diff options
Diffstat (limited to 'old/63629-0.txt')
| -rw-r--r-- | old/63629-0.txt | 8645 |
1 files changed, 0 insertions, 8645 deletions
diff --git a/old/63629-0.txt b/old/63629-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 317d851..0000000 --- a/old/63629-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,8645 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, Walda, by Mary Holland Kinkaid - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - - -Title: Walda - A Novel - - -Author: Mary Holland Kinkaid - - - -Release Date: November 4, 2020 [eBook #63629] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WALDA*** - - -E-text prepared by Richard Tonsing and the Online Distributed Proofreading -Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made available by -Internet Archive (https://archive.org) - - - -Note: Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive. See - https://archive.org/details/waldanovel00kinkiala - - -Transcriber’s note: - - Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_). - - - - - -A Novel - -by - -MARY HOLLAND KINKAID - - -[Illustration] - - - - - - -New York and London -Harper & Brothers -Publishers ∴ MCMIII - -Copyright, 1903, by Harper & Brothers. - -All rights reserved. -Published March, 1903. - - - - - - PUBLISHERS’ NOTE - - -For obvious reasons, the real name of the community described herein is -withheld; but the scenes are pictured with almost photographic fidelity, -and the life portrayed is the life actually led to-day by a religious -co-operative community in a Western State. - - - - - WALDA - - -“So that is Zanah there at the foot of the hill? It is a pretty village, -Hans Peter. Step more quickly with my bag. You are slow, my boy. -Remember there is a quarter of a dollar for you in my pocket.” - -The tall, broad-shouldered man who spoke took a few strides along the -plank walk that led from the railway station to the village of Zanah, -half a mile away. Then he stopped to light a cigar while he waited for -the fat, short-legged figure that was bending under the weight of a -large valise to overtake him. The man was in the early prime of life. -When he took off the soft felt travelling-hat he wore, a strongly -modelled head was silhouetted against the sky. He looked across the -field of purple cabbages to the village that lay in the hush of the -summer evening. The gabled roofs of the houses were half hidden by -trees, but on a rise of ground the porch and belfry of a little church -were plainly visible. - -Hans Peter dropped his burden and, imitating the stranger, removed from -a shock of straw-colored hair a cap mended with red yarn. The boy wore -baggy trousers of blue denim buttoned to a blouse of the same material. -The man smiled as he looked at the odd figure. - -“Do you hear me, Hans Peter? There is a quarter in my pocket for you. I -will find two quarters if you walk faster. Do you know what I say to -you?” - -The boy replaced his cap, nodded his head, and answered, with a German -accent: - -“Thou art talking to the simple one, the village fool, sir. But Hans -Peter knows thou wouldst give him silver.” - -It was the first time that the boy had spoken since the station agent -had called him by name and told him to show the stranger to the inn in -the village of Zanah, just across the hill. The man gave his guide a -sharp look. Hans Peter had a round face that was as blank as if no human -emotion had ever been written upon it. His pale eyes had a sleepy look, -and yet there was nothing in their expression to indicate lack of -intelligence. - -“The village fool—nonsense,” said the stranger. “Here is one piece of -silver. See if it can’t loosen your tongue.” - -“Thy money belongs to Zanah, where no man is richer than another,” said -Hans Peter. “I will give it to the Herr Doktor.” - -“For a fool you speak well,” said the stranger, casting a glance of -curiosity at the boy. “Why are you called the simple one?” - -Hans Peter put his hands in his pockets and answered: - -“It may be because I talk too much to strangers.” - -The man laughed. He had a clear-cut, clean-shaven face, which was almost -stern in repose, but when he smiled it was plain that the spirit of -youth still dwelt in him. - -“Well, Hans Peter, we shall continue our march to Zanah,” he said. “One, -two, three. There! We are off at a better pace.” - -He took the valise from Hans Peter, who began to trot along at his side. -The lad was not taller than a twelve-year old boy, but there was -something so strange about him that the man asked him his age. - -“One-and-twenty,” replied Hans Peter. “If the Lord had not made me a -fool, thou wouldst know that I have a man’s years.” - -There was a little quiver in the voice of the village fool, and it -touched the heart of the stranger. He put his hand on the boy’s shoulder -and said, gently: - -“Of course, I knew you were not a child. You seemed small beside me; but -I should have noticed that you are a man. I am glad to know you first of -all in Zanah, for I want you to be my guide while I am among the people, -who are said to be different from those I know out there in the world.” - -The boy raised his eyes to the western bluffs, which seemed to touch the -crimson sky. Then he nodded his head. - -“Hans Peter will do what he can,” he promised, “but the colony elders -forbid us to talk to those who come from the wicked cities, where people -live not according to the ways of God.” - -They moved on through the cabbage-field, and the board walk presently -led to a grass-grown lane that widened into the village street. The -street wavered uncertainly between vine-covered fences which shut in -old-fashioned gardens all a tangle of flowers. Back in the gardens were -set stone houses with big chimneys and shut-in porches. On benches -before the largest houses milk-pans and pewter plates were leaning -against the weather-beaten walls. The diamond-paned windows reflected -the gold of the sunset. - -Up the street the stranger and the boy walked without meeting any one. -They came to a straggling stone house with many wings that opened upon -trellised verandas. It differed from the other stone buildings in not -being surrounded by a fence. Its hinged windows were thrown open and -white curtains flapped in the gentle breeze. Here the street broadened -into a public square, the centre of which was occupied by a well. Hans -Peter paused before the worn steps leading to the front door. - -“Sir, this is the _gasthaus_,” he said. - -The man looked up as if in search of a sign, but there was nothing to -indicate that it was an inn. - -“Where is the landlord?” he asked. “This seems to be a deserted -village.” - -Hans Peter stared at him. - -“Where are the people who live in Zanah?” the stranger inquired, -choosing words that the simple one would understand. - -“I will go for Diedrich Werther,” the boy said. “It is the sunset hour, -and the men and women of Zanah are busy getting all their work done -before evening prayer.” - -Hans Peter’s German accent reminded the stranger to ask whether it was -true that few people in Zanah knew any tongue except the German. He had -to make the question very plain, and then Hans Peter said: “It is only -the fool of Zanah and the great men like the Herr Doktor that know -English.” He appeared to be thinking hard for a moment, and after a -pause he explained: “The English makes the wickedness of the world easy -to learn. It is only the great men, who can put aside temptation, and -the fool, whose soul is accursed, that cannot be harmed by it.” - -The man gave the simple one a glance of surprise. He looked into the -boy’s face for a moment. - -“I am afraid the people of Zanah are not good Americans,” he said. -“English is the tongue of the United States, and all should speak it, -Hans Peter.” - -Hans Peter shook his head. - -“Some of our young men have learned the English and they have forsaken -the ways of the colony to go out into the world. They have listened to -Satan, and Zanah hath seen them no more. Two of our girls ran away. The -elders worry much about the people, for it is hard to keep out evil -things with the railway so near. We are forbidden to make images of -anything on earth, but colored pictures are sometimes brought to Zanah.” - -“The elders must have a hard task, indeed, if they would keep out sin, -Hans Peter.” The stranger laughed. “I am afraid the great world will -swallow up the colony some day.” - -“The elders will be guided, sir. Zanah is waiting for Walda Kellar to -speak with the voice of prophecy. She will be the inspired one who will -guide the people of the colony.” - -“Who is Walda Kellar?” asked the stranger. But the simple one was -silent. The question was repeated. - -“The fool hath talked too much,” said Hans Peter. - -“Go call the landlord of the inn,” commanded the stranger, turning to -seat himself in a splint-bottomed chair that stood in a corner of the -veranda. - -Diedrich Werther, the landlord, was slow in answering the summons of his -chance guest. When he made his appearance he walked with deliberation. -He was a short, stout man, with a red face, and he had a wisp of sandy -hair in the middle of his forehead. His trousers, supported by knitted -suspenders, were of such generous size that they reached nearly to his -arm-pits. He wore a blue shirt and carpet slippers. He received his -guest with a lack of hospitality which showed that visitors were of -small importance in his estimation. After making a bow, which included -the scraping of one of his carpet slippers as he bent his head, he -looked at the stranger with unwinking eyes that revealed not the -slightest sign of cordiality. - -“Do you permit travellers to stay at your inn?” inquired the guest, -first in English, but he received no response, and he had to resort to -the German picked up in his student days at Heidelberg. - -“Ja, ja,” said Werther, and he motioned to Hans Peter to carry the -valise inside the inn. - -“And can I have dinner here?” the stranger inquired. - -The landlord shook his head. Dinner was at mid-day, but a special supper -would be made ready after evening prayer. The stranger could rest in the -big chair. - -The church-bell rang out in solemn tones. It had not sounded twice -before the street became alive. From every door issued men, women, and -children. Gate latches clicked, and soon a silent, solemn line of -villagers passed the inn. From his corner in the porch the stranger -looked on unobserved. All the men were more or less like Diedrich -Werther. They wore the baggy, ill-fitting trousers and the blue shirt -which made the host of the inn of Zanah look like the figures on beer -mugs. The women had on gowns of blue calico, straight and full in the -skirts, and made with plain, gathered waists, over which were folded -three-cornered kerchiefs. Black hoods, with untied strings, covered -their hair. Most of the women of Zanah were stout of body and stolid of -face. They walked on the opposite side of the street from the men. Among -them were many young girls, with the beauty of face that health and -innocence give. The church-bell ceased its ringing. Peering out between -the vines, the stranger saw the meeting-house on the hill beyond a -bridge on the other side of the square where the street began to climb -the hill. One by one the villagers passed through its door. - -The bell rang again. Into the little square before the inn came a man -different from the others. He was tall and spare of figure. His oddly -cut clothing fitted his body with snugness. A broad-brimmed, gray felt -hat shaded a sensitive face marked with strong lines. Long hair, which -fell over the wide collar of his coat, gave him the look of one who -belonged to a past generation. Not old, and yet not young, this man of -Zanah had an unusual beauty of countenance that bespoke patience and -gentleness. At his heels trooped a dozen boys who quickly surrounded the -well. Standing on moss-covered stones, they took turns dipping water -from a gourd fastened to the curb. - -The man of Zanah stood with his face turned in the direction whence he -had come. Suddenly he doffed the gray felt hat and waited with uncovered -head while three women approached the well. Two were like the many who -had gone by within the quarter-hour. The third was young, and her beauty -was of such rare quality that the stranger stepped out to the edge of -the porch that he might better see her features. She was of more than -medium height, and she walked with a majestic bearing. Her face, -uplifted to the sky, was lighted by the sunset glow. Over her fair hair, -which fell in two long braids below her waist, she wore a cap of white -lawn, and the kerchief crossed upon her bosom was white. She appeared to -be unconscious of the presence of the man of Zanah until her gown -touched him. She turned her head and smiled with such sweetness and such -friendliness that the stranger, watching her, felt a pang of envy. The -man bent his head reverently, and the children stopped their play to -make obeisance to her. When she had passed, the man of Zanah stood -motionless for a moment. He was suddenly startled from his reverie by -the simple one, who ran from the inn and grasped his hand. - -For a third time the bell rang. The man of Zanah patted the fool on the -head and turned towards the meeting-house. After he had gone over the -bridge, the stranger hastened across the little square to the place -where Hans Peter was left standing alone. - -“Who is the man that has just gone up the street?” he inquired. - -The village fool said it was Gerson Brandt, the school-master. - -“And who was the girl—the one with the white cap?” - -Hans Peter pretended not to hear. - -“Was that the one who is to be your prophetess?” - -Hans Peter was silent. There was a look of cunning in his eyes. - -“Answer my question, Hans Peter,” said the stranger, with some -impatience. - -“The elders say wise men ask questions that fools may not answer,” -replied the simple one, and then he ran away across the bridge. - - - - - II - - -The village of Zanah awoke at sunrise. Looking from the front window of -the inn, the stranger, Stephen Everett, saw the quaint folk moving up -and down the little street. In the porches of a near-by kitchen women -were preparing breakfast. There was a strange quiet that at first -oppressed the visitor from the outside world. The men and women were -silent; the children walked with decorous steps; there was no unseemly -laughter. - -It was a perfect morning of late summer. Beyond flat breadths of fertile -fields the bluffs rose gently, and hill-side and plain were dotted with -vineyards. Winding roads led through interlocking trees from which birds -were taking flight. The flowers, heavily laden with dew, gave out a -delightful fragrance. In the sky was the pink flush of dawn, and the -morning star still kept watch over the hamlet from which the bustling, -every-day world was shut out. - -The stranger in Zanah went in to breakfast, which was served in a long, -low room that had a sanded floor. While he was standing at the table, -upon which the blue-gowned women waited, Adolph Schneider, the head of -the colony, came to him. Adolph Schneider showed that he was a man of -importance. He was stout and bald. A grizzled fringe of beard encircled -his chin, which, on account of his short neck, rested upon his black -cravat. He had small eyes, set close together, and he gave the -impression that shrewdness was the key-note of his character. - -“I am president of the Society of Zanah,” he said, in good English, “and -I am come to inquire wherefore thou hast visited the colony in which the -Lord’s people try to do his will in all humbleness and meekness.” - -The broad-rimmed straw hat that he wore set well down upon his ears: he -had the appearance of retiring into it and his black cravat for the -purpose of watching the stranger. Everett rose to meet him. - -“Chance brought me here,” he said, looking down upon the Herr Doktor. “I -am something of a student, and I want to see the books printed in Zanah. -Perhaps you will sell some of them to me?” - -Adolph Schneider leaned on the stout cane he carried to aid him in the -difficult process of walking, for he had gout, which was the result of a -long diet of fat meats, sauerkraut, and hot breads. He glanced at -Everett with a look of suspicion. - -“We have many strangers from the outside world,” he said, “but all come -here to buy the blankets and printed cloths of Zanah. We have none who -would look into our books.” - -His small eyes rested upon the fine face of the stranger, and there was -much in it to give any man confidence. The dark eyes had a frank -expression, and the lips and chin told that they belonged to one who had -command of himself while he was fitted to rule others. - -“I have heard that your German books are good specimens of hand-work, -and I coveted some of them because I am a collector,” said Everett. - -Schneider looked puzzled and repeated the word “collector.” Everett -explained about his library, and he was soon talking in the most -friendly manner to the Herr Doktor, whom he persuaded to sit at the -table and to drink coffee with him. When Everett had finished breakfast, -they went into the front room of the inn, where Mother Werther, the -landlord’s wife, sat behind a high counter keeping an eye on the -dog-eared register and the blue china match-safe. Everett offered cigars -to the Herr Doktor, who declined them, but was easily persuaded to try -the tobacco that was produced from the pocket of the stranger’s coat. -After they had smoked together Everett knew more about Zanah than he had -expected to learn, although his direct questions had been parried, and -it had required adroitness to obtain any information concerning the -colony. The prospect of a sale of books melted the heart of the village -president, who explained that he managed the money of the people. - -“If thou wouldst see the books, come with me to the school-master,” said -Schneider. “Gerson Brandt was an artist before he came into the colony, -fifteen years ago. He hath a rare gift in the laying on of colors, and -he hath made some of the books of Zanah good to look at.” - -They walked along the quiet street, crossed the rustic bridge, and -climbed the little hill to the meeting-house, which was a low stone -building covered with vines. In place of the steeple a modest little -belfry rose above the peaked roof. Beyond the meeting-house, and -separated from it by a stone wall, was the school-house, such a -rambling, weather-beaten wooden building as any artist would delight in. -It was entered from a latticed porch with long seats on either side of -the door. There was a garden in front of it—a well-kept garden, with -trim walks and well-weeded flower-beds. Over the porch a sturdy -rose-bush climbed. The hinged windows were thrown open and the buzz of -children’s voices could be heard. Suddenly all sounds were hushed. -Everett and the Herr Doktor ascended the wide steps, and as they were -about to push open the door a woman’s voice rose in a hymn. It was a -voice clear and sweet, and its minor cadence was sustained with -wonderful power. The words were German, and the tune was monotonous, but -the man from the outside world was strangely moved by the melody. -Everett uncovered his head and listened reverently. Adolph Schneider -leaned against the door-frame, smoking, as if he did not hear. When the -hymn was ended Everett asked, in a low tone: - -“Who is the woman that sang?” - -“Walda Kellar,” answered the old man. He took several puffs of his pipe -and then he added, “She is one called of God.” - -The Herr Doktor lifted the latch and stepped into the long school-room, -while Everett paused on the threshold. It was a strange scene that met -his gaze. Seated in orderly rows, more than one hundred boys faced the -school-master, who stood beside his high desk, but Gerson Brandt’s face -was turned away from his charges; his eyes were fixed upon a figure that -chained Everett’s attention. On the platform stood Walda Kellar. She was -turning the leaves of a big Bible which was held before her by the -village fool. The girl was as tall and straight as a sapling. The ample -folds of her blue print gown did not hide the slender grace of her -figure. The white kerchief crossed over her bosom revealed a rounded -neck, upon which her beautiful head was well set. Her cap was white -instead of black, like the head-coverings worn by the other women, and -beneath it her shining hair curled about a broad, low forehead. The face -was nobly moulded. Everett could not see each feature, but he knew that -a pair of wonderful eyes were the glory of her countenance, which had an -expression of exaltation he had never seen before on any face. - -Back of the girl, knitting as if all Zanah were dependent upon her for -winter mittens, sat a woman of sour visage. As her needles moved she -watched the school-master and the girl. When Adolph Schneider entered -the room Walda Kellar looked past him, and her eyes met those of the -stranger with a look that betrayed no consciousness of his presence, -although he blushed like a school-boy. Walda greeted the Herr Doktor -with a slight inclination of her head. Then she whispered to the simple -one, who closed the Bible, gave it to the school-master, and took his -place on a stool near the teacher’s platform. - -“Mother Kaufmann, we will go back to the _kinderhaus_,” said Walda -Kellar. She spoke the German so that it seemed the most musical tongue -Everett had ever heard. The elder woman rolled up her knitting and put -it into the capacious pocket of her gingham apron. - -“Gerson Brandt, thy boys are truly well behaved; thou hast done much -with them.” - -Walda spoke to the school-master, who bestowed upon her a look of -gratitude and tenderness. - -“It is thou who tamest all that is unruly in the children of Zanah,” he -said. And then he walked down the narrow aisle between the rows of -tow-headed urchins and flung open the door that she might pass out. - -“Come hither, friend Everett,” said Adolph Schneider, advancing to the -platform, where he met the school-master. “I want to make you acquainted -with Brother Brandt. Brother Brandt might have had that bubble men call -fame if he had continued to disobey the law of the Lord, for he made -images of the earth and sky, which is forbidden in the commandments. But -he forsook his idols before he was one-and-twenty and came into the safe -refuge of Zanah.” - -“Yet even now I long to behold great pictures,” declared Gerson Brandt, -as if he were confessing some secret vice. “It is a quarter of a century -since I have looked on one.” - -“Tut, tut, Brother Brandt,” said Schneider; “if thou wilt talk of -forbidden things, dismiss thy pupils.” - -The school-master lifted his hand, and with a benediction sent the -tow-headed boys homeward. The village fool alone of all the school -remained in his place. With his head bent forward he appeared to be -asleep. - -“We have come to see thy books,” said Adolph Schneider, when he had -taken the only chair in the room and placed his cane against the -black-board. “Is that thy Bible that thou hast put so much work upon?” -He pointed to the big volume from which Walda had been reading. It had a -linen cover neatly sewn upon it, and might have been the wordbook so -much thumbed by the pupils. - -Gerson Brandt went to the desk, and, putting his hand on the book, -answered: - -“This is my Bible, and I have been making the letters that begin the -chapters. I learned the secret of the colors long ago from a monk. It is -no sin to make the Holy Book beautiful, for I have put in it no images, -only the letters in colors that are symbolic.” - -He spoke as if he were making excuse for some transgression, but the -Herr Doktor laughed leniently. - -“Surely Zanah hath no fault to find with thy book,” Adolph Schneider -said. “I want the stranger to see the letters in it.” - -Gerson Brandt opened the Bible, and as he turned the pages Everett, who -stood beside him, felt an overwhelming desire to possess the volume. The -old German text was printed upon parchment. The pages had broad margins, -and the letters beginning the chapters were illuminated with designs so -delicate and so minutely worked out that each repaid long study. The -coloring was exquisite, and gold, of a brilliancy equalled in few books -Everett had ever seen, was applied with a generous hand. - -“How long have you worked on it?” he asked. - -“Five years,” the school-master said, “and it is not finished yet.” -Gerson Brandt loosened the linen that he might display the binding of -calfskin. On the front cover was a monogram, but before Everett could -decipher the letters the linen was replaced. - -“This is a beautiful book,” said Everett, taking it in his hand and -turning the pages. “I would give much for it. Will you sell it to me?” - -Gerson Brandt’s thin face paled. He stretched out a trembling hand and -seized the Bible as he answered, coldly: - -“This book was not made to be bartered to any man. It is mine. If there -is aught in it that commands thy favor it is because the making of the -letters has been a pleasant labor done with all my heart.” - -The school-master held the volume close to his breast. The simple one, -who had not left his place on the stool, opened his eyes. The Herr -Doktor glanced from beneath his bushy brows with a look of surprise. - -“Brother Brandt, thou speakest without proper forethought,” said -Schneider; “thou knowest that in Zanah all things belong to the Lord and -that thou hast not the right to say ‘my’ or ‘mine.’” - -A dull red swept over the face of the school-master, and in his eyes was -a look that told of rebellion in his soul. - -“For the good of Zanah we might be persuaded to sell this Bible,” the -Herr Doktor continued. “It is worth a great deal of money, for Brother -Brandt hath spent upon it much of the time that belonged to the colony. -How much wouldst thou give for it?” - -“I should not think of buying the Bible if the artist who illuminated it -is unwilling to give it up,” Everett declared. The fear in the -school-master’s face touched his heart. For the moment Gerson Brandt had -lost the look of youth which strangely sat on features that told of -suffering. There was a new dignity in the gaunt figure, clad in its -queer garments. Gerson Brandt’s head was thrown back and his lips were -tightly closed. The habit of repression, learned in the long years of -colony life, was not easily thrown off, and he stood motionless while -Adolph Schneider scowled at him. - -“Wouldst thou think one hundred dollars too much for the Bible?” the -village president inquired. He had risen and was leaning on his cane. -“Zanah needs money, for the harvests have been poor. Brother Brandt will -sell the book if thou canst pay the price.” - -“One hundred dollars is little enough for the Bible,” said Everett; “but -we shall not discuss its purchase now.” - -“Yet thou wilt buy it if it is offered to thee by Brother Brandt?” -Adolph Schneider asked, persistently pressing the subject of the sale. - -Everett looked straight at the school-master, and his friendly eyes gave -Gerson Brandt confidence. - -“I would buy it if it was cheerfully offered by Mr. Brandt,” he replied. - -The village fool aroused himself and stretched lazily. Then, taking from -his pocket a little yellow gourd, he marked upon it with a big -pocket-knife. - -As Schneider and Everett left the school-house they saw that something -unusual had happened, for a crowd was moving up the street. Women were -leaning over fences. Children followed the crowd at a distance. - -The Herr Doktor stood for a moment as if uncertain what to do. It was -quite impossible for him to hasten, and he was of a phlegmatic nature -not easily excited. - -“Some one must be hurt,” Everett remarked. “I think they are carrying a -man.” - -In an instant Hans Peter had run down the hill. The school-master, who -had remained in the school-house to put away the precious Bible, came to -the door to look out. The crowd had crossed the rustic bridge. - -“They are coming here,” Gerson Brandt exclaimed. “Can it be that aught -hath happened to Wilhelm Kellar?” - -He hastened down the street, and Schneider stepped out on the sidewalk. - -“Wilhelm Kellar hath charge of our flannel-mill. He liveth with Brother -Brandt,” explained the Herr Doktor. “I trust that no accident hath -befallen him.” - -It was plain that Adolph Schneider’s anxiety was twofold, and that he -thought of the loss which might be unavoidable in case the mill -superintendent became incapacitated. - -When Everett and the Herr Doktor met the villagers, Gerson Brandt had -stopped the crowd and was bending over the rude stretcher upon which lay -the unconscious form of an old man. - -“Wilhelm Kellar hath been stricken with a sudden illness,” said the -school-master. “The apothecary hath worked over him and cannot restore -him. Will not the Herr Doktor send for a physician?” - -“The nearest chirurgeon is eight miles away,” replied Adolph Schneider. -“Let the apothecary bleed Brother Kellar as soon as he is taken to his -bed.” - -Seeing that the man was emaciated and had no blood to lose, Everett -stepped forward. - -“I am a physician,” he said. “I will do what I can.” - -He directed the crowd to fall back so that the sick man could have more -air, and helped to carry the stretcher into an upper room of the -school-house. - - - - - III - - -In an upper room of the school-house Wilhelm Kellar lay upon a high-post -bedstead that was screened by chintz curtains drawn back so that the air -could reach him. His thin, wan face looked old and drawn as it rested on -a feather pillow. He was comfortable, he let Everett know, when the -physician went to visit him early in the morning after the seizure. His -tongue refused to frame the words he tried to utter, but his eyes showed -his gratitude. Everett took a seat in the heavy wooden chair at the foot -of the bed, which stood in a little alcove. Beyond the alcove the main -room stretched out beneath the roof, which gave it many queer corners. -Rows of books partially hid one wall. In one corner a high chest of -drawers held a pair of massive silver candlesticks. An old desk with a -sloping top occupied a little nook lighted by a diamond window; here -were quill-pens and bottles of colored ink. This upper room, occupied -jointly by Wilhelm Kellar and Gerson Brandt, bore the impress of the -school-master, who waited