ouble victory won, for from that time he came off and on, till about a
year later, when he started to come regularly, and ultimately became a
real enquirer after the Truth. When the writer left for home in
November it was impossible not to praise God for all the blessing He
had given in Kucheng, and to hope and pray for greater things.

CHAPTER XII

THE BEGINNING OF CONFLICT

A few weeks went by, and then Miss M---- paid a visit to Kucheng. On
her return she said that Mrs. Lue had stopped coming to the meetings, as
she was frightened. At night she was haunted by horrible dreams, and
was afraid she had sinned against her cause in learning our doctrine,
and in listening to the preaching of the Word. So she stayed away
altogether, and began reciting her prayers to Buddha more diligently
than ever before. She determined never to give up her vow, but to go
steadily on, and to be even more earnest in the future, so that if
possible she might find peace and rest for her soul.

In that state we found her when next we visited the place. She was so
unhappy. Till late into the night she could be heard counting her
beads, and reciting her _O-mi-to-fuh_, in earnest and pleading tones.

One Sunday, after the meeting, her husband took down the idols and
burned them publicly. Even to please his wife he could not leave them
any longer. The ancestral tablet was destroyed the same day, and some
Christian scrolls and pictures were hung up, to show that henceforth
the Lord Jesus was to be Master in the house instead of Satan. His
real power was to take the place of the imagined power at the disposal
of the idols. Mr. Lue was so happy when his house was cleansed from
everything idolatrous, and we heartily rejoiced with him, praising God
for his salvation and for his bright testimony.

But as for Mrs. Lue, her face was a picture of sadness. She had not
dared to come to the meeting, but came privately afterwards. We asked
her why she had been sitting alone and miserable in her own house, when
she might have been gathering with others joyfully before the Lord.
The tears started to her eyes, as she answered, "I do want to come, oh
so much, but I dare not, I dare not!" When asked what she was going to
do now, as all the idols had been burned, she said she would have to
recite her prayers without a Buddha to burn incense to.

"What about your beads? Where are they going to be hung?"

"Oh, I don't know. My husband says