Emily has confessed that she worked away
a good deal of vague, weary depression, and sense of monotony into
those Greek choruses: but to us she was always a sunbeam, with her
ever ready attention, and the playfulness which resumed more of
genuine mirth after the first effort and strain of spirits were
over.
Then journal-letters on either side began to bridge the gulf of
separation,--those which, minus all the specially interesting
portions, are to be seen in the volume we culled from them, and
which had considerable success in its day.
Martyn worked in the parish and read with Mr. Henderson till he was
old enough for Ordination, and then took the curacy of St.
Wulstan's, under a hardworking London vicar, and thenceforth his
holidays were our festivals. Our old London friends pitied us for
what they viewed as a fearfully dull life, and in the visits they
occasionally paid us thought they were doing us a great favour by
bringing us new ideas and shooting our partridges.
We hardly deserved their compassion: our lives were full of
interest to ourselves--that interest which comes of doing ever so
feeble a stroke of work in one great cause; and there was much keen
participation in the general life of the Church in the crisis
through which she was passing. We found that, what with drawing
pictures, writing little books, preparing lessons for teachers, and
much besides which is now ready done by the National Society and
Sunday School Institute, we could do a good deal to assist Martyn in
his London work, and our own grew upon us.
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