“I had hoped you did. In fact Leila told me that Millie and you are good friends. She said a little more--Leila’s a discerning person and she said she thought there was something a little more than friendship. Please let me finish! You’ve thought that there were reasons why you could never ask Millicent to marry you. I’ll take the responsibility of that. I’ll tell her the story myself--if need be. I leave that to your own decision.” “No,” said Bruce. “I shall tell her myself.” Instead of wearying Mills, the talk seemingly acted as a stimulus. Bruce’s amazement grew. It was incomprehensible that here lay the Franklin Mills of his distrust, his jealousy, his hatred. “Millicent used to trouble me a good deal with some of her ideas,” said Mills. “She’s troubled a good many of us,” Bruce agreed with a smile. “But sometimes I think I catch a faint gleam.” “I’m sure you do! You two are of a generation that looks for God in those far horizons she talks about. The idea amused me at first. But I see now that here is the new religion--the religion of youth--that expresses itself truly in beautiful things--in life, in conduct, in unselfishness. The spirit of youth reveals itself in beautiful things--and calls them God. Shep felt all that, tried in his own way to make me see--but I couldn’t understand him. I--there are things I want to do--for Shep. We’ll talk of that later.... Every mistake I’ve made, every wrong I’ve done in this world has been due to selfishness--I’ve been saying that to myself every day since I’ve been here. I’ve found peace in it. There’s no one in the world who has a better right to hear this from me than you. And this is no death-bed repentance; I’m not going to die yet a while. It’s rather beaten in on me, Bruce”--it was the first time he had so addressed him--“that we can’t just live for ourselves! No! Not if we would find happiness. There comes a time when every man needs God. The wise thing is so to live that when the need comes we shan’t find him a stranger!” The hour grew late, and the wind and rain made a continual clatter about the house. When Bruce rose to go Mills protested. “There’s plenty of space here--a room next to mine is ready for a guest. You’ll find everything you want. We seem to meet in storms! Please spend the night here.” And so it came about that for the first time Bruce slept in his father’s house. II Bruce and Millicent were married the next June. A few friends gathered in the garden late on a golden afternoon--Leila and Thomas, the Freemans, the Hendersons, a few relatives of the Hardens from their old home, and Carroll and Bruce’s cousin from Laconia. The marriage service was read by Dr. Lindley and the music was provided by a choir of robins in the elms and maples. Franklin Mills was not present; but before Bruce and Millicent drove to the station they passed through the gate in the boundary hedge--Leila had arranged this--and received his good wishes.