第9章
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  Bonaparteknewthatshecomprehendednotasyllable;butheunderstoodthatitistheeye,thetone,theaction,andnotatalltherationalword,thattouchesthelove—chords。Hesawshechangedcolour。

  \"Allnight,\"saidBonaparte,\"Ilieawake;Iseenaughtbutthyangeliccountenance。Iopenmyarmstoreceivethee——whereartthou,where?Thouartnotthere!\"saidBonaparte,suitingtheactiontothewords,andspreadingouthisarmsanddrawingthemtohisbreast。

  \"Oh,please,Idon’tunderstand,\"saidTrana,\"Iwanttogoaway。\"

  \"Yes,yes,\"saidBonaparte,leaningbackinhischair,tohergreatrelief,andpressinghishandsonhisheart,\"sincefirstthyamethystinecountenancewasimpressedhere——whathaveInotsuffered,whathaveInotfelt?Oh,thepangsunspoken,burningasanardentcoalinafieryanduncontaminatedbosom!\"saidBonaparte,bendingforwardagain。

  \"DearLord!\"saidTranatoherself,\"howfoolishIhavebeen!Theoldmanhasapaininhisstomach,andnow,asmyauntisout,hehascometometohelphim。\"

  ShesmiledkindlyatBonaparte,andpushingpasthim,wenttothebedroom,quicklyreturningwithabottleofreddropsinherhand。

  \"Theyareverygoodforbenauwdheid;mymotheralwaysdrinksthem,\"shesaid,holdingthebottleout。

  Thefaceinthetrap—doorwasafieryred。Likeatiger—catreadytospring。TantSanniecrouched,withtheshoulderofmuttoninherhand。

  ExactlybeneathherstoodBonaparte。Sheroseandclaspedwithbotharmsthebarrelofsaltmeat。

  \"What,roseofthedesert,nightingaleofthecolony,thatwiththineamorouslaywhilestthelonesomenight!\"criedBonaparte,seizingthehandthatheldthevonlicsense。Nay,strugglenot!Flyasastrickenfawnintothearmsthatwouldembracethee,thou——\"

  Hereastreamofcoldpickle—water,heavywithribsandshoulders,descendingonhisheadabruptlyterminatedhisspeech。Half—blinded,Bonapartelookedupthroughthedropsthathungfromhiseyelids,andsawtheredfacethatlookeddownathim。Withonewildcryhefled。Ashepassedoutatthefrontdoorashoulderofmutton,well—directed,strucktheblackcoatinthesmalloftheback。

  \"Bringtheladder!bringtheladder!Iwillgoafterhim!\"criedtheBoer—

  woman,asBonaparteBlenkinswildlyfledintothefields……

  LateintheeveningofthesamedayWaldokneltonthefloorofhiscabin。

  Hebathedthefootofhisdogwhichhadbeenpiercedbyathorn。Thebruisesonhisownbackhadhadfivedaystohealin,and,exceptalittlestiffnessinhismovements,therewasnothingremarkableabouttheboy。

  Thetroublesoftheyoungaresoonover;theyleavenoexternalmark。Ifyouwoundthetreeinitsyouththebarkwillquicklycoverthegash;butwhenthetreeisveryold,peelingthebarkoff,andlookingcarefully,youwillseethescartherestill。Allthatisburiedisnotdead。

  Waldopouredthewarmmilkoverthelittleswollenfoot;Dosslayveryquiet,withtearsinhiseyes。Thentherewasatapatthedoor。InaninstantDosslookedwideawake,andwinkedthetearsoutfrombetweenhislittlelids。

  \"Comein,\"saidWaldo,intentonhiswork;andslowlyandcautiouslythedooropened。

  \"Goodevening,Waldo,myboy,\"saidBonaparteBlenkinsinamildvoice,notventuringmorethanhisnosewithinthedoor。\"Howareyouthisevening?\"

