not see! The flesh
cometh clean _fast_. Fast! And the breath of healing bloweth over the
running sores! See! They are drying! Look, like scales they are
dropping away!"

Before Jael reached the bed Sara had risen on her knees.

"My Jesus!" he shouted in a voice that made the valley ring as he met
her face to face. "Sara! Thou art made _whole_!"

Even as he spoke she lifted herself with a great shout and left the
nest of rushes for the arms of Jael. For a moment he held her as if
between the woman and destruction there remained nothing but his arms.
Yet the lips of them both were dumb in the first moments of the
miracle. Then he held her at arm's length and looked into her face.

"Thou art Jael--surely Jael," she said, "but am I Sara?"

"Yea, yea. And every whit made whole. Feel thou thy hair. Feel thou
thy ruddy cheeks. Feel thou thy supple arms and strong young hands as
when they tossed the nets," and he drew his fingers over her hair and
face and arms.

Again she stood unable to speak. She looked back to the empty bed of
rushes and into the face of Jael.

"Feel for thyself," and taking her hand he made it stroke her long hair.

"Let mine eyes bear me witness," and turning toward the still pool she
ran fleet footed, and dropped on her hands and knees beside it. So
long and carefully she bent above the water, Jael came beside her and
looked in to see there her mirrored face. "Look, Jael," she whispered.
"Seest thou a face?"

"Yea, thy face, clean and whole."

"Nay--not mine. There is one altogether fair and more beautiful than
tongue can tell. It seemeth to look out from mine as though it had
always been there, yet it is not mine, but another. My soul telleth me
this mighty Jesus hath taken possession of thy Sara."

A moment they tarried by the pool of the Jordan. Then Sara sprang up
exclaiming, "Jael--I love thee! I love thee! But there is another I
love with a strong love that tongue can not speak. Come! Let us
hasten with winged feet to Jesus of Nazareth. Before his face would I
shout the joy of my salvation!"

CHAPTER XXI

ANOTHER PASSOVER

The year between the Passover feasts of 32 and 33 A. D. had been a busy
and eventful one in the Bethany household where Jesus made his home
during much of the time of his Judean teaching. Out of his frequent
visits and the thoughtful ministrations of Mary and Martha had come an
intimacy that had cemented the bands of love betwee