Nanostructured Carbon Nitrides for

Sustainable Energy and Environmental

Applications 1st Edition Shamik
Chowdhury
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NANOSTRUCTURED
CARBON NITRIDES
FOR SUSTAINABLE
ENERGY AND
ENVIRONMENTAL
APPLICATIONS
This page intentionally left blank
Micro and Nano Technologies
NANOSTRUCTURED
CARBON NITRIDES
FOR SUSTAINABLE
ENERGY AND
ENVIRONMENTAL
APPLICATIONS
Edited by

SHAMIK CHOWDHURY
Assistant Professor in the School of Environmental Science
and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur,
West Bengal, India

MU. NAUSHAD
Full Professor in the Department of Chemistry, College of Science,
King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Elsevier
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Contents

Contributors ix
Preface xiii

1. Synthesis and properties of carbon nitride materials 1

Rajangam Vinodh, Raji Atchudan, Moonsuk Yi, and Hee-Je Kim

1. Introduction 1
2. Structure of g-C3N4 2
3. Preparation of g-C3N4 4
4. Summary and outlook 14
Acknowledgment 15
References 15

Section I Sustainable energy applications

2. Exploring smart graphitic carbon nitride material toward flexible
energy storage supercapacitors 21
Meenakshi Talukdar and Pritam Deb
1. Introduction 21
2. Functional properties of g-C3N4 23
3. Future prospects 32
4. Conclusion 35
References 35

3. Carbon nitrides as catalyst support in fuel cells: Current scenario

and future recommendation 39
Chanchal Gupta, Aman Bhardwaj, Rama Kant, and Satyabrata Patnaik
1. Introduction 39
2. Carbon nitride as emerging materials for catalyst support 43
3. Graphitic carbon nitrides as fuel cell electrocatalyst support material 45
4. Summary and outlook 54
Acknowledgment 55
References 55

v
vi Contents

4. Enhancing microbial fuel cell performance by carbon nitride-based

nanocomposites 63
M.M. Ghangrekar, Anil Dhanda, S.M. Sathe, and Indrajit Chakraborty
1. Introduction 63
2. Desirable properties of a cathode catalyst in MFC 66
3. Application of graphitic carbon nitride as cathode catalyst in MFC 67
4. Future scope 74
5. Conclusion 74
Acknowledgment 74
References 74
Further reading 78

5. Solar energy harvesting with carbon nitrides 81

Arabinda Baruah, Nirupamjit Sarmah, Santosh Kumar, Priya Ghosh,
Ritu Malik, and Vijay K. Tomer
1. Introduction 81
2. Magnetically separable g-C3N4-Fe3O4 as visible-light-driven photocatalyst 83
3. Solar energy harvesting using g-C3N4-Ag3PO4 hybrid nanocomposite 91
4. Conclusion and future outlook 101
References 102

Section II Environmental remediation applications

6. Superior adsorption of environmental contaminants onto carbon
nitride materials 111
Ali Khadir, Mehrdad Negarestani, Ebrahim Pakzad,
and Afsaneh Mollahosseini
1. Introduction 111
2. Pollutant removal techniques 112
3. Fundamentals of adsorption 114
4. Carbon nitride-based adsorbents for the removal of toxic metals/heavy metals 115
5. Carbon nitride-based adsorbents for the removal of dyes 123
6. Conclusion 130
References 131

7. Carbon nitride photocatalysts for water treatment and purification 137

Mehdi Al Kausor and Dhruba Chakrabortty
1. Introduction 137
2. Spectroscopic methods for characterization of g-C3N4 and g-C3N4-based materials 143
3. Photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants by g-C3N4 152
 Contents vii

4. Mechanistic pathway of photodegradation by g-C3N4-based materials 162

5. Conclusion and future scope 166
References 167

8. Graphitic carbon nitride-based composites for photocatalytic abatement of

emerging pollutants 175
Shabnam Taghipour, Behzad Ataie-Ashtiani, Seiyed Mossa Hosseini, and King Lun Yeung

1. Introduction 175
2. Emerging pollutants 177
3. Photocatalytic reactions as advanced oxidation processes 177
4. Graphitic-C3N4 179
5. Different morphologies of g-C3N4 181
6. Synthesis methods of g-C3N4 for water purification 186
7. Defects of g-C3N4 188
8. Methods to minimize defects 188
9. Photocatalytic applications of g-C3N4 190
10. Conclusion and future perspectives 200
References 202

9. Artificial photosynthesis by carbon nitride-based composite

photocatalysts 215
Konstantinos C. Christoforidis

1. Elementary steps in photocatalytic processes 218

2. Fundamentals of photocatalytic water splitting and CO2 reduction 220
3. Composite photoactive materials—General remarks 221
4. CN synthesis 222
5. CN-based composite materials for artificial photosynthesis 227
6. Concluding remarks and directions 238
References 239

10. Carbon nitride-based optical sensors for metal ion detection 245
Ekta Sharma, Ashish Guleria, Kulvinder Singh, Ritu Malik, and Vijay K. Tomer

1. Introduction 245
2. Graphitic carbon nitride quantum dots as an optical sensor for Hg2+ ions 247
3. Graphitic carbon nitride quantum dots as an optical sensor for Fe2+ and Fe3+ ions 251
4. Conclusion 255
References 256

Index 261
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Contributors

Behzad Ataie-Ashtiani
Department of Civil Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran

Raji Atchudan
Department of Chemical Engineering, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan, Republic of Korea

Arabinda Baruah
Department of Chemistry, Gauhati University, Guwahati, Assam, India

Aman Bhardwaj
School of Physical Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India

Dhruba Chakrabortty
Department of Chemistry, B.N. College, Dhubri, Assam, India

Indrajit Chakraborty
Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, India

Konstantinos C. Christoforidis
Department of Environmental Engineering, Democritus University of Thrace, Xanthi, Greece;
Institut de Chimie et Procedes Pour l’Energie, l’Environnement et la Sante (ICPEES), ECPM
University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France

Pritam Deb
Advanced Functional Material Laboratory (AFML), Department of Physics, Tezpur University
(Central University), Tezpur, India

Anil Dhanda
Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, India

M.M. Ghangrekar
Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, India

Priya Ghosh
Department of Applied Organic Chemistry, CSIR-NEIST, Jorhat, Assam, India

Ashish Guleria
Department of Applied Sciences, WIT Dehradun, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India

Chanchal Gupta
Department of Chemistry, University of Delhi, New Delhi, India

ix
x Contributors

Seiyed Mossa Hosseini

Physical Geography Department, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

Rama Kant
Department of Chemistry, University of Delhi, New Delhi, India

Mehdi Al Kausor
Department of Chemistry, Science College, Kokrajhar, Assam, India

Ali Khadir
Young Researcher and Elite Club, Yadegar-e-Imam Khomeini (RAH) Shahre Rey Branch,
Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

Hee-Je Kim
School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Pusan National University, Busan, Republic of
Korea

Santosh Kumar
Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom

Ritu Malik
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA, United States

Afsaneh Mollahosseini
Research Laboratory of Spectroscopy & Micro and Nano Extraction, Department of Chemistry,
Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, Iran

Mehrdad Negarestani
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Iran University of Science and
Technology, Tehran, Iran