now, leaning on the back of an old wooden -arm-chair polished with much use. - -“He will be much better,” said Everett. “He may recover from the -paralysis, but it will be a long time before he leaves his room.” - -Behind the curtains there was something like a groan. The sick man tried -to say something, but neither Everett nor Brandt could understand him. -Suddenly his eyes looked past them, and there was a smile on his face. -Walda entered the outer room and came to her father, kneeling down -beside him, apparently unaware that there was any one except themselves -present. - -“Art thou better, father?” she asked, in the softest tone, and then, -burying her white-capped head in the pillow beside him, she murmured -something in a low voice. Everett and Gerson Brandt left the two -together and went into the larger room, where the physician began to -prepare some medicine. Presently Walda’s voice was heard in prayer. The -two men waited reverently until the last petition, uttered with the -fervency of great faith, had died away. - -“The daughter loveth her father; she hath a true heart,” said the -school-master. He turned to the little window and looked out. Everett, -who was distributing powders among a lot of little papers, went on with -his work without making reply. The old hour-glass on the high chest of -drawers had measured several minutes before any word was spoken. Then it -was Mother Kaufmann who broke the silence. She entered the room with a -heavy step, and with a “Good-day, Brother Brandt,” stood for a few -moments studying Everett. - -“Where is Walda?” she asked. Gerson Brandt made a little gesture towards -the alcove. - -“She hath no right to come here alone,” the woman replied, with a frown. -“She is my care, and she hath done a foolish act. I shall forbid her to -leave the House of the Women without me.” - -“Walda was drawn hither by anxiety concerning her father,” said Gerson -Brandt. “Thou wilt not wound her by a reprimand, Sister Kaufmann?” - -The woman went near to him and spoke in guttural German some words that -Everett could not catch, but from her furtive looks and glances he knew -she was talking of him. - -Walda passed through the room. Everett raised his eyes and they met the -girl’s glance. Then he bent his head in deferential recognition of her -presence. It was only a second that each had gazed at the other, but the -man from the outside world felt a heart-throb. He spilled the powder on -the tablecloth, and after he had brushed it off he hastily took up his -hat. He went down-stairs, Gerson Brandt and Mother Kaufmann following -him to ask about his patient. The three stood in the little porch -talking of Wilhelm Kellar. From the garden, Walda, who stood among the -flowers, watched them as if she would hear every word. Involuntarily she -was drawn to the little group. - -“Thou wilt tell me the truth about my father,” she said, addressing -Everett. She spoke in precise English, with a soft accent and full tone. - -“He is seriously ill, but he will recover from this attack,” Everett -answered. - -The girl folded her hands on her breast in the manner common to Zanah. - -“It is my duty to rejoice when death freeth the soul, and yet I cannot -think of my father’s illness with aught but sadness,” she said, as a -tear trickled down her cheek. - -“Thou art showing weakness,” admonished Mother Kaufmann. - -“Be not so stern,” said Gerson Brandt. “She hath not yet faced the -mystery of death. She is young, and she loveth her father.” - -“Always thou dost find excuse for Walda Kellar,” said the woman. “She is -near to the day of inspiration, and the things of this world should not -touch her.” - -Walda Kellar appeared not to hear Mother Kaufmann’s words. Her eyes were -fastened upon Everett’s face. - -“Thou art not going away from Zanah soon, art thou?” she asked. “Nay, -stay to watch my father until he shall be out of danger.” There was such -pleading in her tone that it touched the heart of the man of the world. -Her beauty cast a spell over him. - -“Thou forgettest that the stranger hath much to call him away,” -interposed Gerson Brandt. “Thou wouldst not be selfish?” - -“Oh, I would not think first of self, and yet I would pray that the -stranger might find it in his heart to remain in Zanah to aid him whom I -love above all, for, strive as I may, I cannot forget that he is my -father.” - -She stepped nearer to Everett; her lips quivered. - -“It may be many days before your father is entirely well. It will be a -privilege to be of service to you,” said Everett, remembering how seldom -he had been of any real use in the world. “I will remain until your -father is out of danger.” - -Mother Kaufmann took Walda by the arm and led her down the hill towards -the House of the Women. Everett felt a resentment towards the -unsympathetic colony “mother.” For a moment he was angry, and then he -tried to make himself believe that he was a fool to waste a thought upon -Walda Kellar or any of the villagers. Still he could not stifle his -curiosity. A dozen questions rose to his lips, but there was something -in the look of the school-master that forbade any inquiries. - -The man who belonged to the outside world walked down to the bridge, -and, turning, followed the turbulent little creek to a place where there -was a deserted windmill beside a broken dam. Here he sat upon a log, for -he suddenly made the discovery that it was a warm day. From the mill he -could look back into the village and out upon the vineyards and the -broad fields that surrounded the picturesque little settlement. - -The peaceful scene soothed him. He fell to wondering whether, after all, -the colonists might not be wise to bar out the world, but although his -thoughts travelled far away to the busy scenes in which he usually -moved, they always came back to Walda Kellar. - -The novelty of his position rather amused him. He had meant to spend -only a day or two in Zanah, and now he had made a promise that meant a -sojourn of several weeks, perhaps a month or two. He lighted a fresh -cigar and let his thoughts wander back to the friends who were waiting -for him in the Berkshire Hills, where he had intended to spend the -autumn weeks. He knew that they would concern themselves but little -about his absence, for he had always been erratic since, when a -school-boy, he was left, long ago, with an ample fortune and an -indulgent guardian. - -His reflections were suddenly interrupted, for he heard a soft footstep -inside the mill. In an instant the fool had darted out, and, running to -a tree that formed a foot-bridge across the little stream, he stooped to -conceal something in the roots. Everett was interested. It was clear -that Hans Peter was executing some commission that would not find favor -with the elders. Lest he might excite suspicion, Everett turned his back -and looked down the dusty road. The simple one ran lightly past him. - -Everett was still facing the road when he saw a girl come towards the -mill. She passed the stranger, who was almost hidden by the wild -clematis-vine that covered a bush near him. She was pretty, after the -flaxen-haired, pink-cheeked type. She went to the tree and took -something that looked like a letter from its roots. She opened it, read -it hastily, and concealed it beneath the black kerchief crossed upon her -breast. With quickened steps she turned back towards the village. -Half-way to the bridge she met the fool, who was returning to the mill. -They spoke a few words, and the simple one continued on his way. - -“So you are back?” said Everett, handing a coin to Hans Peter, who put -it in one of his bulging pockets. - -“What wouldst thou have me do?” asked the simple one. - -“I would have you sit there on the grass and answer my questions, Hans -Peter. First, who is the girl?” - -“She is Frieda Bergen, a village maid.” - -“What was it you put in the tree for her?” - -Hans Peter looked aghast. He thrust both hands into his pockets and -appeared to be thinking. He was a strange figure, for there was a -curious blending of shrewdness and foolishness in his expression as he -furtively glanced up at Everett. - -“Thou wouldst not tell the elders,” he pleaded, presently, “if I trusted -thee? I fear nothing, but I would not make the maid unhappy.” - -“Was it a love-letter that you put there for her?” - -Everett could not repress a smile. He was beginning to believe that he -might find some amusement in watching the people of Zanah. When the fool -remained silent he repeated his question. - -“I know not what was in the packet, as I carried it for another,” said -Hans Peter. “Thou forgettest that thou art talking to the fool of -Zanah.” - -“Your wisdom makes me lose sight of that fact, Hans Peter. Is not love -against the law of the colony?” - -“Yea, all except Hans Peter, the fool, hold it a sin to put their -affections on the things of this world. The simple one cannot understand -aught but that which is of the earth; he cannot reach up to heaven, and -so he seeth nothing wrong in love that maketh men and women happy.” - -Everett rose and paced up and down the little footpath. “I suppose the -elders are always above temptation?” he remarked, stopping before Hans -Peter. - -The simple one looked almost wise, and, apparently forgetting all -prudence, said: - -“Karl Weisel, head of the thirteen elders, hath been tempted for many -years. He loveth Gretchen Schneider, the daughter of the Herr Doktor -President, but he would have to give up his high place in Zanah if he -were to marry, and so he preacheth much against the wickedness of -loving.” - -“And what of Gretchen Schneider?” - -“She hath always a bad temper; she spieth on all the youths and maids. -Frieda Bergen and Joseph Hoff, who loveth her, fear Gretchen Schneider -most of all in Zanah.” - -“And what will be the punishment of Frieda Bergen and Joseph Hoff when -it is discovered that they love each other?” - -“Marriage,” said the simple one, solemnly. “The elders will rebuke them, -and if still they love not God above themselves they will be put in the -third, or lowest, grade in the colony.” - -“And will they ever be forgiven? Will the elders ever restore them to a -high place in Zanah?” - -Hans Peter made an awkward little gesture. - -“When they have found out each other’s faults they may repent; the -Lord’s hand may be heavy on them. Then, when they see that love bringeth -pain and grief, they may go before the elders, confess that they have -erred, and when they have proved that they can serve God with singleness -of purpose they will be put in the foremost rank.” - -Hans Peter spoke as if he were repeating a lesson often conned, and -Everett said: - -“You talk not like the simple one, my boy. If I closed my eyes I should -think the Herr Doktor himself were speaking to me. But tell me, Hans -Peter, among all the married people of the village, how many have failed -to repent?” - -“Diedrich Werther and Mother Werther alone love much. They are still in -the lowest grade, and it is fifteen years since they were married. Most -of the men and women of Zanah are in the second grade, but the Herr -Doktor and Mother Schneider are among the highest. It is said they hate -each other.” - -“This has been a half-hour well spent,” said Everett. “You shall have -another piece of silver, Hans Peter, and to-morrow you will tell me more -about the people of Zanah.” - -The simple one rose from his place on the grass, took the coin into his -square, fat hand, and slouched away with it. As he disappeared, Everett -thought of a hundred things he would have liked to ask about Walda -Kellar. Yet, strangely enough, he could not bring himself to speak her -name to the village fool. - - - - - IV - - -After giving his promise to stay in Zanah, Everett found that the day -dragged. Having finished questioning the fool, he went to the inn, where -he ate his noonday dinner in silence. Then he wandered among the lanes -and winding roads until it was time for the evening meal, at which two -taciturn women waited on him. He made an effort to talk to the women, -but they pretended not to understand his German, and insisted upon -offering him hot biscuits and honey. He found that he had no appetite, -and soon left the table. As he passed through the big room which served -as an office, he noticed that Diedrich Werther was not in his usual seat -beside a little, round table where at all hours the innkeeper was to be -seen smoking his pipe and drinking huge cupfuls of black coffee. Hans -Peter occupied his favorite nook on the settle near the fireplace. - -Everett went out on the porch, where he took possession of his host’s -arm-chair. Naturally his thoughts wandered to Walda. The girl was a -mystery to him. Although he was slow to acknowledge it, he knew that she -aroused in him an insistent interest. He who cared little for women -suddenly found his attention fixed upon a girl who belonged to a class -different from any other with which he had ever come in contact. He -usually classified all women he met. He found that they were easily -divided into comparatively few types. Here was one whose education and -whose traditions isolated her. He hoped she would pass by the inn. -Impatiently he looked at his watch; the hour for evening prayer was slow -in coming. He had risen with the intention of strolling about the -square, when he heard the meeting-house bell ring. In a moment the long -street again became alive. As the men and women went by on opposite -sides, many of them glanced at him. Even the demure, quiet girls allowed -their eyes to rest upon him for half a second. One, however, was -unconscious of his presence. Frieda Bergen, the village maid who had -taken the letter from the tree-trunk at the mill, looked across the -grass-grown road to a youth who kept his eyes upon her until the blood -mounted to her cheeks and her glance was cast upon the ground. - -The school-master walked with his head bowed, as if he were deep in -thought, and behind him followed the boys, who forgot to romp and play. -He stopped on the rustic bridge. When all the villagers had passed, -Walda Kellar came. Her hands were crossed upon her breast, and instead -of keeping her eyes upon the ground she had them fixed on the clouds, -where the crimson light was turning to purple and gray. On either side -of her walked women whom Everett had never seen before. One of them was -stout, and had passed her first youth. As Walda walked by Gerson Brandt -on the bridge, the school-master and his charges doffed their caps to -her. Everett could see that Walda smiled on the man of Zanah, and that -she spoke to him. The school-master waited in reverent attitude until -the future prophetess disappeared within the church porch. Then he -motioned to his pupils to go on, while he turned back towards the inn. -With lagging step he came into the village square. - -“Hast thou half an hour to spend with one who would speak to thee?” he -asked, addressing Everett. - -The stranger in Zanah hastened to assure the school-master that he -wanted companionship. Without being summoned, Hans Peter appeared with a -chair. Gerson Brandt dropped into it as if he were weary, and Everett -had a chance to notice that the delicate face was worn and haggard. -There was something extraordinarily impressive in the personality of -this man of Zanah. His gaunt form was well knit. Meekness and gentleness -sat upon a face that denoted an intense nature. The curve of the lip -told of unusual will-power, but the eyes revealed the fact that the soul -of a dreamer dwelt within the school-master. - -“I would talk to thee about Brother Kellar,” he said. “Walda Kellar is -concerned lest she hath been selfish in asking thee to stay in the -village. The women of Zanah have told her that thou hast much to do in -the world and that thou canst ill afford to waste thy time here in the -colony.” - -Everett forgot his reflections of the previous hour and replied: - -“I shall be glad to stay here. It is a privilege to be useful once in a -while.” - -“Dost thou work much?” asked the school-master. Gerson Brandt folded his -thin hands that bore the marks of toil and turned to scrutinize the -stranger. “It is long since I left the world,” he added. “I know little -of it as it is to-day, but I remember that it was a very busy place.” - -Everett could not repress a smile. - -“You speak as if the whole world were one great village, and Zanah’s -only rival,” he said. - -Gerson Brandt laughed, and for an instant his face was young. - -“We colonists live shut up in our little valley so closely that we can -hardly be called a part of the changing life of America,” he said. “Once -I loved the things of the world, and even now I sometimes long for what -were once my idols.” - -“Your idols?” - -“Once I dreamed of being a great artist,” confessed the school-master. -“That was when I was a youth in Munich. There came to me a -disappointment. Then it was shown to my soul that I must not fix my -hopes on the things of earth. I drifted to America. The world was cruel -to me. Somehow I found Zanah. My art was a help to the people of the -colony. They took me in.” - -He spoke simply, but there was a little quaver in his voice, and he -turned his head away. - -Everett rose and began to pace up and down the porch. The humble tragedy -in the life of the man of Zanah touched him and made him feel ashamed of -his own paltry aims. - -“Do you mean that you illuminated their books?” he asked. - -Gerson Brandt shook his head. - -“Not at first. I still loved beauty. I yet had ambition, and it was long -before I could trust myself to use the colors. I had a hard discipline. -For years I have made the designs for the blue calicoes that the mills -turn out.” - -“By Jove! I don’t know how a man can surrender all his ambitions. I -cannot make it out,” Everett exclaimed, pausing before the gentle -school-master. “How long have you been in Zanah?” - -“Fifteen years. I was two-and-twenty when I came. Some day, before I -die, I mean to go out to see what changes have taken place. I know that -men are doing marvellous things, for sometimes I talk to strangers. But -it is better not to know the world, for it gives a man so many interests -he forgets his God.” Gerson Brandt hesitated a moment. “Even under the -protection of Zanah it is hard for a man to subdue all the human forces -within him,” he added. - -“All human forces are not wicked. Such a creed as that is not taught in -the New Testament,” said Everett. He felt irresistibly drawn towards the -school-master. All the vigorous manhood in him resented the restrictions -that Zanah placed upon its disciples. - -“There are many that seem not so to me,” assented the school-master, -“but Zanah teaches that it is best to fix all one’s thoughts on heaven. -Of course we have our restless hours. We who have been touched by the -world find it hard to forget. Those whose thoughts have been centred -always in Zanah are the happy ones.” - -“Walda Kellar is one of the happy ones, is she not?” - -Everett felt that the question would be parried, and he hesitated to ask -it; but his impulse to speak of the girl who occupied his thoughts -gained the mastery. Gerson Brandt’s face reddened. - -“There is peace and faith in the heart of her whom the Lord hath chosen -to be his instrument,” said the school-master, and, rising, he turned as -if to leave the presence of the stranger. He paused and added: - -“I came here to talk with thee of Brother Wilhelm Kellar. He is the -closest to me of all Zanah, and I would ask thee to tell me the truth -concerning him. Hath the Lord called him, or will he be spared to go on -with his work in the colony?” - -“If no great shock and no unusual strain of work is put on him he may -live many years,” said Everett. “He appears to have much vitality, and I -expect to see him able to resume his duties within a month.” - -“The _Untersuchung_ is but a month off,” said Gerson Brandt, “and it -will be a sore trial to him if he is not able to see his daughter -anointed prophetess of Zanah.” - -Gerson Brandt did not listen to Everett’s reply; he rose and stood upon -the steps of the inn with his face turned towards the meeting-house. -Down the street came Mother Werther and Walda. The wife of the host of -the inn walked with the girl’s hand clasped in hers, and, entering the -square, she drew Walda to the place where the school-master stood. - -After the manner of the men of Zanah, Gerson Brandt made no sign until -Walda had spoken to him. - -“Thou wert missed at prayers, Gerson Brandt,” she said, “and because I -asked thee to do a service for me. Thou hast talked about my father to -the stranger?” - -The school-master nodded his head. - -“It hath been shown to me that I was selfish in begging thee to stay in -Zanah,” Walda said, addressing Everett. “Thou wilt forgive a girl who -hath not yet subdued her soul?” - -In her presence Everett felt abashed. He saw in her a mysterious -mingling of the child, the woman, and the prophetess. As she waited for -him to answer her, he had a chance to notice the noble outlines of her -face and the perfect poise of her lithe body. - -“Do not concern yourself about me,” he said. “I assure you I am glad to -stay in Zanah.” As he spoke the rare beauty of the girl again cast a -spell over him, and he meant what he said. Mother Werther put her arm -about Walda’s waist and would have drawn her inside the door of the inn -had not Everett stopped them. - -“One moment,” he said. “There is a condition that I should like to make. -Your father needs faithful nursing—the watchfulness that only love can -give him. If you will take care of him I shall feel that I have the -right help and that I shall not have cause to regret that I remained in -Zanah.” - -“That is a matter thou shouldst put before the Herr Doktor,” said Mother -Werther. “Brother Schneider is coming now; speak to him.” - -“Is it not customary for members of families here in the colony to nurse -one another?” Everett asked the school-master. - -“Not unless they are especially appointed to the task,” answered Gerson -Brandt. - -Adolph Schneider had reached the inn. He greeted Everett with a show of -cordiality, and, taking possession of the big arm-chair, lighted his -pipe. He began to talk of Wilhelm Kellar’s illness, and to lament the -loss of the elder’s aid in carrying on the business of the colony. Then -Everett found his chance to request Walda’s attendance at the bedside of -her father. - -“The _Untersuchung_ is at hand,” said the Herr Doktor, “and it is the -time for prayer and meditation. Thou knowest that we believe she will be -made the instrument of the Lord, and therefore she should live much -alone until the hour when she shall speak with a new tongue.” - -Adolph Schneider looked at Everett suspiciously. The man of the world -showed that he could outwit the man of Zanah. With an assumption of -indifference Everett replied: - -“Of course it makes little difference to me. I shall do the best I can -to help Wilhelm Kellar back to health, but if you send his daughter to -nurse him he is likely to recover twice as rapidly as he would -otherwise.” - -He resumed his promenade on the porch. As he walked back and forth the -president of the colony saw that he was a man of magnificent physique, -erect and athletic. With some misgiving he noticed that the stranger had -more than the ordinary share of physical beauty, and that he had the -indefinable air which belongs to those accustomed to command the best -the world has to give. - -“It is important that Wilhelm Kellar should be well as soon as it is -God’s will to restore him,” said Adolph Schneider. “His sickness is a -stroke of Providence we may not question. Still, it behooveth us to aid -in his speedy recovery. Walda Kellar shall be sent to nurse her father.” - -Everett put his hands behind him and turned his back as if he had not -heard. When the Herr Doktor repeated his decision the man of the world -said, in a quiet tone: - -“Very well. I shall expect to see the new nurse in the sick-room -to-morrow.” - - - - - V - - -When Everett went to see his patient the next morning he had a new -interest in the case. Mother Kaufmann met him at the door and took him -into the queer room under the eaves where, in his little alcove, lay -Wilhelm Kellar. The room was exquisitely neat. The little, hinged window -at the foot of the sick man’s bed was open, and it let in the fragrance -wafted from the garden. - -Everett looked around for Walda, but she was not in the room. He was too -wise to make any inquiry for her. He went to the bedside, and while -Mother Kaufmann leaned upon the foot-board he felt the pulse of the sick -man. Wilhelm Kellar cast a questioning look at the physician. - -“You are better,” Everett said, in German. “You will be out in a week or -two if nothing unforeseen happens.” - -He stepped out of the alcove to prepare his medicines in the larger -apartment. “Are you the nurse?” he inquired of the woman. - -“The Herr Doktor told me to help Walda Kellar, who will come after her -hour of prayer,” Mother Kaufmann replied. - -Everett left a few directions, and said he would call again. He returned -at sundown. The school-master was out on the little porch poring over a -yellow-paged book. He let Everett pass him without salutation. The -younger man hastened up the narrow stairs. The sick-room appeared quite -changed when he entered it. Flowers were arranged in a great blue bowl -on the table. In a clumsy-looking cage that hung by the window a -chaffinch fluttered back and forth. Plants bloomed in the bow-window at -which sat Walda Kellar. The girl’s long, slender hands were busy with -her knitting. The folds of her blue gown swept the sanded floor. The -kerchief folded on her breast was not whiter than her neck. One of her -braids fell over her bosom. She did not hear Everett, as she was looking -out upon the western bluffs even while her hands kept the needles -flying. He stepped into the room. Walda rose and, putting her finger on -her lips, said: - -“My father sleepeth.” In rising she dropped her ball of yarn. Everett -picked it up, and, slowly winding it, advanced until he was very close -to her. As he put the ball in her hand their fingers touched, but the -prophetess of Zanah appeared unconscious of the contact. Motioning him -to a chair she again took her place at the window. There was a long -silence, during which her knitting-needles flashed back and forth. The -girl showed no embarrassment; indeed, she seemed to have forgotten him. -In Zanah small talk was unknown. Walda Kellar, who was to be inspired of -the Lord, had been taught to speak only when she had something to say. - -Everett suddenly found himself dumb. He sat opposite Walda, and was as -uneasy as a school-boy who has not the courage to bestow the red apple -in his pocket upon his pretty neighbor across the aisle. As the minutes -went by he began to feel her presence restful. She sat immovable except -for her untiring hands. Once or twice she raised her calm eyes and -caught the stranger’s gaze resting on her. She appeared not to notice -it, and continued her knitting. At last the silence became unendurable, -and Everett said: - -“It will be a great help to me to have you here to nurse your father.” -The girl looked up and did not answer. - -“Much depends upon you,” he continued. “It is only with your aid that I -can do my best.” - -Walda Kellar again raised her eyes. Then, in her soft, deep voice, she -said: - -“The Lord hath sent thee to Zanah. Thou shalt have all my help. Thou -hast already won my gratitude.” - -Again a silence fell. Everett leaned back in the splint-bottomed chair -and resolved to make the most of his opportunities of being alone with -the prophetess. Upon his perch the chaffinch looked out through the bars -at the quiet room. - -Outside the crimson sky was turning to purple, the fields had become a -tender brown, and the bluffs made a dark line to the west. Everett, who -gazed at the distant hills, compared the surging world to which he -belonged with the peaceful colony of Zanah, the dwelling-place of Walda -Kellar. The contrast between his own life and that of the strange girl -impressed itself upon him. Now and then he brought his glance back from -the far bluffs to look at the fair woman who was oblivious of his -presence. - -The chaffinch chirped his drowsy notes, and Walda Kellar, looking up at -the bird, said: - -“What disturbeth thee, Piepmatz?” - -The bird turned his restless head back and forth, and Everett imagined -that the chaffinch might object to his presence. - -“Is that your bird?” he asked, relieved at even the paltriest excuse for -again starting a conversation. - -Walda stopped her knitting and, smiling, said: - -“Piepmatz is my _liebchen_; he hath a voice as clear as that of a lark. -He can whistle tunes; he knows a bar of the doxology.” - -Everett went to the cage and whistled softly. The bird chirped his -silvery note, and, thus encouraged, the man whistled the strain of a -love-song. The bird imitated three notes. - -“That is a noble hymn thou art whistling,” said Walda Kellar. “I have -heard that there is wonderful music out there in the world, and that -they play on strange instruments.” - -“And have you never heard an organ or a violin?” asked Everett. - -Walda Kellar shook her head. - -“And is even the piano barred out of Zanah?” - -“Zanah permits no musical instrument. Gerson Brandt keepeth yet a flute -that he brought with him from the world, but it is always silent here.” - -“Perhaps you will let me sing you the tune you seemed to like?” said -Everett. “Some day when I am not afraid of disturbing your father you -shall hear it all.” - -Wilhelm Kellar stirred in his bed; Walda was at his side in a moment. -Everett followed her. Wilhelm Kellar would have spoken, but his tongue -still refused to do his bidding. While he was looking up at his daughter -and the physician, Mother Kaufmann bustled in. - -“How comes it that thou art here alone with the stranger?” she asked, -casting an ugly look upon Walda. - -“I am here to serve my father,” said the girl, with a sweet dignity. -“Dost thou not know that the Herr Doktor hath assigned me here?” - -“He is foolish,” snapped Mother Kaufmann. - -“What art thou saying, woman?” asked the school-master, who had just -passed through the doorway. “Walda is in her father’s care and in my -care. It is not thy concern to ask questions.” - -The woman scowled and drew her thin lips tightly over her hideous teeth. - -“And thou