ast
window was no Sign of an imaginary renunciation, no Symbol of a worn-out
creed, but the portrait of a living Person, Whose Voice was calling
her, and Whose Love was constraining her, and Whose Power was enfolding
her and would not let her go. With the certainty that is too absolute
for proof, she knew in Whom she now believed; and she knew, further,
that it was not her own mind nor the preacher's words that had suddenly
shown her the truth--flesh and blood had not revealed it to her, but
Christ Himself.

When the service was over, Elisabeth came out into the sunlight with a
strange, new, exultant feeling, such as she had never felt before. She
stood in the old churchyard, waiting for Alan to bring round the
dog-cart, and watching the sun set beyond the distant hills; and she was
conscious--how she could not explain--that the sunset was different from
any other sunset that she had ever seen. She had always loved nature
with an intense love; but now there seemed a richer gold in the parting
sunbeams--a sweeter mystery behind the far-off hills--because of that
Figure in the east window. It was as if she saw again a land which she
had always loved, and now learned for the first time that it belonged to
some one who was dear to her; a new sense of ownership mingled with the
old delight, and gave an added interest to the smallest detail.

Then she and Alan turned their backs to the sunset, and drove along the
bleak high-road toward Sedgehill, where the reflection of the
blast-furnaces--that weird aurora borealis of the Black Country--was
already beginning to pulsate against the darkening sky. And here again
Elisabeth realized that for her the old things had passed away, and all
things had become new. She felt that her childish dream was true, and
that the crimson light was indeed a pillar of fire showing that the Lord
was in the midst of His people; but she went further now than she had
gone in her day-dreams, and knew that all the lights and shadows of life
are but pillars of cloud and of fire, forthtelling the same truth to all
who have seeing eyes and understanding hearts.

Suddenly the silence was broken by Alan. "I have been thinking about you
during the service, and building all sorts of castles in the air which
you and I are going to inhabit together. But we must not let the old
faiths hamper us, Elisabeth; if we do, our powers will be impaired by
prejudices, and our usefulness will be limited by traditions."