Ebrahim Pakzad
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Iran University of Science and
Technology, Tehran, Iran

Satyabrata Patnaik
School of Physical Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India

Nirupamjit Sarmah
Department of Chemistry, Gauhati University, Guwahati, Assam, India

S.M. Sathe
Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, India

Ekta Sharma
Department of Chemistry, School of Basic and Applied Sciences, Maharaja Agrasen University,
Baddi, Himachal Pradesh, India
 Contributors xi

Kulvinder Singh
Department of Chemistry, DAV College, Chandigarh, India

Shabnam Taghipour
Department of Civil Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran; Department of
Chemical and Biological Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology,
Hong Kong

Meenakshi Talukdar
Advanced Functional Material Laboratory (AFML), Department of Physics, Tezpur University
(Central University), Tezpur, India

Vijay K. Tomer
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA, United States

Rajangam Vinodh
Department of Electronics Engineering, Pusan National University, Busan, Republic of Korea

King Lun Yeung

Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering; Division of Environment and
Sustainability, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong

Moonsuk Yi
Department of Electronics Engineering, Pusan National University, Busan, Republic of Korea
This page intentionally left blank
Preface

With escalating world population, unsustainable consumption of fossil fuels, insatiable

energy demand, rapid environmental degradation, and global climate change, energy
and environmental issues are receiving considerable attention worldwide in the context
of sustainable development. In order to address these interconnected challenges, the use
of inexpensive, robust, and highly efficient energy conversion/storage devices and envi-
ronmental remediation technologies based on advanced materials has intensified in recent
years. In particular, carbon nitride, a new type of two-dimensional (2D) material, has
stimulated great interest for fundamental scientific investigations and potential practical
applications in a multitude of clean energy technologies (e.g., lithium-ion batteries,
sodium-ion batteries, supercapacitors, fuel cells, microbial fuel cells, solar cells, photo-
electrochemical water splitting devices, and hydrogen storage) and environmental reme-
diation techniques (such as wastewater treatment, water purification, air pollution
control, and climate change mitigation). This can be largely attributed to its excellent
optoelectronic and physicochemical properties, including moderate band gap energy,
adjustable energy band configuration, tailor-made surface functionalities, low cost,
metal-free nature, remarkable thermochemical stability, and environmentally benign
manufacturing protocol. Additionally, due to their polymeric structure, the surface
chemistry of carbon nitrides can be easily tailored by means of surface engineering at
the molecular level, leading to new material systems with novel functionalities. Indeed,
in the last 5 years, over 1000 research articles have been published with a particular focus
on fabricating high-performance nanostructured carbon nitrides for energy conversion
and storage as well as environmental remediation applications. As such, a comprehensive
and up-to-date account of carbon nitride-based 2D materials, explored for sustainable
energy and environmental applications, is highly desirable as it would promote further
advances in this rapidly evolving cross-disciplinary research field of current global inter-
est. To this end, we believe that this book will help the global scientific community to
gain deep insights into various aspects of carbon nitride materials from multidisciplinary
perspectives and in applying these materials to tackle global energy and environmental
challenges in a sustainable manner. Specifically, the book will have a great appeal to
chemists, electrochemists, physical chemists, solid state physicists, chemical engineers,
material scientists, environmental scientists and engineers, and energy specialists. Need-
less to say, this in turn will stimulate further advances in the development of multifunc-
tional materials for clean energy-related applications and environmental remediation.
The book is systematically organized into 10 chapters. Chapter 1 narrates the unique
set of optical, electronic, and chemical properties possessed by carbon nitrides, which

xiii
xiv Preface

make them particularly attractive for energy- and environment-related applications. It

then collates the current state-of-the-art synthesis strategies available to realize carbon
nitride nanostructures with superior physiochemical properties. The next nine chapters
are divided into two sections. Section I focuses on sustainable energy applications
(Chapters 2–5), while Section II deals with environmental remediation applications
(Chapters 6–10).
Chapter 2 summarizes the recent advances in the design and development of exotic
carbon nitride-based electrodes for the creation of supercapacitors with unprecedented
performance. Chapter 3 highlights the recent progress in carbon nitride-based nanoca-
talysts with controllable size and shape for fuel cell applications. Chapter 4 presents a sys-
tematic, updated summary of the current status of the application of carbon nitride-based
materials with high conductivity and biocompatibility in microbial fuel cells (MFCs) and
discusses the key scientific and technological challenges in using them to improve the
performance of MFCs. Chapter 5 provides a broad overview of the latest developments
in carbon nitride-mediated solar energy harvesting for potential applications in steriliza-
tion of waste and seawater desalination.
Chapter 6 critically examines the recent progress in the development of novel carbon
nitride-based nanostructures for fast and efficient removal of a variety of contaminants
from water, with a special focus on interaction mechanisms with contaminant molecules.
Chapters 7 and 8 collate the recent advances in the rational design of carbon nitride-based
photocatalysts, with a special emphasis on graphitic carbon nitride, and highlight their
applications in photocatalytic degradation of environmental contaminants. Chapter 9
provides a systematic overview of the latest progress in the development and application
of carbon nitride-based photocatalysts for CO2 reduction to solar fuels. Chapter 10 intro-
duces the basic principles of sensor design and explores the application of carbon nitride-
based sensors for the on-site detection of various heavy metal ions.
We are thankful to all the lead and contributing authors for sharing their valuable
expertise in various aspects of carbon nitrides without which this book would not have
been possible. We are also grateful to the Elsevier Editorial Project Manager, Cloe
Holland-Borosh, for her constructive feedback, logistical support, and constant
encouragement.
CHAPTER 1

Synthesis and properties of carbon

nitride materials
Rajangam
a
Vinodha, Raji Atchudanb, Moonsuk Yia, and Hee-Je Kimc
Department of Electronics Engineering, Pusan National University, Busan, Republic of Korea
b
Department of Chemical Engineering, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan, Republic of Korea
c
School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Pusan National University, Busan, Republic of Korea

Contents
1. Introduction 1
2. Structure of g-C3N4 2
2.1 Geometric structure 2
2.2 Electronic structure 3
3. Preparation of g-C3N4 4
3.1 Chemical vapor deposition method 4
3.2 Hydrothermal method 6
3.3 Thermal exfoliation method 8
3.4 Solvothermal method 11
3.5 Sol-gel method 13
3.6 Physical vapor deposition 14
4. Summary and outlook 14
Acknowledgment 15
References 15

1. Introduction
Carbon nitrides (C3N4), often referred to as g-C3N4, is a polymeric material containing
carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and few contaminants such as hydrogen (H), which are bonded
through tri-s-triazine-based patterns. The g-C3N4, one of the ancient polymers existing
in the literature, has the molecular formula of (C3N4H)n. The development history of
g-C3N4 can be traced from 1834 [1]. In the 1990s, research work was inspired by the
hypothetical prophecy that diamond-like C3N4 may possess the highest hardness [2].
The g-C3N4 was considered to be a more stable allotrope at room temperature. The
g-C3N4 has a layered structure similar to graphite material, contains Van der Waals force
layers, and every layer is made up of tri-s-triazine units linked to planar –NH2 groups [3].
The ring structure of tri-s-triazine gives the polymer high thermal and chemical stability
in alkaline and acidic conditions [4].
When compared to other materials, g-C3N4 possesses many advantages, such as
(i) low cost, (ii) excellent CO2 activation characteristics because of its nitrogen-rich