art a second father to Walda, I suppose?” she sneered. - -“Yea, and more,” said the school-master. - -“Gerson Brandt hath spoken the truth. He is more than father to me in -that he is my teacher and my safe counsellor,” said Walda, stepping back -towards him. - -The school-master’s pale face flushed. - -“Thou art always my sacred charge for whom I pray,” said Gerson Brandt, -in a soft voice. “For thee and for thy happiness I would do all things -in my power.” There was that in his face which told the man of the world -all emotion had not died in the heart beating beneath the queer coat of -the school-master. - -“Ah, and I pray for thee every night when I ask a blessing for my -father,” spoke Walda. “I entreat wisdom and strength for thee.” - -Gerson Brandt looked into her eyes and a sudden light illumined his -face. - -“Thou needest much of divine aid for thy work with little children,” the -girl added. - -“Yea, yea,” the school-master said, as he turned away. - -“Yea, yea, didst thou say?” repeated the shrill voice of Mother -Kaufmann. “Just remember that thy conversation should be yea, yea and -nay, nay.” - -Ignoring the elder woman, Everett gave a few directions to Walda. Then -he passed out into the darkening evening. - - - - - VI - - -There was labor for all in Zanah. Early in the morning the villagers -took their hasty breakfasts in the kitchens and then went out to work in -the mills and fields. The children over six years of age were gathered -into the school-houses, the boys being accorded more privileges in the -way of learning than the girls, who were not permitted to enjoy the -instructions of Gerson Brandt. The future “mothers” of the colony were -kept many hours in a rambling building, where they were taught all the -domestic arts, with but now and then a lesson from the books borrowed -from the school-master. In the very centre of the village stood the -_kinderhaus_, where the babes of the colony were tended during the -working-hours of their mothers. A wide porch surrounded the _kinderhaus_ -on four sides, and a tangled garden of bloom divided it from the street. -In a vine-covered arbor, set among the flowers, Walda Kellar was -accustomed to spend her hours of meditation during her last month before -the _Untersuchung_. It was not long before Everett discovered this fact; -and when Mother Kaufmann relieved the girl in the sick-room he often -made excuse to speak to her as she went through the little wicket gate. -Outside the sick-room, however, she was always the prophetess of Zanah, -aloof in manner and difficult to reach by word. - -One day as he wandered down the street, after having assured himself -that Walda was poring over a book in the little arbor, he happened to -meet Adolph Schneider. Since the day when the stranger had shown a -willingness to pay a generous price for any book he might wish to buy -from the colony, the Herr Doktor had treated him with a perceptible -deference. Adolph Schneider stopped now, and, leaning on his cane, said: - -“If thou hast a mind to buy that Bible shown thee by Gerson Brandt, the -people of Zanah are willing to sell it to thee. Many times have I meant -to speak to thee concerning the barter, but thou knowest that the -sickness of Wilhelm Kellar hath interfered with all the business of the -colony.” - -Everett waited half a moment before he replied. He read in the face of -the Herr Doktor craftiness and greed, and he knew he must use tact if he -would spare Gerson Brandt the pang of parting with his precious book. - -“The Bible is not what I want,” he said. “Some smaller book will do as -well for me.” - -Adolph Schneider was too shrewd to be easily put off. - -“We have found that there is no writing for sale in Zanah. Of all our -books there is none that we can part with except the Bible. Zanah is -loath to part with that, but the colony hath need of money.” - -Again Everett said that he did not wish to make the purchase. - -Adolph Schneider was not to be balked. “I will send to the school-master -for the book,” he said, “and thou shalt examine it at thy leisure. I -will have it taken to the inn.” - -Everett walked away towards one of the large vineyards, which was -situated on a sunny slope of a hill just beyond the village. Here men -and women were silently picking the early grapes. Elders and village -mothers kept strict watch of the younger members of the colony. No one -appeared to take any notice of the stranger, and he went over to a place -where a pile of stones offered him a seat. It was a glorious summer day -with a premature promise of the autumn in its golden haziness. Along the -edges of the fences stalks of golden-rod here and there stood out among -the tall grasses. The fields stretched away in patches of brown and -green and yellow. He felt sure that there was no more tranquil spot in -all the earth. As the quiet colonists worked among the vines, Everett -asked himself if they were really reconciled to the barrenness of their -lives. The world, with its delights, its pains, its passions, was barred -out, but he wondered whether the men and women found it possible to -close their hearts to all human emotion. With heads bowed low the women -kept their faithful hands busy, each doing the work allotted to her. -Apparently the chagrins of coquetry, the pangs of aspiration, the -restlessness of unfulfilled ambition did not touch them; yet, now and -then, he caught the girls casting sly glances at the youths who labored -near them. - -When the afternoon had advanced until the long shadows began to fall -upon the fields, Mother Werther appeared, carrying two steaming tin -pails fastened to a bar that she balanced deftly. Her appearance was the -signal for every one to stop work. She put the pails down in an open -space, and, smiling kindly on men and maids alike, said: - -“Every man and woman here will be glad of a cup of coffee, I am sure, -and this to-day is stronger than any I have boiled for many a week. It -is from the Herr Doktor’s own bag.” - -There was a merry twinkle in her eye, and Everett was sure he saw her -wink at one of the village “mothers” who leaned against a near post that -supported a well-stripped vine. - -“Didst thou steal from Brother Schneider’s store?” inquired a fat old -man who was leisurely sorting the great bunches of grapes. “Fie, fie, -Sister Werther! I thought thou couldst be trusted, even though thou art -still in the lowest grade of Zanah’s colonists.” - -Several of the older women laughed, and Mother Werther made haste to -reply: - -“It was right that I should take the coffee, since my stock was gone. -Surely it should not be better than that we all drink, for here in Zanah -no one is entitled to more than another.” - -One or two of the men sneered perceptibly. - -“Hasten to serve us,” urged an impatient girl. - -“There are no cups,” said Joseph Hoff, who had drawn near to where -Frieda Bergen stood. - -“Ach! Where is that boy Hans Peter?” asked Mother Werther. “He was to -follow in my very footsteps.” She looked back across the field, and in -the distance the form of the simple one appeared. On his head Hans Peter -carried an immense basket. He walked slowly in his usual listless way, -and appeared unmindful of the numerous urgent calls to him. When he -finally reached Mother Werther he put the basket, which was heaped high -with tin cups, down upon the ground, and stood staring vacantly ahead of -him. - -“Thou art tardy, foolish one,” said a man who scowled down upon the boy -and took the topmost cup, which he dipped into one of the buckets of -coffee. Hans Peter made no reply. - -“Where is Gerson Brandt?” asked the overseer, who had been too closely -engaged in examining some of the vines to pay attention to anything that -was going on around him. “I need his advice, and he and all his troop of -boys should have been here a quarter-hour ago.” - -“The Herr Doktor hath kept him in the school-house. They are speaking -together,” explained the village fool. - -“Go tell him that the work cannot go on until he comes,” said the -overseer. - -Hans Peter turned and went back with lagging steps. The vineyard workers -paid little attention to him, however, for they were all intent upon -helping themselves to Mother Werther’s clear coffee. Joseph Hoff dipped -a cup into one of the buckets. Calling to Everett, he said: - -“Wilt thou not join the men of Zanah in drinking good luck to the -wine-presses?” - -Everett rose from his seat to take the proffered cup. He saw that Joseph -Hoff managed to pass by where Frieda Bergen sat upon the ground. They -spoke a word to each other, but no one noticed them. Under the cheering -influence of the coffee, more talking was permitted than the stranger in -Zanah had heard at any other time since he came to the colony. Now and -then the elder men and women exchanged a word. The young girls laughed -in low tones, and there was even something like playfulness among the -youths, some of whom wrestled, and some of whom cuffed one another in -rough play. - -“The quarter-hour is past,” said the overseer, and all the cups were -thrown upon the ground in a pile, while men and women, youths and -maidens, turned again to their work. Everett had half a mind to ask for -a knife with which to cut the great clusters of heavy fruit from the -vines. He felt that he would know how to do it quite as expertly as the -men whom he watched; but while he was hesitating about taking upon -himself anything that was like real work his attention was attracted by -the appearance of Hans Peter, accompanied by the school-master, who was -followed by his pupils. As the school-master came near, Everett saw that -he had a troubled look. - -“What hath detained thee, Brother Brandt?” inquired the overseer, who -was superintending the loading of the grapes upon heavy wagons. - -“I had mislaid a book,” the school-master said, simply. “I spent half an -hour searching for it.” - -“Thou wert ever absent in thy mind,” said Mother Werther, with a laugh. -“Thou wilt find it in some odd place where it ought not to be.” - -“I was sure I put it safely in my chest of drawers,” said the -school-master. “I recall the very day on which I laid it in the topmost -place.” - -“Now recall the day thou didst take it from the drawer,” said the -overseer. - -“Nay, I know it hath lain there undisturbed by my hand,” said Gerson -Brandt. - -“Was it a book of much worth?” inquired Mother Werther. - -“Yea, one most precious to me—the Bible that I have been illuminating -these many months.” - -“The Bible that the stranger coveted?” inquired the overseer, pointing -towards Everett, who stood by, listening to the conversation. - -The school-master nodded. - -It was not five minutes before every one working in the vineyard knew -that Gerson Brandt had lost his Bible, and there were some, Everett -noticed, among both men and women, who muttered to one another as if -they accused the school-master of some sinister design concerning the -book the colony claimed. Everett walked up and down among the rows of -vines, until he noticed that Adolph Schneider had come to the place -where Gerson Brandt had busied himself. He could see that the Herr -Doktor spoke emphatically and waved his cane, and that the school-master -replied with quiet dignity. - -“The Bible that thou wouldst buy hath disappeared in a strange manner,” -said Adolph Schneider, addressing Everett. “It will be found in the -space of a day or two, for we have no thieves in Zanah. The overseer and -I both believe Brother Brandt hath forgotten where he put it, and that -he will find it when he maketh a more thorough search.” - -There was something like insinuation in his tone, and Gerson Brandt’s -face flushed. - -“The book hath been taken from my room,” he said. “It is where I cannot -find it.” - -“Thou speakest as if thou wert brother to the simple one,” said Herr -Schneider. - -“I speak the truth,” said Gerson Brandt. - -“Yea, he telleth the truth,” declared Hans Peter, pulling himself up on -his knees and looking at the Herr Doktor. - -“The truth! What dost thou know about it—thou of little mind and less -judgment?” said Adolph Schneider. - -“I may know much, and I may know little,” said Hans Peter, swaying -himself back and forth on his knees. - -“Surely thou hast not taken my Bible?” said the school-master, with a -look of mingled hope and fear on his face. - -“Nay, I have not said that I took it,” replied the fool. - -“Yet thou hast knowledge of it, Hans Peter?” asked Gerson Brandt, his -eyes scanning the dull face of the simple one. - -“It is said I have knowledge of naught,” said Hans Peter, who rose to -his feet and, folding his arms across his ragged, blue blouse, -confronted the school-master and the Herr Doktor with fearless eyes. - -“Why bandy words with a fool?” said the overseer. “There is much to be -done.” - -The men and women of Zanah returned to their tasks. Some of the men -piled the grapes into large tubs, which were lifted on wagons drawn by -fat, sleek horses. The women, scattered among the vines, industriously -cut off the bunches of luscious fruit, and the boys who had accompanied -Gerson Brandt into the vineyard were sent back and forth, bearing pails -and baskets on their heads. Mother Werther gave Hans Peter the tin cups -to carry back to the village, and he went away unnoticed except by -Everett, who had the feeling that the simple one might be able to tell -what had become of Gerson Brandt’s treasured volume. - -The close of the summer day began to be noticed. The sun sank behind the -bluffs. Everett idly watched the workers in the vineyard prepare to go -home. The women were first to leave their tasks, and, with Mother -Werther at the head of the procession, they walked two and two towards -the road. As they walked they sang a dismal strain. The wagons creaked -as the wheels sank deeply into the soil, and marching beside them went -the men, carrying upon their shoulders scythes and rakes, which they had -used in an adjoining hay-field. The vineyard toilers wound down the -hill-side. All had apparently forgotten Everett, who had found a place -where he could lie upon the ground with his head pillowed upon a smooth -rock. The peace and quiet of the evening soothed him, and again, for the -hundredth time in the day, he thought of Walda Kellar. As if his -thoughts were suggested by her proximity, he saw, coming from the -hay-field, the prophetess of Zanah. She was leading a little child by -the hand, and behind her silently followed several of the “mothers” of -the colony. The women carried upon their heads great bundles of hay, -while back of them moved the harvest wagons, piled high with heavy loads -taken from the great stacks that dotted the broad fields. Walda appeared -not to notice the stranger, who lay quietly watching her. She was -talking in a low, soothing tone to the child, which apparently had been -crying for its mother. When Walda was within a few feet of him, Everett -quickly rose, but he hesitated to address her. With uncovered head, he -waited until she might see him. When she was very near him she raised -her eyes and started, as if surprised to find the stranger in the -vineyard. She would have passed on, but he detained her by seizing upon -the pretext that she must be interested in hearing about her father, -whom he had seen after she left the sick-room. He said: - -“Miss Kellar, your father is fast regaining strength. To-day I find that -he will soon be able to leave his bed.” - -The girl stopped, and, looking at him, answered: - -“Thou hast my prayers and my thanks, thou stranger in Zanah.” - -“If I have done anything to deserve your thanks, I am grateful, Miss -Kellar.” - -The women had stopped at a little distance from them, and he could see -that they were muttering something among themselves. Presently one of -them spoke: - -“Sir, thou art addressing the prophetess of Zanah with the vain title -used in the world outside. If thou must speak to her, thou shouldst call -her Walda Kellar.” - -Everett was embarrassed. He stood gazing at the girl, who smiled upon -him quite naturally. - -“Yea, thou shouldst call me Walda,” she said. “Thou knowest that in the -Bible the men and women addressed one another by their simple names.” - -“Then, if I am to follow the custom of Zanah, you must call me not -stranger, but Stephen,” he said. And she answered: - -“Yea, Stephen, already thou seemest scarcely a stranger.” - -He felt a sudden quickening of the pulses when the girl spoke to him by -his given name, so seldom used, for he was little burdened by kinsmen -and the intimacies of ordinary companionship. Stephen Everett had always -been a man who forbade those with whom he came in contact to take -liberties with him, yet he had the quiet friendliness that kept for him -the constancy and devotion of all who knew him. His name, spoken by the -prophetess of Zanah, had, however, a sound that suddenly glorified it. -As he stood there he could think of nothing to say, and she passed on, -leaving him to look after her, and to feel in a new and peculiar manner -that the world had changed for him. He saw that she walked with a firm -step and a light freedom of movement that gave her a rare grace. She -moved slowly, so that the little child could keep pace with her, and he -was grateful for the chance duty that gave him a longer glimpse of her. -She passed through the wooden gate which cut off the vineyard. Presently -he saw her disappear among the trees at the end of the village street, -and a sense of loneliness swept over him. He who had always been glad of -the opportunity to enjoy his own society felt something of the -homesickness of the soul. - - - - - VII - - -Gerson Brandt sat alone in his school-room. His elbows were propped on -the worn lid of his black, oaken desk, and his chin was supported in the -palms of his hands. His face had a worried look. The lines about his -mouth had deepened within the last few days, and his heavy brows were -drawn together. He was wondering what could have happened to the -precious Bible. Now that he had become accustomed to the changes brought -about in the routine of his daily life by the illness of Wilhelm Kellar, -he sorely missed the pleasant task of each day making a letter or two -upon the pages of the Sacred Word. It had been his joy and his -recreation, after the long school sessions, to turn to his pens and his -colored inks. Line by line he had wrought the delicate traceries with -many a thought of Walda and many a prayer for her well-being. He had -dwelt so long in the faith that inspired Zanah that he had felt in the -hope of her inspiration a peculiar satisfaction and contentment. He was -a poet and a dreamer, so he found it not hard to believe that this girl -of Zanah would be given a special power not vouchsafed to many souls -that come into the great domain of sin. - -It was a week since the loss of the Bible had been discovered. It was -apparent to him, whose nature was sensitive to every suggestion, that -the people of Zanah for some reason distrusted him, and imputed blame to -him because of the mysterious disappearance of the volume that might -have brought the colony the price of many rolls of flannel and many -bottles of wine. The Herr Doktor that very day had been to see him about -devising some means by which more effective search could be made for the -Bible. Notwithstanding Wilhelm Kellar’s illness, the room up-stairs had -been thoroughly searched. With Schneider standing by, he had been -obliged to submit to the humiliation of unlocking each drawer and -turning out upon the floor all his few personal possessions. From his -bed in the alcove Wilhelm Kellar had anxiously watched every movement, -and had shown keen disappointment when the big volume could not be -found. Mother Werther had been present, and had scrutinized each article -as it was put back in its accustomed place in the old-fashioned chest of -drawers. One thing alone she failed to examine, and that was his old -leather portfolio, much worn with long years of constant use. In this -portfolio was concealed his one forbidden possession—the sketch of Walda -made years before, when she was scarcely more than a child. Zanah -permitted not the image of anything on earth to be kept by a faithful -colonist; but he had treasured this, made in a moment of weakness and -loneliness. He had eased his conscience with the thought that he had -drawn not the woman of the future, but the prophetess who would some day -guide his people. - -Adolph Schneider had gone on his way but a few moments before. The -school-master still felt the sting of his last words—an injunction to -find the Bible within the next fortnight. Gerson Brandt had spent all -his unemployed waking moments in trying to account for the disappearance -of the big book. He felt sure that there was no boy in the village -mischievous enough to steal it, and no outsider except Everett had been -within the boundaries of Zanah for many a week. Instinctively he knew -that the colonists were judging him unkindly, for even in Zanah -jealousies and rivalries were not unknown. In all his years of colony -life he had escaped criticism, because he had been the one elder -untouched by personal ambition. His gentleness and sweetness of nature -had made even the most selfish and disagreeable person his friend, for -no one in all Zanah had performed the friendly services that belonged to -the record made by the school-master of the colony. - -Presently he turned his face towards the window and looked out upon the -summer landscape. The day seemed strangely silent. The late summer -already presaged the coming autumn. The birds had long ceased their -singing. There was not even the hum of a lazy insect. A sense of -loneliness crept over this man, accustomed to the peculiar isolation of -life in Zanah. He half realized that the loss of the Bible meant to him, -in a certain sense, a cutting off of a daily association of thought that -bound him to Walda. His mind had hardly turned towards the girl before -he heard her light footstep as she crossed the threshold. When he saw -her framed in the doorway that opened out on the little porch, he felt -foolishly glad, but although he rose to his feet he did not advance to -meet her. - -“Ah, Gerson Brandt, something is troubling thee,” said Walda. “For fully -two minutes I have been watching thee from the porch. What is in thy -mind to rob thee thus of peace?” - -“Nay, Walda, my peace is not gone, I trust,” said the school-master; but -he paused, as if the assertion made him cognizant that he might not be -speaking the whole truth. “I have been thinking much about the loss of -my Bible.” - -“Yea, that is very strange,” said Walda, standing before his desk, and -looking up into his eyes with an inquiring glance. “I cannot understand -what could befall it.” - -“If it cannot be found, my honor is touched,” said Gerson Brandt, and -there was something like a quiver on his sensitive lips. “There are -those in Zanah who will count it against me, because I put overmuch work -upon the book and grew to hold it as my best possession.” - -“Nay, nay, Gerson Brandt, the people love thee, and they will remember -the injunction that they must not judge one another.” - -Gerson Brandt stepped from the high platform. Motioning towards a bench -in front of the window, he said: - -“Sit here near me, Walda; I would speak to thee now alone, since there -may not come another chance before thy day of inspiration.” - -The girl took her place on the bench and Gerson Brandt stood before her. -For a moment he was silent. With hands folded across his spare chest, -and with his head bent, he gazed down upon the beautiful girl. He -noticed a change in her face. It had lost something of the childishness -of its expression. It had a graver look. The eyes bespoke a seriousness -he thought foretold the coming spiritual inspiration for which the -colony had waited so many years. - -“It is well, Walda, that thou hast reached this time in thy life without -being touched by worldly emotions. Zanah hath watched over thee with a -care that hath kept thee pure for thy consecration to the Lord’s work.” - -“To Zanah I owe all my service,” said Walda. “I trust that great things -may be revealed through me.” - -She spoke as if she thought of herself from an objective point of view. - -“This is an age when men should walk near God. There are strange things -going on in the great world, and every year Zanah’s safety is -jeopardized. Untoward manners and customs are already becoming known -among the young people. There is in my heart much gratitude that thou -hast escaped the temptations to fathom earthly love.” - -“Gerson Brandt, is love the greatest of all the sins?” asked Walda, -looking up into the face of the school-master, who bestowed upon her a -look searching and withal tender. - -“It is not given to me to judge what is the greatest sin a woman can -commit,” Gerson Brandt answered, slowly. “I have heard that love -bringeth pain and sorrow and disappointment.” - -“Yet there are many who do not seem afraid to risk sorrow for love. -Truly there must be some compensation for it,” said Walda. - -“There is, there is,” replied the school-master. “At first it -intoxicates; it bringeth fair dreams, high hopes, and a courage strong -enough to face all the ills that earth can bring to men and women.” - -“Surely thou speakest with authority, Gerson Brandt.” As Walda spoke -there was a little smile upon her lips. “I might almost think that thou -hadst known the joy and pain of loving.” - -“In books I have read of the love of men and women. There is one named -Shakespeare, who long ago wrote much of the history of the human heart.” - -“In the Bible are many stories of the love of men and women,” said -Walda, “and sometimes I have wondered why, in this late day, it should -have become so wrong a thing to find on earth a dear companionship.” - -Gerson Brandt turned away and walked across the room. When he came back -he spoke in a steady voice. - -“When the soul findeth on earth peace and happiness, it is easy to -forget there is a heaven that lasts through eternity, and that these -little years shall be swallowed up in the vast expanse of time. It were -better to deny one’s self joy here in order to be sure of happiness -hereafter.” - -“But even to me earth often seems so near and dear, and heaven so far -off, that now and then I can understand why the soul should reach out -towards some one who could share all the little every-day happinesses -and troubles,” said Walda. - -“It hath been given to man always to be lonely in the world,” answered -Gerson Brandt. “Each soul must travel like a stray pilgrim who can only -greet other wayfarers and pass on.” - -“Nay, Gerson Brandt, we need not be lonely here. In Zanah all are -friends and brothers. So long as thou livest I can never feel that I am -a solitary traveller.” - -A crimson flush swept over the face of the school-master, and when the -wave receded he was deathly pale. - -“All these years my care hath been over thee, Walda. My prayers have -been for thee; my hopes have been set on thee. When thou hast become, -indeed, the prophetess of Zanah, I shall know that thou art safe -forever. Then shall I find peace indeed.” - -“Safe, Gerson Brandt! What dost thou mean? Safe from what? I cannot be -safer than I am now.” - -Gerson Brandt made no reply. He walked to the window and looked out upon -the little garden. - -Walda was lost in thought for a moment or two. Presently she said: - -“Oh, Gerson Brandt, I know that I am like unto Eve, for when thou and -the elders warn me so much about love there comes to me the desire to -understand it.” - -“None can understand love, Walda. It is revealed to every man and every -woman in a different form. It is the all-compassing emotion that moveth -the world.” - -Walda rose to her feet. Stepping close to the school-master, she said: - -“Why, Gerson Brandt, there is that in thy voice that maketh me feel thou -dost know much concerning love, which thou sayest is sinful and -unworthy. Hast thou been tempted?” - -“Mayhap I have. Here in Zanah we who keep the precepts of the colony -close to our hearts are safe indeed. By much praying and constant -vigilance we can escape all danger.” - -“Surely earthly love could never touch thee or me, and why shouldst we -waste time talking about the pitfalls that will never come in the way of -our footsteps as we traverse the quiet paths of Zanah?” - -“It is well to remember, Walda, that even in Zanah, our Garden of Eden, -there is a tree of knowledge; but so long as we taste not the forbidden -fruit we need have no fears.” - -“Fears? My heart is so lifted up in these days there falleth upon me not -the smallest shadow of the smallest fear to disturb me. I am full of -gratitude and humility in the knowledge that I have been chosen to be -the prophetess of Zanah, and each day there comes to me a broader faith -and a surer conviction concerning the things revealed to us through the -Great Book.” - -Gerson Brandt was again silent for a long time. Once he took a step -towards the girl, who was still standing before the bench from which she -had risen. He hesitated a moment. Then he said, slowly: - -“Walda, when thou art given the tongue of the Spirit, thou wilt be -separated from all Zanah. Thou wilt then live close to thy Creator, and, -even though I am an elder, I shall be denied the privilege of speaking -to thee. Lest there be no opportunity to talk again to thee alone, I -will tell thee now that always my thoughts will dwell close to thee. In -my heart the memory of the little girl that I have known so many years -will remain forever.” - -The tremor in his voice and the solemnity of his manner cast a feeling -of awe upon Walda. Moved by an irresistible impulse, she dropped on her -knees at his feet. - -“Give me thy blessing, Gerson Brandt,” she said; and the man held his -hands high above her bent head as he said, simply: - -“God bless thee and keep thee, Walda Kellar.” - -The girl rose and slowly passed out of the door. - -Gerson Brandt went back to his desk. Again he put his elbows on the worn -lid. Again he rested his chin in his hands. He sat thus for half an -hour. Hans Peter, coming in on tiptoe, walked up a side aisle without -being noticed. He climbed upon the stool, and the school-master roused -himself to ask: - -“Dost thou want me?” - -“Thou wast thinking about thy lost Bible,” said the simple one, ignoring -the question. “Thou hast no cause to borrow trouble.” - -“What