He thought only of doing what Harry would have wished, and
papa himself says that he has done wonders. I cannot see that Henry
himself could have been more than Claude is now; he has not spared
himself in the least, his tutor says, and he would have had the
Newcastle Scholarship last year, if he had not worked so hard that he
brought on one of his bad illnesses, and was obliged to come home.
Now I am sure that he has acted from love, for it was as much his
duty to take pains while Harry was alive as afterwards.'
'Certainly,' said Miss Weston, 'but what does he say himself?'
'Oh! he never will talk of himself,' said Lily.
'Have you not overlooked one thing which may be the truth,' said
Alethea, as if she was asking for information, 'that duty and love
may be identical? Is not St. Paul's description of charity very like
the duty to our neighbour?'
'The practice is the same, but not the theory,' said Lily.
'Now, what is called duty, seems to me to be love doing unpleasant
work,' said Miss Weston; 'love disguised under another name, when
obliged to act in a way which seems, only seems, out of accordance
with its real title.'
'That is all very well for those who have love,' said Lily.
Pages:
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86