  Dossgrowledandshowedhislittleteeth,andtriedtorise,buthispawhurthimsohewhined。

  \"I’mverytired,Waldo,myboy,\"saidBonaparteplaintively。

  Dossshowedhislittlewhiteteethagain。Hismasterwentonwithhisworkwithoutlookinground。Therearesomepeopleatwhosehandsitisbestnottolook。Atlasthesaid:

  \"Comein。\"

  Bonapartesteppedcautiouslyalittlewayintotheroom,andleftthedooropenbehindhim。Helookedattheboy’ssupperonthetable。

  \"Waldo,I’vehadnothingtoeatallday——I’mveryhungry,\"hesaid。

  \"Eat!\"saidWaldoafteramoment,bendingloweroverhisdog。

  \"Youwon’tgoandtellherthatIamhere,willyou,Waldo?\"saidBonapartemostuneasily。\"You’veheardhowsheusedme,Waldo?I’vebeenbadlytreated;you’llknowyourselfwhatitissomedaywhenyoucan’tcarryonalittleconversationwithaladywithouthavingsaltmeatandpickle—waterthrownatyou。Waldo,lookatme;doIlookasagentlemanshould?\"

  Buttheboyneitherlookedupnoranswered,andBonapartegrewmoreuneasy。

  \"Youwouldn’tgoandtellherthatIamhere,wouldyou?\"saidBonaparte,whiningly。\"There’snoknowingwhatshewoulddotome。I’vesuchtrustinyou,Waldo;I’vealwaysthoughtyousuchapromisinglad,thoughyoumayn’thaveknownit,Waldo。\"

  \"Eat,\"saidtheboy,\"Ishallsaynothing。\"

  Bonaparte,whoknewthetruthwhenanotherspokeit,closedthedoor,carefullyputtingonthebutton。Thenhelookedtoseethatthecurtainofthewindowwascloselypulleddown,andseatedhimselfatthetable。Hewassoonmunchingthecoldmeatandbread。Waldokneltonthefloor,bathingthefootwithhandswhichthedoglickedlovingly。Onceonlyheglancedatthetable,andturnedawayquickly。

  \"Ah,yes!Idon’twonderthatyoucan’tlookatme,Waldo,\"saidBonaparte;\"myconditionwouldtouchanyheart。Yousee,thewaterwasfatty,andthathasmadeallthesandsticktome;andmyhair,\"saidBonaparte,tenderlytouchingthelittlefringeatthebackofhishead,\"isallcakedoverlikealittleplank;youwouldn’tthinkitwashairatall,\"

  saidBonaparte,plaintively。\"Ihadtocreepallalongthestonewallsforfearshe’dseeme,andwithnothingonmyheadbutaredhandkerchief,tiedundermychin,Waldo;andtohideinaslootthewholeday,withnotamouthfuloffood,Waldo。Andshegavemesuchablow,justhere,\"saidBonaparte。

  Hehadclearedtheplateofthelastmorsel,whenWaldoroseandwalkedtothedoor。

  \"Oh,Waldo,mydearboy,youarenotgoingtocallher,\"saidBonaparte,risinganxiously。

  \"Iamgoingtosleepinthewagon,\"saidtheboy,openingthedoor。

  \"Oh,wecanbothsleepinthisbed;there’splentyofroom。Dostay,myboy,please。\"

  ButWaldosteppedout。

  \"Itwassuchalittlewhip,Waldo,\"saidBonaparte,followinghimdeprecatingly。\"Ididn’tthinkitwouldhurtyousomuch。Itwassuchalittlewhip。Iamsureyoudidn’ttakethepeaches。Youaren’tgoingtocallher,Waldo,areyou?\"

  Buttheboywalkedoff。

  Bonapartewaitedtillhisfigurehadpassedroundthefrontofthewagon—

  house,andthenslippedout。Hehidhimselfroundthecorner,butkeptpeepingouttoseewhowascoming。HefeltsuretheboywasgonetocallTantSannie。Histeethchatteredwithinwardcoldashelookedroundintothedarknessandthoughtofthesnakesthatmightbitehim,andthedreadfulthingsthatmightattackhim,andthedeadthatmightariseoutoftheirgravesifhesleptoutinthefieldallnight。Butmorethananhourpassedandnofootstepapproached。

