It had of course told the most on Barbara. Her first great grief
seemed to have smoothed out the harsher lines of her character, and
made her gentle and tolerant as she had never been; or more truly,
she had learnt charity at a deeper source. That last summer had
lifted her into a different atmosphere. What she had shared with
Fordham she loved. She had felt the reality of the invisible world
to him, and knew he trusted to her meeting his spirit there even in
this life, and the strong faith of his mother had strengthened the
impression.
Heavenly things had seemed more true,
And came down closer to her view,
now that his presence was among them. She had by no means lost her
vivacity. There would always be a certain crispness, drollery, and
keenness about her, and she had too much of her mother's elasticity
to be long depressed; but instead of looking on with impatient
criticism at good works, she had learnt to be ardent in the cause,
and she was a most effective helper. To Armine, it was as if Fordham
had given him back the sister of his childhood to be as thoroughly
one in aims and sympathies as ever, but with a certain clearness of
eye, brisk alacrity of execution, and quickness of judgment that made
her a valuable assistant, the complement, as it were, of his more
contemplative nature.
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