Nanostructured Carbon Nitrides for Sustainable Energy and Environmental Applications Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc.
https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-823961-2.00008-2 All rights reserved. 1
2 Nanostructured carbon nitrides for sustainable energy and environmental applications

configuration [5], (iii) photocatalytic CO2 reduction, (iv) it can transfer electrons to sur-
face chemical adsorption sites due to its two-dimensional (2D) layer structure, and (v) the
structure/shape of g-C3N4 structure can be adjusted by optimizing the parameters like
precursors of monomers, time, and temperature of the polymerization reaction; thus,
a minor band off could be attained [6]. Furthermore, co-monomers can be made by add-
ing combinations of monomer molecules preferred to precursors [7]. They can apprecia-
bly alter the capability of light absorption and electron transfer capabilities of g-C3N4 in
organic compound degradation, and hydrogen manufacture and oxidation of NOx
(nitrogen oxides) can be improved by metal stimulants [8].
The semiconducting properties of g-C3N4 differ significantly from that of graphene
sheets with a band gap of 2.7 eV for bulk g-C3N4; this makes it a normal band gap semi-
conductor. The g-C3N4 has an optical absorption peak of about 460 nm because of its
yellow color. The g-C3N4 is one of the excellent materials for producing solar energy
due to its remarkable chemical and thermal stability [9]. Furthermore, g-C3N4, also
known as “melon,” is a stable allotrope. Moreover, g-C3N4 is extracted from the Earth’s
crust, so it is cost-effective and reasonable for commercial utilizations in energy conver-
sion and water splitting [10]. However, its electrical resistance has limited its electroca-
talytic activity [11]. Until now, g-C3N4 is mostly used in its powder form, which
prevents it from being reused for some applications. Therefore, the transformation of
2D construction modules into macroscopic 3D structural designs is critical for many
applications [12].
In this chapter, we give an overview of the basic concepts and structure of g-C3N4, syn-
thesis protocols, as well as the properties of g-C3N4. We firmly hope this will increase of the
growth of g-C3N4. Novel physicochemical properties based on g-C3N4 nanostructures have
not yet been discovered. We are at a crucial juncture to emphasize the development and offer
high-quality evidence for this emerging research topic.

2. Structure of g-C3N4
Usually, g-C3N4 is prepared by the polycondensation of a melamine (MA) precursor,
which is a low-cost nitrogen-containing monomer. Since the discovery of carbon nitride
materials, many efforts have been carried out to conclude how different synthetic pro-
cesses influence the material produced based on its morphology and reactivity.

2.1 Geometric structure

The exact building block of g-C3N4 contains two important units, tri-s-triazine (C6N7)
and s-triazine (C3N4) rings, as shown in Fig. 1.1A and B [13]. Tri-s-triazine is recognized
to be highly stable at room temperature [14]. The two major units of g-C3N4 also show
that tri-s-triazine is thermodynamically more stable based on density functional theory
 Synthesis and properties of carbon nitride materials 3

Fig. 1.1 g-C3N4 structures of (A) s-triazine and (B) tri-s-triazine. (C) A charge-transfer mechanism
for typical g-C3N4. ((A) and (B) Reproduced with the permission from S. Zhang, P. Gu, R. Ma, C. Luo,
T. Wen, G. Zhao, W. Cheng, X. Wang, Recent developments in fabrication and structure regulation of
visible-light-driven g-C3N4-based photocatalysts towards water purification: a critical review, Catal.
Today 335 (2019) 65–77, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cattod.2018.09.013. (C) Reproduced with the
permission from N. Rono, J.K. Kibet, B.S. Martincigh, V.O. Nyamori, A review of the current status of
graphitic carbon nitride, Crit. Rev. Solid State Mater. Sci., https://doi.org/10.1080/10408436.2019.1709414.)

(DFT) calculations [15]. Theoretically, it has been mentioned that the optimal surface
area of a monolayer sheet can be enhanced to approximately 2500 m2 g
1 [16,17]. It usu-
ally consists of a 2D sheet of sp2 carbons [18], whereas g-C3N4 has p-conjugated graphitic
planes produced by a sp2 hybrid of C and N atoms [19]. Fina et al. [20] elucidated the 3D
structure of g-C3N4 via powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) and neutron diffraction tech-
niques. They clearly revealed that the as-synthesized g-C3N4 shows a 3D arrangement
with misalignment of tri-s-triazine-based layers. The layers were misaligned to evade
the repulsive forces of p-electrons in adjacent layers.

2.2 Electronic structure

The g-C3N4 has become a center of debate due to its extraordinary electronic properties
and prospective utilizations [21]. It consists of C and N, which is a sp2 hybrid that forms
the p-conjugated delocalized system. The lone pair of electrons from N causes a lone pair
of valance bands to form, and therefore, creating the band structure [22]. It is important to
note that the lone pair of nitrogen is important in the electronic configuration of g-C3N4
[23]. Theoretical approaches concerning DFT measurements predict that the valance
4 Nanostructured carbon nitrides for sustainable energy and environmental applications

band will have nitrogen Pz orbitals, whereas the conduction band will have carbon Pz
orbitals; therefore, C atoms act as points where reduction occurs, and N atoms act as
points where oxidation occurs [24]. As a photocatalyst, g-C3N4 tends to split the holes
and electrons. The 2.7 eV of band gap allows it to absorb sunlight, which is used to purify
water, produce hydrogen, and used for solar cell applications [25]. Fig. 1.1C represents a
charge transfer in g-C3N4.

3. Preparation of g-C3N4
The g-C3N4 can be prepared by thermal polycondensation of nitrogen-containing pre-
cursors (triazine and heptazine derivatives), such as urea [26], MA (C3H6N6) [27],
dicyandiamide (C2N
3 ) [28], cyanamide (CH2N2) [29], thiourea (CH4N2S) [30], guani-
dinium chloride (CH5N3HCl) [31], guanidine thiocyanate (C2H6N4S) [32], and thio-
urea oxide (CH4N2O2S) [33]. The condensation routes from these C-N precursors are
easy and prominent ways to build a g-C3N4-interpenetrating architecture [34]. Among
them, MA is a common and straight monomer supply to synthesize C-N, whereas the
high bonding energy of the chemical bond between C3H6N6 units and –NH2 groups of
MA is inactivated at low temperatures, without the catalyst, and with no other reaction to
form CN.
It has been argued that the physicochemical characteristics of the resulting g-C3N4
can be severely affected by a variety of precursors and treatments, including pore volume,
surface area, photoluminescence (PL), C and N ratio, absorption, and nanostructures.
Different functionalities and surface modifications have been used to get preferred mor-
phology/structures such as 2D nanosheets (NSs), 3D bulks, 1D nanorods, 2D films, 1D
nanowires, 1D nanotubes, and 0D quantum dots.