  ThenBonapartemadehiswaybacktothecabin。Hebuttonedthedoorandputthetableagainstitand,givingthedogakicktosilencehiswhiningwhenthefootthrobbed,heclimbedintobed。Hedidnotputoutthelight,forfearoftheghost,but,wornoutwiththesorrowsoftheday,wassoonasleephimself。

  Aboutfouro’clockWaldo,lyingbetweentheseatsofthehorse—wagon,wasawakenedbyagentletouchonhishead。

  Sittingup,heespiedBonapartelookingthroughoneofthewindowswithalightedcandleinhishand。

  \"I’mabouttodepart,mydearboy,beforemyenemiesarise,andIcouldnotleavewithoutcomingtobidyoufarewell,\"saidBonaparte。

  Waldolookedathim。

  \"Ishallalwaysthinkofyouwithaffection\"saidBonaparte。\"Andthere’sthatoldhatofyours,ifyoucouldletmehaveitforakeepsake——\"

  \"Takeit,\"saidWaldo。

  \"Ithoughtyouwouldsayso,soIbroughtitwithme,\"saidBonaparte,puttingiton。\"TheLordblessyou,mydearboy。Youhaven’tafewshillings——justatrifleyoudon’tneed——haveyou?\"

  \"Takethetwoshillingsthatareinthebrokenvase。\"

  \"MaytheblessingofmyGodrestuponyou,mydearchild,\"saidBonaparte;

  \"mayHeguideandblessyou。Givemeyourhand。\"

  Waldofoldedhisarmsclosely,andlaydown。

  \"Farewell,adieu!\"saidBonaparte。\"MaytheblessingofmyGodandmyfather’sGodrestonyou,nowandevermore。\"

  Withthesewordstheheadandnosewithdrewthemselves,andthelightvanishedfromthewindow。

  Afterafewmomentstheboy,lyinginthewagon,heardstealthyfootstepsastheypassedthewagon—houseandmadetheirwaydowntheroad。Helistenedastheygrewfainterandfainter,andatlastdiedawayaltogether,andfromthatnightthefootstepofBonaparteBlenkinswasheardnomoreattheoldfarm。

  ENDOfPARTI。

  PARTII。

  \"Anditwasallplay,andnoonecouldtellwhatithadlivedandworkedfor。Astriving,andastriving,andanendinginnothing。\"

  Chapter2。I。TimesandSeasons。

  Waldolayonhisstomachonthesand。SinceheprayedandhowledtohisGodinthefuel—housethreeyearshadpassed。

  Theysaythatintheworldtocometimeisnotmeasuredoutbymonthsandyears。Neitherisithere。Thesoul’slifehasseasonsofitsown;

  periodsnotfoundinanycalendar,timesthatyearsandmonthswillnotscan,butwhichareasdeftlyandsharplycutofffromoneanotherasthesmoothly—arrangedyearswhichtheearth’smotionyieldsus。

  Tostrangereyesthesedivisionsarenotevident;buteach,lookingbackatthelittletrackhisconsciousnessilluminates,seesitcutintodistinctportions,whoseboundariesaretheterminationofmentalstates。

  Asmandiffersfromman,sodifferthesesouls’years。Themostmateriallifeisnotdevoidofthem;thestoryofthemostspiritualistoldinthem。Anditmaychancethatsome,lookingback,seethepastcutoutafterthisfashion:

  I。

  Theyearofinfancy,wherefromtheshadowybackgroundofforgetfulnessstartoutpicturesofstartlingclearness,disconnected,butbrightlycoloured,andindeliblyprintedinthemind。Muchthatfollowsfades,butthecoloursofthosebaby—picturesarepermanent。

  Thererises,perhaps,awarmsummer’sevening;weareseatedonthedoorstep;wehaveyetthetasteofthebreadandmilkinourmouth,andtheredsunsetisreflectedinourbasin。

  Thenthereisadarknight,where,wakingwithafearthatthereissomegreatbeingintheroom,werunfromourownbedtoanother,creepclosetosomelargefigure,andarecomforted。

  Thenthereisremembranceofthepridewhen,onsomeone’sshoulder,withourarmsaroundtheirhead,weridetoseethelittlepigs,thenewlittlepigswiththeircurledtailsandtinysnouts——wheredotheycomefrom?

