CHAPTER XX.--"LIGHT AT EVENTIDE."
On the following Sunday evening Carol appeared at Mr. Higgs' cottage atthe usual time.
It seemed almost impossible to believe there had been a break, and thatfor three days he had lain, to mortal sense, between life and death. Soentirely had the cloud rolled away, it was difficult to realize it hadever darkened the horizon.
"I wasn't expecting you, Master Carol, but I'm right glad to see you.It do seem so wonderful that just this time last Sunday all the villagewas waiting for news from the Manor, and I was that sad thinking I'dnever have you come to see me again. The Rector prayed for you inchurch. I was there for the first time for well-nigh two years. 'Well,well,' I said to myself, 'if the Lord takes him, His will be done.'But, oh, I prayed as I've never prayed since we lost our first childthat He wouldn't."
"You do not understand then yet that death can never be God's will.Didn't Jesus say, 'I am come that they might have life, and that theymight have it more abundantly'? If Jesus came to bring us life, doesnot that show that God never sends death?"
"Well, Master Carol, as you put it, maybe it is so, but I'm an old man,and it's what I was taught as a boy, and the belief's grown up wi' me,and somehow I wouldn't like to give up the thought. It's the only thingthat makes the parting bearable--to think God wills it. We put it onthe headstone where we laid our little girl. _Thy will be done_. Aye,I've stood and looked at them words many a time, and they sort o'comforted me. She was our first-born."
"There is another verse which says 'to know God is everlasting life.'In everlasting life there can be no death, can there? Just think ofthis: If the sun were never hidden, and you could keep your eyessteadfastly on the light, you would have no knowledge of darkness--youwould not understand it or believe in it. In the same way when weunderstand that God is ALL, we must lose the thought of and belief indeath. There is no death to those that know we live and move and haveour being in God-Life. Death could not steal one of God's ideas--Hischildren--and destroy it. What seems to die is not God's child. Whatyou buried in the churchyard was not your little girl, and what theycast into the sea, was not my father. They are still living. It is onlythat we do not see them. You know Jesus says, 'In my Father's house aremany mansions.' They have passed on to another mansion--that is all.My cousin has taught me that the mansions Jesus spoke of are not afaroff in a locality called Heaven. We are to-day--you and I--dwelling inone of God's mansions, and it is a higher or a lower mansion accordingas we dwell in the consciousness of good. We have to take all the stepsup to that special place which Jesus has gone to prepare for us. If weare not ready for it, we shall not be able to enter it, even if we havepassed through the door called death. We have to fight and overcome allthat separates us from God. Jesus overcame everything. He put sin anddisease under his feet, and we have just to follow in his steps, knowingthat he prepared the way, and is helping us all the time. Perhaps youdid not think when you had rheumatism that it was a shadow between youand God, did you? You thought it was God's will for you."
"That's true, Master Carol. I just bowed down to it, thinking God choseto afflict me for some special purpose."
"I knew it was not so, when I tried to help you. I always saw youperfect, as God made you, and you know the shadow disappeared. When Ilay in bed a few days ago, and couldn't move, the bruises seemed soreal, and the pain very great, I couldn't think of them as shadows, butmy cousin was able to do it for me, and all disappeared. Neither myaunt nor the doctor seemed able to believe it at first, because they donot understand. Won't it be a happy day when everyone understands thatTruth destroys disease; and when little children have hip-diseasedoctors won't hurt them to try to make them better, as they did me?"
"Did they really?"
"Yes, and the operation did not make me better. But we will not talkabout it. I ought not to remember anything about it. It was all error.Shall we have the chapter again from St. John which tells us 'In myFather's house are many mansions'?"
"Aye, I mind that chapter well. The words just sink down into my heart,and stir up something there, and I've wanted to understand them better.I've thought a lot about it since the last time you talked to me. Iknow He is faithful who promised, the 'works that I do shall he doalso.' As I said before, I'm an old man, Master Carol, and I've beenlooking for it all my life. Why, I've asked myself, don't His servantsand ministers give us the signs He promised?"
"And now what you have been looking for all these years has come--thelight at eventide," Carol said softly, looking beyond the old man witheyes that seemed unconscious of the crimson of the setting sun, as hecaught a glimpse of that marvellous light which 'never was, on land orsea'--spiritual understanding.
"You have been healed, and your little grand-daughter, and I, too, inthe way the Master commanded."
"Aye, it's true, Master Carol. I feel like saying, 'Lord, now lettestthou thy servant depart in peace, for mine eyes have seen thysalvation.' It is His salvation. Maybe when you have read me thatchapter from the Bible, you'll read me some pages of the little bookwhich seems to make things clearer to me, and helps me to understand theBible better."
"I am sorry, I may not," Carol said regretfully, looking at the littlebook which lay beside the old man's Bible. "My uncle has taken my copyof the book away because he did not wish me to read it. It would not behonorable to read from another copy. It will be given back to mesometime. I do not know how or when. Auntie asked me not to stay longthis evening, so I will read the chapter now."
"My daughter'll be sorry she missed coming in. We didn't expect youto-night, Master Carol. She's very grateful to you; her little girlseems quite well now. There's been no return o' the fits. An' myrheumatiz is quite the talk o' th' village. What's took it away? Firstone and then another asks. When I tell 'em th' Lord's healed me--well,well, they just look at me, as if they thunk th' rheumatiz has gone tomy head and turned my brain. Farmer Stubbins says he's coming in onenight to have a talk with me, for he's tried many remedies, but hisrheumatiz keeps getting worse."
"Give him the little book to read, or tell him to get one for himself,"Carol said. Then he read again the chapter he had once before read. Atthe end he closed the book without comment.
Brightly wishing the old man good-night, he left the cottage.