She was brought up in the purple, a maid to brush her hair and tie her shoestrings, but for the last six years she has lived in a four-roomed cottage, and has done the family washing." "Oh, how hard for her!" exclaimed Katherine.
"It was hard, poor Mother!" Jervis said, and his voice grew so tender that the listener understood the previous hardness must have been meant for someone else.

He was silent for some time after that, and, pulling slowly up the river, kept his eyes fixed on the water which was gliding past.
Katherine sat with her gaze fixed on the treetops, whilst her fancies were busy with the poor lady who had fallen from the luxury of having a lady's maid to doing the work of a washerwoman.
"I was to have been a doctor," Jervis said abruptly, taking up the talk just where he had dropped it.

"We were very poor, so I had worked my way on scholarships and that sort of thing.

I was very keen on study, for I meant to make a name for myself.

I believe I should have done too, but----" He broke off suddenly, and, after a pause, Katherine ventured gently: "Don't you think it is the 'buts' which really make us live to some purpose ?" "At least they make a mighty difference in our outlook," he admitted with a smile.