But in his manner was not only protection, there was also love—­the sort of’ love which passionate youth can seldom understand; but Paul the apostle did, unmarried though he was, when he spoke in such mystical language of a husband’s “nourishing and cherishing” his wife “as the Lord the Church.”  And now Christian seemed to comprehend this, when, looking up to her husband, she felt that he was also her “lord,’’ ruling and guiding her less by harsh authority than by the perfect law of love.

“Nay,” she said, faintly, “don’t blame your sister:  she meant no harm, nor did I. I only—­”

“Hush!” Dr. Grey replied, laying his hand upon her mouth; “that is a matter solely between you and your husband.”

But whether, thus met at all points, Miss Gascoigne began to doubt whether her mountain were not a mere molehill after all, or whether she involuntarily succumbed to the influence of such honest love, such unbounded trust, and felt that to interfere farther between this husband and wife would be not only hopeless, but wicked, it is impossible to say.  Perhaps—­let us give her the credit of a good motive rather than a bad one—­she really felt she had been wrong, was moved and softened, and brought to a better mind.

In any case, that happened which had never been known to happen before in Miss Gascoigne’s existence—­when asked to speak she had literally nothing to say!

“Then,” continued Dr. Grey, good-humouredly, still holding his wife’s hand, and sitting beside her on the sofa, “this mighty matter may come to an end, which is, indeed, the best thing for it.  Since I am quite satisfied concerning my wife, I conclude my sister may be.  We will consider the subject closed.  Make friends, you two.  Christian, will you not?”

Christian rose.  She had never kissed Miss Gascoigne in her life, had had no encouragement to do it, and it would have seemed a piece of actual hypocrisy.  Now it was not.  The kiss of affection it could hardly be, but there is such a thing as the kiss of peace.

She rose and went, white and tottering as she was, across the room to where Miss Gascoigne sat, hard, bitter, and silent, determined that not a step should be taken on her side—­she would not be the first to “make friends.”

“Forgive me, Aunt Henrietta, if I ever offended you.  I did not mean it.  Let us try to get on better for the future.  We ought, for we are both so fond of the children and of Arnold.”

Such simple words, such a natural feeling! if that hard heart were only natural and soft enough to take it in.  And it was—­for once.

Miss Gascoigne looked incredulously up, then down again, in a shamefaced, uncomfortable way, then held out her hand, and kissed Christian, while two tears—­only two—­gathered and dropped from her eyes.

But the worst was over.  The ice was broken and the stream ran clear.  How long it would run good angels only could tell.  But they sang, and kept on singing, all that day, in Christian’s heart, the song of peace—­ “peace on earth”—­for the battle was over and the foes were reconciled.