,,the ,,voice ,,by ,,margaret ,,deland ,,chapter ,i ,dr4 ,lavendar1 said ,william ,king1 some time when ,goliath is doing his #b4dj on a plank road1 don't you want to pull him up at that house on the ,perryville pike where the ,grays used to live1 and make a call8 ,an old fellow called ,roberts has taken it2 he is a-- ,teach your grandmother1 said ,dr4 ,lavendar2 he is an ,irvingite4 ,he comes from ,lower ,ripple1 down on the ,ohio1 and he has a daughter1 ,philippa4 ,oh1 said ,dr4 ,king1 you know 'em1 do you8 ,know them8 ,of course ,i know them6 ,do you think you are the only man who tries to enlarge his business8 ,but ,i was not successful in my efforts4 ,the old gentleman doesn't go to any church2 and the young lady inclines to the ,perryville meeting-house--the parson there is a nice boy4 ,she is an attractive young creature1 said the doctor1 smiling at some pleasant memory2 the kind of girl a man would like to have for a daughter4 ,but did you ever know such an old-fashioned little thing6 ,well1 she's like the girls ,i knew when ,i was the age of the ,perryville parson1 so ,i suppose you'd call her old-fashioned1 ,dr4 ,lavendar said4 ,there aren't many such girls nowadays2 sweet-tempered and sensible and with some fun in 'em4 ,why don't you say 'good1' too8 ,william ,king inquired4 ,unnecessary1 ,dr4 ,lavendar said1 scratching ,danny's ear2 anybody who is amiable1 sensible1 and humorous is good4 ,can't help it4 ,the father is good1 ,william ,king said1 but he is certainly not sensible4 ,he's an old donkey1 with his ,,tongues and his ,,voice6 ,dr4 ,lavendar's face sobered4 ,no1 he said1 he may be an ,irvingite1 but he isn't a donkey4 ,what on earth is an ,irvingite1 anyhow8 ,william asked4 ,dr4 ,lavendar looked at him1 pityingly3 ,william1 you are so ridiculously young6 ,well1 ,i suppose you can't help it4 ,my boy1 about the time you were born1 there was a man in ,london--some folks called him a saint1 and some folks called him a fool2 it's a way folks have had ever since our ,lord came into this world4 ,his name was ,irving1 and he started a new sect4 7,dr4 ,lavendar was as open-minded as it is possible for one of his ,church to be1 but even he said sect when it came to outsiders47 ,he started this new sect1 which believed that the ,holy ,ghost would speak again by human lips1 just as on the ,day of ,pentecost4 ,well1 there was 'speaking' in his congregation2 sort of outbursts of exhortation1 you know4 ,mostly unintelligible4 ,i remember ,dr4 ,alexander said it was 'gibberish'2 he heard some of it when he was in ,london4 ,it may have been 'gibberish1' but nobody can doubt ,irving's sincerity in thinking it was the ,voice of ,god4 ,when he couldn't understand it1 he just called it an 'unknown tongue4' ,of course he was considered a heretic4 ,he was put out of his ,church4 ,he died soon after1 poor fellow4 ,doesn't ,mr4 ,roberts's everlasting arguing about it tire you out8 ,william asked4 ,oh no1 ,dr4 ,lavendar said1 cheerfully2 when he talks too long ,i just shut my eyes2 he never notices it6 ,he's a gentle old soul4 ,when ,i answer back--once in a while ,i really have to speak up for the ,protestant ,episcopal ,church--,i feel as if ,i had kicked ,danny4 ,william ,king grinned4 ,then he got up and1 drawing his coat-tails forward1 stood with his back to the jug of lilacs in ,dr4 ,lavendar's fireplace4 ,oh1 well1 of course it's all bosh1 he said1 and yawned2 ,i was on a case till four o'clock this morning1 he apologized4 ,william1 said ,dr4 ,lavendar1 admiringly1 what an advantage you fellows have over us poor parsons6 ,everything a medical man doesn't understand is 'bosh'6 ,now1 we can't classify things as easily as that4 ,well1 ,i don't care1 ,william said1 doggedly2 from my point of view-- ,from your point of view1 said ,dr4 ,lavendar1 ,st4 ,paul was an epileptic1 because he heard a ,voice8 ,if you really want to know what ,i think-- ,i don't1 ,dr4 ,lavendar said2 ,i want you to know what ,i think4 ,mr4 ,roberts hasn't heard any ,voice1 yet2 he is only listening for it4 ,william1 listening for the ,voice of ,god isn't necessarily a sign of poor health2 and provided a man doesn't set himself up to think he is the only person his ,heavenly ,father is willing to speak to1 listening won't do him any harm4 ,as for ,henry ,roberts1 he is a humble old man4 ,an example to me1 ,william6 ,i am pretty arrogant once in a while4 ,i have to be1 with such men as you in my congregation4 ,no2 the real trouble in that household is that girl of his4 ,it isn't right for a young thing to live in such an atmosphere4 ,william agreed sleepily4 ,pretty creature4 ,wish ,i had a daughter just like her1 he said1 and took himself off to make up for a broken night's rest4 ,but ,dr4 ,lavendar and ,danny still sat in front of the lilac-filled fireplace1 and thought of old ,henry ,roberts listening for the ,voice of ,god1 and of his ,philippa4 ,the father and daughter had lately taken a house on a road that wandered over the hills between elderberry-bushes and under sycamores1 from ,old ,chester to ,perryville4 ,they were about half-way between the two little towns1 and they did not seem to belong to either4 ,perryville's small manufacturing bustle repelled the silent old man whom ,dr4 ,lavendar called an ,irvingite2 and ,old ,chester's dignity and dull aloofness repelled young ,philippa4 ,the result was that the ,robertses and their one woman servant1 ,hannah1 had been living on the ,perryville pike for some months before anybody in either village was quite aware of their existence4 ,then one day in ,may1 ,dr4 ,lavendar's sagging old buggy pulled up at their gate1 and the old minister called over the garden wall to ,philippa3 ,won't you give me some of your apple blossoms8 ,that was the beginning of ,old ,chester's knowledge of the ,roberts family4 ,a little later ,perryville came to know them1 too3 the ,rev4 ,john ,fenn1 pastor of the ,perryville ,presbyterian ,church1 got off his big1 raw-boned ,kentucky horse at the same little white gate in the brick wall at which ,goliath had stopped1 and walked solemnly--not noticing the apple blossoms--up to the porch4 ,henry ,roberts was sitting there in the hot twilight1 with a curious listening look in his face--a look of waiting expectation2 it was so marked1 that the caller involuntarily glanced over his shoulder to see if any other visitor was approaching2 but there was nothing to be seen in the dusk but the roan nibbling at the hitching-post4 ,mr4 ,fenn said that he had called to inquire whether ,mr4 ,roberts was a regular attendant at any place of worship4 ,to which the old man replied gently that every place was a place of worship1 and his own house was the ,house of ,god4 ,john ,fenn was honestly dismayed at such sentiments--dismayed1 and a little indignant2 and yet1 somehow1 the self-confidence of the old man daunted him4 ,it made him feel very young1 and there is nothing so daunting to ,youth as to feel young4 ,therefore he said1 venerably1 that he hoped ,mr4 ,roberts realized that it was possible to deceive oneself in such matters4 ,it is a dangerous thing to neglect the means of grace1 he said4 ,surely it is1 said ,henry ,roberts1 meekly2 after which there was nothing for the caller to do but offer the ,irvingite a copy of the ,american ,messenger and take his departure4 ,he was so genuinely concerned about ,mr4 ,roberts's danger1 that he did not notice ,philippa sitting on a stool at her father's side4 ,but ,philippa noticed him4 ,so1 after their kind1 did these two shepherds of souls endeavor to establish a relationship with ,henry and ,philippa ,roberts4 ,and they were equally successful4 ,philippa gave her apple blossoms to the old minister1--and went to ,mr4 ,fenn's church the very next ,sunday4 ,henry ,roberts accepted the tracts with a simple belief in the kindly purpose of the young minister1 and stayed away from both churches4 ,but both father and daughter were pleased by the clerical attentions3 ,i love ,dr4 ,lavendar1 ,philippa said to her father4 ,i am obliged to ,mr4 ,fenn1 her father said to ,philippa4 ,the youth1 he added1 cares for my soul4 ,i am obliged to any one who cares for my soul4 ,he was1 indeed1 as ,dr4 ,lavendar said1 a man of humble mind2 and yet with his humbleness was a serene certainty of belief as to his soul's welfare that would have been impossible to ,john ,fenn1 who measured every man's chance of salvation by his own theological yardstick1 or even to ,dr4 ,lavendar1 who thought salvation unmeasurable4 ,but then neither of these two ministers had had ,henry ,roberts's experience4 ,it was very far back1 that experience2 it happened before ,philippa was born2 and when they came to live between the two