His being—Eternity. That when I thought
of sin and sorrow, of earthly corruption, mortal depravity,
weighty temporal woe —I could not care
for chanting priests or mumming officials; that when
the pains of existence and the terrors of dissolution
pressed before me—when the mighty hope
and measureless doubt of the future arose in view—then,
even the scientific strain, or the prayer in a language
learned and dead, harassed: with hindrance a heart
which only longed to cry—“God be
merciful to me, a sinner!”
When I had so spoken, so declared my faith, and so
widely severed myself, from him I addressed—then,
at last, came a tone accordant, an echo responsive,
one sweet chord of harmony in two conflicting spirits.
“Whatever say priests or controversialists,”
murmured M. Emanuel, “God is good, and loves
all the sincere. Believe, then, what you can;
believe it as you can; one prayer, at least, we have
in common; I also cry—’O Dieu, sois
appaise envers moi qui suis pecheur!’”
He leaned on the back of my chair. After some
thought he again spoke:
“How seem in the eyes of that God who made all
firmaments, from whose nostrils issued whatever of
life is here, or in the stars shining yonder—how
seem the differences of man? But as Time is not
for God, nor Space, so neither is Measure, nor Comparison.
We abase ourselves in our littleness, and we do right;
yet it may be that the constancy of one heart, the
truth and faith of one mind according to the light
He has appointed, import as much to Him as the just
motion of satellites about their planets, of planets
about their suns, of suns around that mighty unseen
centre incomprehensible, irrealizable, with strange
mental effort only divined.
“God guide us all! God bless you, Lucy!”
SUNSHINE.
It was very, well for Paulina to decline further correspondence
with Graham till her father had sanctioned the intercourse.
But Dr. Bretton could not live within a league of
the Hotel Crecy, and not contrive to visit there often.
Both lovers meant at first, I believe, to be distant;
they kept their intention so far as demonstrative courtship
went, but in feeling they soon drew very near.
All that was best in Graham sought Paulina; whatever
in him was noble, awoke, and grew in her presence.
With his past admiration of Miss Fanshawe, I suppose
his intellect had little to do, but his whole intellect,
and his highest tastes, came in question now.
These, like all his faculties, were active, eager
for nutriment, and alive to gratification when it
came.