3.1 Chemical vapor deposition method

Urakami et al. [35] reported that g-C3N4 films were grown uniformly on the surface of
different substrates by thermal chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method. The stoichio-
metric amount and nature of atomic bonds were characterized, and it was found to be
equivalent to those of ideal g-C3N4. For a PL study, although electron excitation is to
the sp3 C-N conduction band, the sp2 C-N conduction band was identified as the pre-
ferred electron injection from the PL intensity and the excitation-energy dependence of
the PL peak shift. Also, Urakami et al. [36] discussed the growth of borane (B) atoms
attached to the g-C3N4 films in c-plane sapphire substrates by thermal CVD at different
augmentation temperatures (Fig. 1.2). Ammonium borane and MA were used as precur-
sors. The incorporation of B is accomplished at 618°C of growth temperature. It was
higher than the g-C3N4 thin film’s ideal growth temperature to some extent. The signal
peak for the B 1s core position due to the BdN bonds was noticed by XPS, which indi-
cates the perception of B penetration into g-C3N4 films. When the growth temperature
 Synthesis and properties of carbon nitride materials 5

Fig. 1.2 (A) Sketch of in-house how-wall CVD equipment for B/g-C3N4 films; (B) pictorial representation
of the B/g-C3N4 growth process using melamine as precursor and ammonia borane as borane
molecular species. (Reproduced with the permission from N. Urakami, M. Kosaka, Y. Hashimoto,
Chemical vapor deposition of boron-incorporated graphitic carbon nitride film for carbon-based wide
bandgap semiconductor materials, Phys. Status Solidi B 27(2) (2019) 1900375, https://doi.org/10.1002/
pssb.201900375.)

was increased to 650°C, a uniformly enhancing B composition and a declining graphite

composition were noticed, indicating that B atoms are integrated into g-C3N4 as an alter-
native to the graphite sites. Wang et al. [37] prepared ordered cubic mesoporous (OCM)
g-C3N4 by a simple CVD method using MA as the precursor and 3D OCM silica KIT-6
as the template. The synthesized OCM g-C3N4 could be seen to have a 3D cubic sym-
metry with a high surface area (129.8 m2 g
1) and regular pore size (3.5 nm). Due to these
excellent properties, the OCM g-C3N4 showed improved photocatalytic activity to
reduce CO2 with water compared to flak-like g-C3N4. Yadav et al. [38] produced
free-standing films with g-C3N4 nanolayers by the annealing of dicyandiamide
(DCN) using a CVD method. The pyrolysis was carried out under low-pressure (approx-
imately 3 Torr) at 600°C. Furthermore, excitation-dependent PL spectra of the prepared
g-C3N4 film exhibited a stable, strong, and broad emission peak of 459 nm in the visible
region. The free-standing g-C3N4 films showed a blue shift and band sharpening of the
emission spectra (ES) compared to the g-C3N4 powder. Cui et al. [39] reported an easy
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fact that she herself was the cause of their silence. Luke indeed did not notice
that Rachel was not talking, or that he himself had very little opportunity of
doing so, for he was naturally a silent man, having contracted the habit from
having so talkative a mother.

Happily after lunch, Mrs. Greville had to go to some parish engagement so

that Rachel and Luke had their chance of a talk; and finally Luke was called
off to see someone and Rachel had the Bishop to herself.

The talk did her good, specially as she made him laugh over the matter of the
two pies.

"Now that lunch is over," she said laughingly, "I am thankful that I changed
them. I believe it would have given my mother-in-law a terrible shock if she
had found out that I neither wanted nor liked her pie. And perhaps it would
have ended in an estrangement between me and Luke as he would have
probably heard of it, and I am quite sure he would never have understood.
And fancy! All because of a pie! How silly and small I am."

CHAPTER IX.
GWEN.

"I expect that Gwen has been in one of her naughty moods," said Rachel, as
she passed the letter she had received from her mother to Luke when they
were at breakfast. "I was the only one who could do anything with her."

"I see that she is coming instead of Sybil."

"Yes, and I am sure that is the reason. I shall love to have her."

"I think I shall be somewhat afraid of that young person," said Luke with a
laugh. "She is one of the independent kind I noticed at our wedding."

"She is a darling, and I know you will love her. But I own that at times she is
an enfant terrible, one never knows what she is going to say next. One thing,
however, we may be sure of, she is absolutely true, and says what she really
thinks. You must prepare for the worst," she added, laughing, "and you must
overlook her faults. I shall not forgive you if you don't love her. To me she is a
most fascinating little thing."

And Gwen arrived the next day. She was a girl of fifteen, tall and slim, not
exactly pretty; but there was a charm about her that could not be denied, and
Rachel, as she met her at the station, could not help hugging her. She was a
bit of home, fresh and sweet; and carried about with her the atmosphere of
golden cornfields and scented hedges. Rachel had not seen anything so fresh
and full of life since leaving home.

On the other hand Gwen had never seen anything like the darkness and dirt
of the town through which she was passing to Rachel's home. She grew silent
as they drove through the streets.

Rachel wondered what she was thinking of, and tried to distract her attention
by questions about her mother and sister; but only received short answers
and in an absent tone of voice.

At last they reached number 8 Wentworth Road.

"Is this it?" asked Gwen incredulously.

"Yes. It is not pretty, but I have tried to make it nice inside; and have quite got
to love it," answered Rachel. She was a little distressed at Gwen's tone of
voice.

When they had given directions to the cabman to leave the luggage a few
doors further up, Rachel took her sister over the house, and they finally settled
down by the drawing-room fire, as the evenings were beginning to get chilly;
though they had not begun fires, Rachel was bent on having one on the day of
Gwen's arrival.

Gwen drew her chair up almost into the fender, and then clasping her hands
behind her head said, "Now I will answer your questions properly about home.
I really couldn't do so in that awful cab and passing through the town. What a
place it is!"

"I suppose it strikes you as very uninviting, but I have got so used to it that I
hardly notice its deformities."

"Well it is time that someone should come and spy out the land," said Gwen. "I
am sure that Mother has no idea of your surroundings."

Rachel laughed.

"Well don't you go and make the worst of them to her," she said. "I have
purposely not enlarged on the subject, as I did not wish to worry her. Besides,
she would imagine that I was not happy, which would be very far from the
truth. I would far rather live in an ugly dirty town with Luke than in the most
beautiful country in the world without him. When you are a little older, Gwen,
you will understand that."

"No I shan't. No man in the world would make up to me for the country. I
should simply die if I had to live here," she added, looking round the tiny room.
"In fact I can't imagine a really unselfish man asking such a sacrifice from the
girl he loves best in all the world."

Rachel laughed merrily. Gwen had got on to her favourite theme, the
selfishness of men. She was always harping on that subject, Rachel
remembered, at Heathland.

"Well, let us leave that and tell me of home," she said, as she was hungering
for news. Then she suddenly drew Gwen's chair closer to her.

"You dear little thing," she said, smoothing her hair tenderly. "How glad I am to
have you. I'm afraid, however, that you have come because you have been
troublesome at home. Is that so?"

"I've come to spy out the land," answered Gwen with a mischievous smile;
"and it's high time."

"Don't be silly, tell me about Mother and Sybil."

"Mother is a dear and lovely as ever. I wish I had not made her cry last week. I
own I was horrid."

"Oh Gwen! You don't know what it is to be without Mother."