villages ,philippa was twenty-four years old4444 ,it was in the thirties that young ,roberts1 a tanner in ,lower ,ripple1 went to ,england to collect a small bequest left him by a relative4 ,the sense of distance1 the long weeks at sea in a sailing-vessel1 the new country and the new people1 all impressed themselves upon a very sensitive mind1 a mind which1 even without such emotional preparation1 was ready to respond to any deeply emotional appeal4 ,then came the appeal4 ,it was that new gospel of the ,tongues1 which1 in those days1 astounded and thrilled all ,london from the lips of ,edward ,irving--fanatic1 saint1 and martyr6--the man who1 having prayed that ,god would speak again in prophecy1 would not deny the power of prayer by refusing to believe that his prayer was answered1 even though the prophecy was unintelligible4 ,and later1 when the passionate cadences of the spirit were in ,english1 and were found to be only trite or foolish words1 repeated and repeated in a wailing chant by some sincere1 hysterical woman1 he still believed that a new day of ,pentecost had dawned upon a sinful world6 ,for1 said he1 when ,i asked for bread1 would ,god give me a stone8 ,henry ,roberts went to hear the great preacher and forgot his haste to receive his little legacy so that he might hurry back to the tanyard4 ,irving's eloquence entranced him1 and it alone would have held him longer than the time he had allowed himself for absence from the tannery4 ,but it happened that he was present on that ,lord's ,day when1 with a solemn and dreadful sound1 the ,tongues first spoke in that dingy ,chapel in ,regent ,square1 and no man who heard that ,sound ever forgot it6 ,the mystical youth from ,america was shaken to his very soul4 ,he stayed on in ,london for nearly a year1 immersing himself in those tides of emotion which swept saner minds than his from the somewhat dry land of ordinary human experience4 ,that no personal revelation was made to him1 that the searing benediction of the ,tongues had not touched his own awed1 uplifted brow1 made no difference3 he believed6--and prayed ,god to help any lingering unbelief that might be holding him back from deeper knowledges4 ,to the end of his days he was ,edward ,irving's follower2 and when he went back to ,america it was as a missionary of the new sect1 that called itself by the sounding title of ,the ,catholic ,apostolic ,church4 ,in ,lower ,ripple he preached to any who would listen to him the doctrine of the new ,pentecost4 ,at first curiosity brought him hearers2 his story of the ,voice1 dramatic and mysterious1 was listened to in doubting silence2 then disapproved of--so hotly disapproved of that he was sessioned and read out of ,church4 ,but in those days in western ,pennsylvania1 mere living was too engrossing a matter for much thought of tongues and voices2 it was easier1 when a man talked of dreams and visions1 not to argue with him1 but to say that he was crazy4 ,so by and by ,henry ,roberts's heresy was forgotten and his religion merely smiled at4 ,certainly it struck no roots outside his own heart4 ,even his family did not share his belief4 ,when he married1 as he did when he was nearly fifty1 his wife was impatient with his ,faith--indeed1 fearful of it1 and with persistent1 nagging reasonableness urged his return to the respectable paths of ,presbyterianism4 ,to his pain1 when his girl1 his ,philippa1 grew up she shrank from the emotion of his creed2 she and her mother went to the brick church under the locust-trees of ,lower ,ripple2 and when her mother died ,philippa went there alone1 for ,henry ,roberts1 not being permitted to bear witness in the ,church1 did so out of it1 by sitting at home on the ,sabbath day1 in a bare upper chamber1 waiting for the manifestation of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,it never came4 ,the ,tongues never spoke4 ,yet still1 while the years passed1 he waited1 listening--listening--listening2 a kindly1 simple old man with mystical brown eyes1 believing meekly in his own unworth to hear again that ,sound from ,heaven1 as of a rushing1 mighty wind1 that had filled the ,london ,chapel1 bowing human souls before it as a great wind bows the standing corn6 ,it was late in the sixties that ,henry ,roberts brought this faith and his ,philippa to the stone house on the ,perryville pike1 where1 after some months had passed1 they were discovered by the old and the young ministers4 ,the two clergymen met once or twice in their calls upon the new-comer1 and each acquired an opinion of the other3 ,john ,fenn said to himself that the old minister was a good man1 if he was an ,episcopalian2 and ,dr4 ,lavendar said to ,william ,king that he hoped there would be a match between the theolog and ,philippa4 ,the child ought to be married and have a dozen children1 he said2 although ,fenn's little sister will do to begin on--she needs mothering badly enough4 ,yes1 ,miss ,philly ought to be making smearkase and apple-butter for that pale and excellent young man4 ,he intimated that ,i was a follower of the ,scarlet ,woman because ,i wore a surplice4 ,now look here6 ,i draw the line at that sort of talk1 the doctor said2 he can lay down the law to me1 all he wants to2 but when it comes to instructing you-- ,oh1 well1 he's young1 ,dr4 ,lavendar soothed him2 you can't expect him not to know everything at his age4 ,he's a squirt1 said ,william4 ,in those days in ,old ,chester middle age was apt to sum up its opinion of youth in this expressive word4 ,we were all squirts once1 said ,dr4 ,lavendar1 and very nice boys we were1 too--at least ,i was4 ,yes1 ,i hope the youngster will see what a sweet creature old ,roberts's ,philippa is4 ,she was a sweet creature2 but as ,william ,king said1 she was amusingly old-fashioned4 ,the ,old ,chester girl of those days1 who seems 7to look back upon her in these days7 so medieval1 was modern compared to ,philippa6 ,but there was nothing mystical about her2 she was just modest and full of pleasant silences and soft gaieties and simple1 startling truth-telling4 ,at first1 when they came to live near ,perryville1 she used1 when the weather was fine1 to walk over the grassy road1 under the brown and white branches of the sycamores1 into ,old ,chester1 to ,dr4 ,lavendar's church4 ,i like to come to your church1 she told him1 because you don't preach quite such long sermons as ,mr4 ,fenn does4 ,but when it rained or was very hot she chose the shorter walk and sat under ,john ,fenn1 looking up at his pale1 ascetic face1 lighted from within by his young certainties concerning the old ignorances of people like ,dr4 ,lavendar--life and death and eternity4 ,of ,dr4 ,lavendar's one certainty1 ,love1 he was deeply ignorant1 this honest boy1 who was so concerned for ,philippa's father's soul6 ,but ,philippa did not listen much to his certainties2 she coaxed his little sister into her pew1 and sat with the child cuddled up against her1 watching her turn over the leaves of the hymn-book or trying to braid the fringe of ,miss ,philly's black silk mantilla into little pigtails4 ,sometimes ,miss ,philly would look up at the careworn young face in the pulpit and think how holy ,mary's brother was1 and how learned--and how shabby2 for he had only a housekeeper1 ,mrs4 ,semple1 to take care of him and ,mary4 ,not but what he might have had somebody besides ,mrs4 ,semple6 ,philippa1 for all her innocence1 could not help being aware that he might have had--almost anybody6 ,for others of ,philly's sex watched the rapt face there in the pulpit4 ,when ,philippa thought of that1 a slow blush used to creep up to her very temples4 ,she saw him oftener in the pulpit than out of it1 because when he came to call on her father she was apt not to be present4 ,at first he came very frequently to see the ,irvingite1 because he felt it his duty to deal with him2 but he made so little impression that he foresaw the time when it would be necessary to say that ,ephraim was joined to his idols4 ,but though it might be right to let him alone1 he could not stop calling at ,henry ,roberts's house2 for1 he reminded himself1 the believing daughter may sanctify the unbelieving father6 ,he said this once to ,dr4 ,lavendar1 when his roan and old ,goliath met in a narrow lane and paused to let their masters exchange a word or two4 ,but do you know what the believing daughter believes8 said ,dr4 ,lavendar4 ,he wiped his forehead with his red bandanna1 for it was a hot day2 then he put his old straw hat very far back on his head and looked at the young man with a twinkle in his eye1 which1 considering the seriousness of their conversation1 was discomfiting2 but1 after all1 as ,john ,fenn reminded himself1 ,dr4 ,lavendar was very old1 and so might be forgiven if his mind was lacking in seriousness4 ,as for his question of what the daughter believed3 ,i think--,i hope1 said the young minister1 that she is sound4 ,she comes to my church quite regularly4 ,but she comes to my church quite irregularly1 ,dr4 ,lavendar warned him2 and there was another of those disconcerting twinkles4 ,the boy looked at him with honest1 solemn eyes4 ,i still believe that she is sound1 he said1 earnestly4 ,dr4 ,lavendar blew his nose with a flourish of the red bandanna4 ,well1 perhaps she is1 perhaps she is1 he said1 gravely4 ,but the reassurance of that perhaps did not make for ,john ,fenn's peace of mind2 he could not help asking himself whether ,miss ,philippa ,,was a believing daughter4 ,she did not1 he was sure1 share her father's heresies1 but perhaps she was indifferent to them8 which would be a grievous thing6 ,and certainly1 as the old minister had declared1 she did go irregularly to the ,episcopal ,church4 ,john ,fenn wished that he was sure of ,miss ,philippa's state of mind2 and at last he said to himself that it was his duty to find out about it1 so1 with his little sister beside him1 he started on a round of pastoral calls4 ,he found ,miss ,philly sitting in the sunshine on the lowest step of the front porch--and it seemed to ,mary that there was a good deal of delay in getting at the serious business of play2 for brother talks so much1 she complained4 ,but brother went on talking4 ,he told ,miss ,philippa that he understood she went sometimes to ,old ,chester to church8 ,sometimes1 she said4 ,i do not mean1 he said1 hesitatingly1 to speak uncharitably1 but we all know that ,episcopacy is the handmaid of ,papistry4 ,do we8 ,philly asked1 with grave eyes4 ,yes1 said ,mr4 ,fenn4 ,but even if ,dr4 ,lavendar's teachings are defective1--,mary plucked at his sleeve1 and sighed loudly2 7no1 ,mary67--even if his teachings are defective1 he is a good man according to his lights2 ,i am sure of that4 ,still1 do you think it well to attend a place of worship when you cannot follow the pastor's teachings8 ,i love him4 ,and ,i don't listen to what he says1 she excused herself4 ,but you should listen to what ministers say1 the shocked young man protested--at least to ministers of the right faith4 ,but you should not go to church because you love ministers4 ,philippa's face flamed4 ,i do not love--most of them4 ,mary1 leaning against the girl's knee1 looked up anxiously into her face4 ,do you love brother8 she said4 ,they were a pretty pair1 the child and the girl1 sitting there on the porch with the sunshine sifting down through the lacy leaves of the two big locusts on either side of the door4 ,philippa wore a pink and green palm-leaf chintz2 it had six ruffles around the skirt and was gathered very full about her slender waist2 her lips were red1 and her cheeks and even her neck were delicately flushed2 her red-brown hair was blowing all about her temples2 ,mary had put an arm around her and was cuddling against her4 ,yes1 even ,mary's brother would have thought the two young things a pretty sight had there been nothing more serious to think of4 ,but ,john ,fenn's thoughts were so very serious that even ,mary's question caused him no embarrassment2 he merely said1 stiffly1 that he would like to see ,miss ,philippa alone4 ,you may wait here1 ,mary1 he told his little sister1 who frowned and sighed and went out to the gate to pull a handful of grass for the roan4 ,philippa led her caller to her rarely used parlor1 and sat down to listen in silent pallor to his exhortations4 ,she made no explanations for not coming to his church regularly2 she offered no excuse of filial tenderness for her indifference to her father's mistaken beliefs2 she looked down at her hands1 clasped tightly in her lap1 then out of the window at the big roan biting at the hitching-post or standing very still to let ,mary rub his silky nose4 ,but ,john ,fenn looked only at ,philippa4 ,of her father's heresies he would not1 he said1 do more than remind her that the wiles of the devil against her soul might present them-selves through her natural affections2 but in regard to her failure to wait upon the means of grace he spoke without mercy1 for1 he said1 faithful are the wounds of a friend4 ,are you my friend8 ,philly asked1 lifting her gray eyes suddenly4 ,mr4 ,fenn was greatly confused2 the text-books of the ,western ,seminary had not supplied him with the answer to such a question4 ,he explained1 hurriedly1 that he was the friend of all who wished for salvation4 ,i do not especially wish for it1 ,philippa said1 very low4 ,for a moment ,john ,fenn was silent with horror4 ,that one so young should be so hardened6 he thought2 aloud1 he bade her remember hell fire4 ,he spoke with that sad and simple acceptance of the fact with which1 even less than fifty years ago1 men humbled themselves before the mystery which they had themselves created1 of divine injustice4 ,she must know1 he said1 his voice trembling with sincerity1 that those who slighted the offers of grace were cast into outer darkness8 ,philly said1 softly1 ,maybe4 ',maybe8' ,alas1 it is1 certainly6 ,oh1 why1 ,,why do you absent yourself from the house of ,god8 he said1 holding out entreating hands4 ,philippa made no reply4 ,let us pray6 said the young man2 and they knelt down side by side in the shadowy parlor4 ,john ,fenn lifted his harsh1 melancholy face1 gazing upward passionately1 while he wrestled for her salvation2 ,philly1 looking downward1 tracing with a trembling finger the pattern of the beadwork on the ottoman before which she knelt1 listened with an inward shiver of dismay and ecstasy4 ,but when they rose to their feet she had nothing to say4 ,he1 too1 was silent4 ,he went away quite exhausted by his struggle with this impassive1 unresisting creature4 ,he hardly spoke to ,mary all the way home4 ,a hardened sinner1 he was thinking4 ,poor1 lovely creature6 ,so young and so lost6 ,under ,mary's incessant chatter1 her tugs at the end of the reins1 her little bursts of joy at the sight of a bird or a roadside flower1 he was thinking1 with a strange new pain--a pain no other sinner had ever roused in him--of the girl he had left4 ,he knew that his arguments had not moved her4 ,i believe1 he thought1 the color rising in his face1 that she dislikes me6 ,she says she loves ,dr4 ,lavendar2 yes1 she must dislike me4 ,is my manner too severe8 ,perhaps my appearance is unattractive4 ,he looked down at his coat uneasily4 ,as for ,philly1 left to herself1 she picked up a bit of sewing1 and her face1 at first pale1 grew slowly pink4 ,he only likes sinners1 she thought2 and1 oh1 ,i am not a sinner6 ,,chapter ,,ii ,after that on ,sabbath mornings ,philippa sat with her father1 in the silent upper chamber4 ,at first ,henry ,roberts1 listening--listening--for the ,voice1 thought1 rapturously1 that at the eleventh hour he was to win a soul--the most precious soul in his world6--to his faith4 ,but when1 after a while1 he questioned her1 he saw that this was not so2 she stayed away from other churches1 but not because she cared for his church4 ,this troubled him1 for the faith he had outgrown was better than no faith4 ,do you have doubts concerning the soundness of either of the ministers--the old man or the young man8 he asked her1 looking at her with mild1 anxious eyes4 ,oh no1 sir1 ,philly said1 smiling4 ,do you dislike them--the young man or the old man8 ,oh no1 father4 ,i love--one of them4 ,then why not go to his church8 ,either minister can give you the seeds of salvation2 one not less than the other4 ,why not sit under either ministry8 ,i don't know1 ,philippa said1 faintly4 ,and indeed she did not know why she absented herself4 ,she only knew two things3 that the young man seemed to disapprove of the old man2 and when she saw the young man in the pulpit1 impersonal and holy1 she suffered4 ,therefore she would not go to hear either man4 ,when ,dr4 ,lavendar came to call upon her father1 he used to glance at ,philippa sometimes over his spectacles while ,henry ,roberts was arguing about prophecies2 but he never asked her why she stayed away from church2 instead1 he talked to her about ,john ,fenn1 and he seemed pleased when he heard that the young man was doing his duty in making pastoral calls4 ,and ,i--,i1 unworthy as ,i was6 ,henry ,roberts would say1 ,i heard the ,voice1 speaking through a sister's lips2 and it said3 ,oh1 sinner6 for what1 for what1 what can separate1 separate1 from the love444 ,oh1 nothing4 ,oh1 nothing4 ,oh1 nothing4 ,he would stare at ,dr4 ,lavendar with parted lips4 ,i ,,heard ,,it1 he would say1 in a whisper4 ,and ,dr4 ,lavendar1 bending his head