Borne Along by the Tide
Ihan a week Maggie was at St Oggs again, - outwardly in much the same position as when her visit there had just begun. It was easy for her to fill her ms apart from Lucy without any obvious effort; for she had her promised visits to pay to her aunt Glegg, and it was natural that she should give her mother more than usual of her panionship in these last weeks, especially as there were preparations to be thought of for Toms housekeeping. But Lucy would hear of no pretext for her remaining away in the evenings: she must always e from aunt Gleggs before dinner - `else what shall I have of you? said Lucy, with a tearful pout that could not be resisted. And Mr Stephe had unatably taken to dining at Mr Deanes as often as possible, instead of avoiding that, as he used to do. At first he began his ms with a resolution that he would not dihere - not even go in the evening, till Maggie was away. He had even devised a plan of starting off on a journey in this agreeable Juher: the headaches which he had stantly been alleging as a ground for stupidity and silence were a suffit ostensible motive. But the journey was not taken, and by the fourth m no distinct resolution was formed about the evenings: they were only foreseen as times when Maggie would still be present for a little while - when one more toulance might be snatched. For, why not? There was nothing to ceal betweehey knew - they had fessed their love, and they had renounced each other - they were going to part. Honour and sce were going to divide them - Maggie, with that appeal from her inmost soul had decided it: but surely they might cast a lingering look at each other across the gulf, before they turned away o look again till that strange light had for ever faded out of their eyes. Maggie, all this time, moved about with a quiesd even torpor of manner, so trasted with her usual fitful brightness and ardour, that Lucy would have had to seek some other cause for such a ge if she had not been vihat the position in which Maggie stood between Philip and her brother and the prospect of her self-imposed wearisome banishment were quite enough to at for a large amount of depression. But uhis torpor there was a fierce battle of emotions, such as Maggie in all her life of struggle had never known or foreboded: it seemed to her as if all the worst evil in her had lain in ambush till now and had suddenly started up full-armed with hideous, overp strength. There were moments in which a cruel selfishness seemed to be getting possession of her: why should not Lucy - why should not Philip suffer? She had had to suffer through many years of her life, and who had renounced anything for her? And when something like that fulness of existence - love, wealth, ease, refi - all that her nature craved was brought within her reach, why was she to it, that anht have it - another, who perhaps less? But amidst all this new passioumult there were the old voices making themselves heard with rising power till, from time to time, the tumult seemed quelled. Was that existence which tempted her, the full existence she dreamed? Where, then, would be all the memories of early striving, all the deep pity for anothers pain which had been nurtured ihrough years of affe and hardship, all the divine prese of something higher than mere personal enjoyment which had made the saess of life? She might as well hope to enjoy walking by maiming her feet, as hope to enjoy aen which she set out by maiming