dost thou know about it?” demanded the school-master. - -“I know that it is where the Herr Doktor seems not to be able to find -it,” said the simple one, twirling his thumbs. “I know that it is lost. -I know thou canst not find it.” - -“Hush, hush, Hans Peter. The Bible is not a subject by which thou canst -display thy talent for speaking foolish words.” - - - - - VIII - - -It was the beginning of spinning-time in Zanah. The grape crop had been -gathered, the bare fields had been raked, and nothing remained to be -done outside that could not be accomplished by the men and boys. -Therefore the women of the colony were assigned the task of making the -linen used in the households at Zanah. Although the very latest -machinery had been installed in the mills, it was still the custom among -the women to spin the colony sheets and table napery. The large -dining-room in the inn had been cleared, and twenty wheels had been -distributed here and there for the use of the favored “mothers” -privileged to enjoy what was really an annual week of gossip. Gathered -in the great dining-room were Mother Schneider, Mother Kaufmann, Mother -Werther, and their nearest cronies. It was a bright afternoon, and the -sun came in through the vine-covered windows. The door on the wide porch -was open, and near it, in the choicest place in the room, sat Mother -Schneider busy at her wheel. She paused to put back one of the strings -of her black cap and asked: - -“What say they up at the school-house concerning the lost Bible, Sister -Kaufmann?” - -“They speak naught of it,” replied the sour-visaged woman, as she broke -her thread. “Many times have I tried to make Brother Brandt tell me what -he really thinks, but thou knowest he hath a way of holding his tongue.” - -“Walda Kellar hath made a good nurse,” said Mother Werther, who was busy -sorting the flax. “Anything that she undertaketh she doeth well.” - -“She hath too much freedom in that sick-room,” declared Mother -Schneider. - -“Yea, she hath,” agreed Mother Kaufmann. “There are many hours that I -cannot be there to watch her.” - -“Thou forgettest that Walda Kellar needeth not watching as do other -girls. She who hath been chosen to speak for the Lord surely can be -trusted. And then thou knowest she is with her own father.” - -Mother Werther cast an indignant glance at the wife of the Herr Doktor, -who had started the conversation. - -“I trust not that physician from the outside world,” said Mother -Kaufmann. “He hath queer ways that are not like those of the men of -Zanah.” - -“He is always most kind and thoughtful; he treats women with much -reverence,” said Mother Werther. “I know him best of all persons in -Zanah, for doth he not stay here at the _gasthaus_?” - -“Since when didst thou become a good judge of men?” asked Mother -Kaufmann, with a taunting laugh that showed her ugly tusks. “The wife -who after fifteen years hath not discovered the faults of her husband is -not fitted to pass judgment on any man. I do not like that Stephen -Everett.” - -“He is helping Wilhelm Kellar to regain his health,” said a meek, -middle-aged woman who sat in a far corner. - -“It is a fortnight since Brother Kellar was taken ill, and he is still -in bed,” said Mother Kaufmann. - -“Thou forgettest that Brother Kellar hath been nigh unto death,” said -Mother Werther. - -“That doctor from the world is a handsome man,” remarked Gretchen -Schneider, who had come in and taken her seat near her mother. - -“Tut, tut; I am ashamed of thee,” said Mother Schneider, in a tone of -reproof. “Thou forgettest that the maidens of Zanah must not look upon -men, and must not care whether they be handsome or hideous.” - -“Dost thou find him more comely than Karl Weisel, our respected elder?” -inquired Mother Werther; and, despite the scowl of the wife of the Herr -Doktor, smothered laughs were heard from various parts of the room. -Gretchen Schneider’s pale face flushed. Before she could reply her -mother retorted: - -“Thy words are unseemly, Sister Werther. I bid thee keep silence.” - -“I have the right of free speech,” the innkeeper’s wife answered; “and -there is none in Zanah who doth not know there would have been a wedding -long ago if the head of the thirteen elders had not loved his place of -authority better than the daughter of the Herr Doktor.” - -In a moment Mother Schneider flew into a rage, quite inconsistent with -the religious principles of Zanah. - -“Hold thou thy clattering tongue,” she commanded; and for the space of -two minutes not a word was spoken in the room. The whirring of the busy -wheels alone disturbed the quiet. - -The entrance of Frieda Bergen fortunately relieved the situation of its -tensity. The girl came into the room bearing on her head a bundle of -flax, which she deposited before Mother Werther. - -“This I brought from the station, whither I went with Mother Schmidt,” -she said. - -“Thou shouldst not have been allowed to go to the railroad,” said Mother -Kaufmann. “But what didst thou see there?” - -“A train came by while I stood on the platform. I looked through one of -the windows and saw silken-cushioned seats, and mirrors that showed -gayly dressed men and women. There was also a car in which were -dining-tables. Black men waited on women, who laughed and talked with -men. Some of the women wore on their fingers jewels that looked like -sparkling glass.” - -The wheels had all stopped. Every “mother” in the room was listening. - -“The sparkling glass that thou sawest was what is called a diamond,” -said Gretchen Schneider. “Jewels are worn by those who have vanity in -their souls.” - -“Truly, the rings were very beautiful,” said Frieda Bergen. - -“Thou wert ever a foolish maid,” said Mother Schneider, in a tone of -severe reproof. “Put out of thy thoughts what thou hast seen to-day. I -shall have the Herr Doktor forbid thee from going to the station.” - -“Nay, Sister Schneider, scold not Frieda. She hath done no harm,” said -Mother Werther. “It should not hurt her to get a glimpse of the vanities -of the world, for she is well grounded in the faith of Zanah. She -knoweth that the costly gauds are but the playthings of sin-ridden -women.” - -Standing in the middle of the room, Frieda Bergen shook her head -doubtfully. - -“Truly, those worldly ones appeared happy,” she said. “There were some -that read books and leaned back on velvet cushions. They looked as if -they never worked. Some of the women were beautiful. They wore no caps -upon their hair. Their frocks were not all alike, as they are here in -Zanah.” - -“See, the daughter of Zanah is touched by the temptations of the world,” -said Mother Schneider. “We have heard enough. Begin thy work, Frieda -Bergen.” - -“If what I hear is true, the elders should discipline Frieda,” said -Mother Kaufmann, with a sneer. “It hath come to my ears that she hath -often spoken with Joseph Hoff.” - -Frieda Bergen bent her head over her work. A telltale blush overspread -her delicate skin, and her hand trembled as she took up her distaff. - -“Frieda Bergen hath the right to love Joseph Hoff if she chooseth,” said -Mother Werther, rising from her chair and walking the length of the room -to the place where the girl sat. “Love may be a foolish thing in the -eyes of Zanah, but it bringeth its reward.” - -“Thou art teaching heresy, Sister Werther,” said Mother Schneider. “If -the elders knew of thy heterodoxy thou wouldst have to do penance -through some hard task.” - -Mother Werther smiled in a tantalizing way. She drew in a long breath as -she were about to retort, and then, thinking better of it, went back to -her work. - -“If Frieda is wise she will follow the example of some of us who have -served God faithfully all unmindful of man,” said Mother Kaufmann. Her -remark was too much for Mother Werther. Dropping her flax, the -innkeeper’s wife put her hands upon her hips and laughed. - -“And hast thou always been unmindful of Gerson Brandt?” she inquired. - -“Mother, thou shouldst put an end to this unseemly talk,” said Gretchen -Schneider. - -“Yea, thou hast something to fear lest it be remembered how narrowly -_thou_ hast escaped love,” said Mother Werther. - -“Stop thine unruly tongue,” admonished Mother Schneider. - -“Thou forgettest that in Zanah all men and women are equal,” said Mother -Werther. “Thy husband, the Herr Doktor, is enjoying but a brief -authority. Thou art not greater than any other woman in the colony.” - -Mother Schneider gasped in anger, but before she could reply a shadow -was cast upon the floor and Walda Kellar entered. Her sweet face wore an -untroubled look. She smiled upon all the women gathered in the room. - -“Something brought me here among you,” she said. “I have but just come -from my father’s sick-room, and as I walked long, thinking of the coming -_Untersuchung_, I felt that I wanted once more to spin with the women of -Zanah.” - -“Thou bringest peace with thee,” said Mother Werther. - -Frieda Bergen rose from her little, low-backed chair, and Walda Kellar -seated herself before the girl’s wheel. - -Silence fell upon the room. The girl’s presence commanded reverence. In -her eyes was a peculiar light, and her face was radiant. Slowly she -began to turn her wheel. - -“It is very good to be here,” she said, presently. “If the Lord giveth -me the tongue of inspiration there will be other tasks for me, and now -and then, when I am not quite so strong in the faith as I ought to be, I -wonder whether I shall not sometimes be an unworthy instrument of the -Lord, because the little things of life, it seemeth, will always have a -charm for me. While the great, leather-bound books of Zanah have much to -teach me, there are days when my inclinations draw me towards the labors -which belong to the women of the colony.” - -No one answered. For a few moments the wheels whirred again, and not a -word disturbed the pleasant hum of industry. Presently Walda’s voice -rose in a minor hymn. The deep, rich cadences swelled above the sound of -the wheels. It was a weird, plaintive tune to which she sang German -words which breathed a prayer for light upon the way that led through -the sin-encompassed world. She paused after the first verse. Appearing -to forget her work, she clasped her hands in her lap and sang again with -such sweetness and such pathos that Mother Werther wiped her eyes. The -singing had brought some one to the porch outside, but Walda appeared -not to hear the footstep. She sang on and on, and when the last verse -died upon her lips she sat very still, as if her soul had gone out with -the strange melody. - -Everett, who had come to the window, looking through the blinds, beheld -the prophetess. For the moment the woman was lost, and he felt an -overwhelming sense of her aloofness from him. There came to him a full -realization of the gulf between him and this woman of Zanah, who -belonged so little to the world and so much to heaven. For several -minutes he stood fascinated as he gazed upon her, but, summoning all his -will-power, he turned away lest he should be discovered spying upon the -women of Zanah. As he walked towards the bluffs he met Hans Peter moving -along in a leisurely manner. The witchery of Walda’s song was still upon -him, and he would have passed the simple one without a greeting, but -Hans Peter stepped directly in his path. - -“Thou hast made trouble in Zanah,” said the simple one, staring at him -with unblinking eyes and doubling up one fat fist. “The day that thou -goest hence to the wicked world where thou belongest will be a happy -one.” - -“You speak with but scant respect for the stranger within your gates,” -said Everett, who was amused by the vehemence of the village fool. - -Hans Peter removed his ragged cap. “Thou hast brought sorrow to Gerson -Brandt,” he continued, “for thou wouldst have taken the Bible that he -was making beautiful for Walda Kellar.” - -Everett studied the odd little figure before him for a moment. It was -the first time that Hans Peter had betrayed, in manner or countenance, -the least trace of emotion. Even now, as the simple one stood blinking -his eyes, the man of the world could not comprehend his motive in making -the unexpected accusation. - -“You seem almost excited, Hans Peter,” said Everett, presently, when the -boy had begun to show that the silence was uncomfortable. “And why are -you concerned about the Bible?” - -“The school-master setteth great store on the Sacred Book,” replied the -simple one. “He hath been kind to me, and I like not to see him -troubled.” - -“And is not every one kind to you, Hans Peter?” - -The simple one thrust his hand into his deep pocket and hung his head. - -“The people of Zanah are many times vexed with the fool,” he said. “They -have scant patience with one who believes not as they do. In all the -colony there are only three who seem to forget that Hans Peter is the -village fool.” - -“And who are they? Gerson Brandt is one, I know. Who are the others?” - -“The prophetess of Zanah and Mother Werther.” - -“And do you not believe in the prophetess of Zanah? Have you not faith -that she will be the inspired one?” - -“Why do you question the village fool?” asked Hans Peter, suddenly, wary -lest he should tell something that he wished to conceal. “Thou knowest -that to all the colony Walda Kellar is the revered one. Truly, she -walketh near to God.” - -“Then perhaps some day she will lead you into the full faith of Zanah?” -said Everett. But the fool shook his head. - -“Hans Peter loveth earth, not heaven. He would not be wise as the men of -Zanah are wise, for verily their wisdom bringeth them no joy.” - -“Hans Peter, you speak as one who has much knowledge, after all. I am -beginning to think that you are the wisest man in the colony.” - -“If there is wisdom in knowing one is a fool and being content in his -own folly, then am I wise. They say that the fool is often given the -power of prophecy; and when I was carving the day of the month upon one -of the gourds I keep to help my memory, there came to me the fear that -something was coming to Zanah through thee. I ran to seek thee that I -might give warning of the trouble thou art bringing to the colony.” - -Everett reached into the pocket of his coat, took out a cigar, and -lighted it. “Perhaps you will be kind enough to tell me in just what way -I am to bring more trouble to Zanah,” he said, with a smile. “I had -nothing to do with the loss of the Bible, for I have refused to buy it, -and I give you my word now, Hans Peter, that I will never take it away -from Gerson Brandt.” - -“Thy word is not needed now,” answered the fool. “The Bible is where -thou canst not get it.” - -“And you know where it is,” said Everett, so quickly that the fool was -taken off his guard. - -“And if I do, no one shall find it,” the simple one declared, with a -gesture of his arm and a stamp of his bare foot. - -“Don’t you think it would be wise for you to take back the Bible to -Gerson Brandt?” Everett inquired, walking a few steps to his right, -where there was a great tree against which he leaned. - -“If the Bible could be found it would not again be put in Gerson -Brandt’s hands. It is better that it should be lost forever than that he -should see it owned by another man.” - -“Why is this Bible so precious to the school-master? Can’t you tell me, -Hans Peter? Perhaps I may help you to restore it to him. You see, I -might buy it and give it back to Gerson Brandt.” - -“No man in Zanah can own anything. If the Bible should be given to -Gerson Brandt it would still belong to the colony, and it could be sold -again.” The simple one had thrown himself upon the ground, and, with -chin in his hands and elbows dug deeply in the earth, he appeared to be -thinking. - -“Tell me about the Bible,” urged Everett, and he waited as impatiently -for the village fool to speak as if some matter of tremendous importance -to him, the man of affairs out in the great world, hung in the balance. -There was something almost absurd in the contrast between the two who -talked there in the summer afternoon. Stephen Everett was a man to be -noticed anywhere. It was not altogether his physical beauty that -invariably commanded attention; he had an unusual charm of personality. - -Hans Peter, with his long, straight tow hair tangled upon his big, round -head, kicked his earth-stained feet in the air as he lay at length upon -the ground. His blue cotton shirt, torn down the back, revealed a strip -of white skin, and his baggy trousers were held by the one button which -attached them to a knitted suspender. The pocket in the back of his -trousers bulged with one of the gourds that he carried with him wherever -he went. - -“I am waiting for you to tell me about the Bible,” Everett remarked, -when he had smoked half of his cigar. - -Hans Peter reached back and removed the gourd from his pocket. Then, -sitting up, he began to examine it carefully. - -“It was long ago that it came to Hans Peter one day, as he watched -Gerson Brandt at work with his bright inks, that the school-master’s -thoughts were on Walda Kellar as he made the gay letters in the great -book. Lest the fool might forget, he marked on his gourd some lines to -make him remember. Many times after that he saw that the school-master -was praying for her who would be inspired. Hans Peter knew that the -Bible was for Walda Kellar, and that the school-master meant it for her -to read every day when she should become an instrument of the Lord. That -is why Gerson Brandt loved the Bible. That is why no other man should -have it.” - -Everett left his place at the tree, and, pacing back and forth, pondered -for a few moments upon the information that the simple one had given -him. - -“Ah, the school-master is a second father to Walda Kellar, I suppose?” -he said, presently, casting a furtive glance at the fool. - -“Nay, he hath not years enough to make it right he should love her as a -father,” declared Hans Peter, nodding his head. “The simple one hath -been taught that love is a wicked thing, but there is in Gerson Brandt’s -heart something that may be love, like that with which he worships -angels.” - -“Again I tell you, Hans Peter, you are the wisest of all the colonists -in Zanah,” said Everett. “There, go about your errands.” - -“But thou wilt promise not to buy the Bible, even if it is ever found?” -said Hans Peter, coming close to Everett and lowering his voice. - -“Yes, yes; you have my word for it. I shall not buy it unless it is to -aid Gerson Brandt,” Everett replied. “And, Hans Peter, give me your -hand. I pledge my word.” - -The fool hesitatingly put out his fat, work-hardened hand, and Everett -gave it a hearty clasp. - - - - - IX - - -Wilhelm Kellar lay propped up in the four-posted bedstead that stood in -his little alcove. His thin face showed the effect of his illness, and -the hand that played with the flowered coverlet was thin to the point of -translucency. His long, white hair was brushed straight back from his -high forehead; his eyes, which had sunk deep into their sockets, -wandered restlessly. - -“Walda, where art thou?” he said, in a thick, indistinct voice. Walda -pushed back the chintz curtains that divided the alcove from the larger -room, and, kneeling beside her father, took one of his hands in hers. - -“I have been thinking of the _Untersuchung_, daughter,” said the sick -man, “and I pray that I may be able to be present when the spirit -descends upon thee.” - -“Thou wilt be well in another month,” said Walda, soothingly, as she -stroked the white hair. “The physician hath said that thou canst soon -leave thy bed.” - -“But the _Untersuchung_ is only two weeks off,” said Wilhelm Kellar. “It -may be that if strength is not vouchsafed me so that I may walk again a -litter can be made for me. I would be carried to the place if I cannot -go there myself.” - -“There is some talk that the _Untersuchung_ may be delayed for a month,” -said Walda, “and then thou wilt surely be able to take thy place among -the elders.” - -“It would be well, indeed, to postpone the _Untersuchung_, for thou hast -been much distracted from thy meditations by my illness.” - -“Nay, nay, father. Strange thoughts have come to me since I have been -sitting here many hours a day in this room. Never hath heaven seemed so -near to me.” - -“It is well, indeed, that thou hast never been touched by earthly love,” -said the old man, scanning the face of his daughter. “It was to keep -thee free from it that I brought thee here when thou wast a little -child, for it putteth waywardness and frowardness into the heart of a -woman. Since I have been near to death it hath been shown to me that I -must warn thee again lest thou some time feel its evil influence. Thy -mother forgot all duty. She forfeited her soul for love.” - -The old man spoke with intense feeling; he trembled as a long-controlled -emotion swept over him. It was as if he had unlocked the flood-gates of -a passion barred for many years within his heart. - -“What dost thou mean, father?” asked Walda, rising to her feet. A -deathly pallor overspread her face, but the habit of repression, taught -so persistently in Zanah, prevented her from showing the terror with -which his words smote her. - -“I mean,” said Wilhelm Kellar, drawing a quick breath—“I mean—” But -suddenly his tongue stiffened and refused to frame the words he would -have spoken. - -“Thou wilt make thyself more ill,” said Walda. “Think not of the past.” -Taking a pewter cup of water from the table, she moistened his lips. The -old man clinched his fists and closed his eyes. He lay as if he were -dead. The frightened girl ran to the door of the room to summon help. -Stephen Everett was coming up the stairs. - -“Oh, hasten to my father!” Walda implored. “I fear greatly for him.” - -Everett went to the bedside, felt the old man’s pulse, listened to his -heart, and discovered that his patient had, indeed, some serious -symptoms. - -“Has anything happened to disturb your father?” he asked, turning to -Walda, who stood with hands clasped around one of the head-posts of the -bed while she watched him with breathless interest. - -“He began to talk to me of the past,” said the girl, with hesitation, -and Everett saw tears in her eyes. - -“And he recalled some memory that troubled him?” asked Everett. - -“Yea, yea; he would have told me something of my mother,” said the girl, -as she turned to go into the outer room. - -Everett administered a soothing-potion, and went out of the alcove to -find that Walda was sitting by the old carven table with her head bowed -upon her hands. - -“Do not be alarmed,” he said, “your father will recover from this -temporary relapse.” His voice and manner were so sympathetic that the -girl began to weep. - -“Be blind to my weakness, O stranger in Zanah,” she said, presently -lifting her head proudly and biting her trembling lips. “My faith -teacheth me that nothing which belongeth to earth is worth a tear. The -people of Zanah are trained to accept the decrees of God. For an hour I -have been thinking of self. Strength will be given me to put these -rebellious impulses from me.” She went to the window, where the -chaffinch was hanging in his wicker cage. - -“Piepmatz, thou hast no foolish tears; thou canst teach me a lesson that -I need; thou art undisturbed by any distrust in thy nature.” Piepmatz, -thrusting his head forward, looked out between the bars of his little -prison. Then he chirped a cheery note. Everett went close to the cage -and whistled to the bird, which paid no attention to him. - -“If I can be of service to you, you must command me,” he said to Walda -Kellar. “You must not think of me as the stranger in Zanah. Have I not -earned the right to be called a friend?” He did not look at her as he -spoke lest she might be awakened to the fact that he took more than a -passing interest in her. - -“We use not the word friend in Zanah,” said Walda. “Here we are all -brothers and sisters. And what dost thou mean by being a friend?” - -Out in the world Everett had the reputation of being ever ready with -words, but when the future prophetess of Zanah looked up at him with -questioning eyes he was abashed. - -“I mean,” he began—“I mean that I want you to feel you can trust me even -more than if I were a brother of Zanah,” he replied, rather lamely. - -Walda looked puzzled. - -“There is none whom I could trust more than the men of Zanah,” she said. -“I have been taught by Adolph Schneider and the elders that there is no -such thing as friendship between men and women. The Bible telleth that -David and Jonathan were friends, but truly I cannot remember that there -were men and women in Holy Writ who called each other by that word thou -wouldst have me give to thee in my thoughts.” - -Everett now sought in vain for an argument that he would dare make bold -to use. Suddenly he regretted that he had neglected to study the Bible -since his Sunday-school days had ended. He tried to think of all the -Scripture stories he knew, dimly hoping that somewhere he could recall -one that would be a fit illustration. He felt a disgust with himself -when he discovered how lamentably ignorant he was. If he could only have -commanded a text that would be convincing, he felt that he might be able -to win something more than an impersonal gratitude from the future -prophetess of Zanah, who had almost ignored him during the fortnight -that had passed since he had been serving her father for her sake. - -“Out in the world there are many friendships between men and women,” he -declared. - -“Then, indeed, must they be sinful,” said Walda, “for I have heard that -there be few who serve the Lord with singleness of purpose out there -beyond the bluffs.” - -“Do not condemn the world too severely. Surely you do not think that I -am such a wicked man?” His effort to draw attention to himself failed, -however, for Walda was gazing out upon the bluffs as if she had -forgotten him in thinking of the great world that Zanah barred out. - -“Still thou hast not told me the true meaning of a friend,” she said, -presently, and again Everett became aware that somehow he had lost the -gift of speech. - -“Perhaps I cannot find words to make the meaning of friendship plain,” -he said, finally, “but I will try to teach you what the word implies.” - -“Nay, Stephen Everett, it is not right that thou shouldst teach me -anything, since thou art of the world, to which thou wilt soon return.” - -“The world will never be the same to me after I leave Zanah,” said -Everett. - -“Hast thine eyes been opened to its wickedness?” - -“No. Since I came to the colony I have thought little of the world, but -my eyes have been opened to some things to which they were blind -before—things that do not belong to the every-day world.” - -Again he was afraid to let himself look at Walda, and he appeared to be -addressing Piepmatz. Walda did not reply to him. She was thinking again -of the life beyond the bluffs. - -“Often have I tried to imagine what life must be outside of Zanah,” -Walda remarked, by-and-by, after a long silence. “Now and then stray -memories come back to me, for thou knowest I was born in the world, and -that I was a little child who brought to the colony recollections of -another existence. It is these memories that compel me oftentimes to -pray that I may be spared temptation which should never assail a woman -of Zanah.” - -“Surely no temptation could come to you,” said Everett. - -“Thou knowest little of a woman’s heart. The seeds of vanity are here,” -she said, folding her hands upon her breast. “I find pleasure in the -flowers and the pretty things that God hath made.” - -“It seems to me a sin for the colonists to deny its members the highest -joys that have been given to men and women,” said Everett. “I have often -wondered whether you had any idea of all that you miss here in Zanah.” - -“I miss nothing that is best for my well-being,” said Walda. “Thou -wouldst not plant discontent in my heart, wouldst thou, Stephen -Everett?” - -“I would have you enjoy all that is most to be desired in life,” said -Everett; and as he spoke he felt for the hundredth time an overwhelming -impatience with the creed of the colony which denied to the young and -beautiful all that made living worth while. - -Walda went to the chest of drawers, and, taking her knitting from a -little basket, sank upon a low chair, from which she could get a glimpse -of her sleeping father. Everett felt that she had dismissed him. He took -up his hat and said: - -“You told me I might call you Walda, so I shall say, Good-night, Walda.” - -“Good-night,” said the girl. - -Everett hesitated. - -“Will you not say, ‘Good-night, Stephen’?” he asked. - -Walda stopped knitting. - -“Why wouldst thou have me say thy name again?” she inquired. - -For the twentieth time Everett was embarrassed. - -“Because it is the custom of friends to speak one another’s names,” he -explained. - -“But we are not friends,” said Walda. - -“At least you will repay me for my long stay here in the colony by -speaking my name now and then,” he insisted, hypocritically. - -There was the barest shadow of a smile on the lips of the future -prophetess of Zanah. “Good-night, Stephen,” she said; and because he -could find no excuse for lingering longer in the quaint room under the -eaves, he went away. - - - - - X - - -Wilhelm Kellar’s health mended slowly. Some days he felt strong enough -to be lifted out upon the chintz-covered lounge in the large room, but -every attempt to hasten convalescence appeared futile, and after a -morning spent out of bed he always felt a reaction. On one of his best -days he lay on the lounge, which had been pushed into the bay-window. -Above his head hung Piepmatz. When Everett came to make the first call -of the day, the bird was trilling his one bar of the doxology, with long -breaks now and then between the notes. Walda was trimming a plant that -stood on the table near which sat Gerson Brandt. The school-master -watched the future prophetess intently, and at first he did not notice -Everett’s entrance. - -“My patient must be better,” said Everett, passing to the window, and -Walda, turning from the table, answered: - -“We are happy, indeed, to-day. My father hath already begun to think -about his work in the colony.” - -“You must not be too ambitious,” said Everett, drawing a stool to the -foot of the lounge and placing himself where he could study the old -man’s face. - -“I have declared a half-holiday that I may celebrate the return of -health to Brother Kellar,” said Gerson