gravely1 would be silent for a respectful moment1 and then he would look at ,philippa4 ,you are teaching ,fenn's sister to sew8 he would say4 ,very nice6 ,very nice6 ,philly saw a good deal of the sister that summer2 the young minister1 recognizing ,miss ,philippa's fondness for ,mary1 and remembering a text as to the leading of a child1 took pains to bring the little girl to ,henry ,roberts's door once or twice a week2 and as ,august burned away into ,september ,philippa's pleasure in her was like a soft wind blowing on the embers of her heart and kindling a flame for which she knew no name4 ,she thought constantly of ,mary1 and had many small anxieties about her--her dress1 her manners1 her health2 she even took the child into ,old ,chester one day to get ,william ,king to pull a little loose white tooth4 ,philly shook very much during the operation and mingled her tears with ,mary's in that empty and bleeding moment that follows the loss of a tooth4 ,she was so passionately tender with the little girl that the doctor told ,dr4 ,lavendar that his match-making scheme seemed likely to prosper--she's so fond of the sister1 you should have heard her sympathize with the little thing6--that ,i think she will smile on the brother1 he said4 ,i'm afraid the brother hasn't cut his wisdom teeth yet1 ,dr4 ,lavendar said1 doubtfully2 if he had1 you might pull them1 and she could sympathize with him2 then it would all arrange itself4 ,well1 he's a nice boy1 a nice boy2--and he won't know so much when he gets a little older4 ,it was on the way home from ,dr4 ,king's that ,philippa's feeling of responsibility about ,mary brought her a sudden temptation4 ,they were walking hand in hand along the road4 ,the leaves on the mottled branches of the sycamores were thinning now1 and the sunshine fell warm upon the two young things1 who were still a little shaken from the frightful experience of tooth-pulling4 ,the doctor had put the small white tooth in a box and gravely presented it to ,mary1 and now1 as they walked along1 she stopped sometimes to examine it and say1 proudly1 how she had bleeded and bleeded6 ,will you tell brother the doctor said ,i behaved better than the circus lion when his tooth was pulled8 ,indeed ,i will1 ,mary6 ,an' he said he'd rather pull my tooth than a lion's tooth8 ,of course ,i'll tell him4 ,miss ,philly1 shall ,i dream of my tooth1 do you suppose8 ,philippa laughed and said she didn't know4 ,i hope ,i will2 it means something nice4 ,i forget what1 now4 ,dreams don't mean anything1 ,mary4 ,oh yes1 they do6 the child assured her1 skipping along with one arm round the girl's slender waist4 ,mrs4 ,semple has a dream-book1 and she reads it to me every day1 an' she reads me what my dreams mean4 ,sometimes ,i haven't any dreams1 ,mary admitted1 regretfully1 but she reads all the same4 ,did you ever dream about a black ox walking on its back legs8 ,i never did4 ,i don't want to4 ,it means trouble4 ,goosey6 said ,miss ,philippa4 ,if you dream of the moon1 ,mary went on1 happily1 it means you are going to have a beau who'll love you4 ,little girls mustn't talk about love1 ,philippa said1 gravely2 but the color came suddenly into her face4 ,to dream of the moon means--,why6 but only the night before she had dreamed that she had been walking in the fields and had seen the moon rise over shocks of corn that stood against the sky like the plumed heads of ,indian warriors6 ,such things are foolish1 ,mary1 ,miss ,philly said1 her cheeks very pink4 ,and while ,mary chattered on about ,mrs4 ,semple's book ,philippa was silent1 remembering how yellow the great flat disk of the moon had been in her dream2 how it pushed up from behind the black edge of the world1 and how1 suddenly1 the misty stubble-field was flooded with its strange light3--you are going to have a beau6 ,philippa wished she might see the book1 just to know what sort of things were read to ,mary4 ,it isn't right to read them to the child1 she thought2 it's a foolish book1 ,mary1 she said1 aloud4 ,i never saw such a book4 ,i'll bring it the next time ,i come1 ,mary promised4 ,oh no1 no1 ,philly said1 a little breathlessly2 it's a wrong book4 ,i couldn't read such a book1 except--except to tell you how foolish and wrong it is4 ,mary was not concerned with her friend's reasons2 but she remembered to bring the ragged old book with her the very next time her brother dropped her at ,mr4 ,roberts's gate to spend an hour with ,miss ,philippa4 ,there had to be a few formal words between the preacher and the sinner before ,mary had entire possession of her playmate1 but when her brother drove away1 promising to call for her later in the afternoon1 she became so engrossed in the important task of picking hollyhock seeds that she quite forgot the dream-book4 ,the air was hazy with autumn1 and full of the scent of fallen leaves and dew-drenched grass and of the fresh tan-bark on the garden paths4 ,on the other side of the road was a corn-field1 where the corn stood in great shocks4 ,philly looked over at it1 and drew a quick breath1--her dream6 ,did you bring that foolish book8 she said4 ,mary1 slapping her pocket1 laughed loudly4 ,i 'most forgot6 ,yes1 ma'am2 ,i got it4 ,i'll show what it says about the black ox-- ,no2 you needn't1 ,miss ,philly said2 you pick some more seeds for me1 and ,i'll--just look at it4 ,she touched the stained old book with shrinking fingertips2 the moldering leather cover and the odor of soiled and thumb-marked leaves offended her4 ,the first page was folded over1 and when she spread it out1 the yellowing paper cracked along its ancient creases2 it was a map1 with the signs of the ,zodiac2 in the middle was a single verse3 ,mortal6 ,wouldst thou scan aright ,dreams and visions of the night8 ,wouldst thou future secrets learn ,and the fate of dreams discern8 ,wouldst thou ope the ,curtain dark ,and thy future fortune mark8 ,try the mystic page1 and read ,what the vision has decreed4 ,philly1 holding her red lip between her teeth1 turned the pages3 ,,money4 ,,to ,,dream ,,of ,,finding ,,money2 ,,mourning ,,and ,,loss4 ,,monkey4 ,,you ,,have ,,secret ,,enemies4 ,,moon4 7,philippa shivered47 ,a ,,good ,,omen2 ,,it ,,denotes ,,coming ,,joy4 ,,great ,,success ,,in ,,love4 ,she shut the book sharply1 then opened it again4 ,such books sometimes told 7so foolishly67 of charms which would bring love4 ,she looked furtively at ,mary2 but the child1 pulling down a great hollyhock to pick the fuzzy yellow disks1 was not noticing ,miss ,philly's interest in the foolish book4 ,philippa turned over the pages4 ,yes2 the charms were there6444 ,instructions for making dumb-cake1 to cut which reveals a lover3 ,,any ,,number ,,of ,,young ,,females ,,shall ,,take ,a ,,handful ,,of ,,wheaten ,,flour-- ,that was no use2 there were too many females as it was6 ,,to ,,know ,,whether ,a ,,man ,,shall ,,have ,,the ,,woman ,,he ,,wishes4 ,philippa sighed4 ,not that4 ,a holy man does not wish for a woman4 ,a ,,charm ,,to ,,charm ,a ,,man',s ,,love4 ,the blood suddenly ran tingling in ,philly's veins4 ,,let ,a ,,young ,,maid ,,pick ,,of ,,rosemary ,,two ,,roots2 ,,of ,,monk',s-,,hood-- ,a line had been drawn through this last word1 and another word written above it2 but the ink was so faded1 the page so woolly and thin with use1 that it was impossible to decipher the correction2 perhaps it was mother-wort1 an herb ,philly did not know2 or it might be mandrake8 ,it looked as much like one as the other1 the writing was so blurred and dim4 ,it is best to take what the book says1 ,philly said1 simply2 besides1 ,i haven't those other things in the garden1 and ,i have monk's-hood and rosemary--if ,i should want to do it1 just for fun4 ,,of ,,monk',s-,,hood ,,two ,,roots1 ,,and ,,of ,,the ,,flower ,,of ,,corn ,,ten ,,threads2 ,,let ,,her ,,sleep ,,on ,,them ,,one ,,night4 ,,in ,,the ,,morning1 ,,let ,,her ,,set ,,them ,,on ,,her ,,heart ,,and ,,walk ,,backwards ,,ten ,,steps1 ,,praying ,,for ,,the ,,love ,,of ,,her ,,beloved4 ,,let ,,her ,,then ,,steep ,,and ,,boil ,,these ,,things ,,in ,,four ,,gills ,,of ,,pure ,,water ,,on ,,which ,,the ,,moon ,,has ,,shone ,,for ,,one ,,night4 ,,when ,,she ,,shall ,,add ,,this ,,philter ,,to ,,the ,,drink ,,of ,,the ,,one ,,who ,,loves ,,her ,,not1 ,,he ,,shall ,,love ,,the ,,female ,,who ,,meets ,,his ,,eye ,,first ,,after ,,the ,,drinking ,,thereof4 ,,therefore ,,let ,,the ,,young ,,maid ,,be ,,industrious ,,to ,,stand ,,before ,,him ,,when ,,he ,,shall ,,drink ,,it4 ,there is no harm in it1 said ,philly4 ,,chapter ,,iii ,somebody making herb tea and stealing my business8 said ,william ,king1 in his kindly voice2 he had called to see old ,hannah1 who had been laid up for a day or two1 and he