u hast been gone from us for quite a while. We have stayed
behind in Haifa, all alone, and it is very difficult to get along. We hear
that thou art a little indisposed; the Haifa air would have been better
for thee. We had everything ready in Haifa to receive thee, but in fact,
this caused thee some difficulty. There is no way but to endure the toil
and trouble of God's path. If thou dost not bear these hardships, who
would ever bear them?

In any case, no matter how things are, come thou here today, because my
heart is longing for thee.

11: O thou my sister, my dear sister! ...

(15) O thou my sister, my dear sister!

Divine wisdom hath decreed this temporary separation, but I long more and
more to be with thee again. Patience is called for, and long-suffering,
and trust in God, and the seeking of His favour. Since thou art there, my
mind is completely at rest.

In recent days, I have made a plan to visit Egypt, if this be God's will.
Do thou, on my behalf, lay thy head on the sacred Threshold, and perfume
brow and hair in the dust of that Door, and ask that I may be confirmed in
my work; that I may, in return for His endless bounties, win, if He will,
a drop out of the ocean of servitude.

12: My sister and beloved of my soul! ...

(16) My sister and beloved of my soul!

Here on the slopes of Mount Carmel, by the cave of Elijah, we are thinking
of that Most Exalted Leaf, and the beloved and handmaids of the Lord.

We pass our days in writing and our nights now in communion with God, now
in bed to overcome failing health. And although, to outward seeming, we
are absent from you all, and far away, still our thoughts are with you
always.

I can never, never forget thee. However great the distance that separates
us, we still feel as though we were seated under the same roof, in one and
the same gathering, for are we not all under the shadow of the Tabernacle
of God and beneath the canopy of His infinite grace and mercy?

13: My sister, for a considerable period, that is, ...

(17) My sister, for a considerable period, that is, from the day of
Baha'u'llah's ascension, had grown so thin and feeble, and was in such a
weakened condition from the anguish of her mourning, that she was close to
breakdown.

Although, so far as she was concerned, it was her dearest wish to drain
her cup and wing her way to the realms where the Divine Essence shineth in
glory, still this servant could not bea