Gently, yet wisely—­for there came, in that moment, to Mrs. Leslie, a clear perception of all her duty—­did the mother seek to soften Madeline’s disappointment, and to inspire her with fortitude to bear.  Beyond her own expectation came success in this effort.  The reason she invented or imagined, for the father’s refusal, satisfied the child; and soon the clouded brow was lit up by the heart’s sunshine.

From that hour, Mrs. Leslie was changed.  From that hour, a new purpose filled her heart.  She could not leave her children, nor could she take them with her if she passed away; and so, she resolved to live for them, to forget her own suffering, in the tenderness of maternal care.  The mother had risen superior to the unhappy, unappreciated wife.

All marked the change; yet in none did it awaken more surprise than in Mr. Leslie.  He never fully understood its meaning; and, no wonder, for he had never understood her from the beginning.  He was too cold and selfish to be able fully to appreciate her character or relation to him as a wife.

Yet, for all this change—­though the long drooping form of Mrs. Leslie regained something of its erectness, and her exhausted system a degree of tension—­the shadow passed not from her heart or brow; nor did her cheeks grow warm again with the glow of health.  The delight of her life had failed; and now, she lived only for the children whom God had given her.

A man of Mr. Leslie’s stamp of character too rarely grows wiser in the true sense.  Himself the centre of his world, it is but seldom that he is able to think enough out of himself to scan the effect of his daily actions upon others.  If collisions take place, he thinks only of the pain he feels, not of the pain he gives.  He is ever censuring; but rarely takes blame.  During the earlier portions of his married life, Mr. Leslie’s mind had chafed a good deal at what seemed to him Madeline’s unreasonable and unwomanly conduct; the soreness of this was felt even after the change in her exterior that we have noticed, and he often indulged in the habit of mentally writing bitter things against her.  He had well nigh broken her heart; and was yet impatient because she gave signs indicative of pain.

And so, as years wore on, the distance grew wider instead of becoming less and less.  The husband had many things to draw him forth into the busy world, where he established various interests, and sought pleasure in their pursuits, while the wife, seldom seen abroad, buried herself at home, and gave her very life for her children.

But, even maternal love could not feed for very many years the flame of her life.  The oil was too nearly exhausted when that new supply came.  For a time, the light burned clearly; then it began to fail, and ere the mother’s tasks were half done, it went out in darkness.