stopped at the kitchen door to look in4 ,henry ,roberts1 coming from the sitting-room to join him1 asked his question1 too3 ,what is this smell of herbs1 ,philippa8 ,are you making a drink for ,hannah8 ,oh no1 father1 ,philly said1 briefly1 her face very pink4 ,william ,king sniffed and laughed4 ,ah1 ,i see you don't give away your secrets to a rival1 he said2 and added1 pleasantly1 but don't give your tea to ,hannah without telling me what it is4 ,miss ,philippa said1 dutifully1 ,oh no1 sir4 ,but she did not tell him what the tea was1 and certainly she offered none of it to old ,hannah4 ,all that day there was a shy joyousness about her1 with sudden soft blushes1 and once or twice a little half-frightened laugh2 there was a puzzled look1 too1 in her face1 as if she was not quite sure just what she was going to do1 or rather1 how she was going to do it4 ,and1 of course1 that was the difficulty4 ,how could she add the philter to the drink of one who loved her not8 ,yet it came about simply enough4 ,john ,fenn had lately felt it borne in upon him that it was time to make another effort to deal with ,henry ,roberts2 perhaps1 he reasoned1 to show concern about the father's soul might touch the daughter's hardened heart4 ,it was when he reached this conclusion that he committed the extravagance of buying a new coat4 ,so it happened that that very afternoon1 while the house was still pungent with the scent of steeping herbs1 he came to ,henry ,roberts's door1 and knocked solemnly1 as befitted his errand2 7but as he heard her step in the hall he passed an anxious hand over a lapel of the new coat74 ,her father1 she said1 was not at home2 would ,mr4 ,fenn come in and wait for him8 ,mr4 ,fenn said he would4 ,and as he always tried1 poor boy6 to be instant in season and out of season1 he took the opportunity1 while he waited for her father and she brought him a glass of wine and a piece of cake1 to reprove her again for absence from church4 ,but she was so meek that he found it hard to inflict those faithful wounds which should prove his friendship for her soul2 she sat before him on the slippery horsehair sofa in the parlor1 her hands locked tightly together in her lap1 her eyes downcast1 her voice very low and trembling4 ,she admitted her backslidings3 she acknowledged her errors2 but as for coming to church--she shook her head3 ,please1 ,i won't come to church yet4 ,you mean you will come1 sometime8 ,yes2 sometime4 ,behold1 ,,now is the accepted time6 ,i will come444 afterwards4 ,after what8 he insisted4 ,after-- she said1 and paused4 ,then suddenly lifted bold1 guileless eyes3 ,after you stop caring for my soul4 ,john ,fenn caught his breath4 ,something1 he did not know what1 seemed to jar him rudely from that pure desire for her salvation2 he said1 stumblingly1 that he would ,,always care for her soul6--for--for any one's soul4 ,and was she quite well8 ,his voice broke with tenderness4 ,she must be careful to avoid the chill of these autumnal afternoons2 you are pale1 he said1 passionately--don't--oh1 don't be so pale6 ,it occurred to him that if she waited for him not to care for her salvation1 she might die in her sins2 die before coming to the gate of heaven1 which he was so anxious to open to her6 ,philippa did not see his agitation2 she was not looking at him4 ,she only said1 softly1 ,perhaps you will stay to tea8 ,he answered quickly that he would be pleased to do so4 ,in the simplicity of his saintly egotism it occurred to him that the religious pleasure of entertaining him might be a means of grace to her4 ,when she left him in the dusk of the chilly room to go and see to the supper1 he fell into silent prayer for the soul that did not desire his care4 ,henry ,roberts1 summoned by his daughter to entertain the guest until supper was ready1 found him sitting in the darkness of the parlor2 the old man was full of hospitable apologies for his ,philippa's forgetfulness2 she did not remember the lamp6 he lamented2 and making his way through the twilight of the room1 he took off the prism-hung shade of the tall astral lamp on the center-table1 and fumbled for a match to light the charred and sticky wick2 there were very few occasions in this plain household when it was worth while to light the best lamp6 ,this was one of them1 for in those days the office dignified the man to a degree that is hardly understood now4 ,but ,henry ,roberts's concern was not entirely a matter of social propriety2 it was a desire to propitiate this young man who was living in certain errors of belief1 so that he would be in a friendly attitude of mind and open to the arguments which were always burning on the lips of ,edward ,irving's follower4 ,he did not mean to begin them until they were at supper2 so he and ,john ,fenn sat in silence waiting ,philippa's summons to the dining-room4 ,neither of them had any small talk2 ,mr4 ,roberts was making sure that he could trust his memory to repeat those wailing cadences of the ,voice1 and ,john ,fenn1 still shaken by something he could not understand that had been hidden in what he understood too well--a sinner's indifference to grace--was trying to get back to his serene1 impersonal arrogance4 ,as for ,philippa1 she was frightened at her temerity in having invited the minister to a ,hannahless supper2 her flutter of questions as to what and how brought the old woman from her bed1 in spite of the girl's half-hearted protests that she mustn't think of getting up6 ,just tell me what to do1 she implored1 ,i can manage4 ,we are going to have--,,tea6 ,we always have tea1 ,hannah said1 sourly2 yet she was not really sour1 for1 like ,william ,king and ,dr4 ,lavendar1 ,hannah had discerned possibilities in the ,rev4 ,john ,fenn's pastoral visits4 ,get your ,sunday-go-to-meeting dress on1 she commanded1 hunching a shawl over a rheumatic shoulder and motioning the girl out of the kitchen4 ,philippa1 remorseful and breathless1 ran quickly up to her room to put on her best frock1 smooth her shining hair down in two loops over her ears1 and pin her one adornment1 a flat gold brooch1 on the bosom of her dress4 ,she lifted her candle and looked at herself in the black depths of the little swinging glass on her high bureau1 and her face fell into sudden wistful lines4 ,oh1 ,i do not look wicked1 she thought1 despairingly4 ,john ,fenn1 glancing at her across the supper-table1 had some such thought himself2 how strange that one who was so perverted in belief should not betray perversion in her countenance4 ,on the contrary1 her face is pleasing1 he said1 simply4 ,he feared1 noticing the brooch1 that she was vain1 as well as indifferent to her privileges2 he wondered if she had observed his new coat4 ,philippa's vanity did not1 at any rate1 give her much courage2 she scarcely spoke1 except to ask him whether he took cream and sugar in his tea4 ,when she handed his cup to him1 she said1 very low1 ,will you taste it1 and see if it is right8 ,he was so conscious of the tremor of her voice and hand that he made haste to reassure her1 sipping his tea with much politeness of manner2 as he did so1 she said1 suddenly1 and with compelling loudness1 ,is it--agreeable8 ,john ,fenn1 startled1 looked at her over the rim of his cup4 ,very2 very indeed1 he said1 quickly4 ,but he instantly drank some water4 ,it is1 perhaps1 a little strong1 he said1 blinking4 ,then1 having qualified his politeness for conscience' sake1 he drank all the bitter tea for human kindness' sake--for evidently ,miss ,philippa had taken pains to give him what he might like4 ,after that she did not speak1 but her face grew very rosy while she sat in silence listening to her father and their guest4 ,henry ,roberts forgot to eat1 in the passion of his theological arguments1 but as supper proceeded he found his antagonist less alert than usual2 the minister defended his own doctrines instead of attacking those of his host2 he even admitted1 a little listlessly1 that if the ,power fell upon him1 if he himself spoke in a strange tongue1 then perhaps he would believe--that is1 if ,i could be sure ,i was not out of my mind at the time1 he qualified1 dully4 ,philippa took no part in the discussion2 it would not have been thought becoming in her to do so2 but indeed1 she hardly heard what the two men were saying4 ,she helped old ,hannah carry away the dishes1 and then sat down by the table and drew the lamp near her so that she could sew2 she sat there smiling a little1 dimpling even1 and looking down at her seam2 she did not notice that ,john ,fenn was being worsted1 or that once he failed altogether to reply1 and sat in unprotesting silence under ,henry ,roberts's rapt remembrances4 ,a curious blackness had settled