WEALTH WITHOUT WINGS. 19

 

He made no answer for some time. The relation
of a dream so singular, under the circumsiances,
had startled him, and he almost feared to trust his
voice in response. At length, with a deeply-drawn,
sighing breath, nature’s spontaneous struggle for
relief, he said—

‘Yes, dear, that was a fearful dream. The
thought of it makes me shudder. But, after all, it
was only a dream; the whispering of a malignant
spirit in your ear. Happily, his power to harm
extends no further. The fancy may be possessed in
sleep, but the reason lies inactive, and the hands
remain idle. No guilt can stain the spirit. The
night passes, and we go abroad in the morning as
pure as when we laid our heads wearily to rest.”

‘‘And more,” added Edith, her mind fast reco-
vering itself; ‘‘with a clearer perception of what
is true and good. The soul’s disturbed balance
finds its equilibrium. It is not the body alone that
is refreshed and strengthened. The spirit, plied
with temptation after temptation through the day,
and almost ready to yield when the night cometh,
finds rest also, and time to recover its strength.
In the morning it goes forth again, stronger
for its season of repose. How often, as the day
dawned, have I lifted thy heart and thanked God
for sleep !”

Thus prompted, an emotion of thankfulness arose
in the breast of Claire, but the utterance was kept
back from the lips. He had a secret, a painful and
revolting secret, in his heart, and he feared lest
something should betray its -existence to his wife.
What would he not have given at the moment to