They may induce some disease, to which they are disposed by inordinate and sinful sorrow--and die of that--no one dies of grief, or grief would be our most common cause of death.

I think Jane will come out of the Valley of the Shadow a finer and better woman--she was always of a very superior kind." "Mother, you allude to something that troubles me.

I have seen Jane bear and do things lately that a year ago she would have indignantly refused to tolerate.

Is not this a decadence in her superior nature ?" "Thou art speaking too fine for my understanding.

If thou means by 'decadence' that Jane is growing worse instead of better, then thou art far wrong--and if it were that way, I would not wonder if some of the blame--maybe the main part of it--isn't thy fault.