  Remembranceofdelightinthefeelandsmellofthefirstorangeweeversee;ofsorrowwhichmakesusputupourlip,andcryhard,whenonemorningwerunouttotryandcatchthedewdrops,andtheymeltandwetourlittlefingers;ofalmightyanddespairingsorrowwhenwearelostbehindthekraals,andcannotseethehouseanywhere。

  Andthenonepicturestartsoutmorevividlythanany。

  Therehasbeenathunderstorm;theground,asfarastheeyecanreach,iscoveredwithwhitehail;thecloudsaregone,andoverheadadeepblueskyisshowing;faroffagreatrainbowrestsonthewhiteearth。We,standinginawindowtolook,feelthecool,unspeakablysweetwindblowinginonus,andafeelingoflongingcomesoverus——unutterablelonging,wecannottellforwhat。Wearesosmall,ourheadonlyreachesashighasthefirstthreepanes。Welookatthewhiteearth,andtherainbow,andthebluesky;andoh,wewantit,wewant——wedonotknowwhat。Wecryasthoughourheartwasbroken。Whenoneliftsourlittlebodyfromthewindowwecannottellwhatailsus。Werunawaytoplay。

  Solooksthefirstyear。

  II。

  Nowthepicturesbecomecontinuousandconnected。Materialthingsstillrule,butthespiritualandintellectualtaketheirplaces。

  Inthedarknightwhenweareafraidweprayandshutoureyes。Wepressourfingersveryharduponthelids,andseedarkspotsmovingroundandround,andweknowtheyareheadsandwingsofangelssenttotakecareofus,seendimlyinthedarkastheymoveroundourbed。Itisveryconsoling。

  Inthedaywelearnourletters,andaretroubledbecausewecannotseewhyk—n—o—wshouldbeknow,andp—s—a—l—mpsalm。Theytellusitissobecauseitisso。Wearenotsatisfied;wehatetolearn;welikebettertobuildlittlestonehouses。Wecanbuildthemasweplease,andknowthereasonforthem。

  Otherjoystoowehaveincomparablygreatertheneventhebuildingofstonehouses。

  Wearerunthroughwithashudderofdelightwhenintheredsandwecomeononeofthosewhitewaxflowersthatliebetweentheirtwogreenleavesflatonthesand。Wehardlydarepickthem,butwefeelcompelledtodoso;andwesmellandsmelltillthedelightbecomesalmostpain。Afterwardwepullthegreenleavessoftlyintopiecestoseethesilkthreadsrunacross。

  Beyondthekopjegrowsomepale—green,hairy—leavedbushes。Wearesosmall,theymeetoverourhead,andwesitamongthem,andkissthem,andtheyloveusback;itseemsasthoughtheywerealive。

  Onedaywesitthereandlookupatthebluesky,anddownatourfatlittleknees;andsuddenlyitstrikesus,Whoarewe?ThisI,whatisit?