Brandt, smiling upon his old -friend, who lay, weak and prostrated, among the pillows. At this point -Piepmatz abandoned the doxology and burst into a flood of song. - -“Hush, thou saucy bird,” Walda commanded. She went to the cage and -playfully shook her finger at the chaffinch. “See, he knoweth there is -reason to be glad,” she declared. “Verily he hath much wisdom.” - -“Piepmatz is something of a philosopher,” remarked Everett. “He makes -the best of his imprisonment. Like the people of Zanah, he appears to -care little for the great world.” - -“He hath taught me many a lesson of submission,” said Walda. - -“Still, his tiny heart is easily touched by worldly things,” said the -school-master. “He hath shown a dangerous inclination to take up the -song the stranger hath whistled.” - -“Let me see whether you have forgotten the worldly song.” It was Everett -who spoke. Going to the cage he whistled the minor strain of the -love-song. Piepmatz proudly imitated him. - -“You see, I might have been a good school-master if fate had not decreed -otherwise,” said Everett, addressing Gerson Brandt. - -“What is thy work in the world?” asked Walda. “Since my thoughtless plea -kept thee here I have often wondered about thy daily labors. At first I -thought thou didst tend the sick, but once I heard thee say that thou -hadst not yet begun that labor.” - -“So far I have not done any one thing,” Everett confessed, with a -feeling of shame. - -“How dost thou spend thy days?” the school-master inquired. - -Everett hesitated before answering. In all his life it had never -occurred to him to think how his days were spent. - -“Since I left college I have travelled a great deal,” he replied, -evasively. - -“And hast thou seen the whole world?” asked Walda. Wonder was written on -her face. - -“I have seen much of it.” - -Wilhelm Kellar made an inarticulate sound. - -“Perhaps it disturbeth Brother Kellar to hear thee speak of the wicked -world which he left long ago,” said Gerson Brandt. “Like thee, he hath -seen it all; he hath wandered over land and sea.” - -“Knowing the world, my father hath kept me safe from it.” Walda had -drawn the stool first occupied by Everett close to the head of the -lounge, and, sitting near to the sick man, she clasped one of his hands. - -“Thou knowest, dear, that I have put away from me all vain longings to -know aught of life outside of Zanah.” - -Wilhelm Kellar closed his eyes with a look of contentment. - -“Didst thou mean me to understand that thou art that abomination of the -Lord, an idle and slothful man?” he asked Everett, after a moment of -reflection. - -“I confess that I have not done half my duty,” said Everett, humbly; -“but I have spent many years in study; I have dipped into science.” - -“Science? Zanah hath naught to do with science,” said Gerson Brandt. -“Science would reveal the mysteries of nature that the Lord hath hidden -from his people.” - -“Don’t you think that the man who inquires just how the tiny body of -Piepmatz has had its origin in the egg, how the bones and muscles that -form the wing give him the power of flight, and how his mite of a brain -is made to be the home of at least a fragment of intelligence has a -wider conception of the omnipotence of God than he who knows nothing of -what you call the secrets of nature?” asked Everett. - -“I would not place my judgment against the judgment of Zanah,” said -Gerson Brandt. “And yet when I was a boy I learned about the growth of a -flower, and my soul was quickened with a new impulse towards worship.” - -“They tell me there is a magic force called electricity that is now -performing what would once have been called miracles,” said Walda. - -It seemed incredible to Everett that, notwithstanding all the barriers -placed between Zanah and the outside world, it could be possible so -completely to shut out all that was modern. - -“Yes; electricity propels cars; it gives men the power to talk when they -are hundreds of miles apart; it sends words across the continent, -literally, with lightning rapidity. You know the latest achievement of -science is the discovery of the x-ray, by which it is possible to look -through a man’s body so that the bones are visible.” - -“How strange it all is!” exclaimed Walda, who was still stroking her -father’s hand. - -“The wisdom of the world is so great that no one man can understand more -than the smallest fragment of it,” averred Gerson Brandt. - -Walda was lost in thought for another moment or two. - -“Thou makest it clear to me that we people of Zanah must seem strange, -indeed, to thee.” She spoke slowly. “According to thy standard, I, who -am thought wise enough to be chosen prophetess of the colony, must be -ignorant and childish. Out in the world they would jeer at me, would -they not?” - -“Thou wilt have a wisdom that the world cannot give,” said Gerson -Brandt. “Thou shalt be spared from contact with the mammon of -unrighteousness.” - -“Nay, Gerson, it seemeth to me there must be good men in the world. -Stephen Everett, the stranger who hath come to us, belongeth not to -those who are bound to the idols of sin.” - -Everett, who had been sitting in one of the splint-bottomed arm-chairs, -was touched by the girl’s artless words. He rose to his feet and -responded quickly: - -“According to Zanah’s standard I may not be a good man, but out in the -world I am not singled out as one of the profligates. I hold honor dear. -You people of Zanah may trust me.” - -“We have trusted thee,” said Gerson Brandt. “We have prayed much over -thee, and it hath been revealed to us that thou wert sent from the Lord. -We trust thee so much that we have let thee speak to Walda Kellar, who -hath never known any one belonging to the world.” - -Gerson Brandt stood up and faced Everett. An intensity in his tone gave -his words strong emphasis. Wilhelm Kellar turned his head on his pillow, -and his sunken eyes stared at Everett as if they would read his -uttermost thoughts. A deep flush overspread Everett’s face, and the -realization swept over him that perhaps he might have it in his power to -disturb all the plans of Zanah by turning Walda Kellar’s thoughts away -from what he regarded as the superstition of the colony. Human nature is -contradictory, and Gerson Brandt’s words presented clearly a temptation -that had but vaguely suggested itself to him. He could appear not to -recognize the insinuation conveyed by the school-master, and therefore -he replied, evasively: - -“My intentions are good. It was an unselfish motive that prompted me to -remain in the colony. When Wilhelm Kellar has recovered I shall go away, -and you will all forget that I ever came to Zanah.” - -“Nay, we shall not forget thee,” said Walda. “We shall always be -grateful to thee.” - -The conversation was interrupted at this point by the appearance of Karl -Weisel. He had scarcely finished his greetings when Mother Kaufmann and -Gretchen Schneider came into the room. - -“How is it that the prophetess of Zanah hath time to spend in the -company of men?” asked Mother Kaufmann. “It might be better to pass the -days alone, praying and reading the Bible.” - -“How is it that Mother Kaufmann dares to speak thus sharply in the -presence of the woman chosen to guide the colony of Zanah?” retorted -Gerson Brandt. - -“I like not this dispensation which permits Walda Kellar to be brought -under the influence of a sinful man of the world.” - -Mother Kaufmann spoke in her guttural German. She had advanced close to -Gerson Brandt. - -“The colony is not ruled by old women, and thy likes weigh little in -Zanah,” declared Karl Weisel, whose chair had been drawn near to the one -chosen by Gretchen Schneider. - -“If Zanah were ruled by old women the head of the thirteen elders would -not be coveting the daughter of the Herr Doktor,” said Mother Kaufmann, -losing all caution in her anger. - -Gretchen Schneider’s thin face turned a livid yellow, and Karl Weisel -sprang forward as if he would like to grasp the woman by the throat. - -“Peace, children of Zanah,” commanded Walda, rising in majestic -indignation. “Your words are shameful. Put away from you the spirit of -contention.” - -Wilhelm Kellar had made an effort to speak, but in the excitement of the -moment his tongue refused to frame the words. Everett, looking at him, -saw that there were beads of perspiration on his brow and that he looked -exhausted. - -“Send these people out of the room,” he said to Gerson Brandt. “Wilhelm -Kellar must be kept quiet.” He went to the table, where he began to mix -a soothing draught, while Gerson Brandt dismissed the three visitors. -The school-master preceded them out of the room, leaving Walda and -Everett to soothe the sick man, who showed signs of extreme exhaustion. -When the medicine had been administered, Walda drew together the white -curtains and placed a chintz screen before the window. - -“He looketh almost as if death were near,” she whispered to Everett. - -“Do not be alarmed,” he replied; “he will soon fall asleep, and when he -awakens he will be as well as he was this morning.” - -The girl bent over her father to watch the faint breathing. The old -man’s face was ghastly in its emaciation and pallor. - -“Thou wilt not leave me yet?” she said, entreatingly. “Sit here with me -until I am sure he is slumbering peacefully.” - -Walda took her place on an old oaken bench above which hung Gerson -Brandt’s book-shelves, and Everett drew one of the chairs close to the -table, near to the place where Walda sat. Instead of taking up her -knitting the girl leaned on the oaken arm of the bench, and with her -chin in her hands she became lost in thought. - -“Through thee it hath become plain to me that I am different from the -women out there in the world,” she said, presently. “Sometimes there -hath come over me a great fear lest one day I shall be sorely tempted to -go forth among men and women of the earth. In the days of my rebellion, -when I turned a deaf ear to the calling of the spirit, I dreamed of -going away from Zanah. Since I have known thee I have sometimes -faltered, even as my steps were being led near to the place of peace -which will be revealed to me when the inspiration cometh.” She spoke as -if she were thinking aloud, and Everett made no response, for he dared -not say the words that came to his lips. - -“Thou knowest the world,” she continued. “Dost thou think that I could -ever be tempted to forget my duty to the people of Zanah? Shall I be -able always to walk near to God?” - -“It is said that there is a supreme temptation for every man and for -every woman,” said Everett, not daring to look at her. “You may be -spared that, or, if it comes to you, you may be strong enough to resist -it.” - -“There are strange, earthly impulses in my heart that none but Gerson -Brandt can understand,” she said. “But even he will not let me speak of -them.” - -“What are your besetting sins?” Everett asked, gently. “Can’t you -confess them to me? Perhaps I can judge more fairly than any one in -Zanah, because mine must be the broader view.” - -Walda cast upon him a look of such trustfulness that his conscience -smote him. - -“Stephen, my faith in the devil is not strong. I like not to think of -the power of evil, for truly the world seemeth good to me. When I walk -forth into the fields something in me maketh me to love the beauty of -the sky, the vast stretches of rolling prairie, and the shining water of -the distant lake. The bird-voices seem human to me, and yet the -meadow-lark and the robin, the little creatures that God hath made, -appear not to know of Satan’s rule.” - -“Walda, you are not sinning. The Creator of all things is speaking to -you through nature.” - -“Dost thou believe that, Stephen?” - -“Yes; science teaches that. Have you not been taught that the wood which -burns so brightly on your hearth is giving out the sunshine stored for -years, so that in time man might use it?” - -Walda listened with parted lips. - -“Ah, that is good,” she said. “Perhaps thou couldst unlock many of the -mysteries that disturb me. Canst thou tell how the grain of wheat -groweth when it is put into the ground? Dost thou know how the egg is -changed into the nestling?” - -“Science has probed the secrets of the seed and the egg, and it has -discovered much. If it is permitted, I will send you books when I have -returned to the world.” - -“Nay, I am but a child in my ignorance. Canst thou not tell me about the -mysteries when thou comest here to this room?” - -“It would be a privilege to teach you,” said Everett. “We might have our -first lesson to-morrow.” - -“I have not told thee half my wayward impulses,” Walda declared, -presently. “When strangers have driven to the village I have caught -glimpses of women who wore gay clothes, and I have coveted the gowns of -exquisite color.” She hesitated for a moment, with something like -embarrassment. “And, Stephen,” she added, “I like thy garb better than -that of the men of Zanah. Thou hast a ring on thy finger that I think is -pretty, and when thou takest from thy pocket thy gold watch I have a -curiosity to look at it. This shows how easily I am tempted by earthly -gauds.” - -Everett could not repress a little laugh, but seeing how much in earnest -she was, he said, quite solemnly: - -“Walda, these are not sins. Your confessions show that you are a woman -with a woman’s impulses. Even a prophetess cannot help being a little -human.” - -He took his watch from his pocket and placed it in her lap. Drawing from -his finger a ring of beautifully wrought gold, he put it into her hand. -Walda’s face crimsoned. - -“Thou must not persuade me to put it on,” she half pleaded, as she -looked at the ring; and then, as if to prevent herself from succumbing -to temptation, she passed it back to Everett. The watch she examined -carefully. “This will mark the seconds, the moments, and the hours of -all thy life. It should remind one to make good account of his time.” - -“It has marked some very pleasant moments since I came to Zanah,” said -Everett, and his tones conveyed to Walda a dim impression that made her -suddenly shy. - -Some one knocked twice on the door, lifted the latch, and entered. It -was Hans Peter, who carried in his hand a package of books, letters, and -papers. - -“These have I brought from the post-office,” said the simple one, his -pale eyes wandering from Walda to Everett as they sat close together. It -was plain, even to a fool, that their conversation had been of a sort -interesting only to themselves. - -“The elders ordered that thy mail be given into thy hands, and I have -followed thee here that I might deliver the chronicles of the wicked -world into thy keeping.” - -Everett thanked the simple one, who made no move to leave the room. Hans -Peter still stood playing with his queer cap and balancing himself first -on one foot and then on the other. - -“Wouldst thou give me the newspaper when thou hast read it?” he asked, -with something like eagerness in his tone. - -“No, no, Hans Peter, I cannot disregard the rules of the colony,” -Everett said, carelessly. - -“Dost thou not know that the fool cannot be hurt?” asked the simple one. -“He hath so little knowledge that he knoweth not folly from wisdom. To -him the wicked appear good and the good wicked.” - -Everett’s mail was scattered on the table where the simple one had put -it. Among the envelopes the man of the world saw one that enclosed a -photograph. - -“This may be a picture that will interest you,” he said. “Will you -pardon me if I open it?” He tore off the envelope, and the photograph of -a young and beautiful girl was disclosed. The hair was dressed in rather -an elaborate fashion, and the gown was slightly décolleté. - -“This is my young cousin Beatrice,” he remarked. “She is one of my -favorite relatives. I want you to tell me what you think of her, Walda.” - -“It is forbidden in Zanah that we should make the image of anything on -earth,” declared Walda, turning her eyes away when Everett held the -photograph towards her. - -“I beg your pardon,” he said. - -The fool had come close to Everett’s chair, and he now looked over the -stranger’s shoulder. - -“Is she called beautiful?” he asked. - -“I believe she is,” said Everett. “Don’t you think she is a pretty -girl?” - -“I like her hair and her necklace,” the simple one said. “She hath no -cap or kerchief. Yea, she is like an angel.” He hesitated for a moment, -looking from the picture to Walda, as if he were comparing the two -faces, and he added: “She is not so fair as the prophetess of Zanah. -Dost thou think her more comely than Walda Kellar?” - -“Hush, Hans Peter; thou knowest it is a sin to see that a woman is fair -or comely,” warned Walda. - -The simple one shook his head of tangled, straw-colored hair, and -answered: - -“Thou forgettest the fool knoweth not right from wrong; he is the only -free man in the whole colony.” He threw his cap into the air, but his -stolid face betrayed no sign that he might be exulting over his -emancipation from the laws of Zanah. - -“Here, gather up these letters and papers and come with me to the inn,” -said Everett. He thrust the photograph into the outside pocket of his -coat. - -“Now, indeed, do I know that I am a daughter of Eve,” said Walda, -rising. “To-day it hath been made plain to me that I am not like unto -the women of the world. I—I—I would have one glimpse of thy cousin. Dost -thou think it would be very sinful if I looked at the image of thy -kinswoman?” - -“Sinful! I think it is your right to know something of the women outside -the colony,” Everett declared. He took the picture from his pocket and -put it into her hand. - -Walda studied the face for a few moments. - -“Thy cousin Beatrice is fair indeed.” As she spoke the faintest sigh -accompanied her words. “Wilt thou not tell me something of her?” she -asked. “Doth she wear this gown and this necklace when she worketh?” - -The picture of his cousin Beatrice working was so absurd that Everett -smiled. - -“This is the sort of a gown my cousin wears when she goes to a ball,” he -explained. - -“A ball! What is a ball?” asked Walda. - -“Oh, it is a party—an assembly of men and women where there are music -and flowers and brilliant lights.” - -“And what do the people do? Do they sing hymns and pray as we do at our -meetings?” - -Again Everett smiled. The spectacle of the guests at a modern ball -joining in hymns and prayers would be entertaining indeed, he thought. - -“They talk and dance, Walda.” - -“There is dancing spoken of in the Bible,” said Walda; “but the elders -of Zanah have told the people how the rite hath been degraded by the men -and women of the world. I have heard that dancing is no longer a -religious ceremony.” - -“That is true, indeed,” said Everett, and the memory of some of the -stage-dancing flashed across his brain. - -“What is thy cousin’s work?” Walda inquired, again studying the -photograph. - -“Work?” repeated Everett. “Why, she has no work.” - -“And doth all thy family belong to the drones?” Walda asked. “How is it -that out in the world some men and women are permitted to be idle while -others labor?” - -“Now, Walda, you have hit upon one of the great social problems. Out in -the world the people do not work for the common good. Selfishness rules. -Some men and some women are born to wealth, and some are born to -poverty.” - -“Thou meanest that some men are like Solomon and others are like the -beggars that lay outside the gates of Jerusalem?” - -“Yes, that is what I mean,” said Everett. - -“Art thou like Solomon? Hast thou gold that thou keepest from the poor -and hungry?” Walda placed the picture upon the table and withdrew -several steps from Everett. - -“I am not like Solomon, Walda,” Everett replied, with an uncomfortable -feeling that he belonged to a useless class. - -“But you have money so that you live without work?” - -“Yes,” admitted Everett, with some reluctance. - -“He carrieth much silver with him,” said Hans Peter, who had listened -intently to the conversation. “He hath tossed me many a piece when I -have run errands for him.” - -“Oh, thou dost give away thy money?” Walda’s tone betrayed her relief at -the thought that, after all, Everett might not be altogether selfish. - -“Yes, I give away some of my money,” Stephen answered; “but I have not -done half the good with it that I should. Perhaps I may learn here in -Zanah how to employ my time and my money to better advantage.” - -“Now, indeed, I know that the Lord hath sent thee here for thine own -good.” - -“Sometimes I am not so sure of it, Walda,” said Everett, and, turning -quickly, he took up his hat. He pushed open the door, motioned to the -simple one to pass out first, hesitated a moment, and then returned to -Walda’s side. - -“Don’t think of me as such a bad man,” he said. - -“Nay, there is something in my heart that maketh me believe only that -thou art wise and true.” - -Quickly he left the room, and as he went down the stairs he reflected -that one of the first steps in wisdom is that which takes a man away -from a great temptation. Walda, standing alone by the table, thought of -many things, and then, strangely enough, Piepmatz, looking from his -little cage, whistled the notes of the love-song that Everett had taught -him. - - - - - XI - - -After leaving Walda, Stephen Everett walked far out into the country. At -first he did not try to analyze his thoughts. He felt an unwonted -buoyancy and hope. Between him and the brilliant sky he saw the face of -the future prophetess of Zanah. He felt her sweet presence, and -gradually he came into a knowledge that the girl was gaining a mastering -power over him. Because he was more or less of a trifler in the great -world of action, he had been willing to stay in the colony long enough -to gain some new impressions. At first the girl had been only a central -figure in a quaint picture that seemed to belong to another time and to -another country. There had been days that had bored him, and a hundred -times he had repented of his rash pledge that held him in Zanah for an -indefinite period. Now he knew that Walda Kellar had become to him more -than a passing acquaintance. As he hastened away from the village, his -first exultation in having gained from her something of a personal -recognition led him to think of his own motives in attempting to win -what he called the friendship of this woman of Zanah. - -Beneath all his aimlessness and indifference, Everett held high ideals -of womanhood. He was a man who cherished chivalrous traditions, and when -his footsteps finally brought him back from the foot of the bluff to the -edge of the little lake, that now reflected a purple sky, he threw -himself upon the ground to think seriously of his intentions. It was -plain to him that the prophetess of Zanah never could belong wholly to -his world. The memory of his associations in New York and Newport made -him almost doubt his own identity. Visions of the fashionable and -frivolous women who were part of what is known as American society -presented themselves to him. He saw the gorgeous gowns and flashing -jewels of matrons and maids whom he knew. He recalled their rather -brilliant conversation. In his mind’s eye he pictured an autumn ball at -Tuxedo—he had just received a letter mentioning a great entertainment -that was to take place that very evening—and he tried to imagine how -Walda Kellar would appear as one of those whom the colony condemned. -There were girls belonging to the gayest circles of Eastern cities who -were pleased to call him friend, and yet he valued their favors as -nothing compared with the esteem that he coveted from the woman of -Zanah. In thinking of Walda he soothed his conscience by telling himself -that esteem was the word which described the interest he wished the girl -to feel for him. And then the thought came to him, insistently, that he -was playing the part of a contemptible egotist, and that he was secretly -longing to awaken in the heart of the prophetess of Zanah earthly love -that was forbidden to her. - -It is a human trait to desire what is beyond one’s reach, and Everett -acknowledged to himself that part of the charm which the girl of the -colony cast upon him was due to her elusiveness and to her ignorance of -all that pertained to what were the every-day experiences of ordinary -women. She was the one woman that he might claim unsullied and untouched -by love for any other man, and yet with a sudden sensation of shame he -realized that he was presumptuous to feel himself entitled to a love -that would, indeed, be sent from heaven. - -Everett took from his pocket some of the letters that he had received -during the week. All of them told of events that formerly had interested -him. The letters took him back to his own place in the broad life of -America. He reasoned with himself that he might leave Zanah within a -week. He would go away without striving further to probe the mysterious -nature of the prophetess of Zanah, and he would remember his sojourn in -the colony as one of the many pleasant incidents in his varied life. -Having settled the question to his own satisfaction, he experienced a -sensation of relief. He strolled back to the village. Entering the inn, -he found Diedrich Werther smoking a pipe behind the dog-eared register, -which had not recorded a name since his own had been written there. He -asked some questions about the hunting, and the innkeeper told him of a -distant pond where ducks were plentiful. Everett announced that he meant -to take his gun out early the next morning, and he asked whether Hans -Peter might accompany him. Incidentally he dropped the remark that he -expected to leave the colony within a few days. Then he borrowed the -old-fashioned ink-horn and a quill-pen, which he took to one of the -tables in a far corner of the main room of the inn. Selecting a dozen -sheets of yellow paper from Diedrich Werther’s store of stationery, he -began to write letters to the friends he had almost forgotten for a -fortnight. - -There was a woman in Newport to whom he had meant to send a note. He -thought of her amusement when she would receive a sample of Diedrich -Werther’s yellow stationery. He wrote the date line, and then he found -it difficult to frame a graceful and conventional greeting to one whom -he had quite forgotten for many days. He leaned back in his chair and -tried to imagine how this woman and Walda would appear if he saw them -together. The one was a typical product of American civilization, that -educates its women broadly, giving them the liberty to mingle freely -with the greatest of many lands—a woman born to wealth and station, one -who knew how to value her extraordinary advantages, and how to make the -most of them. She was still young, but she had learned much of the -world, for she had travelled widely and had read books of every class. -She had few illusions. He remembered that her broad grasp of life had -sometimes shocked him. She had studied much of philosophy, and had but -desultory connection with a fashionable church. She was witty, -brilliant, fascinating. She was an aristocrat, in the best sense of the -word. Her gowns were artistic masterpieces. A picture of her as he had -seen her at an Easter ball came back to him. He recalled the shimmering -satin and the frost of lace that set off her imperious beauty. That -night he had been almost persuaded that she was the one woman in the -world. For a moment he quite forgot Zanah. He was impatient to go back -to the gay world that held so much of beauty and brightness. It was a -strange vagary, this sojourn in the colony. He dipped the quill-pen into -the ink-horn again. He drew the ugly sheet of yellow paper towards him, -and then he heard the heavy step of Mother Werther as she hastened -across the great kitchen to the porch. - -“Walda, where art thou going?” she said. - -Before he knew what he was doing, Everett had dropped his pen and -sauntered out-of-doors into the little square where Walda had paused at -the well. She was giving a cup of water to a child, and at first she did -not see Everett. She was standing so that he could see only her profile, -and its purity of outline made him say to himself that he had never -beheld a face so clear-cut. The delicate line of the lips, which were -always firmly closed, denoted a strength of character that the chin -rather contradicted in its full curve. He went to her, and, taking the -cup from her hand, hung it in its accustomed place. - -“I am glad to have met you, Walda,” he said, with a little hesitation as -he spoke her name, “for I am thinking of going away this week—” - -The girl gave him a startled look. - -“Nay, tell me not that, Stephen Everett,” she answered. “Truly, thou -dost not mean thou wilt leave Zanah before the _Untersuchung_?” - -“Surely, you do not care whether I go or stay?” he said. - -The prophetess of Zanah knew no arts of coquetry. She did not understand -the significance of his words, and she looked into his face with clear, -untroubled eyes. - -“Ah, but I do care,” she exclaimed. “My father needs thee yet; he is not -so strong to-day.” - -She turned away from the well and began to walk towards the bridge. -Everett followed her. - -“Your father will get on without me,” he declared, with some coldness, -for the girl’s unconscious rebuff irritated him. - -“Nay, thou seemest to hold the power which keepeth him alive. I mean, -that although it is the Lord that hath vouchsafed to spare him, thou art -his instrument. My faith is not steadfast. I am weak, indeed; but thou -hast seemed to me a stay, a strong staff upon which I lean.” - -“It is good to know that you count me even a little help.” An intonation -in his voice told her that he felt himself aggrieved. - -“Thou must count me a selfish woman of Zanah,” she made haste to say. -“Thou hast stayed many days here in the colony, and neglected thine own -work that thou mightst minister to my father.” - -“I have but kept my pledge to you.” - -“Thou hast my gratitude, Stephen.” She paused on the bridge. “I cannot -estimate what sacrifice thou hast made to keep thy word, but thou hast -caused me to know that all who belong to the great world are not wicked. -Verily, Stephen, thou dost serve the Lord.” - -Everett did not reply immediately. He had a guilty sense of misleading -the prophetess of Zanah. He knew that of all his life but the smallest -fragments had been given to service of any sort. A sense of regret for -the futile years he had spent made him turn away, for the girl was -looking at him with a searching gaze that made him uncomfortable. - -“The darkness is falling; I must hasten on,” said Walda, but she did not -move. - -“Where were you going?” asked Everett. “Let me walk with you?” - -“It is not the custom for the men of Zanah to talk with the women, or to -walk with them,” said Walda. “It hath been decreed by the elders that I -shall go alone at this hour every night to pray at the grave of Marta -Bachmann.” - -“I am not a man of Zanah. The cemetery is half a mile from here, along a -lonely road. Let me go with you?” he pleaded, and, without waiting for -an answer, he took her permission for granted. It was the hour for the -evening meeting, and the street was quite deserted, so he knew that they -ran little risk of being seen together in the dusk of the late summer -day. - -They walked slowly up the hill beyond the bridge. They passed the -school-house, and Walda paused to look up at the little window of her -father’s room, whence shone a candle-beam. - -“When I think that through thy help I still have my father, there is so -much of gratitude in my heart that I cannot speak it,” she said. -“Surely, it will not be long before he is again able to mingle with the -colony?” - -“Not very long, if all goes well,” said Everett. “I hear that he is much -needed by the elders of Zanah.” - -“Bad luck hath come to the mills and the crops. I fear that we have not -looked steadfastly to the Lord for guidance. I pray that it may be -revealed through me what we shall do to increase the prosperity of -Zanah.” - -They were on the brow of the hill now, and had entered the wavering -road, arched with oak and maple trees. Everett was silent for a few -minutes while he pondered upon some method by which he could lead the -conversation away from general topics. While the girl betrayed no -uneasiness in his companionship, he knew that he must use the utmost -tact if he would appeal to the woman instead of the prophetess. - -“And when you are inspired, will you live apart from the people of -Zanah?” he said. “You will pardon me, but I have often wondered just -what your life will be. Are you never to know the duties and the joys -that belong to other women?” - -“I am to walk close to God. I am to forget self. I am to serve Zanah all -my life.” - -Walda spoke in a solemn tone, and her absolute resignation to the lot -that appeared to the man of the world a needless and ridiculous -sacrifice awoke a spirit of revolt in Everett’s heart. - -“Temptations have assailed me,” she confessed, after a pause. “Now and -then there hath been a restlessness within me. Thou hast sometimes -appeared to me as one sent from Satan, for thou hast painted the great -world most alluringly.” - -Walda drew away from Everett, and he could feel that she was looking at -him with fear and distrust. - -“You misunderstand me,” said Everett. “I know that you live near to -heaven, that you are better than the women I know. I reverence you, -I—I—” - -Although Everett made an effort to speak calmly, the intensity of his -voice and manner disturbed the unfathomed depths of Walda’s soul. After -the manner of Zanah she instinctively folded her hands over her bosom -with a gesture that signified to the colonists the warding off of all -worldly influences. - -“Hush!” she said. “Speak not thus to the prophetess of Zanah.” - -“I am not speaking to the prophetess now,” said Everett, taking a quick -step in front of her. “Walda, listen to me. Don’t you know that you are -choosing for your life loneliness and isolation? I think of you here in -Zanah in the years that are coming, and I cannot bear to feel that one -day will be just like another until the end.” - -“A man thou art who hath set his thoughts on earth. Stephen, dost thou -not know sorrow and trouble cannot touch me when I walk near to God? -Hast thy spirit never been lifted up above all that belongs to self? -Hast thou never been near to heaven in thy thoughts?” - -“Never until now,” said Everett. - -Into Walda’s face came a new light. - -“Dost thou mean that thou hast learned in Zanah to think less of the -world and to long for heaven?” - -The man looked down at the girl. She was so near him that the light -breeze blew her gown against him. He stifled a longing to put out his -hand to touch her. - -“Yes, Walda, I can say with all truthfulness that the world has become -as nothing to me, and that I long for heaven.” - -“Thou hast made me very happy, Stephen. It hath been a sorrow to me to -know that thou wert not numbered with those who strive to earn eternal -life.” - -“Then you have been troubled about me?” Everett questioned. - -The girl hesitated a moment. - -“I have hoped that I might meet thee in the other life, where there are -none of the barriers that divide men and women who would serve the -Lord.” - -Everett felt the blood pour out of his heart. The girl had made a -strange admission. For a brief moment he was glad with all the joy of an -unexpected victory. Exultant words came to his lips, but when he looked -at Walda he felt anew the awe that her innocence and her spirituality -cast upon him. She appeared absolutely unconscious of what her admission -meant to the man of the world. She moved onward. They emerged from the -wooded road and came to the shore of the placid little lake. The distant -bluffs beyond the lake were dimly outlined in the evening shadows, and -above them the last lingering purple of the sunset was fading in the -sky. In the trees behind them a bird trilled the fragment of a -dream-song. The beauty of the scene, the quiet of the night, and the -nearness of Walda stirred in Everett warring impulses, yet he was dumb -before the prophetess of Zanah. The girl’s attitude of perfect trust in -him forbade him to take advantage of the opportunity to tell her that -his heaven was not the one for which she lived and worked, and yet he -felt almost cowardly in letting her believe that his sudden aspiration -was a religious experience. - -“Stephen, I would have thee know what is in my heart,” she said, fixing -her clear eyes on him. “I would have thee understand that I am but a -weak woman of Zanah, called to do the Lord’s will. There have been times -when Satan tempted me with longing for the things forever denied to the -people of Zanah. There have been days when I begged that I might not be -compelled to be the prophetess. Often have I prayed to escape this work -of the Master, but since thou camest to Zanah there hath been a new -strength in me. Thou hast made me see many things unto which mine eyes -were closed; thou hast helped me to wisdom not vouchsafed to the colony -of Zanah. Since one day, when thou didst teach me to look from the -window of my father’s room, and behold the beauties of earth and sky, -peace hath come to me from the woods and fields whenever there was -unrest in my soul. Now that thou hast aspirations for heaven, I am -assured that thou art one sent from God to help the least of his -children.” - -“I am unworthy to be your teacher,” Everett faltered. - -They walked on until they came to the high, arched gate of the -graveyard. Everett unlatched the gate and they went in among the sunken -mounds, each of which was marked by a flat stone bearing the simple name -of some colonist who had passed out of the narrow life of Zanah. On a -little knoll, separated from the other graves, was one over which a -willow-tree trailed its low branches. Towards this Walda led the way, -and when they had come to it she said to Everett: - -“Thou must leave me now.” - -“I was thinking of going away from Zanah,” said Everett, with a sudden -memory of his letters. “When I took the liberty of walking with you -to-night it was my intention to say good-bye to you, Walda.” - -The girl turned on him a glance of such frank regret that he asked -again: - -“Will you miss me, Walda?” - -“Miss thee?” she repeated. “Yea, for I have come to count thee as one -who maketh each day better for me. Thou hast become like unto Gerson -Brandt in thy brotherly care.” - -Everett winced. - -“But I don’t want you to think of me as your brother,” he said. “I would -have you call me friend.” - -“Nay, friendship is denied between men and women in Zanah. Have I not -told thee that before? But surely thou wilt not go away before the -_Untersuchung_?” - -There was a tone of pleading in the girl’s voice. - -“Since I have to leave Zanah, since I have to go out into the world, -where I shall be lost to you, I may as well go now as at any future -time.” - -“Nay, wait in Zanah until after the spirit of strength hath taken -possession of me. When I am, indeed, the instrument of the Lord, then -can I see thee turn again to the world. Then can I know, indeed, it will -be well with me. Stephen, thou hast just said thou art near to heaven, -and I would send thee forth with a firm faith. From now until the day of -the _Untersuchung_ I will pray for thee.” - -“Your wishes shall be commands to me, Walda. But if I decide to stay in -Zanah, it will mean much to me. There may be days when I shall repent -that I changed my mind.” He stood looking at her for a moment. “I will -pledge myself to wait in Zanah until the day on which the colonists -expect to recognize you as their prophetess.” - -“Thou hast made me glad, Stephen. Since it is for thy good to stay here, -I can no longer feel that I am selfish.” - -“Inasmuch as you have accepted my pledge, you must let me take your hand -as a token of my promise,” said Everett. In the intensity of his longing -there was such a compelling force that Walda made no objection when, -without waiting for her permission, he took both her hands in his, and -held them for a moment. A deep flush suffused her pure face, and for the -first time in all their acquaintance her eyes refused to meet his. Her -hands trembled, and with a sudden awakening to something of the -consciousness that first comes to every woman who is loved, she suddenly -freed herself. - -“Peace be with thee to-night, Stephen,” she said. She turned quickly, -and took a few slow steps towards the grave of Marta Bachmann. Everett, -looking after her, beheld a strange shape rise above the tomb. He strode -forward to see what it might be, and in the dim light recognized Hans -Peter. - -“What are you doing here?” he demanded, in a stern voice. - -The fool leisurely seated himself upon the flat stone and answered: - -“The simple one doth not have to account to any man concerning himself. -The fool can do no harm. It is the man from the wicked world that should -be under watch among the people of Zanah.” - -Hans Peter swung his short legs over the edge of the gravestone; and if -his words had a sinister meaning, his round, immobile face betrayed not -the slightest expression of intelligence. He took from his pocket one of -his treasured gourds, calmly opened his knife, and made a few marks. - -“Hans Peter, thou shouldst remember to treat the stranger within our -gates with respect,” said Walda, reprovingly; but the fool seemed not to -hear her. - -Everett lingered beside the girl, as if he could not summon courage to -go away. - -“Leave me here alone,” Walda commanded, gently. “Hans Peter will take me -back to the village.” - -As Everett latched the gate to the cemetery he looked back to see Walda -kneeling at the grave, while Hans Peter, who had withdrawn to a little -distance, lay flat upon a sunken stone. - - - - - XII - - -Gerson Brandt went about his duties with a listless air. The boys who -gathered every morning in the learning-school noticed that he was less -exacting about their lessons, and that often his thoughts appeared far -away. When he ascended to the little platform, after returning from -morning prayers in the meeting-house, he looked down upon them with -compassion in his glance. It was noticed that his thin face was pinched -and that his eyes were sunken. When they opened their word-books for the -spelling-class he showed slight interest. During recess he sat with his -head resting on his hands and his eyes fixed on the old desk. One day, -when he was even more preoccupied than usual, Adolph Schneider and Karl -Weisel visited the school in order to inquire into the progress of the -boys of Zanah. Gerson Brandt called his pupils to order. - -“The Herr Doktor would speak with you,” he said. - -“Yea, I would know whether you are diligent in your lessons,” announced -Adolph Schneider. He pounded on the floor with his cane, and spoke in a -tone that frightened the more timid of the children. - -“Why was Adam cast out of the Garden of Eden?” - -There was a moment of silence. All the tow-headed boys, with arms folded -across their breasts, stared straight ahead of them. Karl Weisel, who -had taken the school-master’s chair, tipped it back against the -black-board, twirled his thumbs, and stared at the rows of benches with -something like a sneer on his heavy features. The school-master, -standing on the floor beside the platform, looked out of the nearest -window and waited patiently for the tardy answer. - -“Can any one tell me why Adam was cast out of the Garden of Eden?” - -The Herr Doktor repeated his question in a thundering tone. - -“Because he ate an apple,” piped a small voice from a far corner of the -room. - -“And art thou taught that it is wicked to eat an apple?” - -A dozen tow-heads were shaken emphatically. - -“The apple grew on the tree of knowledge.” It was a pale, red-haired -child who spoke. - -“It is Johann Werther who knows about the tree of knowledge,” said the -Herr Doktor. “At the _gasthaus_ Johann sometimes hath a glimpse of -forbidden things.” - -Scores of round eyes immediately were turned upon Johann with glances of -envy. - -“But did man fall through his own sinful desires?” questioned the Herr -Doktor, standing very straight, throwing out his chest, and lifting his -chin out of his big stock. - -“It was Eve who did tempt him,” announced a small boy that sat on the -front seat. - -“Right. Sin came into the world through a woman, and ever since then the -man who would reach heaven hath to guard against the wiles of the -temptress. If it had not been for a woman, we might now be living in the -Garden of Eden.” - -“Nay, Brother Schneider, teach not that women are evil.” Gerson Brandt -placed one thin hand on the desk and turned on the Herr Doktor a face in -which was a determined look. “It is meet that thou shouldst tell the -children how the world was saved through a woman, who was the mother of -Christ.” - -“Gerson Brandt, interrupt not this lesson. I have come here to measure -the knowledge of those intrusted to thy care.” Adolph Schneider again -pounded the floor with his cane. “Can the school tell me nothing more -about Eve’s fall?” Adolph Schneider asked. - -In the back part of the room rose the fool. He had in his hand one of -the gourds that he always carried with him. - -“The Bible teacheth us it was the serpent that did tempt Eve,” he said, -studying the gourd as if he were reading from it. - -“Ja, ja,” said the Herr Doktor; “but Eve, being a woman, was full of -curiosity; she inclined her ear to the serpent.” - -“And Adam did incline his ear to Eve,” the simple one announced. “It is -said it is always thus. Even in the colony I have noticed that the men -are keen, indeed, to hear what the women would say.” - -Something like a smile flitted over Karl Weisel’s face. He brought his -chair forward on its four legs, and listened for what was coming. - -“Take thy seat. How darest thou comment on the men and women of Zanah? -Thou art the simple one who cannot separate good from evil.” - -The fool still stood in his place with the gourd in his hand. - -“The fool hath ears that he can hear; he hath eyes that he can see.” - -“But what he seeth and heareth hath not the right meaning to him.” - -“The fool hath seen Karl Weisel, head of the thirteen elders, listen to -the words of Gretchen Schneider, the daughter of the leader of Zanah,” -declared the fool, still reading from his gourd. - -“Silence!” shouted the Herr Doktor. Turning to Gerson Brandt, he said: -“So the fool hath become a spy. He is more dangerous than a wise man.” - -“The truth is not in him,” said Karl Weisel, springing to his feet. -“Hans Peter should be kept in confinement where he cannot speak harmful -things.” - -“He meaneth nothing wrong,” said Gerson Brandt. “Be merciful to the -simple one.” - -“The main object in coming here to-day was to instruct you concerning -the _Untersuchung_,” said Adolph Schneider, when Karl Weisel had resumed -his seat and the children were once more gazing stolidly in front of -them. “I hope you are all prepared to give an account of your souls when -the elders of Zanah shall inquire into your spiritual condition. From -now until the day when we hope to behold the inspiration of a new -prophetess I want you all to think over your sins. I wonder how many of -you have told a lie this week.” Every boy in the school looked guilty. -“I should like to have all who have spoken only the truth stand up that -I may see them.” - -“Nay, ask not that,” said the school-master. “I fear lest the children -be tempted to forget their shortcomings and to act a falsehood because -they desire to appear well before thee.” - -“Since the loss of thine illuminated Bible thou art tender-hearted -towards liars,” said Karl Weisel, in an undertone. - -“Thy taunt shouldst cost thee dear, Karl Weisel, were it not forbidden -in Zanah that we should resent insult.” In an instant the gentle -school-master was transformed. He stood erect, and the scorn in his tone -made the head of the thirteen elders feel that the contempt of a -righteous man was something not to be easily ignored. The Herr Doktor -gave the boys no opportunity to perjure themselves. - -“I want you to prepare for the _Untersuchung_ with prayer and fasting,” -he said, and there was dismay upon every face before him. - -“It hath been shown the elders of Zanah that Walda Kellar is to be the -instrument of the Lord. From her lips will fall words of wisdom. You all -know her, for she hath often spoken to you. She hath sung to you hymns -of praise. She will no longer come among you, for she must live apart, -but it will be revealed to her what is best for the colony. You must no -longer run to her as if she were your mother. You must bow before her. -You must no longer speak unto her, for she will be above all the people -of the colony.” - -The hand of Johann Werther was raised, and, when he had been given -permission to speak, he asked: - -“Are all women daughters of Eve?” - -“Yea, yea,” declared the Herr Doktor. “Thou knowest that Eve was the -mother of all.” - -“And Walda Kellar is to be the instrument of the Lord?” - -“Why ask foolish questions? Thou knowest she is to be the inspired one.” - -“I would know why a man was not chosen instead of a daughter of Eve?” -said Johann. - -“Thou shouldst use thy silly brain for less mighty questions,” was the -stern reply. Turning to the school-master the Herr Doktor gave the -order: - -“Dismiss thy pupils.” Adding: “We would talk with thee.” - -Gerson Brandt sent the boys out-of-doors, and then waited for the -president of the colony to speak. - -“Brother Weisel and I are dissatisfied about many things in the colony,” -announced Adolph Schneider, taking a seat on the platform. “There is -general discontent. If the _Untersuchung_ were not so near, we should be -alarmed for the peace of Zanah. The loss of the Bible hath cast -suspicion upon thee, Brother Brandt. It is not my desire to say -unpleasant things to thee, but in Zanah we are all truthful. Thou wilt -not again be elected as elder unless thou canst trace the Bible.” - -“It would be better for thee to say that Brother Brandt cannot be -elected unless he decides to bring the Bible from the hidden place that -he hath found for it,” broke in Karl Weisel. - -“Silence!” commanded the school-master. “Thou shalt not accuse me of -stealing the Bible from the colony of Zanah and then of denying all -knowledge of it. Take back thy cowardly words.” - -“It is the custom to speak what we hold to be the truth,” said Karl -Weisel, in a mocking tone. “I believe that thou knowest where that Bible -is secreted.” - -“It hath been said that men always suspect other men of being what they -themselves are, and so I make some allowance for thy words; but thou -shalt ask my pardon.” Gerson Brandt spoke calmly, but his tone as well -as his words made the elder cringe. - -“I spoke merely for thine own good. It were better that I told thee what -I thought than that I thought these things and turned to thee a -dissembling face.” - -“Crave my pardon,” said Gerson Brandt. - -“I humiliate myself before no man,” said Karl Weisel. “It is my right to -say what I think.” - -“It is not thy right to cast aspersions on mine honor. I give thee one -more chance to retract thy base charges.” - -Karl Weisel put his fat hands into his deep pockets, rose from his -chair, and walked back and forth upon the platform. - -“This quarrel is most unseemly,” remarked Adolph Schneider, who had been -leaning on his cane and idly listening. - -“Speak!” said Gerson Brandt. “Thou shalt not leave this room until thou -hast taken back thy words.” - -Karl Weisel laughed, but in an instant the school-master had sprung upon -the platform. He clutched the man by the collar, and, with the strength -born of a tremendous indignation, he shook the heavy body of Karl Weisel -until the elder’s teeth chattered. - -“Loose thine hold upon me!” cried Karl Weisel, who had turned pale with -terror. - -Gerson Brandt flung him off. He knew he had forgotten all the precepts -of the colony, but again the elder laughed, this time to disguise his -fright. - -“I give thee a chance to defend thyself,” said Gerson Brandt. “As man to -man we shall fight this out.” - -Adolph Schneider put himself between the two combatants, but Gerson -Brandt, stepping past him, dragged Karl Weisel to the open space beside -the platform, and there, facing him, said: - -“I give thee thy last opportunity to beg my pardon.” - -Karl Weisel did not open his lips. Instead, he covertly measured the -distance to the door, and with a movement of unusual quickness turned in -flight. He had not gone half a dozen steps before Gerson Brandt had him -by the collar, and, dragging him back to his position, waited an instant -for him to recover himself. Then he struck a blow that felled the elder. - -“Help! Help!” shouted Adolph Schneider, who still stood upon the -platform. - -At first the prospect of a fight between the two influential men of the -colony had suggested possibilities likely to redound into material good -for himself, and he had been content to play the part of listener and -spectator. Now, as he looked at Gerson Brandt, he no longer saw the -school-master, but a man tall, sinewy, and muscular—a man in whose eye -flashed anger and whose pose revealed an unsuspected strength. - -“Help! Help!” he shouted again. - -Gerson Brandt assisted his adversary to rise. The elder was stunned; the -school-master pushed him into a chair, where he sat dazed and silent. -Just then Hans Peter came shuffling in at the door. He walked as if he -had heard an ordinary summons. - -“Didst thou call?” he asked, addressing the Herr Doktor. His pale eyes -rested on the figure of Karl Weisel, and there was just the faintest -gleam of understanding in them. Before Adolph Schneider had a chance to -answer, a rustle of skirts and a light step was heard on the stair that -led from Wilhelm Kellar’s room. - -“Hath anything gone amiss here?” asked Walda, throwing open the door and -standing on the threshold. With a woman’s intuition she saw that there -had been some quarrel. - -“Be not alarmed,” said Gerson Brandt, walking down a side aisle at the -end of the long benches. “The elder, Karl Weisel, accused me of stealing -the Bible and of bearing false witness concerning it. The man in me -resented the insult. He refused to apologize, and I struck him. Even now -I am sorry that I should have hurt one of my fellow-colonists.” - -“Nay, Gerson Brandt, thou didst forget that the Lord hath said, -‘Vengeance is Mine,’” cried Walda, going near to Gerson Brandt. “It is -not like thee to let human passions triumph.” - -“This will cost Gerson Brandt his place as an elder,” declared Karl -Weisel, coming to himself enough to smooth his ruffled hair and settle -his loosened stock. - -“This is bad, indeed!” exclaimed Adolph Schneider. “In all my years of -colony life I have never known one man in Zanah to raise his hand -against a brother-colonist.” - -“Surely my provocation was great,” said Gerson Brandt, “but I am sorry -that I allowed anger to control me even for a moment.” - -“This very night shall I prefer charges against thee,” Karl Weisel said, -rising and waving his hand with a threatening gesture. - -“This very night thou shouldst think well over the quarrel,” said Walda, -advancing. “Thou knowest there hath been wrong on both sides. Art thou -willing to confess that thou hast called thy brother a liar?” There was -a simple majesty in the pose of the girl. For the moment she was the -prophetess of Zanah. “Beware lest thou bring disgrace and dishonor to -the people of Zanah. It is best that this hour be forgotten. Blot out -thine enmities.” - -“When Gerson Brandt hath explained what became of the Bible the cause of -all the trouble will be removed,” said Karl Weisel, turning away from -the intense gaze of the girl. - -“Thou knowest the Good Book is lost. Thou knowest that Gerson Brandt -never told aught but the truth. How darest thou impute evil to him? He -hath been always one of the most faithful men in all Zanah.” - -Turning to the school-master, she said: - -“Ah, Gerson Brandt, I have prayed much about the Bible. Disturb not -thyself. I have faith that it will be found. I would that it could be -brought to thee to-day.” - -In the back of the school-room, Hans Peter, who had been sitting -cross-legged in the doorway, pulled himself to his feet. - -“I could find the Bible; it is not far away,” he said. - -“What dost thou know of it?” asked the Herr Doktor. - -“I know that it lieth in the earth beneath a great stone. It is safe. -Have no fears for it.” Hans Peter balanced himself first on one bare -foot, and then on the other, and in his face was such a stupid look that -Karl Weisel said: - -“Look at the fool! He would shield the school-master, to whom he shows a -dog’s devotion.” - -“Dost thou really know where the Bible is, Hans Peter?” asked Walda, -laying her hand upon the simple one’s shoulder. - -“I have not said I knew. I said I knew I could get it,” answered the -fool. - -“Nay, dissemble not,” pleaded Walda. “I know now it was thou that didst -hide the Bible from the elders.” - -The boy looked down to the floor. - -“Yea, I did take the Bible so that the stranger in Zanah could not buy -it with his silver. It was for thy sake and for Gerson Brandt’s that I -took it.” - -“Listen not to the fool,” said Karl Weisel. “I tell thee he would shield -Gerson Brandt.” - -“There is a likelihood of truth in his words,” declared the Herr Doktor. -Then, in a thundering tone, he commanded: “Bring the Bible to me.” - -“It may not be easily found,” Hans Peter answered, still keeping his -eyes on the floor. - -“Dare not try to put me off,” thundered Adolph Schneider, shaking his -cane at the simple one. “Without more ado, fetch it to me.” - -All this time Gerson Brandt had been standing silent and sad. He now -waited expectantly for the last answer. He knew that his precious book -was, indeed, in jeopardy. - -Hans Peter gently took Walda’s hand from his shoulder, and, backing to -the door, said, rolling his great head from side to side: - -“The fool hath no memory. If he would know the thing that happened -yesterday he must mark upon a gourd words that will bring back to his -poor mind what is past.” - -“Let him not make terms; let him not trade upon his folly,” interposed -Karl Weisel. - -“Thou hast not forgotten where the Bible is hidden?” inquired Walda, -very gently. - -“I did bury the gourd that told me where the Bible is, and upon another -gourd I marked where that gourd was hidden.” - -“Quick! We care not about thy lunatic pastimes. Bring the Bible!” -shouted the Herr Doktor, overcome with impatience. - -“And the second gourd I carried in my pocket until one day, when I was -marking on it something the stranger had told me, the Herr Doktor struck -it out of my hand with his cane and put his heel upon it. The Bible is -safe, but it cannot be found without long search.” - -When the simple one had made his tantalizing speech, the school-master -spoke in a quiet tone: - -“Hans Peter, thou knowest that the precious book may be spoiled in the -ground. Try to think where it is.” - -“Nay, I tell thee it is safe, for it is wrapped in the oil-skin in which -thou didst keep it, and it is nailed in a great box that is covered with -another box. I did work upon the boxes a large part of the night before -I buried the Bible.” - -“The village fool is not to be believed,” said Karl Weisel, “but he -ought to be locked up until he can be made to confess that what he is -telling is all a lie.” - -The Herr Doktor descended from the platform, and, going to the door, -clutched Hans Peter by the shoulder. “Thou shalt have a chance to -collect thy wits, my boy. Come with me. In a dark room in the cellar of -the _gasthaus_ thou canst stay until thou hast some memory about the -Bible.” - -“Before we part it is well that we all agree to forget this -misunderstanding,” said Walda. “I am sure Hans Peter will find the -Bible, and that we can cast out all anxiety concerning it.” - -Hans Peter made no reply. He stood with both hands thrust into his -capacious pockets. The Herr Doktor pulled him through the door, and, -followed by Karl Weisel, he went down the street towards the inn. - -Gerson Brandt turned a white and troubled face to Walda when they were -left alone together. - -“Thou hast seen me in the clutch of an earthly passion,” he said. “Thou -knowest now how unworthy I am to be counted as a counsellor of a -prophetess. I have naught to say in extenuation, except that in man -human impulses often triumph over the divine aspirations. Canst thou -forget that I have thus resented an insult?” - -Walda came closer to him. - -“Gerson Brandt, it may be wicked of me, but somehow I like thee better -because thou hast demanded that Karl Weisel retract his sinful words. He -hath called his brother a liar, and God will judge him for that.” - -“And I should have remembered that I am not the judge,” said Gerson -Brandt. “I should not have let myself take vengeance into mine own hand. -When thou art the prophetess thou wilt become my teacher, and, Walda, I -am half glad I shall need thine aid to overcome sin.” - -“Thou hast been my teacher so long it seemeth I could never have any -wisdom greater than thine.” - -Gerson Brandt looked into her eyes. - -“Being a woman, thou hast wisdom and power of which thou little -dreamest,” he said. - -“If I have aught of wisdom, it is because thou hast been my guide ever -since I was a child. Gerson Brandt, thou hast been nearer to me than my -father; thou hast been more to me than all the brothers in the colony.” - -“It hath always seemed, Walda, that thou wert sent to reconcile me to -life in Zanah. Thy presence hath helped me to overcome all rebellion. -Having prayed for the time of thine inspiration, it is a struggle for me -to give thee up. It is as if I were losing thee, even though thou wilt -still be in the colony.” - -“Nay, Gerson, it seemeth to me that when the light of inspiration cometh -to me thou must share it, for, after all, it is thy knowledge and thy -faith that is in me. There hath come to me lately something of the -illumination thou hast told me to expect, Gerson Brandt. There are days -when it is as if I stood on the threshold of heaven. My heart is lifted -up with a strange joy. I hear harmony in the rustling of the leaves in -the trees and the flowing of the water under the bridge and the faint -night-sounds that come to mine ears when the village hath gone to sleep. -Long after the curfew-bell hath sounded I open my casement and look out -into the sky. It is then I feel the vastness of the universe, and yet -know that God hath not forgotten me.” - -As Walda spoke her face was radiant with new joy, and Gerson Brandt knew -she was even then far removed from him. - -“Thou lookest from thy casement every night? Dost thou gaze at the -moon?” he asked. - -“Yea, Gerson Brandt, I look long at the moon.” - -“Walda, that is a habit maidens have when they think not of God but of -man. Thou hast in thy thought no human being?” - -“There is often a light in the inn; it shineth from the window of him -whom we not long ago called the stranger in Zanah. It bringeth him into -my mind, and I thank God for his coming to the colony.” - -Walda’s words smote the school-master. A faint color came into his thin -cheeks. He steadied himself against the desk. - -“It is not thy duty to pray for the stranger. The elders can do that,” -he declared. - -“Nay, but he hath helped me much. He hath brought me strength.” - -“Beware lest that strength become thy weakness.” There was a tremor in -Gerson Brandt’s voice, and his manner puzzled the girl. - -“Thou dost speak in riddles,” she said. “Thou knowest his world could -not touch me. When I gaze from my window I am glad, indeed, that the -bluffs shut me out from all the wickedness of the life beyond the -colony.” - -“I beg thy pardon, Walda. It was an unworthy suspicion that crossed my -mind. Surely to-day Satan is close to me. And when thou gazest at the -moon dost thou think of any one else?” - -“Of my father, Gerson Brandt, and always of thee.” - -“And how do I come to thee in thy thoughts, Walda?” - -“Thou comest as one that is ever dear to me. Since thou didst first take -me on thy knee thou hast shared with my father all the earthly love of -my heart. Have I not often told thee so?” - -“Thou didst never think of me as nearer to thine own age than thy -father? Do I always appear so old to thee?” - -“Truly, thou dost seem like my father.” In her voice was an infinite -tenderness, and the school-master, with a tremor in his voice, answered: - -“And yet I am but fifteen years thy senior.” - -“But thou lovest me as if I were thy daughter. I have always felt that -thou didst give me something more than the neighborly regard in which -all the people of Zanah hold one another.” - -Gerson Brandt made no answer. - -“Thou dost love me as if I were thy daughter?” she repeated. - -“Thou hast forever a place in the sanctuary of my heart, Walda.” - -The school-master and the prophetess of Zanah looked into each other’s -eyes for a brief moment. - -“Then I know that thou wilt always pray for me—that thou wilt always -keep me safe from all worldly temptations.” - -“Yea, thou wilt always have my care. Thou wilt always command my -services and my prayers. To-day I feel humble, indeed, because I lost my -self-control, but I shall strive always to be worthy to be counted as -one who walketh near to the prophetess of Zanah. Walda, to-day I am weak -indeed. I feel how much I shall need divine strength in the years to -come. My way is a lonely one. It is said that after the inspiration is -vouchsafed to a prophetess her soul withdraws itself from all human -companionship, and that even if it were not the custom to separate the -instrument of the Lord from the colonists of Zanah, there would be -naught in common between her and those who try to serve God in humbler -ways. Lately, Walda, I have looked forward with a feeling that the years -without thee will be weary. When thou art the prophetess there will be -none with whom I can speak of the dreams I have shared with thee.” - -“Thy dreams, as thou callest them, first made me feel the mysteries of -life. Gerson Brandt, it was thou who didst awaken my soul; it was thou -who didst turn my heart to God, and now, verily, thou wilt not be -sorrowful when my day of inspiration comes?” - -“To-day there is so much of self victorious in me that I know the day of -the _Untersuchung_ will make me sad. It was my intention on that day to -give thee the Bible that is lost. For many months thou knowest I worked -upon it, making the letters beautiful for thine eyes, and it was a -solace to me to feel, every day as I turned the pages upon which I had -worked with many a prayer and blessing for thy welfare, that thou -wouldst take pleasure in its beauty.” - -“And was that Bible for me, Gerson? On the last day when thou didst give -it to me to read before the school I did covet it.” - -“I did think that I should never tell thee, and it was a sore trouble -when Adolph Schneider demanded that it be sold. I tell thee this -because, as I have said to-day, I am weak, and I would say something in -extenuation of my unseemly conduct towards the head of the thirteen -elders.” - -“And I am very human, for I am glad that the book is lost, and that the -elders had no chance to take it from thee.” - -“I could not endure the thought that the stranger from the outside world -should possess what I had come to believe belonged to thee.” - -Walda turned her head away a moment. Then she answered: - -“I want the Bible very much indeed; but, Gerson Brandt, if any stranger -were to have it, it had been better it should go to Stephen Everett than -to any one else.” - -A look of pain came into the school-master’s face. His eyes sought the -girl’s with a glance that strove to read her heart. - -“And I would rather that the Bible be destroyed, that its pages be -scattered and its letters obliterated, than that Stephen Everett should -call it his own.” - -“Why, Gerson Brandt, thou speakest with much stress. Thou art, indeed, -unlike thyself to-day.” - -“Perhaps my real self is uppermost, Walda, and the school-master, who -was always so submissive and passive, is not the actual man.” - -“Peace to thy heart.” Walda came close to him. “Let me tell thee that I -should have held the Bible as a precious token from thee, and that I am -grateful for the kindly thought with which thou hast wrought it for me.” - -Tears were in her eyes. She hesitated a moment, as if waiting for an -answer. Gerson Brandt, with arms folded across his breast, pressed his -lips tightly together lest he might speak with the fervor of one who -covets from God a supreme gift that must be forever beyond reach. - - - - - XIII - - -When Hans Peter was led away from the school-room after his confession -concerning the Bible, Karl Weisel and Adolph Schneider conducted him -towards the inn. The Herr Doktor, thoroughly upset from his usual -phlegmatic tranquillity, held the ear of the simple one in a pinching -grasp. With a speed that caused the colony president to pant, the three -descended the hill on their way to the inn. - -“Hans Peter should be locked up until he confesseth that he hath borne -false witness,” said Karl Weisel. - -“I believe he knoweth where the Holy Book is hidden,” answered Adolph -Schneider. “We will lock him up where he can have a chance to think over -his transgressions.” - -Hans Peter, dragging slowly after the Herr Doktor, who every now and -then jerked his head, appeared not to hear what was said about him. - -“Tell us now what thou didst mean by thy foolish lie about the Bible,” -urged the head of the thirteen elders. - -“I spoke the truth. But not every one knoweth the truth to understand -it,” answered the simple one. - -“He still defieth us,” exclaimed Karl Weisel. Then, giving Hans Peter a -cuff, he added, addressing him: - -“Thou shalt spend the night in the cellar of the _gasthaus_, and if thou -dost not speak so as to make it clear that thou dost share all thy -knowledge with the elders and those in authority, thou shalt be put in -the stocks.” - -“Threaten not too hastily, Brother Weisel,” said the Herr Doktor. “Thou -knowest the stocks have not been used these ten years, and the -dismembered timbers pertaining to it are stored in the hay-loft of the -_gasthaus_ barn.” - -“The stocks can be put together easily enough,” muttered Karl Weisel; -and Hans Peter, turning his head as much as Adolph Schneider’s hold upon -his ear permitted, said: - -“The village fool feareth no punishment thou canst devise. Ye men of -Zanah shall never get possession of Gerson Brandt’s Bible.” - -“Hear! He defieth us!” cried Karl Weisel; and Adolph Schneider responded -with an angry grunt, that he punctuated with a superfluous pinch -administered to Hans Peter’s ear. - -They reached the inn, where Diedrich Werther received them with his -customary imperturbability. - -“Hast thou a place in the cellar where thou canst lock up this culprit?” -Karl Weisel inquired. At the same time the Herr Doktor pushed the simple -one into the middle of the room. - -“There is a heavy bolt on the potato-bin,” said Werther, taking his pipe -out of his mouth and leaning upon the dog-eared register. - -“Conduct Hans Peter to it, and be his jailer until to-morrow morning. -Mind that he hath no supper.” - -“What is Hans Peter’s offence?” Mother Werther asked, opening the door -from the kitchen and putting her black-capped head into the room. “Tut, -tut, my boy! I hope thou hast not been exhibiting thy folly in some -hazardous manner.” - -Hans Peter put his hands into his deep pockets, hung his head, and made -no reply. - -“The simple one is to be locked in your potato-bin until he tells the -truth about the Bible,” announced the Herr Doktor. - -“Nay, be not too severe with him. Hans Peter will tell—wilt not thou, -boy?” said Mother Werther, coaxingly. - -But the simple one only shook his round head. - -“You may have to stay down there in the darkness with the rats for a -week,” said Karl Weisel. - -“Yea, thou shalt not baffle the elders of Zanah,” declared the Herr -Doktor. “It will be the cellar or the stocks until thou dost wag thy -stubborn tongue to good purpose.” - -“Now thou art speaking wisely, Brother Schneider,” said Karl Weisel. -“Why dost thou not order Diedrich Werther to conduct the fool to his -prison?” - -“Take him away,” commanded the Herr Doktor. - -“Thou knowest I permit no rats in the _gasthaus_ cellar,” said Mother -Werther, shaking her head indignantly at Karl Weisel; and edging up to -Hans Peter, she bent low to whisper: “Thou shalt have the best supper I -can carry to thee.” - -“Verily, even Mother Werther appears to be encouraging sedition in -Zanah,” remarked Karl Weisel, pointing to the innkeeper’s wife with a -backward movement of his thumb. - -“If there is sedition in Zanah, it is thou that sowest discontent.” -Mother Werther put her arms on her broad hips, and looked at him for a -moment with such contempt in her kindly face that the head of the -thirteen elders slunk aside to a chair behind the high counter. - -“I will take Hans Peter to the potato-bin, and he shall have a clean -straw tick to lie on,” she said. “Come, Hans Peter.” - -Mother Werther put a hand on the simple one’s shoulder and walked out -into the kitchen with him. Presently they were heard descending the -stairs, and then their voices sounded from the distant place of -imprisonment. - -It was late that night when Everett returned to the inn after a walk far -a-field. At supper-time he had asked about Hans Peter, but he had -learned nothing of the whereabouts of the simple one. He had a faint -idea that he ought to search for the fool, but his thoughts were -absorbed by Walda. He spoke to Diedrich Werther, who dozed in an -arm-chair, and the landlord slowly lighted a tall tallow dip and passed -it to Everett. He lingered to ask whether any message had come from -Wilhelm Kellar. The landlord replied that the school-master had stopped -to ask for the stranger in Zanah, but it was nothing urgent, for Gerson -Brandt had told how fast Wilhelm Kellar was gaining strength. - -Everett stumbled along the dark, narrow passage that led to his room. A -draught blew out his candle, which he did not relight. Feeling his way -to his bed, he threw himself down upon it and tried to think what course -was wisest for him to pursue in winning Walda. He was not blind to the -many obstacles between them, but he was a man who was accustomed to -obtain what he coveted, and he admitted no thought of defeat. He wanted -Walda with all the intensity of a strong nature. He knew now that he -loved her, and he felt that she was his by right of that claim. A sense -of his own unworthiness haunted him when he thought of her innocence and -her unworldliness, but there had been born in him a new spirit that -consumed all his old desires. He knew that even if he could make the -prophetess of Zanah love him, it would be impossible for him to persuade -her to leave the colony as long as her father lived. He felt a hot wave -of shame every time he realized that if love came to Walda it would -bring her only dishonor before her people. Whenever this view of the end -of his wooing presented itself, he resolutely refused to face it. He -listened to the cry of his heart. He loved the woman of Zanah; he -coveted her for his wife. - -Women are happy to enshrine love in their hearts even when it must burn -in a vestal flame, but men are not content unless they can carry it as a -torch from which to light the fires in the hearts of those whom they -would make their own. Women can kneel before the embers of a great -passion and be grateful, even though it must burn out before it can -reach their own hearth-stones; men would snatch the holy fire at any -cost. Everett had slowly reached the point where he had deliberately -determined to make Walda love him. He had eased his conscience by the -plea that it was a crime for a woman of such rare beauty to be buried in -the colony. He was sure he could make her happy in the world that held -so much for him. He could reason himself into the belief that he was -saving her from a wasted life. Yet, with all his reasoning, he could not -see how he was to obtain her consent to marry him and to go away with -him. Still, he hugged to his heart the belief that fate would befriend -him, and he resolved not to look beyond the one great aim of making -Walda love him. - -He could not sleep. The thoughts that had harassed him, since suddenly -he had come to know Walda had all his love, disturbed him as he lay on -the high bed. He stared at the window, which afforded glimpses of a -starlit sky between the leaves and branches of a tree that had become -black in the night. Day was breaking before he began to feel drowsy. -Finally he fell into a deep slumber that was not disturbed until the sun -was high in the heavens. He was awakened by a remittent pounding, the -sound of which came from the front of the inn. He went to the latticed -window, whence he could see that several men were building something in -the village square. He made a hasty toilet in his primitive -dressing-room, where two buckets of water and a wooden wash-tub were -provided for his bath. The cold water refreshed him, but he still had a -sense of depression. - -Everett hastened out into the village square. In all the time he had -sojourned in Zanah nothing unusual had happened. It was pleasing to hope -that at last something out of the common might be taking place. Three -middle-aged men and two boys were engaged in putting together a most -extraordinary structure. They had fixed in place several weather-beaten -beams and a number of old planks that led up to the rude platform. - -“What are you building?” Everett asked, but the men pretended not to -understand, although he spoke in German. They kept on with their work. - -“Cannot you tell me what this is?” Everett asked. The men were still -uncommunicative, but one of the boys said: - -“These are the stocks in which Hans Peter must sit until he tells where -the school-master’s Bible is hidden.” - -“Where is Hans Peter now?” - -The boy had been silenced by the men, and he dared not reply. - -During the breakfast-hour Everett could obtain no further information. -He was desirous of seeing the simple one, for he felt in a measure -responsible for poor Hans Peter’s trouble. He made a perfunctory visit -to his patient. Walda Kellar had ceased to be on duty in the sick-room, -and the case had lost much of its interest. - -Wilhelm Kellar was sitting up in a big chair. He looked weak and ill, -but he proudly announced, with a tongue slow to respond to his thoughts: - -“I shall be able to attend the _Untersuchung_. The Lord hath decreed -that I shall see the day of my daughter’s final victory over earthly -temptations.” The old man’s joy smote Everett, to whom the -_Untersuchung_ might mean the loss of Walda. He turned to whistle to -Piepmatz. - -“I owe thee much for thine aid in helping nature to overcome my -illness,” said the old man, speaking slowly. “Thou hast been so kind -that thou hast won my enduring confidence. For the first time in a score -of years my faith in a man of the outside world is almost restored.” - -Again Everett’s heart smote him. He who had come to love Wilhelm -Kellar’s daughter knew that he stood ready to tempt Walda away from her -vocation as prophetess. He had always held honor first, and he was ill -at ease. The day had gone by, however, when he could consider the -possibility of renunciation where his heart’s desire was concerned. He -had meant to flee from Zanah, but he had stayed because he loved Walda, -and because he did not mean to be disappointed in the hope of winning -her. - -“You are not indebted to me,” he said to Wilhelm Kellar. “The weeks -spent in Zanah have been very pleasant to me.” - -“Thou art truly a good man, Stephen Everett, and I am thankful that the -Lord did turn thy steps to Zanah,” the old man replied. - -Piepmatz, looking out from his rustic cage, moved his head from side to -side as if he were listening to the conversation. Presently he whistled -the bar of the love-song that Everett had taught him. The first notes -sounded clear and true, and then Piepmatz sang a false note or two. He -began the bar a second time and broke down. Everett heard the song, and -the bird-voice carried with it an accusation against his loyalty. - -“You had better go back to your doxology,” he said, snapping his fingers -at the bird. - -He said a hasty farewell and went back to the inn. The stocks had been -completed and Hans Peter had just been placed in them. His fat, red -hands and his bare feet were held so firmly that it was plain the -pressure was most uncomfortable. The simple one’s face, however, -betrayed no sign of pain. He kept his eyes shut so that he could not see -the passers-by, who paused to stare at him. His shock of tow hair was -matted on his head, and his blue shirt-sleeves were torn from the -arm-holes by the unusual strain upon the garment, which was too small -for him. When Everett beheld the simple one thus ignominiously punished -his indignation arose. Without speaking to Hans Peter he went into the -inn, where he found Adolph Schneider and Karl Weisel. - -“It is only fair to believe you do not know you are inflicting a cruel -penalty upon Hans Peter,” he said, addressing the Herr Doktor. “You must -lessen the pressure on the boy’s wrists and ankles, and you must do it -now.” - -“Whence didst thou get thine authority to issue commands to the -president of the colony of Zanah?” asked Karl Weisel. - -“I was not addressing you,” answered Everett, and the head of the -thirteen elders, taking account of the athletic build of the man of the -world, deemed discretion the better part of valor. He forbore to pick a -quarrel. - -“Speaking as a physician, I must protest against the use of the stocks,” -said Everett. His tone was so cool and determined that Adolph Schneider -adopted a conciliatory manner. - -“Hans Peter will not remain long in the stocks,” he said, burying his -heavy chin in his neckcloth. “He will soon tell what he knows about the -Bible. He would have confessed this morning, but Mother Werther made him -so comfortable in the potato-bin that he did not take the trouble to -think over our injunction to lay bare the facts about the Bible.” - -“Even though Hans Peter may not remain in the stocks an hour, you must -confine his hands and feet less closely. I dare say he is numb now,” -Everett insisted. - -“Well, well, I will call one of the carpenters,” said the Herr Doktor, -but he did not move from his chair. - -“I will wait until the carpenter comes,” said Everett; “and he must come -without delay.” - -Adolph Schneider sullenly conceded to Everett’s humane demand, and they -went out to the stocks together. A crowd had gathered in the square, and -some of the boys who had escaped from Gerson Brandt’s care were jeering -at the simple one. Hans Peter made no sign until Everett spoke to him. - -Everett ascended the three steps to the platform of the stocks and -waited impatiently while Hans Peter’s hands and feet were freed -temporarily. The simple one was quite stiff when he was commanded to -stand up. He straightened his back with some difficulty, although he had -not been an hour in the stocks. Everett stooped to examine the marks -upon the lad’s ankles. - -“Can you call yourselves Christians, and torture a boy in this fashion?” -he inquired, in anger, addressing the Herr Doktor. - -“Hans Peter is none the worse for a little lesson that will teach him to -obey the commands of Zanah,” Adolph Schneider answered. - -“Do you intend to put him back?” Everett asked. - -Adolph Schneider showed some signs of hesitation, but Karl Weisel -replied: - -“He shall stay there until his contumacious spirit is broken. He must be -punished until he confesseth.” - -“Are you sure that you do not wish to tell where the Bible is?” Everett -asked, kindly. But the simple one replied: - -“They can keep me in the stocks until I die. I care not. I will not -deliver the Sacred Book into their hands.” His lips were white, and the -perspiration stood upon his forehead, over which his matted hair hung -into his eyes. He tried to raise his hand to his head, but the pain made -the effort futile. Everett took one of the simple one’s swollen hands in -his and began to chafe the arms, which were numb. - -The carpenters soon had their work done, and Karl Weisel ordered Hans -Peter back to his place in the stocks. - -“Isn’t there something I can do to prevent this outrage?” Everett spoke -in a threatening tone. “How can you stoop to such persecution?” - -Involuntarily he clinched his hands and drew himself up to his full -height. Towering above the men of Zanah, he looked from one to the -other, as if undecided which to knock down first. - -Karl Weisel took the precaution to leave the platform, and when safe on -the ground he answered, tauntingly: - -“Thine interference will not be tolerated in Zanah. Thou shalt not -defeat the ends of justice.” - -“Nay, mind not Hans Peter; the village fool doth not fear those who are -called wise in Zanah.” The simple one spoke calmly, and he moved past -Everett to the beam upon which he had been sitting. - -It occurred to Everett that any violent measures might only cause -another method of torture to be devised, and he went into the inn to -think about some means by which he could deliver Hans Peter. The day -wore away, and late in the afternoon the simple one was still in the -stocks. An attempt to discuss the matter with the Herr Doktor had proved -fruitless. Everett went to the school-master, and Gerson Brandt told him -that protest was useless. - -“I warned them that I would not consent to such a show of vengefulness,” -said Gerson Brandt, “but they laughed at me, and hinted that the simple -one was my accomplice.” He was sitting at his desk, and his attitude -betrayed the deepest despondency. - -Everett went back to the inn just as the afternoon bell rang. It was the -signal for the girls’ knitting-school and the boys’ learning-school to -dismiss pupils. At this hour the mill-hands had a brief respite for the -drinking of coffee. Soon the village street was full, and all the men, -women, and children turned their steps towards the square. Here they -stood in groups, talking in low tones, and casting glances up at the -simple one, whose face was not less stolid than usual. Hans Peter had -become deathly pale, but as he sat with bent back and bowed head he -appeared oblivious of the crowd that was gazing at him. - -“At last the village fool hath found his right place in the world,” -remarked Mother Kaufmann, taking a seat on the lowest step of the stocks -and beginning to knit. - -“I hope he will remember all the impertinent things he hath said to us, -and know that he is receiving his just dues,” said Gretchen Schneider, -who had come into the square with Mother Kaufmann. - -“It seemeth to me that Hans Peter is one possessed of a devil,” declared -Karl Weisel, joining Gretchen Schneider, and taking care to stand so -close to her that his coat-sleeve brushed her arm. - -On the other side of the stocks Frieda Bergen had stopped to look up at -the prisoner with compassion written on her pretty face. She wiped her -eyes on the corner of her apron, and Joseph Hoff, who saw her grief, -passed by her once or twice, biding his time until he could speak to her -without attracting the attention of the elders or colony mothers, among -whom his attachment for the girl had become common gossip. - -“Hans Peter may be free to-morrow,” he said, reassuringly. “Do not feel -bad for him.” - -“There is a tenderness in my heart for all God’s creatures, Joseph,” the -girl answered. - -“Be sure thou givest me most of thy sympathy,” Joseph Hoff said, and -they smiled into each other’s faces with a look of perfect -understanding. - -Many of the children gazed silently at the culprit, and some of them -climbed up the stout beams that supported the stocks. A few venturesome -boys seated themselves upon the heavy plank that held poor Hans Peter’s -hands. Mother Werther, who had been going back and forth all day between -the stocks and the inn, sought a place whence she could speak a cheering -word to the simple one. Several times Adolph Schneider had stepped to -the inn-porch, and, with a flourish of his cane, had admonished the -people of Zanah to preserve order. He had taken occasion to call -attention to the ways that the Lord found by which the wicked were -punished. He had just finished one of his exhortations when it was -whispered that Walda Kellar was coming. - -The prophetess of Zanah walked over the bridge with her head bent, as if -she were preoccupied. When she looked up it was plain that the crowd -astonished her. She quickened her steps, and, advancing with her eyes -fixed on the stocks, said, in a clear tone, which was heard by all the -people: - -“What meaneth this thing?” - -She turned flashing eyes from one to another in the throng, and those -near her fell back. - -“Where is some one who will answer me? I would speak to one of the -elders. By what authority is Hans Peter placed in the stocks? Who hath -dared to pass such severe judgment upon one of the most helpless in -Zanah?” - -There was no answer. Walda waited for a moment. - -“I would speak to Adolph Schneider or Karl Weisel,” she said; but -neither responded to her summons. Adolph Schneider had disappeared into -the _gasthaus_ when he saw her, and Karl Weisel had drifted out of -sight. Walda turned to survey the crowd. - -“Why are ye here, looking on calmly? Hath no one raised a voice in -behalf of him who hath harmed none in the colony?” she cried. - -She moved towards the stocks, men, women, and children separating to let -her pass. Ascending the steps, she looked down upon the colonists. -Suddenly she became clothed in a strange majesty. Her body swayed with -the strength of her emotion. She opened her lips as if to address the -throng, but some wiser impulse restrained her. She stood as if in -prayer, and presently, raising her hand to command attention, she said: - -“Hath it been forgotten that it is written in the Bible, ‘With what -judgment ye judge ye shall be judged; and with what measure ye mete it -shall be measured to you again’? Are ye so wise that ye can know how -guilty Hans Peter is in seizing the Bible? Can ye see into the heart of -him whom all have called the simple one? Can ye know his motives? Has -none of you, to whom the Lord hath given greater understanding than He -hath vouchsafed to this humble child of Zanah, sinned in larger measure -than Hans Peter? There hath been lost to Zanah a Bible of great value; -but where is your faith? Can ye not believe that if it is best it will -be returned unto you? Liberate Hans Peter, and I say unto you it shall -be made plain that ye have done what is good. Your mercy will be -rewarded twofold.” - -After she spoke the last words she paused for a moment. A murmur passed -over the crowd. One of the colonists cried: - -“Free him! Free him!” - -“Listen not to the voice of a woman’s pity,” warned Karl Weisel, from -his place on the well-curb, which raised him above the heads of the -crowd. - -“Nay, hear her. The power may be upon her. She may be foretelling what -will happen if Hans Peter is set free.” - -It was Mother