FAITH AND LOVE. 103 



often oppressed her, might be only the strugglings for the 

 Infinite. 



" It was in this state of mind, that she was called to the 

 dying pillow of Gordon. Even at the threshold of the grave, 

 the fearful selfishness of his passion held its ascendency. Even 

 there he who had debarred her fine nature from its free 

 exercise ; had shackled its freedom of choice, dared to go 

 further, and fetter his victim after death should have can- 

 celled the former bond. Yes, he, he, to whom the vistas 

 of this world were closing forever, took her hand, warm with 

 health, and youth, and vitality, within his cold, dying grasp, 

 and bound her by a perilous oath never to yield that hand to 

 another. And then he died. 



" Years passed away, and we met. My God ! the gulf that 

 his selfishness had cast between us and happiness ! I would 

 not willingly believe such an oath to be binding. I used all the 

 subtleties of logic to convince her that a promise extorted 

 under such circumstances must be a nullity. That her state of 

 mind was unnatural ; that the mind itself was weakened by the 

 preponderance of compassion, and therefore she had become 

 as it were, irresponsible for its doings. Heaven forgive me ! 

 even while uttering this, I trembled lest it should corrupt her 

 sense of truth — I hoped, and feared, and shuddered, for the 

 vehemence of my love was bewildering my own clearness of 

 perception, and I was in danger of wresting truth from its 

 legitimate bearing, to meet the wants of mine own blind will. 



