People began to think she had gone away

People began to think she had gone away In the next few weeks， however， she became more cheerful， and went to church one Sunday morning． She loved listening to the well－known tunes， and gave herself up to the beauty of the music．She wondered at the composer's power． From the grave he could make a girl like her， who had never known him，feel extremes of emotion． She sat in a quiet，dark corner listening to the service．But when the village people arrived at church they noticed her and started whispering to each other．She knew what they were saying and realized she could come to church no more．

So she spent almost all her time in her bedroom，which she shared with the children． From here she watched the wind， the snow，the rain，beautiful sunsets and full moons，one after another．People began to think she had gone away． She only went out after dark， to walk in the woods and the fields． She was not afraid of the dark or the shadows； it was people she was anxious to avoid．

She was at home on the lonely hills， but she felt guilty surrounded by innocent nature． When it rained， she thought nature was crying at her weakness，and when the midnight wind blew she thought nature was angry with her．But she did not realize that although she had broken an accepted social rule， she had done nothing dicount against nature． She was as innocent as the sleeping birds in the trees，or the small field animals in the hedges．