under his eyes1 and twice he passed his hand across his lips4 ,they are numb1 he said1 in surprised apology to his host4 ,a moment later he shivered violently1 beads of sweat burst out on his forehead1 and the color swept from his face4 ,he started up1 staring wildly about him2 he tried to speak1 but his words stumbled into incoherent babbling4 ,it was all so sudden1 his rising1 then falling back into his chair1 then slipping sidewise and crumpling up upon the floor1 all the while stammering unmeaning words--that ,henry ,roberts sat looking at him in dumb amazement4 ,it was ,philippa who cried out and ran forward to help him1 then stopped midway1 her hands clutched together at her throat1 her eyes dilating with a horror that seemed to paralyze her so that she was unable to move to his assistance4 ,the shocked silence of the moment was broken by ,fenn's voice1 trailing on and on1 in totally unintelligible words4 ,henry ,roberts1 staring open-mouthed1 suddenly spoke3 ,the ,,voice6 he said4 ,but ,philippa1 as though she were breaking some invisible bond that held her1 groaning even with the effort of it1 said1 in a whisper3 ,no4 ,not that4 ,he is dying4 ,don't you see8 ,that's what it is4 ,he is dying4 ,her father1 shocked from his ecstasy1 ran to ,john ,fenn's side1 trying to lift him and calling upon him to say what was the matter4 ,he is going to die1 said ,philippa1 monotonously4 ,henry ,roberts1 aghast1 calling loudly to old ,hannah1 ran to the kitchen and brought back a great bowl of hot water4 ,drink it6 he said4 ,drink it1 ,i tell ye6 ,i believe you're poisoned6 ,and while he and ,hannah bent over the unconscious young man1 ,philippa seemed to come out of her trance2 slowly1 with upraised hands1 and head bent upon her breast1 she stepped backward1 backward1 out of the room1 out of the house4 ,on the doorstep1 in the darkness1 she paused and listened for several minutes to certain dreadful sounds in the house4 ,then1 suddenly1 a passion of purpose swept the daze of horror away4 ,,he ,,shall ,,not ,,die1 she said4 ,she flung her skirt across her arm that her feet might not be hampered1 and fled down the road toward ,old ,chester4 ,it was very dark4 ,at first her eyes1 still blurred with the lamplight1 could not distinguish the footpath1 and she stumbled over the grassy border into the wheel-ruts2 then1 feeling the loose dust under her feet1 she ran and ran and ran4 ,the blood began to sing in her ears2 once her throat seemed to close so that she could not breathe1 and for a moment she had to walk1--but her hands1 holding up her skirts1 trembled with terror at the delay4 ,the road was very dark under the sycamore-trees2 twice she tripped and fell into the brambles at one side or against a gravelly bank on the other4 ,but stumbling somehow to her feet1 again she ran and ran and ran4 ,the night was very still2 she could hear her breath tearing her throat2 once she felt something hot and salty in her mouth2 it was then she had to stop and walk for a little space--she must walk or fall down6 ,and she could not fall down1 no6 no6 no6 he would die if she fell down6 ,once a figure loomed up in the haze1 and she caught the glimmer of an inquisitive eye4 ,say1 a man's voice said1 where are you bound for8 ,there was something in the tone that gave her a stab of fright2 for a minute or two her feet seemed to fly1 and she heard a laugh behind her in the darkness3 ,what's your hurry8 the voice called after her4 ,and still she ran4 ,but she was saying to herself that she must ,,stop2 she must stand still just for a moment4 ,oh1 just for a minute8 her body whimperingly entreated2 she would not listen to it6 ,she must not listen1 even though her heart burst with the strain4 ,but her body had its way1 and she fell into a walk1 although she was not aware of it4 ,in a gasping whisper she was saying1 over and over3 ,doctor1 hurry2 he'll die2 hurry2 ,i killed him4 ,she tried to be silent1 but her lips moved mechanically4 ,doctor1 hurry2 he'll--,oh1 ,i ,,mustn',t talk6 she told herself1 it takes my breath--but still her lips moved4 ,she began to run1 heavily4 ,i can't talk--if--,i--run-- ,it was then that she saw a glimmer of light and knew that she was almost in ,old ,chester4 ,very likely she would have fallen if she had not seen that far-off window just when she did4 ,at ,william ,king's house she dropped against the door1 her fingers still clinging to the bell4 ,she was past speaking when the doctor lifted her and carried her into the office4 ,no2 don't try to tell me what it is1 he said2 ,i'll put ,jinny into the buggy1 and we'll get back in a jiffy4 ,i understand2 ,hannah is worse4 ,not444 ,hannah-- ,your father8 he said1 picking up his medicine-case4 ,not father2 ,mr4--,fenn-- ,as the doctor hurried out to the stable to hitch up he bade his wife put certain remedies into his bag1--and look after that child1 he called over his shoulder to his efficient ,martha4 ,she was so efficient that when he had brought ,jinny and the buggy to the door1 ,philly was able to gasp out that ,mr4 ,fenn was sick4 ,dying4 ,don't try to talk1 he said again1 as he helped her into the buggy4 ,but after a while she was able to tell him1 hoarsely3 ,i wanted him to love me4 ,william ,king was silent4 ,i used a charm4 ,it was wicked4 ,come1 come2 not wicked1 said the doctor2 a little foolish1 perhaps4 ,a new frock1 and a rose in your hair1 and a smile at another man1 would be enough of a charm1 my dear4 ,philippa shook her head4 ,it was not enough4 ,i wore my best frock1 and ,i went to ,dr4 ,lavendar's church-- ,good gracious6 said ,william ,king4 ,they were not enough4 ,so ,i used a charm4 ,i made a drink-- ,ah6 said the doctor1 frowning4 ,what was in the drink1 ,miss ,philly8 ,perhaps it was not the right herb1 she said2 it may have been 'mother-wort'2 but the book said 'monk's-hood1' and ,i-- ,william ,king reached for his whip and cut ,jinny across the flanks4 ,,aconite6 he said under his breath1 while ,jinny leaped forward in shocked astonishment4 ,will he live8 said ,philippa4 ,dr4 ,king1 flecking ,jinny again1 and letting his reins hang over the dashboard1 could not help putting a comforting arm around her4 ,i hope so1 he said2 ,i hope so6 ,after all1 there was no use telling the child that probably by this time her lover was either dead or getting better4 ,it's his own fault1 ,william ,king thought1 angrily4 ,why in thunder didn't he fall in love like a man1 instead of making the child resort to--,g'on1 ,jinny6 ,g'on6 ,he still had the whip in his hand when they drew up at the gate4 ,,chapter ,,iv ,when ,philippa ,roberts had fled out into the night for help1 her father and old ,hannah were too alarmed to notice her absence4 ,they went hurrying back and forth with this remedy and that4 ,again and again they were ready to give up2 once ,henry ,roberts said1 ,he is gone6 and once ,hannah began to cry1 and said1 ,poor lad1 poor boy6 ,yet each made one more effort1 their shadows looming gigantic against the walls or stretching across the ceiling1 bending and sinking as they knelt beside the poor young man1 who by that time was beyond speech4 ,so the struggle went on4 ,but little by little life began to gain4 ,john ,fenn's eyes opened4 ,then he smiled4 ,then he said something-they could not hear what4 ,bless the ,lord6 said ,henry ,roberts4 ,he's asking for ,philly1 said old ,hannah4 ,by the time the doctor and ,philippa reached the house the shadow of death had lifted4 ,it must have been poison1 ,mr4 ,roberts told the doctor4 ,when he gets over it he will tell us what it was4 ,i don't believe he will1 said ,william ,king2 he was holding ,fenn's wrist between his firm fingers1 and then he turned up a fluttering eyelid and looked at the still dulled eye4 ,philippa1 kneeling on the other side of ,john ,fenn1 said loudly3 ,i will tell ,,him--and perhaps ,god will forgive me4 ,the doctor1 glancing up at her1 said3 ,no1 you won't--anyhow at present4 ,take that child up-stairs1 ,hannah1 he commanded1 and put her to bed4 ,she ran all the way to ,old ,chester to get me1 he explained to ,henry ,roberts4 ,before he left the house that night he sat for a few minutes at ,philippa's bedside4 ,my dear little girl1 he said1 in his kind1 sensible voice1 the best thing to do is to forget it4 ,it was a foolish thing to do--that charm business2 but happily no harm is done4 ,now say nothing about it1 and never do it again4 ,philippa turned her shuddering face away4 ,do it again8 ,,oh6 ,as ,william ,king went home he apologized to ,jinny for that cut across her flanks by hanging the reins on the overhead hook1 and letting her plod along at her own pleasure4 ,he was saying to himself that he hoped he had done right to tell