  Wetrytolookinuponourselves,andourselfbeatsbackuponourself。

  Thenwegetupingreatfearandrunhomeashardaswecan。Wecan’ttellanyonewhatfrightenedus。Weneverquitelosethatfeelingofselfagain。

  III。

  Andthenanewtimerises。Wearesevenyearsold。Wecanreadnow——readtheBible。BestofallwelikethestoryofElijahinhiscaveatHoreb,andthestillsmallvoice。

  Oneday,anotableone,wereadonthekopje,anddiscoverthefifthchapterofMatthew,andreaditallthrough。Itisanewgold—mine。ThenwetucktheBibleunderourarmandrushedhome。Theydidn’tknowitwaswickedtotakeyourthingsagainifsomeonetookthem,wickedtogotolaw,wickedto——!Wearequitebreathlesswhenwegettothehouse;wetellthemwehavediscoveredachaptertheyneverheardof;wetellthemwhatitsays。Theoldwisepeopletellustheyknewallaboutit。Ourdiscoveryisamare’s—nesttothem;buttousitisveryreal。Thetencommandmentsandtheold\"Thoushalt\"wehaveheardaboutlongenoughanddon’tcareaboutit;butthisnewlawsetsusonfire。

  Wewilldenyourself。Ourlittlewagonthatwehavemade,wegivetothelittleKaffers。Wekeepquietwhentheythrowsandatus(feeling,oh,sohappy)。Weconscientiouslyputthecrackedteacupforourselvesatbreakfast,andtaketheburntroaster—cake。Wesaveourmoney,andbuythreepenceoftobaccofortheHottentotmaidwhocallsusnames。Weareexoticallyvirtuous。Atnightweareprofoundlyreligious;eventhetickingwatchsays,\"Eternity,eternity!hell,hell,hell!\"andthesilencetalksofGod,andthethingsthatshallbe。

  Occasionally,also,unpleasantlyshrewdquestionsbegintobeaskedbysomeone,weknownotwho,whositssomewherebehindourshoulder。Wegettoknowhimbetterafterward。

  Nowwecarrythequestionstothegrown—uppeople,andtheygiveusanswers。Wearemoreorlesssatisfiedforthetime。Thegrown—uppeopleareverywise,andtheysayitwaskindofGodtomakehell,andverylovingofHimtosendmenthere;andbesides,hecouldn’thelpHimself,andtheyareverywise,wethink,sowebelievethem——moreorless。

  IV。

  Thenanewtimecomes,ofwhichtheleadingfeatureis,thattheshrewdquestionsareaskedlouder。Wecarrythemtothegrown—uppeople;theyanswerus,andwearenotsatisfied。

  Andnowbetweenusandthedearoldworldofthesensesthespirit—worldbeginstopeepin,andwhollycloudsitover。Whataretheflowerstous?

  Theyarefuelwaitingforthegreatburning。Welookatthewallsofthefarmhouseandthematter—of—factsheep—kraals,withthemerrysunshineplayingoverall;anddonotseeit。Butweseeagreatwhitethrone,andhimthatsitsonit。AroundHimstandagreatmultitudethatnomancannumber,harpersharpingwiththeirharps,athousandtimestenthousand,andthousandsofthousands。Howwhitearetheirrobes,washedinthebloodoftheLamb!Andthemusicriseshigher,andrendsthevaultofheavenwithitsunutterablesweetness。Andwe,aswelisten,everandanon,asitsinksonthesweetest,lowestnote,hearagroanofthedamnedfrombelow。

  Weshudderinthesunlight。

  \"Thetorment,\"saysJeremyTaylor,whosesermonsourfatherreadsaloudintheevening,\"comprisesasmanytormentsasthebodyofmanhasjoints,sinews,arteries,etc。,beingcausedbythatpenetratingandrealfireofwhichthistemporalfireisbutapaintedfire。Whatcomparisonwilltherebebetweenburningforahundredyears’spaceandtobeburningwithoutintermissionaslongasGodisGod!\"

  Werememberthesermonthereinthesunlight。Onecomesandaskswhywesittherenoddingsomoodily。Ah,theydonotseewhatwesee。

  \"Amoment’stime,anarrowspace,Dividesmefromthatheavenlyplace,Orshutsmeupinhell。\"

  SosaysWesley’shymn,whichwesingeveningbyevening。Whatmattersunshineandwalls,menandsheep?