"I'm thankful I don't," said Gwen energetically. "If Mother had seen this place
before you married Luke she would never have let you come. By-the-bye, I
suppose that funny little creature that opened the door for us is not Polly who
you write about?"

"Yes, she is Polly. We are great friends."

"But she is not the only one?"

"Of course she is. Why you don't suppose this tiny house requires more than
one servant do you?"

"But that minute specimen cannot do all that is needed by herself."

"Of course not. I help her. Now don't be stupid Gwen; tell me some more
about home."

Gwen shut her mouth indicative of intense disapproval for a moment; then she
began to talk of Heathland; and Rachel listening, could almost feel the wind
blowing over the moors, and see the hedges just touched with hoarfrost in the
morning. She pictured her Mother walking about the garden with her pretty
soft shady hat which they all thought suited her so well, or lying on the cane
sofa in the verandah speaking to the old gardener in her low musical voice.
The vision of her was so vivid that the tears rushed into Rachel's eyes, and
would have fallen had it not been for Gwen's presence. She was determined
that the tiresome child should not have any excuse for supposing she was not
as happy as a queen.

It was at supper that Luke met the 'young person' as he called her, and had to
confess to himself that he was more alarmed at her than she was of him.

Gwen was afraid of no-one, specially of a mere man, as she had made up her
mind that they were a set of selfish human beings who needed to be taught
what was really required of them, and that one woman was worth ten men;
specially such a woman as Rachel whom she loved devotedly.

In fact the selfishness of Luke had chiefly consisted in her mind in taking her
favourite sister away from her. She knew little but that about him, and though
she had been sent away from home in order that a change might help her to
get rid of her very tiresome mood, she preferred looking upon her visit to
Rachel in the light of a spy.
Was Luke worthy of her? Had he made her comfortable? Did he look well after
her? These were the questions that she intended answering during her visit,
and taking the answer back to her mother and sister.

But she soon found that it would not do to make the object of her visit too plain
to Rachel, as the latter showed signs of being vexed; and she might defeat
her own plan. So when Luke came in to supper she was on her best
behaviour, though at times she could not prevent her lips curling at one or two
of his remarks. It seemed to her that he was wrapped up in his own interests
and noticed nothing else. She did not realise the immense importance of his
interests which were centred in his work.

"We must try and give Gwen a little amusement," said Rachel next morning
before her sister arrived for breakfast, "or we shan't keep her with us. Don't
you think we could take her to the wood this afternoon?"

He told her by all means to go to Deasely Woods, but that he had work which
could not be neglected.

To be in the woods again with Gwen satisfied a longing of Rachel's heart.

They left the dullness and dirt of Trowsby behind them, and wandered among
the trees, treading on the soft carpet of fallen leaves and inhaling the scent of
the damp earth.

"How delicious," Rachel exclaimed.

"Do you often come here?" asked Gwen. She knew what the answer would
be.

"No, Luke can't afford the time. You see the calls on his time are endless in
such a parish."

"Bother the parish!" said Gwen.

"No, no, you must not say that. I don't think you quite realise that a
clergyman's life is quite different to that of other people. You would not
approve of a doctor neglecting his patients for pleasure. Well a clergyman is a
physician of souls. And after all souls are more important than bodies."

"I don't know anything about souls," said Gwen.

"Of course you do, don't talk nonsense."

"No, I don't. I don't think I am sure that we have souls. But I am not peculiar in
this. The papers and books are full of doubts of all sorts."

"But my dear child, why do you read such books? We want to build ourselves
up in our most holy faith, and not to read all the views on the other side. How
do you see these books?"

"I find them in the library. Sometimes I wish I had not read them, but you know
I read everything I can get hold of."

Rachel made up her mind to ask Luke to have a talk with Gwen. She was very
distressed at what she told her.

"Luke says that we must not be surprised at all the doubts and strange
theories that are about just now, as he believes we are living in the last days
and must expect the devil to be extra busy. I am sure he is right."

"Don't let us talk of the last days," said Gwen, "but enjoy the country while we
have a chance. You must pine for it in that horrid place."

"I am too busy to think much about it," said Rachel, and she added, "when I
do I turn my thoughts to Luke, and feel how much I have to be thankful for in
having him."

Gwen laughed a little unbelievingly; and on returning to Trowsby, she felt she
could not endure more than a few days in it although her favourite sister lived
there. Of course she helped Rachel with the household work, and made fun of
it; but she hated it for all that, and could not understand how Rachel could
endure it after her life at home. She studied Luke attentively and critically;
nothing escaped her, and a day or two before she left, he heard a knock at his
study door and on opening it found Gwen facing him.

"I want to talk about something very important," she said.

Luke was in the midst of writing a paper to be read at a clerical meeting, and
was sorry to be interrupted; but he invited her in with a smile and drew up a
chair for her. She seated herself and then looked up at him gravely. He
wondered what was coming. Gwen's expression of face was severe.

"I suppose you know how unwell Rachel is," she began.

"Unwell?" said Luke startled.

"Yes, she is quite different to what she was at home. She has lost all her
spirits and looks. Do you mean to say you have not noticed?"

"No, certainly I have not," said Luke. "She is always very bright."

"That's just like a man," said Gwen scornfully. "They never notice when their
wives look ill. They are all alike. Rachel is working far too hard, it will wear her
out."

Luke rose greatly concerned and leant against the mantle piece looking down
at his severe young judge, anxiously.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Perfectly sure. She can't stand this life; having never been used to it. It is all
very well for girls who have been taught how to do things. Some of them quite
like it. But Rachel has never been taught and it is killing her, slowly."

Luke leant his head on his hand which rested on the mantle piece and fixed
sad eyes on the girl. He was too perplexed and worried to speak.

"Rachel positively slaves for you," continued Gwen unmercifully, "but you don't
see or notice. Why only the other evening she carried a heavy coal scuttle into
the dining-room and you were so deep in your paper that you never saw. You
don't see or know half that goes on. But all men are alike. Certainly from all I
see of married life I never intend to marry; if I do I am determined to be an old
man's darling rather than a young man's slave."

Worried as Luke was, he could not resist a smile, as the thought crossed his
mind that Gwen would probably never have the chance of being either. He
could not imagine any man falling in love with such an audacious young
person. His smile however quickly disappeared as Gwen said:

"I suppose you love her still?"

"Love her!" He grew white and his eyes flashed so fiercely that Gwen for a
moment quailed.

"Child, you don't know what you are talking about," he said, and stood looking
at her with amazement and anger.

"Well you don't seem to. At home when you were engaged I now and then
intercepted glances between you that almost reconciled me to losing my
favourite sister, as I was assured by them that she was all the world to you,
and that you would take care of her. But now you scarcely seem aware of her
presence, and she might be a piece of furniture for all the attention she gets. I
can't think how she can bear it."

Had Luke not remembered his calling, and had he not been accustomed to
keep himself in check, he would have shaken the girl who had constituted
herself as his judge. As it was he went towards his writing table and began
arranging his papers, saying:

"I am sorry I cannot spare you any more time. When you are a little older you
will understand more of the meaning of love," he added looking at her gravely,
"that a man and his wife are so one that it is perfectly unnecessary for them to
remind each other of their existence or of their love for one another. Happily
for me Rachel understands and absolutely trusts me."

