Lady Venniker did not say, but it was easy for Gerald Eversley, reading between the lines of the letter with the quickened instinct of love, to apprehend, that it was her own sweet influence, exercised in his behalf, which had won her husband’s consent to her writing this letter. Lord Venniker was moved by the natural aristocratic sentiment in favour of a high marriage for his only daughter. But in Lady Venniker’s beautiful and selfless mind considerations of rank were not weighed against the natural feelings of two young souls. If Ethel and Gerald were destined by Providence for each other, she would thankfully assent to their union. And she who had known most of Gerald’s spiritual troubles knew best the Christian spirit in which he had borne them. She thought and hoped that, in uniting his life to Ethel’s, he would find his way back to his Saviour. It did not escape the keen observation of Mrs. Eversley that, when Gerald received the letter with the familiar postmark of Helmsbury, but in a handwriting which Mrs. Eversley did not remember to have seen before, his face became suffused with a sudden deep blush as he read it, he scanned the last part of it hurriedly and (she thought) as if he were ashamed of it, and soon afterwards, without finishing his breakfast, made some excuse for going out of the room. She had fancied for a day or two before that he was unusually restless, like one who is exerting himself to suppress some strong emotion, and that he looked with singular anxiety each morning to see if a letter had come for him. Her curiosity was not lessened when Gerald returned half an hour after leaving the breakfast table, saying that he had received an unexpected invitation to Helmsbury, and that he must go there at once. But his visits to Helmsbury had been so frequent that Mr. Eversley saw nothing strange in this invitation, and Mrs. Eversley soon ceased to trouble herself about it amidst the multitude of her domestic duties and her ‘good works.’ Gerald left Kestercham the same day in time to catch the train indicated in Lady Venniker’s letter.