n? Her boy was dead, and even God
Himself never disturbed the slumber of the body from which the spirit
had flown. But still what meant that expression--why that leap and
throbbing of her heart?

Then with a gesture of authority the Master caused the crowd to draw
back from the bier, until at last there remained only the corpse, the
mother and Himself in a cleared space in the center. Then a strange
and wonderful scene began. With His gaze fixed upon the face of the
corpse, and in an attitude that indicated a supreme effort of His
will, the Master was seen to be making some mighty effort which called
into play the highest forces at His command. The Apostles, having been
instructed by Him in Occult power, recognized the nature of the
manifestation, and their faces paled, for they knew that He was not
only pouring out His vital force into the body in order to recharge it
with _prana_, but that He was also essaying one of the highest and
most difficult of occult feats--that of summoning back from the Astral
Plane the higher vehicles and the Astral Body--the very soul of the
youth--and forcing it once more into its mortal frame, which He had
recharged with vital energy and strength. They knew that He, by the
mightiest effort of His will, was reversing the process of death. And
with a full appreciation of the real nature of the wonder that was
being worked before them, their limbs trembled beneath them and their
breath came from them in gasps.

Then cried the people, "What saith this man to the corpse?" "Arise,
youth! Open thine eyes! Breathe freely! Arise, I say unto
thee--arise!" Did this stranger dare to defy God's own decree?

The corpse opened its eyes and stared around in wild amaze, the glare
not fully faded away! Its chest heaved in great agonizing gasps as if
fighting again for life! Then its arms were lifted up--then its legs
began to move--now it raised itself upright and began to babble
meaningless words--now the look of recognition came into its eyes, and
its arms clasped themselves around the mother's neck, while sob after
sob broke from its lips! The dead lived--the corpse had come to life.

The people fell back overcome with the awful terror of the sight, and
the funeral procession scattered in all directions, until only the
sobbing mother and the youth remained, weeping in their mutual love
and joy, and forgetting even the Master and His followers in their
great flood of affection.

And, leaving them t