Gwen rose.

"But that does not explain about the coal scuttle business," she said, "I do
hope Luke," she added, "that you will take care of her. She has given up
everything for you."

Luke held the door open for Gwen politely, and was silent. Then he locked it
after her and sitting down by his desk tried to write. But he found this was
impossible. He felt all on edge. How dared the child talk as she did; but when
his irritation had subsided the remembrance of her words fell like lead on his
heart. Was it a fact Rachel had lost her spirits and that Gwen saw a real
change in her since her marriage?

He began pacing up and down his study while a terrible anxiety weighed upon
his mind. Was she not happy? Did she regret the step she had taken? And the
fear that every now and then had attacked him as to the rightfulness of taking
her away from her happy home, gained ground.

He could laugh off the ridiculous fuss Gwen had made about the coal scuttle.
Of course he had been quite unaware of Rachel carrying the heavy weight
across the room. He was able so to concentrate his attention on what he was
reading that he seldom noticed what was passing round about him, unless he
was trying to solve some difficult problem, when every sound disturbed him.
But he was so used to reading while Rachel moved about the room that he
had noticed nothing till he remembered Gwen had called out to him, "Luke,
don't you see that Rachel is carrying the scuttle?" when he had risen at once,
but too late.
That it proved in the very least that he was not careful of her he would not
admit for a moment. Neither did he pay any heed to Gwen's ridiculous fancy
that because he was not always showing his devotion to his wife by his
glances, his affection had waned. These ideas did not trouble him; but the fact
that Gwen had noticed Rachel was looking and had lost her spirits was quite
another thing, and it worried him exceedingly.

Meanwhile Gwen had gone into the drawing-room where she found Rachel
writing home. She turned round at the sound of her entrance.

"What have you been talking to Luke about?" she said a little anxiously. "You
have been a long time in the study."

"I have been giving him a lecture," answered Gwen, seating herself on a low
chair by the writing table.

"What?" exclaimed Rachel. She could hardly believe she heard aright.

"I have been giving him a lecture," repeated Gwen. "Husbands occasionally
need one."

"My dear child what do you mean?" said her sister laying down her pen. "I had
hoped you might have been having a nice helpful talk with him."

"Well, I hope it has been helpful to him."

"You sound as if you had been rather impertinent," said Rachel not pleased.
"What have you been saying?"

"All husbands are alike," answered Gwen. "They get nice girls to marry them,
taking them away from their homes, and no sooner have they got them than
they seem to forget their existence. I have been studying husbands lately, that
is to say since my friend Mabel married. Men are fearfully selfish."

Rachel looked gravely at her sister.

"Gwen, I advise you to wait to give out your opinions till you are a little older.
You really talk like a very silly child. I hope if you have been saying anything
impertinent to Luke that you will apologise to him before you are an hour
older. I am quite horrified at you."

Rachel's face was flushed, and Gwen saw she was more angry with her than
she had ever been in her life. But she was not daunted. Here was her
favourite sister, whom she adored, tied for life to a man who was engrossed in
his parish and had no time whatever to think of her. She felt boiling with rage.

"I certainly shall not apologise," she said, "it would take away any little good
my words may have done. I think I have come to spy out the land none too
soon, and that Luke will awake to see that what I have said anyhow has some
sense in it, and that he will not let you carry the coal scuttle another time."

Rachel looking at Gwen's earnest and rather anxious face repented that she
had been so stern with her. After all she was only an ignorant child. She could
not expect an old head on young shoulders; besides, Gwen was always
putting her foot into it, talking of things about which she really knew nothing.
The family took her sayings for what they were worth and laughed at them.
She wished she had not taken her so seriously.

But the fact was, that Rachel was conscious that Luke sometimes surprised
her by not doing what he would have done during their courtship. He had
been very chivalrous in those days, and more careful of her than was
necessary. Now he often let her do things for him which he would in those
days have done for her. At times the consciousness of this had a little hurt her;
he seemed to have lost, where she was concerned, his old world courtesy.
She remembered feeling ashamed when Mrs. Stone had come to tea, that he
had let her, his wife, do all the waiting while he sat still and talked. He was so
interested in his conversation that he had never noticed it.

But these were such very little things after all, that Rachel had made up her
mind not to notice them. However, the fact that Gwen had noticed them made
her feel sore and somewhat indignant with her sister. But glancing again at the
child who had tears in her eyes at the thought that Rachel was wasted on
Luke, anger fled, and an amused smile took its place.

"Oh Gwen dear," she said, "I wish you could see how ridiculous you are. What
do all those little things matter when people love one another as Luke and I
love? You see you are too young to understand. I really advise you to put
away your silly imaginations." She ended up with a laugh.

"Well then," said Gwen, "I will give you advice, rather than Luke. Why don't
you teach him what to do?"

Rachel laughed out loud. "Don't be foolish," she said.

"I'm not foolish," said Gwen earnestly. "But I have read, and I think it is
probably true, that a woman can make a man what she wants him to be."
"Explain yourself," said Rachel amused.

"I mean that you should teach him to remember that as a husband he is
bound to follow your wishes. Tell him, for instance, to fetch the coals for you;
to open the door when you have your hands full; and to hand the tea about
when you have people. I have noticed that Mrs. Graham, who has one of the
best of husbands, does this, and the consequence is that he waits on her as if
he were her slave. You know, Rachel, at present you are Luke's slave."

"Well now you have done your lecture," said Rachel good-humouredly, "So
we'll go out, and I hope to hear no more of it; but I feel strongly you ought to
ask Luke's pardon for what must have struck him as great impertinence."

"I shall do no such thing," said Gwen. "I think you will find that he profits by my
words."

But as Luke took her home as usual at night, leaving her at the door of the
house in which was her room, having talked to her as if nothing had,
happened, Gwen felt rather small. It did not look much as if he had profitted or
indeed remembered her lecture. This was decidedly snubbing, but then Gwen
was used to being snubbed.

CHAPTER X.
THE TRAINING BEGINS.

Rachel was not very sorry to remember that Gwen would be leaving in a few
days. She might do a great deal of mischief if she stayed longer with them.
Anyhow she would probably make Luke unhappy if she talked to him in the
same way as she had spoken to her.

But there was only one part of Gwen's conversation that had effect on Luke,
and that was the fear of Rachel's health suffering from the change from the
country to the overpopulated town.

When he had left Gwen at the door of her lodging, he hurried home, and after
hanging up his hat in the hall, made his way to the drawing-room where he
knew he would find Rachel. She was working, but on his entrance looked up,
and their eyes meeting, both knew that Gwen was the subject of their
thoughts. Rachel was the first to speak.

"I don't know exactly what that silly child has been saying to you," she said,
"but I'm afraid she has been very impertinent."

"Well I can't deny that she has said some outrageous things," he said
laughing, "but after all she is only a child."

"And you must forgive her," said Rachel. "We never take any notice of what
Gwen says. She gets the most ridiculous notions into her head. I hope you are
not letting the thought of her worry you."

"A great deal of what she said was sheer nonsense," he answered, "but I own
what she hinted about your health distresses me. I only hope it is not true."

"My health? But what did she say? I am perfectly well."

"She has made me so anxious that I want you to go home with her for a few
weeks."

