Such thoughts came over him like a flood and he instantly rose up to
answer them. In half an hour he was at his desk, and there he lost the
bitterness of his grief in his daily work. _Work_, the panacea for all
sorrow, the oldest gospel preached to men! And because his soul was fit
for the sunshine it followed him, and the men who only met him among the
looms went for the rest of the day with their heads up and a smile on
their faces, so great is the strengthening quality in the mere presence
of a man of God, going about his daily business in the spirit of God.
He found no wife to meet him at the end of the day. Jane had gone to
Harlow House and taken her maid and a trunk with her. He made no remark.
What wise thing could he do but quietly bear an evil that was past cure
and put a good face on it? He did not know whether or not Jane had
observed the same reticence, but he quickly reflected that no good could
come from servants discussing what they knew nothing about.
However, when Jane did not return or send him any message, the
following day his anxiety was so great that he called on Dr.
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