And she, little and old and faded, seated before the fire, smiled when the girl had set above her hearth the emblem of her outworn creed. When the tall slender girl went and sat down beside the flounced and emaciated old knees a pathetically weary old hand was stretched out and rested on the brown hair. “Mother of God,” sighed the withered lips, “I am so glad not to be alone.” As the girl parted from her image of the Mary, she left the childhood of her intellect behind her. And from that day, Betty raised her frank honest eyes to the facts and verities of the live world about her, and, as she nearest might, fearlessly and cheerfully lived her own sweet life foot to foot and eye to eye with the mystic realities of her appointed destiny, mistaking guesses for truth never. For it is through the humanities alone, be ye sure of this, that we may touch the hem of the garment of God. CHAPTER XXIX _Wherein Mr. Pompey Malahide loses his Breath in the Midst of a Boast_ Mr. Pompey Malahide, man of considerable wealth as he had been for years, was now grown so rich that he scarcely knew whether each fresh venture in which he launched might not be doubling his income by the end of the year. City people said, awe-struck, that all he touched turned to gold. But they failed to add that he touched nothing that did not hold hidden treasure. As a fact, he ventured only in the exploitation and invention of things of which he had himself felt the lack, which he felt were wanted at large. His shrewd business insight led him simply to traffic in such things as must turn to gold on their very discovery. Whilst the unimaginative followed a garish eyesight to seek fortune at the goldfields, he stayed at home and won wealth from richer lodes. He did not break hard rock for gold; he made the things that the world had need to buy. His appetite was but whetted by success. He was now destined to make such wealth as is only dreamed of in the dingy city offices of imaginative Jews. Pompey Malahide was on the eve of becoming a millionaire. Yet was he plagued with discontent.