nsciously loved him as she listened to him, sitting there on the
homemade stool in her mother's cabin and talking of things beyond
comprehension. But she could have loved him, and she did worship him.
It was the personal fascination of Brother Friedsam and her own
vigorous hatred of the commonplace that had led her three years before
to join the sisterhood in the Sharon house. She did not know to what
degree a desire for Beissels's companionship had drawn her to accept
his speculations concerning the mystical Sophia and the Philadelphian
fellowship. But the convent had proved a disappointment. She had seen
little of the great Brother Friedsam, and he had given her, instead of
friendly notice and approval, only a schoolmaster's scolding now and
then for slight faults committed in singing a new piece.

As she sat there in gloomy meditation Jael's evil prediction entered
her mind, and she amused herself with dreams of what might take place
if she should leave the convent and go out into the world again.

In putting away her papers a little note fell out.

"The goose is at it again," she said.

She had that day received some blank paper from the paper mill of the
community, and Daniel Scheible had put this little love letter into the
package of which he was the bearer. He had sent such letters before,
and Tabea, though she had not answered them, had kept them, partly
because she did not wish to inform those in authority of this breach of
rule, partly because so much defiance of the law of the place gave a
little zest to a monotonous life, and partly because she was a young
woman, and therefore not displeased with affection, even from a youth
in whom she had no more than a friendly interest.

Scheible's parents had been Dunkards, persecuted in Europe, who had
sought refuge from their troubles by the bad expedient of taking ship
for Philadelphia, with an understanding that they were, according to
custom, to be sold for a term of years to pay the fare. Among a
multitude who died on the passage from the overcrowding and bad food
were Daniel's father and mother, and the little lad was sold for the
rest of his minority to pay his own fare as well as that of the dead
members of his family. As a promising boy, he had been bought by the
Ephrata brotherhood and bred into the fraternity. With the audacity of
youth he had conceived a great passion for Tabea, and now that his
apprenticeship was about to expire he amused her with sur