"Go home! And leave you behind! No thank you. It would do me no good at
all. Besides, I am perfectly well and don't need a change. What a stupid little
thing she is; but do look over her folly and try and like her," said Rachel. "She
has such good points. For instance, she is perfectly true."

"Possibly," said Luke, smiling; then he added, "I can't say I am exactly
enamoured of her."

"No, but when you know her better you will see her virtues. I am afraid she
has been really impertinent to you."

Luke did not answer. He leaned forward and looked at Rachel anxiously.
"Are you sure that you are feeling well? Gwen seems to think that you are
tired out. Is that the fact?"

"Tired out? What with? I have only this tiny house to see after; in fact I don't
think I have enough to do."

Luke sighed a sigh of relief.

"Then I needn't worry?"

"Certainly not. Put it right from your mind. It is only a child's nonsense."

And Luke did as he was asked and worried no more about her.

He left her to write some letters before going to bed, and Rachel sat working;
but her thoughts were busy.

Although Gwen had talked a great deal of nonsense was there not a grain of
truth in some of her words? "A woman can make a man what she wants him
to be," she had said: she had evidently read this in a book, it had not come out
of her own little head. Rachel supposed there was some truth in the words;
and possibly she had been unwise herself in not insisting more that the
attentions that had been shown her during her courtship should not be
dropped now that they were man and wife. She was afraid that she had
unwisely done things herself instead of asking Luke to do them, and then was
surprised that he had lost the habit of waiting upon her. She had got in the
way of waiting on him and of saving him all extra effort when he came in from
his work in the parish.

She knew that in Luke's case it was often simply absentmindedness that
prevented him seeing of what she was in need at the moment. Once buried in
a book nothing would arouse him save her voice; or if he was in the midst of
an argument with a fellow clergyman, he would quite unconsciously allow
Rachel to help them both to tea though it meant rising from her seat. At times
she had felt a little indignant at the two men sitting while she served them; but
on the other hand if at her request he handed round the hot tea cake, he
would stand with the plate in his hand talking, while the contents got cold, or
would absently hold the kettle while Rachel watched in anxiety lest the water
should pour out on to the carpet, or on to his foot. It was easier to do these
things herself. She had not known that anyone notice these little omissions on
Luke's part; but evidently Gwen had taken count of them at once.
"A woman can make a man what she wants him to be." Yes, but save in these
few insignificant matters Luke was exactly what she wanted him to be, and in
these small matters perhaps she had been at fault, not him. Gwen had
opened her eyes; though she would not tell her so. Rachel felt that she had
made it easy for him to neglect little home courtesies. When the child had
gone she would behave somewhat differently.

Gwen came to breakfast next morning just as if nothing had occurred between
her and her brother-in-law: and Luke, who had put away the thought of
Rachel's health being affected by living in Trowsby, was too large-minded to
bear any grudge to the girl for the audacious things she had said to him. He
banished them from his mind, recognising the fact that Gwen was after all only
a child, and would learn better by-and-bye.

Rachel, however, found her a little trying, as Gwen after breakfast, took her to
task about more than one matter.

"You should be the President of a Mutual Improvement Society, Gwen," she

said laughing. "You have got terribly into the habit of setting people to rights,
or rather trying to do so. You want to go through a course of snubbing, my
child. Have you apologised to Luke yet?"

"Certainly not. And you know Rachel I can't help thinking that my lecture has
done him good. When I came in I saw him actually pouring the water into the
tea pot for you."

Rachel laughed, but she did not inform Gwen that she had begun the training
of her husband that morning. And that Luke had risen to it as if it were a
matter of course. He was, in fact, perfectly unconscious that he had not
always poured the water from the kettle into the teapot for his wife.

"You see I was right after all," continued Gwen. "Men only want to be taught
what to do."

"You were a very impertinent little girl," said Rachel. "And Luke felt you to be
so, only he is too kind and noble to remind you of it this morning."

"Well I shall remind him of it later on," said Gwen calmly, "as I have a few
more home truths to tell him."

"I forbid you to do anything of the sort," said Rachel, really angry now. "You
have no idea how ashamed I am of you, nor how much harm you might have
done if Luke was not as good and kind as he is."
Gwen, who was helping to clear away the breakfast things, stood still with the
plates she was carrying and looked at Rachel.

That the sister to whom she was so devoted could possibly speak to her in
such a severe tone of voice when she had been doing all she could, as far as
she knew, to help her, went to her heart. She stood still and looked at her with
tears in her eyes.

"Are you really ashamed of me?" she asked with a catch in her voice.

"Yes I am. I can't think how you could possibly have spoken impertinently to
Luke."

Gwen gave a little sob.

"I didn't mean to be impertinent," she said, "It was only because I love you so
much and couldn't bear to find you in this horrid pokey little house and looking
ill and tired. I don't see why you should feel ashamed of me when it was all my
love that did it," and Gwen laid down the plates to find her handkerchief.

Rachel's tender heart relented.

"Don't cry Gwen dear," she said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I know you
didn't mean to do any harm; and as a matter of fact I am sure no harm has
been done; but you must remember it does not do to talk over a wife with a
husband. It is not wise."

Gwen threw her arms round Rachel promising to ask Luke's pardon for
speaking as she did. She assured Rachel she would do anything in the world
for her. And she kept her promise. No sooner did she hear Luke open the front
door and go up to his study just before dinner, than she ran after him. She
was no coward.

"I expect I was impertinent to you yesterday," she said, looking at him straight
in the face, "at least Rachel tells me I was. I didn't mean to be; only I meant to
tell you the truth and you know husbands do sometimes need the truth to be
told them."

Luke laughed heartily.

"Happily," he said, "it was not the truth so it does not signify in the least. I
shan't think of it again."
"Oh but it was the truth," said Gwen flushing, "but I don't mean to say anything
more about it. I might perhaps have said it more gently and in a more polite
manner; and I'm awfully sorry that Rachel is ashamed of me."

Luke fancied he heard a little catch in her voice and looked at her kindly. He
could hardly refrain from laughing out loud at her.

"Well you can put it out of your head and not think of it any more. I quite
appreciate the fact that it was out of your love and anxiety for Rachel that you
spoke as you did, and so we will be good friends again."

Gwen looked down and her lips trembled. "Thank you," she said. "And you will
take care of her, won't you."

He patted her on the shoulder and told her to run away as he was busy. And
Gwen, having no more to say, obeyed; but she felt rather small.

She resented the pat on her shoulder just as if she were a child. She was not
sure that she liked Luke at all.

"I can't think," said Gwen after dinner, as she and her sister were sitting
working in the drawing-room, "how it is that you don't show in the least that
you do any house work. You look as dainty and as pretty as ever."

Rachel laughed.

"When I began to realise that a great part of my day would be taken up with
dusting," she answered, "I bought the prettiest overall I could find."

"You look as if you had just come straight out of the garden and ought to have
your hands full of roses." Gwen looked with adoring eyes at her sister, adding:

"But there is a new expression on your face somehow. I think you are really
prettier than ever."

"If so it is love that has made me so," said Rachel.

Gwen laughed. "I don't quite believe that," she said.

Rachel smiled to herself, as she thought of the day on which she had bought
the overall, and had shown it to her mother-in-law with pride.