the child to hold her tongue4 ,it was just tomfoolery1 he argued2 there was no sin about it1 so confession wouldn't do her any good2 on the contrary1 it would hurt a girl's self-respect to have a man know she had tried to catch him4 ,but what a donkey he was not to see4444 ,oh yes2 ,i'm sure ,i'm right1 said ,william ,king4 ,i wonder how ,dr4 ,lavendar would look at it8 ,philippa1 at any rate1 was satisfied with his advice4 ,perhaps the story of what she had done might have broken from her pale lips had her father asked any questions2 but ,henry ,roberts had retreated into troubled silence4 ,there had been one wonderful moment when he thought that at last his faith was to be justified and by the unbeliever himself6 and he had cried out1 with a passion deferred for more than thirty years3 ,the ,,voice6 ,but behold1 the voice1 babbling and meaningless1 was nothing but sickness4 ,no one could guess what the shock of that disappointment was4 ,he was not able even to speak of it4 ,so ,philippa was asked no awkward questions1 and her self-knowledge burned deep into her heart4 ,in the next few days1 while the minister was slowly recovering in the great four-poster in ,henry ,roberts's guest-room1 she listened to ,hannah's speculations as to the cause of his attack1 and expressed no opinion4 ,she was dumb when ,john ,fenn tried to tell her how grateful he was to her for that terrible run through the darkness for his sake4 ,you should not be grateful1 she said1 at last1 in a whisper4 ,but he was grateful2 and1 furthermore1 he was very happy in those days of slow recovery4 ,the fact was that that night1 when he had been so near death1 he had heard ,philippa1 in his first dim moments of returning consciousness1 stammering out those distracted words3 ,perhaps ,god will forgive me4 ,to ,john ,fenn those words meant the crowning of all his efforts3 she had repented6 ,truly1 he said1 lying very white and feeble on his pillow and looking into ,philly's face when she brought him his gruel1 truly1 ,he moves in a mysterious way ,his wonders to perform6 ,the mysterious way was the befalling of that terrible illness in ,henry ,roberts's house1 so that ,philippa should be impressed by it4 ,if my affliction has been blessed to any one else1 ,i am glad to have suffered it1 he said4 ,philippa silently put a spoonful of gruel between his lips2 he swallowed it as quickly as he could4 ,i heard you call upon ,god for forgiveness2 the ,lord is merciful and gracious6 ,philly said1 very low1 ,yes2 oh ,,yes4 ,so ,john ,fenn thanked ,god and took his gruel1 and thought it was very good4 ,he thought1 also1 that ,miss ,philippa was very good to be so good to him4 ,in those next few days1 before he was strong enough to be moved back to his own house1 he thought more of her goodness and less of her salvation4 ,it was then that he had his great moment1 his revealing moment6 ,all of a sudden1 at the touch of ,life1 his honest artificiality had dropped from him1 and he knew that he had never before known anything worth knowing6 ,he knew he was in love4 ,he knew it when he realized that he was not in the least troubled about her soul4 ,that is what she meant6 he thought2 she wanted me to care for her1 before ,i cared for her soul4 ,he was so simple in his acceptance of the revelation that she loved him1 that when he went to ask her to be his wife the blow of her reply almost knocked him back into his ministerial affectations3 ,no4 ,when ,john ,fenn got home that evening he went into his study and shut the door4 ,mary came and pounded on it1 but he only said1 in a muffled voice3 ,no1 ,mary4 ,not now4 ,go away4 ,he was praying for resignation to what he told himself was the will of ,god4 ,the ,lord is unwilling that my thoughts should be diverted from ,his service by my own personal happiness4 ,then he tried to put his thoughts on that service by deciding upon a text for his next sermon4 ,but the texts which suggested themselves were not steadying to his bewildered mind3 ,,love ,,one ,,another4 7,i certainly thought she loved me47 ,,marvel ,,not1 ,,my ,,brethren1 ,,if ,,the ,,world ,,hate ,,you4 7,i am1 perhaps1 personally unattractive to her2 and yet ,i wonder why87 ,he was not a conceited man2 but1 like all his sex1 he really did marvel a little at the lack of feminine appreciation4 ,he marveled so much that a week later he took ,mary and walked out to ,mr4 ,roberts's house4 ,this time ,mary1 to her disgust1 was left with ,miss ,philly's father1 while her brother and ,miss ,philly walked in the frosted garden4 ,later1 when that walk was over1 and the little sister trudged along at ,john ,fenn's side in the direction of ,perryville1 she was very fretful because he would not talk to her4 ,he was occupied1 poor boy1 in trying again not to marvel1 and to be submissive to the divine will4 ,after that1 for several months1 he refused ,mary's plea to be taken to visit ,miss ,philly4 ,he had1 he told himself1 submitted2 but submission left him very melancholy and solemn1 and also a little resentful2 indeed1 he was so low in his mind1 that once he threw out a bitter hint to ,dr4 ,lavendar1--who1 according to his wont1 put two and two together4 ,men in our profession1 sir1 said ,john ,fenn1 must not expect personal happiness4 ,well1 said ,dr4 ,lavendar1 meditatively1 perhaps if we don't expect it1 the surprise of getting it makes it all the better4 ,i expected it2 but ,i've exceeded my expectations6 ,but you are not married1 the young man said1 impulsively4 ,dr4 ,lavendar's face changed2 ,i hope you will marry1 ,fenn1 he said1 quietly4 ,at which ,john ,fenn said1 ,i am married to my profession2 that is enough for any minister4 ,you'll find your profession a mighty poor housekeeper1 said ,dr4 ,lavendar4 ,it was shortly after this that ,mr4 ,fenn and his big roan broke through the snow-drifts and made their way to ,henry ,roberts's house4 ,i must speak to you alone1 sir1 he said to the ,irvingite1 who1 seeing him approaching1 had hastened to open the door for him and draw him in out of the cold sunshine4 ,what the caller had to say was brief and to the point3 ,why was his daughter so unkind8 ,john ,fenn did not feel now that the world--which meant ,philippa--hated him4 ,he felt--he could not help feeling--that she did not even dislike him2 on the contrary4444 ,so what reason had she for refusing him8 ,but old ,mr4 ,roberts shook his head4 ,a young female does not have 'reasons1' he said4 ,but he was sorry for the youth1 and he roused himself from his abstraction long enough to question his girl3 ,he is a worthy young man1 my ,philippa4 ,why do you dislike him8 ,i do not dislike him4 ,then why--8 her father protested4 ,but ,philly was silent4 ,even ,hannah came to the rescue3 ,you'll get a crooked stick at the end1 if you don't look out6 ,philly laughed2 then her face fell4 ,i sha'n't have any stick1 ever6 ,and ,hannah1 in her concern1 confided her forebodings about the stick to ,dr4 ,king4 ,i wonder1 ,william said to himself1 uneasily1 if ,i was wise to tell that child to hold her tongue8 ,perhaps they might have straightened it out between 'em before this1 if she had told him and been done with it4 ,i've a great mind to ask ,dr4 ,lavendar4 ,he did ask him2 at first with proper precautions not to betray a patient's confidence1 but1 at a word from ,dr4 ,lavendar1 tumbling into truthfulness4 ,you are talking about young ,philippa ,roberts8 ,dr4 ,lavendar announced1 calmly1 when ,william was half-way through his story of concealed identities4 ,how did you guess it8 the doctor said1 astonished2 oh1 well1 yes1 ,i am4 ,i guess there's no harm telling you-- ,not the slightest1 said ,dr4 ,lavendar1 especially as ,i knew it already from the young man--,i mean1 ,i knew she wouldn't have him4 ,but ,i didn't know why until your story dovetailed with his4 ,william1 the thing has festered in her6 ,the lancet ought to have been used the next day4 ,i believe she'd have been married by this time if she'd spoken out1 then and there4 ,william ,king was much chagrined4 ,i thought1 being a girl1 you know1 her pride1 her self-respect-- ,oh yes2 the lancet hurts1 ,dr4 ,lavendar admitted2 but it's better than--well1 ,i don't know the terms of your trade1 ,willy-but ,i guess you know what ,i mean8 ,i guess ,i do1 said ,william ,king1 thoughtfully4 ,do you suppose it's too late now8 ,it will be more of an operation1 ,dr4 ,lavendar conceded4 ,could ,i tell him8 ,william said1 after a while4 ,i don't see why not1 ,dr4 ,lavendar said4 ,i suppose ,i'd have to ask her permission8 ,nonsense6 said ,dr4 ,lavendar4 ,that talk between the physician of the soul and the physician of the body happened on the very night when ,john ,fenn1 in his study in ,perryville1 with ,mary dozing on his knee1 threw over1 once and for all1 what he had called submission and made up his mind to get his girl6 ,the very next morning he girded himself and walked forth upon the ,pike toward ,henry ,roberts's house4 ,he did not take ,mary with him1--but not because he meant to urge salvation on ,miss ,philly6 ,as it happened1 ,dr4 ,king1 too1 set out upon the ,perryville road that morning1 remarking to ,jinny that if he had had his wits about him that night in ,november1 she would have been saved the trip on this ,may morning4 ,the trip was easy enough2 ,william had found a medical pamphlet among his mail1 and he was reading it1 with the reins hanging from the crook of his elbow4 ,it was owing to this method of driving that ,john ,fenn reached the ,roberts house before ,jinny passed it1 so she went all the way to ,perryville1 and then had to turn round to follow on his track4 ,brother went to see ,miss ,philly1 and he wouldn't take me1 ,mary complained to ,william ,king1 when he drew up at the minister's door2 and the doctor was sympathetic to the extent of five cents for candy comfort4 ,but when ,jinny reached the ,roberts gate ,dr4 ,king saw ,john ,fenn down in the garden with ,philippa4 ,ho-ho6 said ,william4 ,i guess ,i'll wait and see if he works out his own salvation4 ,he hitched ,jinny1 and went in to find ,philippa's father1 and to him he freed his mind4 ,the two men sat on the porch looking down over the tops of the lilac-bushes into the garden1 where they could just see the heads of the two young1 unhappy people4 ,it's nonsense1 you know1 said ,william ,king1 that ,philly doesn't take that boy4 ,he's head over heels in love with her4 ,she is not attached to him in any such manner1 ,henry ,roberts said2 ,i wonder a little at it1 myself4 ,he is a good youth4 ,the doctor looked at him wonderingly2 it occurred to him that if he had a daughter he would understand her better than ,philly's father understood her4 ,i think the child cares for him1 he said2 then1 hesitatingly1 he referred to ,john ,fenn's sickness4 ,i suppose you know about it8 he said4 ,philly's father bent his head2 he knew1 he thought1 only too well2 no divine revelation in a disordered digestion6 ,don't you think1 ,william ,king said1 smiling1 you might try to make her feel that she is wrong not to accept him1 now that the charm has worked1 so to speak8 ,the charm8 the old man repeated1 vaguely4 ,i thought you understood1 the doctor said1 frowning2 then1 after a minute's hesitation1 he told him the facts4 ,henry ,roberts stared at him1 shocked and silent2 his girl1 his ,philippa1 to have done such a thing6 ,so great a sin--my little ,philly6 he said1 faintly4 ,he was pale with distress4 ,my dear sir1 ,dr4 ,king protested1 impatiently1 don't talk about ,,sin in connection with that child4 ,i wish ,i'd held my tongue6 ,henry ,roberts was silent4 ,philippa's share in ,john ,fenn's mysterious illness removed it still further from that revelation1 waited for during all these years with such passionate patience4 ,he paid no attention to ,william ,king's reassurances2 and his silence was so silencing that by and by the doctor stopped talking and looked down into the garden again4 ,he observed that those two heads had not drawn any nearer together4 ,it was not ,john ,fenn's fault4444 ,there can be no good reason1 he was saying to ,philippa4 ,if it is a bad reason1 ,i will overcome it6 ,tell me why8 ,she put her hand up to her lips and trembled4 ,come1 he said2 it is my due1 ,philippa4 ,i ,,will know6 ,philippa shook her head4 ,he took her other hand and stroked it1 as one might stroke a child's hand to comfort and encourage it4 ,you must tell me1 beloved1 he said4 ,philippa looked at him with scared eyes2 then1 suddenly pulling her hands from his and turning away1 she covered her face and burst into uncontrollable sobbing4 ,he1 confounded and frightened1 followed her and tried to soothe her4 ,never mind1 ,philly1 never mind6 if you don't want to tell me-- ,i do want to tell you4 ,i will tell you6 ,you will despise me4 ,but ,i will tell you4 ,i ,,did ,a ,,wicked ,,deed4 ,it was this very plant-here1 where we stand1 monk's-hood6 ,it was poison4 ,i didn't know--oh1 ,i didn't know4 ,the book said monk's-hood--it was a mistake4 ,but ,i did a wicked deed4 ,i tried to kill you-- ,she swayed as she spoke1 and then seemed to sink down and down1 until she lay1 a forlorn little heap1 at his feet4 ,for one dreadful moment he thought she had lost her senses4 ,he tried to lift her1 saying1 with agitation3 ,philly6 ,we will not speak of it-- ,i murdered you1 she whispered4 ,i put the charm into your tea1 to make you444 love me4 ,you didn't die4 ,but it was murder4 ,i meant--,i meant no harm-- ,he understood4 ,he lifted her up and held her in his arms4 ,up on the porch ,william ,king saw that the two heads were close together6 ,why6 the young man said4 ,why--but ,philly6 ,you loved me6 ,what difference does that make8 she said1 heavily4 ,it makes much difference to me1 he answered2 he put his hand on her soft hair and tried to press her head down again on his shoulder4 ,but she drew away4 ,no2 no4 ,but-- he began4 ,she interrupted him4 ,listen1 she said2 and then1 sometimes in a whisper1 sometimes breaking into a sob1 she told him the story of that ,november night4 ,he could hardly hear it through4 ,love1 you loved me6 ,you will marry me4 ,no2 ,i am a wicked girl--a--a--an immodest girl-- ,my beloved1 you meant no wrong-- ,he paused1 seeing that she was not listening4 ,her father and the doctor were coming down the garden path2 ,william ,king1 beaming with satisfaction at the proximity of those two heads1 had summoned ,henry ,roberts to come along and give 'em your blessing6 ,but as he reached them1 standing now apart1 the doctor's smile faded--evidently something had happened4 ,john ,fenn1 tense with distress1 called to him with frowning command3 ,doctor6 ,tell her1 for heaven's sake1 tell her that it was nothing--that charm6 ,tell her she did no wrong4 ,no one can do that1 ,henry ,roberts said2 it was a sin4 ,now1 look here-- ,dr4 ,king began4 ,it was a sin to try to move by foolish arts the will of ,god4 ,philippa turned to the young man1 standing quivering beside her4 ,you see8 she said4 ,no6 ,no1 ,i don't see--or if ,i do1 never mind4 ,just for a moment her face cleared4 7,yes1 truly1 he was not thinking of her soul now67 ,but the gleam faded4 ,oh1 father1 ,i am a great sinner1 she whispered4 ,no1 you're not6 ,william ,king said4 ,yes1 my ,philippa1 you are1 ,henry ,roberts agreed1 solemnly4 ,the lover made a despairing gesture3 ,doctor ,king6 tell her 'no6' 'no6' ,yes1 her father went on1 it was a sin4 ,therefore1 ,philippa1 ,,sin ,,no ,,more4 ,did you pray that this young man's love might be given to you8 ,philippa said1 in a whisper1 ,yes4 ,and it was given to you8 ,yes4 ,philippa1 was it the foolish weed that moved him to love8 ,she was silent4 ,my child1 my ,philly1 it was your ,saviour who moved the heart of this youth1 because you asked ,him4 ,will you do such despite to your ,lord as to reject the gift he has given in answer to your prayer8 ,philippa1 with parted lips1 was listening intently3 ,the gift ,he had given6 ,dr4 ,king dared not speak4 ,john ,fenn looked at him1 and then at ,philippa1 and trembled4 ,except for the sound of a bird stirring in its nest overhead in the branches1 a sunny stillness brooded over the garden4 ,then1 suddenly1 the stillness was shattered by a strange sound--a loud1 cadenced chant1 full of rhythmical repetitions4 ,the three who heard it thrilled from head to foot2 ,henry ,roberts did not seem to hear it3 it came from his own lips4 ,oh1 ,philippa6 ,oh1 ,philippa6 ,i do require--,i do require that you accept your ,saviour's gift4 ,add not sin to sin4 ,oh1 add not sin to sin by making prayer of no avail6 ,behold1 ,he has set before thee an open door4 ,oh1 let no man shut it4 ,oh1 let no man shut it4444 ,the last word fell into a low1 wailing note4 ,no one spoke4 ,the bird rustled in the leaves above them2 a butterfly wavered slowly down to settle on a purple flag in the sunshine4 ,philly's eyes filled with blessed tears4 ,she stretched out her arms to her father and smiled4 ,but it was ,john ,fenn who caught those slender1 trembling arms against his breast2 and1 looking over at the old man1 he said1 softly1 ,,the ,,voice ,,of ,,god4 444 and ,i1 said ,william ,king1 telling the story that night to ,dr4 ,lavendar--,i just wanted to say 'the voice of ,,common ,,sense6' ,my dear ,william1 said the old man1 gently1 the most beautiful thing in the world is the knowledge that comes to you1 when you get to be as old as ,i am1 that they are the same thing4