About noon the next day, lord Gartley called. Whether he had got over his fright, or thought the danger now less imminent, or was vexed that he had _appeared_ to be afraid, I do not know. Hester was very glad to see him again. "I think I am a safe companion to-day," she said. "I have not been out of the house yet. But till the bad time is over among my people, we had better be content not to meet, I think." Lord Gartley mentally gasped. He stood for a moment speechless, gathering his thoughts, which almost refused to be gathered. "Do I understand you, Hester?" he said. "It would trouble me more than I can tell to find I do." "I fear I understand you, Gartley!" said Hester. "Is it possible you would have me abandon my friends to the small-pox, as a hireling his sheep to the wolf?" "There are those whose business it is to look after them." "I am one of those," returned Hester. "Well," answered his lordship, "for the sake of argument we will allow it _has_ been your business; but how can you imagine it your business any longer?" Indignation, a fire always ready "laid" in Hester's bosom, but seldom yet lighted by lord Gartley, burst into flame, and she spoke as he had never heard her speak before. "I am aware, my lord," she said, "that I must by and by have new duties to perform, but I have yet to learn that they must annihilate the old. The claims of love cannot surely obliterate those of friendship! The new should make the old better, not sweep it away." "But, my dear girl, the thing is preposterous!" exclaimed his lordship. "Don't you see you will enter on a new life! In the most ordinary cases even, the duties of a wife are distinct from those of an unmarried woman." "But the duties of neither can supersede those of a human being. If the position of a wife is higher than that of an unmarried woman, it must enable her to do yet better the things that were her duty as a human being before." "But if it be impossible she should do the same things?" "Whatever is impossible settles its own question. I trust I shall never desire to attempt the impossible." "You have begun to attempt it now." "I do not understand you." "It is impossible you should perform the duties of the station you are about to occupy, and continue to do as you are doing now. The attempt wuld be absurd." "I have not tried it yet." "But I know what your duties will be, and I assure you, my dear Hester, you will find the thing cannot be done." "You set me thinking of more things than I can manage all at once," she replied in a troubled way. "I must think." "The more you think, the better satisfied you will be of what I say. All I want of you is to think; for I am certain if you do, your good sense will convince you I am right." He paused a moment. Hester did not speak. He resumed: