Love had come to Sibyl Andres, not as it comes to those girls who, in the hot-house of passion we call civilization, are forced into premature and sickly bloom by an atmosphere of sensuality.  Love had come to her so gently, so naturally, so like the opening of a wild flower, that she had not yet understood that it was love.  Even as her womanhood had come to fulfill her girlhood, so Aaron King had come into her life to fulfill her womanhood.  She had chosen her mate with an unconscious obedience to the laws of life that was divinely reckless of the world.

Myra Willard, wise in her experience, and in her more than mother love for Sibyl, saw and recognized that which the girl herself did not yet understand.  Satisfied as to the character of Aaron King, as it had been tested in those days of unhampered companionship; and seeing, as well, his growing love for the girl, the woman had been content not to meddle with that which she conceived to be the work of God.  And why not the work of God?  Should the development, the blossoming, and the fruiting of human lives, that the race may flower and fruit, be held less a work of divinity than the plants that mature and blossom and reproduce themselves in their children?

The character of Mrs. Taine represented those forces in life that are, in every way, antagonistic to the forces that make the character of a Sibyl Andres possible.  In a spirit of wanton, selfish cruelty, that was born of her worldly environment and training, “The Age” had twisted and distorted the very virtues of “Nature” into something as hideously ugly and vile as her own thoughts.  The woman—­product of gross materialism and sensuality—­had caught in her licentious hands God’s human flower and had crushed its beauty with deliberate purpose.  Wounded, frightened, dismayed, not understanding, unable to deny, the girl turned in reluctant flight from the place that was, to her, because of her love, holy ground.

It was impossible for Sibyl not to believe Mrs. Taine—­the woman had spoken so kindly; had seemed so reluctant to speak at all; had appeared so to appreciate her innocence.  A thousand trivial and unimportant incidents, that, in the light of the worldly woman’s words, could be twisted to evidence the truth of the things she said, came crowding in upon the girl’s mind.  Instead of helping Aaron King with his work, instead of truly enjoying life with him, as she had thought, her friendship was to him a menace, a danger.  She had believed—­and the belief had brought her a strange happiness—­that he had cared for her companionship.  He had cared only to use her for his pictures—­as he used his brushes.  He had played with her—­as she had seen him toy idly with a brush, while thinking over his work.  He would throw her aside, when she had served his purpose, as she had seen him throw a worn-out brush aside.

The woman who was still a child could not blame the artist—­she was too loyal to what she had thought was their friendship; she was too unselfish in her yet unrecognized love for her chosen mate.  No, she could not blame him—­only—­only—­she wished—­oh how she wished—­that she had understood.  It would not have hurt so, perhaps, if she had understood.