_Books by Elizabeth Stuart Phelps._ (MRS. WARD.) =THE GATES AJAR.= 78th Thousand. 16mo, $1.50. =BEYOND THE GATES.= 30th Thousand. 16mo, $1.25. =THE GATES BETWEEN.= 16mo, $1.25. The above three volumes, in box, $4.00. =MEN, WOMEN, AND GHOSTS.= Stories. 16mo, $1.50. =HEDGED IN.= 16mo, $1.50. =THE SILENT PARTNER.= 16mo, $1.50. =THE STORY OF AVIS.= 16mo, $1.50; paper, 50 cents. =SEALED ORDERS=, and Other Stories. 16mo, $1.50. =FRIENDS=: A Duet. 16mo, $1.25; paper, 50 cents. =DOCTOR ZAY.= 16mo, $1.25; paper, 50 cents. =AN OLD MAID’S PARADISE=, and =BURGLARS IN PARADISE=. 16mo, $1.25. =THE MASTER OF THE MAGICIANS.= Collaborated with HERBERT D. WARD. 16mo, $1.25; paper, 50 cents. =COME FORTH!= Collaborated with HERBERT D. WARD. 16mo, $1.25; paper, 50 cents. =FOURTEEN TO ONE.= Short Stories. 16mo, $1.25. =DONALD MARCY.= 16mo, $1.25. =A SINGULAR LIFE.= A Novel. 16mo, $1.25. The above 16 volumes, uniform, $21.50. =THE MADONNA OF THE TUBS.= Illustrated. 12mo, $1.50. THE SAME. Square 12mo, boards, 75 cents. =JACK THE FISHERMAN.= Illustrated. Square 12mo, boards, 50 cents. =THE STRUGGLE FOR IMMORTALITY.= Essays. 16mo, $1.25. =THE TROTTY BOOK.= Illustrated. Square 16mo, $1.25. =TROTTY’S WEDDING TOUR AND STORY BOOK.= With Illustrations. Square 16mo, $1.25. =WHAT TO WEAR?= 16mo, $1.00. =POETIC STUDIES.= Square 16mo, $1.50. =SONGS OF THE SILENT WORLD.= With Portrait. 16mo, $1.25. HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN AND COMPANY, BOSTON AND NEW YORK. A SINGULAR LIFE BY ELIZABETH STUART PHELPS “What is that to thee? Follow thou me.” JESUS CHRIST. [Illustration] BOSTON AND NEW YORK HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN AND COMPANY _The Riverside Press, Cambridge_ 1896 Copyright, 1894, BY ELIZABETH STUART PHELPS WARD. _All rights reserved._ NINTH THOUSAND. _The Riverside Press, Cambridge, Mass., U. S. A._ Electrotyped and Printed by H. O. Houghton and Company. “_He hath given a boat to the shipwrecked._” A SINGULAR LIFE. I. There were seven of them at the table that day, and they were talking about heredity. At least they were talking about whatever stood for heredity at the date of our history. The word had penetrated to religious circles at the time; but it was still interpreted with a free personal translation.