Now she raised her white face with dumb pleading in her eyes . The doctor glanced at the sleeping form on the bed . `` Your husband will live , Mrs. Fair , '' he said gently . `` I think your coming saved him . His joy turned the ebbing tide in favour of life . '' `` Thank God ! '' said Emily . And for the first time in her life her beautiful voice trembled . Min The morning sun hung , a red , lustreless ball , in the dull grey sky . A light snow had fallen in the night and the landscape , crossed by spider-like trails of fences , was as white and lifeless as if wrapped in a shroud . A young man was driving down the road to Rykman 's Corner ; the youthful face visible above the greatcoat was thoughtful and refined , the eyes deep blue and peculiarly beautiful , the mouth firm yet sensitive . It was not a handsome face , but there was a strangely subtle charm about it . The chill breathlessness of the air seemed prophetic of more snow . The Reverend Allan Telford looked across the bare wastes and cold white hills and shivered , as if the icy lifelessness about him were slowly and relentlessly creeping into his own heart and life . He felt utterly discouraged . In his soul he was asking bitterly what good had come of all his prayerful labours among the people of this pinched , narrow world , as rugged and unbeautiful in form and life as the barren hills that shut them in . He had been two years among them and he counted it two years of failure . He had been too outspoken for them ; they resented sullenly his direct and incisive tirades against their pet sins . They viewed his small innovations on their traditional ways of worship with disfavour and distrust and shut him out of their lives with an ever-increasing coldness . He had meant well and worked hard and he felt his failure keenly .
His thoughts reverted to a letter received the preceding day from a former classmate , stating that the pastorate of a certain desirable town church had become vacant and hinting that a call was XXXXX be moderated for him unless he signified his unwillingness to accept .
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