r, in a
steady stream, and Tahirih, seated behind a curtain, would converse with
them. One day the great Siyyid Yahya, surnamed Vahid, was present there.
As he sat without, Tahirih listened to him from behind the veil. I was
then a child, and was sitting on her lap. With eloquence and fervor, Vahid
was discoursing on the signs and verses that bore witness to the advent of
the new Manifestation. She suddenly interrupted him and, raising her
voice, vehemently declared: "O Yahya! Let deeds, not words, testify to thy
faith, if thou art a man of true learning. Cease idly repeating the
traditions of the past, for the day of service, of steadfast action, is
come. Now is the time to show forth the true signs of God, to rend asunder
the veils of idle fancy, to promote the Word of God, and to sacrifice
ourselves in His path. Let deeds, not words, be our adorning!"

The Blessed Beauty made elaborate arrangements for Tahirih's journey to
Bada_sh_t and sent her off with an equipage and retinue. His own party
left for that region some days afterward.

In Bada_sh_t, there was a great open field. Through its center a stream
flowed, and to its right, left, and rear there were three gardens, the
envy of Paradise. One of those gardens was assigned to Quddus,(127) but
this was kept a secret. Another was set apart for Tahirih, and in a third
was raised the pavilion of Baha'u'llah. On the field amidst the three
gardens, the believers pitched their tents. Evenings, Baha'u'llah, Quddus
and Tahirih would come together. In those days the fact that the Bab was
the Qa'im had not yet been proclaimed; it was the Blessed Beauty, with
Quddus, Who arranged for the proclamation of a universal Advent and the
abrogation and repudiation of the ancient laws.

Then one day, and there was a wisdom in it, Baha'u'llah fell ill; that is,
the indisposition was to serve a vital purpose. On a sudden, in the sight
of all, Quddus came out of his garden, and entered the pavilion of
Baha'u'llah. But Tahirih sent him a message, to say that their Host being
ill, Quddus should visit her garden instead. His answer was: "This garden
is preferable. Come, then, to this one." Tahirih, with her face unveiled,
stepped from her garden, advancing to the pavilion of Baha'u'llah; and as
she came, she shouted aloud these words: "The Trumpet is sounding! The
great Trump is blown! The universal Advent is now proclaimed!"(128) The
believers gathered in that tent were panic struck, and