines her father's deep sympathy and in the lines found increasing proof that he was a changed man.

Now that events had taken their strange and unexpected turn,she was not sorry to remain.She had no belief that change of place would make any difference in her feelings,and she found that her heart clung strongly to the scenes with which were associated her recent deep experiences.There was nothing in Van Berg's manner now that made it embarrassing for her to meet him.While in his honest effort to keep his pledges,she saw that he apparently gave the most of his thoughts to Miss Burton,and daily had conveyed to her room the rarest flowers and fruits he could obtain,sending to the city for them as well as having the country scoured for its choicest treasures,she also occasionally caught a glimpse of the truth that he honored and reverenced her from the depths of his heart.Although in her sincere diffidence she did not regard herself as worthy of such esteem,still the poor girl,who had been so deeply humiliated and discouraged,was comforted and sustained by his strong and silent homage.She would also be very sorry to forego her daily visits to Mr.Eltinge.

As Thursday was warm,Van Berg spent the greater part of it on the cool piazza,for he was now able to move about on crutches very well.He had no lack of company,but all found him reticent concerning his accident and the causes which had led to it.The most persistent gossip in the house learned no more than the bare facts,and was inclined to believe there was nothing more to learn.