Mrs. Greville had looked at it critically, remarking:

"But you need not have gone to the expense of getting such a fanciful thing.
You could have got a yard or two of some good strong material and made it up
yourself. It would have served your purpose quite as well."

"I don't think so," Rachel answered laughing, "you see I like to be ornamental
as well as useful."

"You need not worry about making yourself ornamental," said Mrs. Greville.
"What you really want to do is to strive to be useful."

"Oh mayn't I be both? I do believe in beauty. I think our houses and everything
we possess should be made as beautiful as possible. It makes life easier and
happier." Unconsciously she looked round at the drab walls and ugly furniture.

Rachel would not on any account have complained of either to her mother-in-
law; and her glance round had not been meant to imply anything of the sort to
her. It had been done before she realised what she was doing or how her look
might be interpreted. But by the sudden change in Mrs. Greville's expression
of face she recognised what a mistake she had made.

Mrs. Greville had put a great restraint on herself ever since Rachel's arrival,
and had been most careful not to show her disappointment in Luke's choice of
a wife, to her daughter-in-law.

But Rachel's unappreciative glance round at the walls and furniture hurt her
inexpressibly, as she had lain awake many nights planning how she could
make the little house as homelike and attractive as possible. She quite
thought she had succeeded. Having lived all her life with early Victorian
furniture she saw nothing ugly in it; and indeed it struck her as both homelike
and comfortable. She had, moreover, spared several pieces of furniture which
she had decidedly missed when she had had to turn out into a barely
furnished room for the sake of her son's wife. But evidently nothing that she
had done for Rachel's comfort was appreciated. The disappointment was so
great that she turned a little pale.

"I am sorry Rachel," she said, in a strained tone of voice, "that we were not
able to supply you with Sheraton furniture. You see you have changed a
luxurious home for a poor one and must bear the consequences. We have to
cut our coat according to our cloth. I am sorry that our efforts are so painful to
you."

Rachel had flushed crimson.

She was tongue-tied for the moment. She could not tell a lie and say that the
furniture, which she had labelled in her mind as hideous, was to her taste. She
looked beseechingly at Mrs. Greville.

"I am sorry, my dear, if I have distressed you by my remark," said Mrs.

Greville, "but don't try to explain the look you gave at the furniture, I could not
possibly mistake its meaning."

Then while Rachel in her confusion and distress murmured her regret, Mrs.
Greville looked round the dining-room.

"I think perhaps I ought to have had the walls papered afresh and a lighter
colour," she had said. "I daresay it looks a little dull to a young creature like
you, and," she added, remorse getting the better of her, "I ought to be grateful
to you, for though you don't like my papers you love my son," and Mrs.
Greville ended by bestowing a hearty kiss on her son's wife before hurrying
away.

Rachel was left standing in the middle of the room with her eyes full of tears.
Something about her mother-in-law had touched her for the first time; and she
began to wonder if she might not possibly in the future learn to love her. She
wondered too how she could ever look her in the face again. She must have
seemed so terribly ungrateful and ungracious, not to say ill mannered. But her
glance round the room at the walls and its furniture had been quite involuntary,
and she had had no intention whatever of letting Mrs. Greville know how she
disliked them.

She smiled now as she remembered her mother-in-law's criticism on her

pretty overall, but the smile faded as she realised that though she had taken
the Bishop's advice and was trying hard not to allow her thoughts to rest on
the trials that she had had to meet in her new home, she had not by any
means yet succeeded in learning to love her mother-in-law.
 CHAPTER XI.
THE CHOIR THREATEN TO STRIKE.

It had not taken Rachel long to discover that she had married an untidy man.
Being very tidy and dainty in her ways herself, this discovery was rather a
shock to her. But she came to the conclusion that Luke's mind was so full of
the things that really mattered, that the less important things were nothing to
him though they meant a great deal to her.

Remembering her promise, the morning after she had prepared his study for
him, she had awakened earlier than usual and had gone there the first thing.
She had promised him that she would be responsible for keeping it in order
and that Polly should have nothing to do with it. On opening the door she
stood still and laughed at what she saw.

It looked to her in terrible disorder! Though he tried to convince her afterwards

that there was such a thing as a tidy untidyness. He knew just where
everything was, he said, and could lay his hand upon it.

But to Rachel's eyes disorder reigned.

Because the waste paper basket was not just at hand, he had thrown on to
the floor his many torn up letters. Books were piled on the ground. His table
was strewn with papers: there was scarcely a chair without some volume of
reference on its seat.

Rachel picked up all the torn letters putting them into the waste paper basket,
arranged the books, with a certain amount of trepidation, on the shelves, and
finally lifted up every letter and paper from the table to dust them, laying them
back in exactly the same position as she found them. She opened the window
carefully, anxious lest some of the papers that strewed the desk should take to
themselves wings and fly away.

It amused her the first morning, she felt that Luke had indeed needed a study.
But the care of the room added to her work and took time as she had to be so
careful not to disturb anything. And in her heart of hearts she wished that Luke
was tidy!
Another thing that troubled her was the fact that on the muddiest days Luke
would run upstairs without wiping his boots. He was always in such a
desperate hurry to get through the numberless letters that awaited his
attention on his study writing table that he would hurriedly hang up his hat in
the hall, and then spring upstairs two steps at a time and shut himself in. The
necessity of rubbing his boots never occurred to him. His mind was full of
important matters, things that had just taken place, and letters that had to be
posted. Then to brush his coat and hat before going out never crossed his
mind. He was always so hurried, and Rachel supposed that he expected to
find everything that was necessary to be done, done for him.

When the snow came in December she remonstrated with him once about his
boots, and on looking at the marks of his footsteps on the stairs he was filled
with remorse, as he recognised that he had made unnecessary work for
Rachel.

But he forgot it next time, and his wife felt that to remind him again and again
would only worry and fret him. For she recognised that the work he had to get
through was immense and that it was her duty to make life as easy for him as
possible. He worked far too hard, and it seemed to Rachel that the time he
could spend in his own home grew shorter every month. She was getting used
to it, and though at times the winter evenings felt long to her, and it was
somewhat of an effort not to give way to low spirits, she fought bravely against
melancholy, and always had a smile of welcome for her husband.

She had made a few friends by the winter and now and then Mrs. Stone would
run in with her knitting to spend the evening with her.

Rachel was conscious that Luke by his outspokenness made enemies and
that all was not harmonious in the parish, so it was a comfort to know that in
Mrs. Stone, both she and her husband had a valiant supporter, and that she
would act as peacemaker whenever she had the chance.

It must be confessed, however, that Mrs. Stone liked the role she had
undertaken for she was very fond of giving advice. She had taken a fancy to
Rachel and pitied her. Mrs. Greville, senior, was no favourite of hers, and
though Rachel was far too loyal to talk over her husband's mother with any
parishioner, Mrs. Stone could not but gather sometimes from silences on
Rachel's part, and by what she saw and heard from others, that Mrs. Greville
was deeply disappointed in her son's wife; and naturally a sensitive girl like
Rachel must be aware of the fact. It was to Mrs. Stone's credit that she kept
her views to herself and discussed no-one belonging to the Vicar with his
parishioners.