  \"Thethingswhichareseenaretemporal,butthethingswhicharenotseenareeternal。\"Theyarereal。

  TheBiblewebearalwaysinourbreast;itspagesareourfood;welearntorepeatit;weweepmuch,forinsunshineandinshade,intheearlymorningorthelateevening,inthefieldorinthehouse,thedevilwalkswithus。

  Hecomestoarealperson,copper—colouredface,headalittleononeside,foreheadknit,askingquestions。Believeme,itwerebettertobefollowedbythreedeadlydiseasesthanbyhim。Heisneversilenced——withoutmercy。

  Thoughthedropsofbloodstandoutonyourhearthewillputhisquestion。

  Softlyhecomesup(weareonlyaweebitchild);\"IsitgoodofGodtomakehell?WasitkindofHimtoletnoonebeforgivenunlessJesusChristdied?\"

  Thenhegoesoff,andleavesuswrithing。Presentlyhecomesback。

  \"DoyouloveHim?\"——waitsalittle。\"DoyouloveHim?Youwillbelostifyoudon’t。\"

  Wesaywetryto。

  \"Butdoyou?\"Thenhegoesoff。

  Itisnothingtohimifwegoquitemadwithfearatourownwickedness。

  Heaskson,thequestioningdevil;hecaresnothingwhathesays。Welongtotellsomeone,thattheymayshareourpain。Wedonotyetknowthatthecupofafflictionismadewithsuchanarrowmouththatonlyonelipcandrinkatatime,andthateachman’scupismadetomatchhislip。

  Onedaywetrytotellsomeone。Thenagraveheadisshakensolemnlyatus。Wearewicked,verywicked,theysayweoughtnottohavesuchthoughts。Godisgood,verygood。Wearewicked,verywicked。Thatisthecomfortweget。Wicked!Oh,Lord!dowenotknowit?Isitnotthesenseofourownexceedingwickednessthatisdryingupouryoungheart,fillingitwithsand,makingalllifeadust—binforus?

  Wicked?Weknowit!Tooviletolive,tooviletodie,tooviletocreepoverthis,God’searth,andmoveamongHisbelievingmen。Hellistheoneplaceforhimwhohateshismaster,andtherewedonotwanttogo。Thisisthecomfortwegetfromtheold。

  Andonceagainwetrytoseekforcomfort。Thistimegreateyeslookatuswondering,andlovelylittlelipssay:

  \"Ifitmakesyousounhappytothinkofthesethings,whydoyounotthinkofsomethingelse,andforget?\"

  Forget!Weturnawayandshrinkintoourself。Forget,andthinkofotherthings!Oh,God!dotheynotunderstandthatthematerialworldisbutafilm,througheveryporeofwhichGod’sawfulspiritworldisshiningthroughonus?Wekeepasfarfromothersaswecan。

  Onenight,arareclearmoonlightnight,wekneelinthewindow;everyoneelseisasleep,butwekneelreadingbythemoonlight。Itisachapterintheprophets,tellinghowthechosenpeopleofGodshallbecarriedontheGentiles’shoulders。Surelythedevilmightleaveusalone;thereisnotmuchtohandleforhimthere。Butpresentlyhecomes。

  \"Isitrightthereshouldbeachosenpeople?ToHim,whoisfathertoall,shouldnotallbedear?\"

  Howcanweanswerhim?Wewerefeelingsogoodtillhecame。WeputourheaddownontheBibleandblisteritwithtears。Thenwefoldourhandsoverourheadandpray,tillourteethgrindtogether。Oh,thatfromthatspirit—world,sorealandyetsosilent,thatsurroundsus,onewordwouldcometoguideus!Weareleftalonewiththisdevil;andGoddoesnotwhispertous。SuddenlyweseizetheBible,turningitroundandround,andsayhurriedly:

  \"ItwillbeGod’svoicespeakingtous;Hisvoiceasthoughweheardit。\"

