Therefore she sought to obtain the strength and
tranquility of mind which this effort might tax to the utmost. She
also imagined that if she could only see Ida and Van Berg together
a few times, her course would be clearer.
Van Berg's vital forces had not been drained by weeks of mental
distress, and he rallied rapidly. Stanton took care of him with a
sort of grim faithfulness which his friend appreciated, but neither
of them made any reference to the subject uppermost in their minds.
On the afternoon of the day following his rescue, he was able to
use crutches, and seated in his arm-chair was carried down to the
hotel parlor. The guests thronged around him with congratulations,
and Ida came forward promptly with the others but her manner was
the most undemonstrative and quiet of any who spoke to him. His
earnest look and the pressure of his hand meant so much to her,
however, that she soon retreated to the solitude of her room, and
her smile was almost glad as she murmured:
"Oh, how much better it is to just take God at his word and do
right! If I had yielded to my strong temptation I would not have
won him, for now he is bound to Miss Burton by every motive.
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