CHAPTER V
FORMATIVE PROCESSES
AS when in a patriotic symphony one hears a prolonged orchestration of a nation’s woe, its anguish crying in the strings, its resentments explosive in the brasses, its struggles hinted in the vague ruffle of drums, there begins to be apprehended a note of hope, which swells and grows until the horn takes it up with confidence and sings and soars above the harmonic conflict a pæan of faith; so in preparing to sing its theme a great life is submerged in its community, through periods of prolonged and poignant delay, when affairs obtrude, other voices and other wills are clamorous, and its clear call of faith is drowned for the time, heard only as elfin notes on the inner ear of him who is to play the great strain.
For three years Mary lived with her sister Abigail,
though she spent some time at her father’s home,
where she accepted the new régime unflinchingly
and even lovingly, recognizing freely the good
qualities and capacities of her stepmother. She occupied
herself with writing when strong enough, and
likewise when strong enough assisted her sister in
her social life and entertaining which brought
influential personages to their board. Mr. Tilton