  WeyearnforatokenfromtheinexorablySilentOne。

  Weturnthebook,putourfingerdownonapage,andbendtoreadbythemoonlight。ItisGod’sanswer。Wetremble。

  \"ThenfourteenyearsafterIwentupagaintoJerusalemwithBarnabas,andtookTituswithmealso。\"

  Foraninstantourimaginationseizesit;wearetwisting,twirling,tryingtomakeanallegory。Thefourteenyearsarefourteenmonths;wearePaulandthedevilisBarnabas,Titusis——Thenasuddenloathingcomestous:

  weareliarsandhypocrites,wearetryingtodeceiveourselves。WhatisPaultous——andJerusalem?WeareBarnabasandTitus?Weknownotthemen。Beforeweknowweseizethebook,swingitroundourhead,andflingitwithallourmighttothefurtherendoftheroom。Weputdownourheadagainandweep。

  Youthandignorance;isthereanythingelsethatcanweepso?Itisasthoughthetearsweredropsofbloodcongealedbeneaththeeyelids;nothingelseislikethosetears。Afteralongtimeweareweakwithcrying,andliesilent,andbychanceweknockagainstthewoodthatstopsthebrokenpane。Itfalls。Uponourhotstifffaceasweetbreathofwindblows。Weraiseourhead,andwithourswolleneyeslookoutatthebeautifulstillworld,andthesweetnight—windblowsinuponus,holyandgentle,likealovingbreathfromthelipsofGod。Overusadeeppeacecomes,acalm,stilljoy;thetearsnowflowreadilyandsoftly。Oh,theunutterablegladness!Atlast,atlastwehavefoundit!\"ThepeacewithGod。\"\"Thesenseofsinsforgiven。\"Alldoubtvanished,God’svoiceinthesoul,theHolySpiritfillingus!WefeelHim!WefeelHim!Oh,JesusChrist,throughyou,throughyouthisjoy!Wepressourhandsuponourbreastandlookupwardwithadoringgladness。Softwavesofblissbreakthroughus。

  \"ThepeacewithGod。\"\"Thesenseofsinsforgiven。\"Methodistsandrevivalistssaythewords,andthemockingworldshootsoutitslip,andwalksbysmiling——\"Hypocrite。\"

  Therearemorefoolsandfewerhypocritesthanthewiseworlddreamsof。

  Thehypocriteisrareasicebergsinthetropics;thefoolcommonasbuttercupsbesideawater—furrow:whetheryougothiswayorthatyoutreadonhim;youdarenotlookatyourownreflectioninthewaterbutyouseeone。Thereisnocantphrase,rottenwithage,butitwasthedressofalivingbody;nonebutatheartitsignifiesarealbodilyormentalconditionwhichsomehavepassedthrough。

  Afterhoursandnightsoffrenziedfearofthesupernaturaldesiretoappeasethepowerabove,afiercequiveringexcitementineveryinchofnerveandbloodvessel,therecomesatimewhennaturecannotendurelonger,andthespringlongbentrecoils。Wesinkdownemasculated。Upcreepsthedeadlydeliciouscalm。

  \"Ihaveblottedoutasacloudthysins,andasathickcloudthytrespasses,andwillrememberthemnomoreforever。\"Weweepwithsofttransportingjoy。

  Afewexperiencethis;manyimaginetheyexperienceit,onehereandthereliesaboutit。Inthemain,\"ThepeacewithGod;asenseofsinsforgiven,\"standsforacertainmentalandphysicalreaction。Itsrealitythoseknowwhohavefeltit。

  Andwe,onthatmoonlightnight,putdownourheadonthewindow,\"Oh,God!

  wearehappy,happy;thychildforever。Oh,thankyou,God!\"andwedropasleep。

  NextmorningtheBiblewekiss。WeareGod’sforever。Wegoouttowork,anditgoeshappilyallday,happilyallnight;buthardlysohappily,nothappilyatall,thenextday;andthenextnightthedevilasksus,\"whereisyourHolySpirit?\"

  Wecannottell。

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