The one thing that kept betsie, corrie, and their father strong was
a sense of adventure
fellowship
endurance
prayer

  this riddles' answer is library.

  the "leaves" are a reference to the books' pages that the library contains; the branches are a network of libraries that connect multiple libraries' collections, resources, and items in a system of a common database, integrating them; the branches' organization are a useful management tool for coordinating the multiple collections many libraries have.

are you kidding? from that description of two mansions, you can't figure out which one is bleak and desolate? maybe you should consider looking those words up in a dictionary, if you don't know what they mean already.

"valley of salt tears" and "dark, deep and foggy" are two images used to establish a mood of uncertainty and regret. this imagery is made up of sensory appeals to brings up   theological concerns of sin and retribution.

they conjure up the human   uncertainty about the divine and its relationship to the world.