Werther who raised her voice. She was standing upon the -steps of the inn, and her words caused a hush to fall upon the people of -Zanah. - -“All we in Zanah can learn a lesson to-day from Hans Peter,” said Walda -Kellar, turning towards the simple one, who made no sign that he had -heard her plea for him. “This poor lad hath meant no harm. He hath -followed some strong impulse, born of the belief that he is doing right, -and you put him into the stocks, where he remaineth firm in his -determination not to undo what he hath thought was a noble deed. For -some reason he hath desired to keep the Bible in Zanah, when you would -have bartered it for gold and silver. Can ye say that it was not God’s -will he should hide it so that it could not be sent out into the world, -where it might not be valued at its true worth? How can ye be sure that -it may not be you, instead of Hans Peter, who should be punished? Doth -this structure built by your hands appear to be work that was inspired -by God? Were not the stocks devised by Satan? Is it thus that the Father -in Heaven would have ye deal with those subjects in your power?” - -“Verily, she speaketh as if she were listening to the still, small voice -with which the Lord quickeneth the consciences of his people,” said the -meekest of the thirteen elders, a little, bent man, who supported -himself against a fence-rail. - -“The time draweth near for the _Untersuchung_, when you will listen to -words of wisdom from me,” continued Walda, her voice softening into a -tone of humility. “Much have I prayed that I may be worthy to be chosen -from among you to be the prophetess of Zanah. In these last few weeks -there hath come to me a new light. It is yet but as a candle-beam of -divine knowledge, but it hath made all things sacred in mine eyes. The -glory of God hath been revealed to me in the smallest ways. Instead of -feeling the majesty of the Ruler of the universe, I have known something -of the meaning of the eternal love which encompasseth the highest and -the lowliest. In the Father’s eyes, when the day of judgment cometh, -this hour in the stocks may be counted so much in outweighing the sins -of the simple one that he will be placed above us all. This day’s record -in the Book of Life may have a great significance.” - -Walda, looking down upon the upturned faces before her, read fear -written upon many and compassion upon a few. - -“I beseech you, with one voice declare Hans Peter free,” she said, -turning her face first towards one side of the square and then towards -the other, so that all gathered there felt she addressed each -separately. “Hesitate not. Each moment that ye wait adds to the pain -suffered by your prisoner.” - -“Dost thou believe the Lord will reward us if we show mercy?” asked the -Herr Doktor, who had come out of the inn to hear what Walda had to say. - -“The people of Zanah should not weigh the chance of reward for doing -what is just and right,” answered the prophetess. - -Walda stood as if she were listening for some word of pity from the -colonists. - -“If ye would show that ye have confidence in me, whom ye look to as the -prophetess of Zanah, permit me to liberate Hans Peter. Can ye deny me -this privilege?” she asked, presently. - -“It is meet that we shift the judgment of the simple one to her upon -whom the inspiration is already descending,” said Mother Werther. “Women -of Zanah, pledge her your faith.” - -Cries of “Give Walda Kellar the judgment!” “Let her loosen the stocks!” -“The prophetess of Zanah hath spoken!” were heard on every side. - -“Nay, the spirit hath not descended on her. Put not such power in a -girl’s hands,” shouted Mother Kaufmann, waving the hand that still -clasped her knitting. - -Her words were followed by low hisses, and instantly several of the men -were heard demanding Hans Peter’s release. - -“She did say that the value of the Bible might be returned twofold,” -said Diedrich Werther, who had been encouraged to speak by vigorous -nudges from his wife. Mother Werther had pushed him from his place on -the porch, where he had been hidden by the vines. - -“Walda Kellar, is it the spirit which prompts thee to say the value of -the Bible will be made good to the colony?” inquired the Herr Doktor. - -Again Walda Kellar stood with her head turned, as if she were listening -to the still, small voice of her conscience. - -“Nay, Adolph Schneider, I cannot say that it is the spirit; I know not -whether my words are words of prophecy. Yet my faith, looking up to God, -maketh me believe that if thou showest mercy to the foolish one, a -recompense will be given thee.” - -Her words came slowly. They fell upon the ears of the people in Zanah -with a distinctness and a fervor that awed them, and again the murmur -was heard in the square. - -“Free him! Free him!” shouted Joseph Hoff, and the cry was taken up by -men, women, and children. - -A tall, burly farm-hand pushed his way from the stocks to the porch of -the inn, where the Herr Doktor still stood. He was followed by three or -four of those who were known as the keepers of the vineyard. - -“Beware how thou dost challenge the curses of Heaven,” said the -farm-hand. “Dost thou intend to obey the prophetess, now that she hath -spoken?” - -“We have had bad luck enough already,” said one of the keepers of the -vineyard. “Defy not Heaven now.” - -Something like fear showed itself in the face of Adolph Schneider. He -cast his small eyes towards Karl Weisel, who shook his head. The people -had now turned their faces from the stocks, and the crowd gazed upon the -village president, who was plainly hesitating concerning what would be -the best policy. - -“The men of Zanah have spoken wisely,” declared the meek elder, from his -place near the fence. “Thou must listen to the voice of the people.” - -“Free him! Free him!” the crowd shouted. Amid all the clamor Walda -Kellar stood motionless, with her eyes fixed upon the far bluffs, and -Hans Peter sat with head drooped so that his face could not be seen. -While the crowd was threatening to become a mob, it was not noticed that -the school-master had crossed the fields, pushed his way to the stocks, -and ascended two steps. - -“Men and women of Zanah, if ye turn a deaf ear to Walda Kellar, let me -offer myself as the one upon whom to inflict the punishment ye deem -fitting because the Bible upon which I put much patient work hath -disappeared.” Gerson Brandt’s voice was low, but it had a determined -ring in it as he spoke to the colonists. He had removed his hat, and -those who looked upon his face marvelled that the gentle school-master -could be so threatening in mien and gesture. - -“Since the Sacred Book disappeared while it was in my custody, I am -responsible for it. If any one is to be put into the stocks, it is I, -that served you all as your elder—I, to whom you have intrusted the -training of your boys. This day’s work shall long be a reproach to -Zanah, for ye have stood by while the simple one hath been made to -suffer. Even though he may have been guilty of the offence imputed to -him, the penalty is greater than his deed hath merited.” - -The uproar that followed this speech caused the Herr Doktor to tremble -as he leaned upon his cane. - -“Surely no one in all Zanah would see Gerson Brandt put into the -stocks,” said Mother Werther, taking her place beside Adolph Schneider. -“For shame, brethren and sisters of Zanah! Give Hans Peter his liberty.” - -“We demand the release of the simple one,” said the vineyard workers. -“Let him go! Let him go!” - -“Gerson Brandt, thine offer to take Hans Peter’s place in the stocks is -an insult to thy high office as an elder of Zanah,” said the Herr -Doktor. “I will accede to the wishes of the people. Thou canst liberate -the village fool.” - -Adolph Schneider turned to go into the inn, and Stephen Everett, who had -been watching the strange scene from the corner of the porch, went out -into the square to offer aid to Gerson Brandt. The school-master had -acted quickly, and before Everett reached the stocks Hans Peter’s feet -were free. Everett loosed the simple one’s hands and raised him to an -upright position. Hans Peter was so stiff that he fell upon the rude -platform. - -“He is exhausted. I will take him into the inn,” said Everett, -addressing Walda, who was leaning over the prostrate form of Hans Peter. - -“I know that thou wilt minister to him, and that thou wilt restore his -senses. See, he hath swooned!” - -“I will take care of him. You can trust me to see that he is made -comfortable,” Everett promised. - -“Yea, I always trust thee, Stephen.” - -The man and woman bending over the form of the simple one looked into -each other’s eyes for a second. Then Everett lifted Hans Peter in his -arms, carried him down the steps, and, passing through the crowd, -disappeared within the door of the inn. - -Standing upon the platform of the stocks, Walda looked after them until -the inn-door had closed. Turning, she beheld Gerson Brandt staring at -her with terror in his eyes. He was ghastly pale, and his thin nostrils -were widely dilated with the quickness of his breathing. - -“Art thou ill, Gerson Brandt?” she asked. - -“Nay, I have my usual health. Just now, fear clutcheth at my heart.” - -“Fear, Gerson Brandt? Thou wert ever brave. What is it that thou couldst -fear?” - -“A shadow was cast over me. It hath passed.” - -Gerson Brandt stooped to pick up his hat, and motioned to Walda to pass -down the steps before him. As Walda walked through the square the people -bowed before her, in token of their recognition that she was, indeed, -the prophetess, for it was whispered that the stranger from the outside -world had given his word to Adolph Schneider that he would pay twice the -value of the Bible on condition that Hans Peter should not be further -punished. - - - - - XIV - - -Everett counted the days until the _Untersuchung_. Only ten intervened. -In less than a fortnight Walda would be cut off from all communication -with him. She would have entered into her duties as the leader of the -colony. She would be the prophetess—the inspired one. He tried to -imagine himself looking on during the quaint ceremony of the -_Untersuchung_, and he had to face the knowledge that he could not stand -by while the girl passed forever beyond his reach. Even while he dared -vaguely to plan some way by which he could win her for himself, he had a -few misgivings concerning her unfitness for his world, which he knew she -would find strange and cruel. He told himself that he could protect her, -that he could make her happy, and that he could help her to become -adjusted to a different sphere. With the unreason of the lover he -imagined how they would live for each other, aloof from all the ordinary -demands of every-day existence. He knew that she loved the few books -that had been open to her in Zanah, and he dreamed of the days when he -would guide her into a broader knowledge, when he would help her to -acquire the sort of an education suited to her unusual mind. He was -confident that her artistic nature would develop in a congenial -atmosphere. It would be his pride to cultivate her glorious voice, and -to teach her to understand the painter’s art, which Zanah held sinful. -His thoughts travelled over the same circle again and again, but always -he came back to the idea that he must act quickly if he would save her -from bondage to the colony—if he would awaken her to the meaning of his -love. - -He was thankful for the opportunity her daily prayers at the tomb of -Marta Bachmann gave him to meet her, but the next night after he had -walked with her to the little cemetery he had seen her cross the bridge -accompanied by no less a person than Mother Schneider herself. He had -been compelled to pace restlessly back and forth among the trees, -keeping out of sight lest his presence might be discovered. - -On the third night he watched for Walda at the point where the road -reached the shore of the lake. It was late, and he had almost given up -hope of seeing her when she came slowly towards him. For an hour he had -been reconnoitring the whole distance between the lake and the cemetery. -And now, when he beheld her, he felt as if he must claim her by the -right of his love for her. His better judgment, however, told him that -he must be circumspect in his wooing. One impetuous word might put her -on her guard. The touch of his hand had given her a prescience of -danger, for, according to her belief, love was the greatest danger that -could beset her path. When Walda saw him she appeared surprised at the -chance encounter. It was evident she had no suspicion that he had -deliberately waylaid her. - -“It is good that I should meet thee here, Stephen,” she said, “for my -heart is so full of joy I feel as if I must share my gladness with some -one.” - -“What has happened to make you so happy?” Everett asked. He saw that -there was a radiance in her face, and that her eyes shone with an -unusual brilliance. - -“There hath been no outward experience different from those that come to -me every day,” she said. “But, Stephen, my heart is lifted up -exceedingly. I feel in me a new strength. My spirit dwelleth in dreams.” - -“Dreams, Walda? What are your dreams like?” - -“They are misty—formless. It is as if a light were just breaking over -the darkness of my soul. I feel the whisperings of a divine knowledge; a -marvellous power hath been given to me. Stephen, I know the inspiration -is coming to me. All my doubts are vanishing. I feel very near to God.” - -She was transfigured with the intensity of her emotions. In her -exaltation of spirit she was so aloof from Everett that he stood dumb -before her. - -“Stephen, hast thou nothing to say? Dost thou not rejoice with me?” - -“I am glad to know that you are happy, Walda; but being just a man of -the world, I am selfish enough to feel unreconciled to your separation -from me. Walda, I crave a little part of your thoughts. I want to share -your joy. And now I behold you carried so far away from me that I cannot -even comprehend the transformation which is taking place in you. Is it -prayer that is raising your spirit above the earth?” - -“It is not prayer alone that hath made me behold new glories, Stephen, -for through all my years spent in Zanah I have prayed unceasingly. Thou -hast helped to open mine eyes; thou hast been the messenger that hath -turned my face to the light. Verily, it is written that the Lord doth -choose mysterious ways by which to work his will.” - -For a moment Everett felt he was, indeed, a hypocrite. He was not an -egotist, but his hopes, which a moment before had been cast down by the -girl’s extraordinary rapture, now rose, for he perceived that he had, -indeed, gained an influence over her. - -“I want to talk to you, Walda,” Everett said, after he had thought for a -moment. “Come with me down to the shore of the lake, where there is a -log that makes a comfortable seat.” - -Walda hesitated. - -“Nay, Stephen, I must hasten to Marta Bachmann’s grave.” - -“Don’t you think that sometimes it may be better to talk with the living -than to pray with the dead?” Everett asked. “I thought you were -interested in my welfare. Don’t you know that a few words from you may -change my whole life?” - -“If I could lead thee towards heaven it would be my duty to speak with -thee.” - -“Well, you can lead me to heaven.” - -Everett parted the low branches of the trees so that Walda could pass -through, and as she stepped into the little path to the water’s edge one -of her long, fair braids caught upon a twig. She turned her face -backward as she felt the sharp pull, and Everett, thanking his stars for -a lucky fate that appeared to be attending him on this particular -evening, disengaged the shining hair. He pretended to be very clumsy, -and his head was brought close to Walda’s. The slightest trace of -embarrassment showed itself in the manner of the prophetess of Zanah as -she smoothed the braid and adjusted her cap. She walked forward rather -hastily, and Everett pointed out the log, at one end of which the limbs -made a graceful back for the rustic seat. - -“Let me help you over these stones,” said Everett, and, taking her hand, -he led her to the log. He placed her comfortably, and, standing beside -her, told her to look at the wavering shadows in the water. - -“All is peace here, Stephen,” the girl said, looking up at him. “In -Zanah there is rest for the weary spirit. Couldst thou not be contented -here always?” - -“If we could always be together as we are now, Walda, it seems to me I -could never wish for anything more.” - -He seated himself upon the log quite close to her, and, leaning with his -elbow on his knee, studied every feature of her beautiful face. In his -heart was a tumultuous longing to make her know that he loved her, but -her presence overcame him with a feeling that she was too holy to be -disturbed by the knowledge of his passion. Walda said, presently: - -“It is strange that when I am with thee neither the past nor the future -harasses me. I am satisfied with the present; it is as if thou didst -encompass my soul with the fortress of thy strength. To-night all my -fears about the future are gone. I am happy, Stephen—strangely happy.” - -She leaned back against the gnarled limbs of the old tree, and turned -her face towards the lake. - -“Walda, has your religion never taught you that only in the union of a -man’s soul and a woman’s soul can there be perfect knowledge of life?” - -She thought a moment, and then answered: - -“Nay, Stephen, there is naught in the Bible which teacheth that the -prophets needed any but divine aid. In no place in the Bible were two -souls united in receiving the inspiration of God. Yet it hath seemed to -me that thou wert somehow joined to me in my inspiration. Instead of -separating me from thee, the knowledge that is coming to me maketh me -feel dependent upon thee.” - -Stephen touched her hand, and she drew it away to hide it in the folds -of her blue cotton gown. - -“You don’t mind having me near you, do you, Walda?” he asked. - -“Nay, Stephen; it hath seemed lately that I craved thy presence too -much.” - -Everett felt his pulses quicken. - -“I know that thou hast been sent to me by divine dispensation,” she -continued. “But since the spirit of prophecy hath begun to come to me, -thou dost stir my heart. I know that I must withdraw from association -with thee and with my people. To-night there cometh over me a vague -alarm. I am happy near thee, and yet I fear this peace may vanish.” - -“You cannot deny me the privilege of speaking to you in these few days -before the _Untersuchung_,” Everett answered. He gently took the hand -Walda had hidden in her gown, and, holding it in a firm clasp, said: - -“I have a mind never to let you go from me, Walda. I need you all my -life. I cannot look forward to the years out there in the world without -you.” - -“Dost thou mean, Stephen, that thou wouldst stay here in Zanah serving -the Lord with the men of the colony? Stay for the good of thy soul?” - -Everett pictured himself attired in colony garb and meekly accepting the -orders of Adolph Schneider and Karl Weisel; but, holding Walda’s hand, -the absurdity of such a position became every second less apparent to -him. He felt that no sacrifice could be too great if it kept him near to -the prophetess of Zanah. - -“Do you want me to stay, Walda?” he asked. - -“Yea, Stephen, even if I might not speak to thee, it would cheer me to -look upon thy face. I have thought much of thy going away, and I have -felt that Zanah will be dreary without thee. Sometimes I have feared -lest I might be tempted to carry thine image in my heart. It is -gratitude that maketh thee thus inhabit my thoughts.” - -“It is not your gratitude that I want, Walda,” Stephen said. “No, you -cannot take away your hand. I want to hold it while I talk to you. In -these few weeks in Zanah I have come to know that you will be always the -one woman who can command all my reverence, my respect, and my -allegiance. You have taught me that I have lived too much for self; you -have aroused in me an impulse to make more of my opportunities. You have -become my good angel. I cannot go back to the world, and to a lazy, -careless existence. I have forsaken my old idols, Walda.” - -“Thou hast builded thee a new altar, Stephen. And now thou wilt not -profane it.” - -It was the prophetess, not the woman, who spoke. Walda had forgotten all -the vague alarm. She was looking upon Stephen as a new disciple of Zanah -whom she was glad to welcome into the fold. - -“Yes, I have a new altar upon which I am willing to sacrifice all my old -habits, my previous interests,” he confessed. “To it I bring the incense -of love and service and loyalty. Before it I feel my own unworthiness. -Walda, I am but an ordinary man, one who has been content to live for -the day. Since I came to Zanah, my future years have a new meaning.” - -“When a man turneth his footsteps towards heaven, then, indeed, the -future is glorified. Henceforth thou wilt press onward towards the gates -of heaven.” - -“But, Walda, I may find the gates closed, after all. Don’t you know it -is you who hold the key?” - -“Nay, thou art almost blasphemous. I can only point the way.” - -They sat there silent for a few minutes. The twilight was gathering. The -shadows of evening closed out Zanah and all the earth. A soft wind -rippled the lake, which broke in tiny waves at their feet. - -“Walda, you who are so wise in the knowledge of things that pertain to -heaven are ignorant of many of the fundamental principles of life here -upon earth. Cannot you understand that at this very moment I am like a -wayfarer standing at the gate of paradise?” - -Involuntarily he tightened the clasp of his hand, and love, sleeping in -the heart of the woman, was suddenly disturbed. - -Walda drew her hand away, and, rising to her feet, looked at Everett -with fear in her face. - -“To-night thou dost speak in parables, Stephen,” she said. “To-night -thou dost cause me to tremble before thee. Let me go to the grave of -Marta Bachmann, where I can pray until my spirit is soothed.” - -Everett stood before her as if he would block her path. He uncovered her -head, and gazed at her with all the passionate longing of a strong -nature. He would have put out his arms to draw her close to him, but her -sweetness and innocence made him ashamed of the impulse. She was in his -power, but he saw that her momentary fear had passed away, for, with her -eyes raised to the stars that had appeared above the horizon, she was -praying. The man’s mood changed instantly. He could have knelt before -her to kiss the hem of her gown. - -“Walda, I ask your forgiveness for showing to-night that I am almost -unworthy of your trust in me,” he said. “Turn your face to me now, and -tell me that you will go away thinking of me as one who would hold you -so sacred that he would sacrifice his heart’s desire if in so doing he -could assure you of the fulfilment of life’s best promises.” - -Walda had folded her hands upon her breast. Having thus made the sign of -Zanah, which was believed to ward off all earthly influences, she said: - -“Verily, Stephen, thou hast put unrest in my heart, yet even now I feel -an abiding faith in thee.” - -“I shall try to be worthy of your faith, Walda.” - -While they stood close together the curfew-bell sounded from the village -belfry. It brought back to earth the man and woman who lingered thus -just outside the walls of paradise. - -“Good-night, Stephen. God be with thee.” - -Walda had again become the prophetess of Zanah. She passed him in the -narrow path from which he had stepped aside, and he let her go without a -word. She walked a few paces only, her face still uplifted to the sky -and her hands still folded across her breast. Then she paused to look -backward at the man whose parables had in them a meaning which she had -never found in the words of Holy Writ. - -And being a woman, as well as a prophetess, she saw that Everett was -good to look upon. - - - - - XV - - -It was a rainy day in Zanah. Early in the morning, when Everett looked -out of the diamond-paned window of his bedroom, he saw that the trees -and vines in the garden were dripping. The night-wind had beaten off -many of the leaves, which had grown yellow in the long drought and the -dying summer. The distant bluffs were hidden behind a curtain of mist. -Two village “mothers” passed, their shawls drawn over their heads and -their feet dragging slowly in their clumsy, wooden shoes. Everett -dressed quickly, for his room was dark, and the silence of the village -oppressed him. When he went out to his breakfast in the long, bare -dining-room, Mother Werther served him in silence. He wondered at her -unusual taciturnity, and he tried to start a cheerful conversation. She -replied to him in monosyllables. The entrance of a boy whom he -remembered seeing at the learning-school temporarily diverted Mother -Werther from her unpleasant thoughts. - -“This is my son Johann,” she said, pushing the lad forward. - -The boy hung his head, and Everett inquired why Johann was never at -home. - -“It is not wise that he should be kept at the _gasthaus_,” Mother -Werther explained, as she fixed a place for Johann at the distant end of -the table. - -“Does some unusual occurrence bring him here to-day?” Everett inquired, -with a show of interest. - -“It is the Day of Warning, and families hold communion before they go to -the meeting-house,” Mother Werther explained. “It is the last Sabbath -before the _Untersuchung_, and we make ready for the annual accounting -of our faults and follies.” - -The woman’s words brought uppermost in his mind the thought that had -harassed him in the hours of the night. The time of Walda’s ordination -as prophetess was very near. He rose from the table. He heard the rain -falling upon the slate roof of the side porch upon which the dining-room -opened. Lifting the heavy latch, he pushed the door slightly ajar. The -downpour was steady. - -“Does your prophetess take any special part in to-day’s ceremonies?” -Everett asked, because he felt that he must contrive to see Walda. - -“Nay, she will be present at the meeting, that is all,” said Mother -Werther, bustling out into the back kitchen. - -Everett sauntered into the office, which was occupied by Hans Peter. The -simple one had placed upon the mantel-shelf above the fireplace half a -dozen of his marked gourds, and he was studying them intently. He did -not pay any attention to Everett, who stepped up beside him. - -“Are you preparing for the Day of Warning and the _Untersuchung_, Hans -Peter?” Everett asked. - -The village fool shook his head. - -“Thou forgettest that Hans Peter is one whom the Lord hath forgotten,” -he said. “The Almighty taketh no account of the sayings and doings of -the simple one.” - -The simple one took into his hand a gourd which bore but one or two deep -cuts dried into its hardened surface. - -“This Hans Peter had in his pocket on the day that he carried the -carpet-bag of the stranger,” he said. - -“What do the marks stand for, Hans Peter? I hope they do not mean -anything uncomplimentary.” - -The simple one said that he did not understand, and Everett explained. - -“This meaneth that the stranger in Zanah bringeth trouble,” the village -fool answered. - -Everett paced up and down the sanded floor for a few moments. - -“You are not a prophet, Hans Peter,” he said, stopping to pull the -village fool’s ear. “Have I done any harm in Zanah?” - -“Thou hast sown some seeds of discord.” - -“Cannot you forgive me for the Bible episode? You know I have done my -best to make amends. You will not always blame me for your suffering in -the stocks, I hope.” - -The simple one put the gourd he had been examining into one of his deep -pockets. - -“Thou knowest the stocks were but the penalty of mine own deed,” he -said. “There are other things that even a fool can see and hear. Thou -hast a soft voice when thou speakest to the prophetess of Zanah. Thine -eyes watch her always when she is near thee.” - -Hans Peter folded his arms in imitation of Everett and stared at him -with unblinking eyes. - -“You are observant, Hans Peter. As I have often told you, every day I am -more and more convinced you are the wisest man in Zanah.” Everett -flicked the ashes from the cigar he was smoking and smiled down at the -queer little figure. “What conclusions do you draw from your two -discoveries?” - -“It seemeth that thine actions are like Joseph Hoff’s, and the people of -Zanah say that he hath earthly love in his heart.” - -“If my memory serves me right, it was you who aided Joseph Hoff to send -messages to the one he loves,” said Everett. - -“She was not a prophetess,” the fool declared. - -Hans Peter had selected a second gourd from the shelf, and had fled from -the room before Everett could sound him on the subject of acting as -errand-boy. - -Still the rain poured down. Everett chafed under his enforced -inactivity, for he felt that every hour meant much to him. Presently, -because he had nothing better to do, he took down from its place beside -Hans Peter’s gourds the old tinder-box, and lighted the wood that was -piled in the fireplace. He lounged upon the settle and idly watched the -flames creep along the logs. His thoughts flew out to Walda. He wondered -what she was doing. He felt a disgust for the fanaticism of the colony, -and he tried to think of some way of claiming the woman he loved. He was -ready to carry her off without any ado, but he knew that as long as her -father lived he could not persuade her to go away. Although he had not -yet made her realize she loved him, he would not harbor the thought that -he could lose her—and yet his suit appeared hopeless. - -His reflections were disturbed by the voice of Mother Werther raised in -indignant remonstrance. She was in the next room, and he heard her say: - -“Diedrich, thou dost vex me much lately. And now thou dost tell me thou -likest to gaze through the car-windows to behold the women of the world -as they pass by Zanah.” - -“They are comely,” the innkeeper answered, in his laconic fashion. - -“How darest thou tell me that? To-day I am half persuaded to confess to -the elders that at last I have learned the love of man is not to be -trusted. I have a mind to claim promotion to the second rank of the -colony, and who knows but I may soon hate thee enough to serve the Lord -in singleness of purpose!” - -“Thy tongue proveth thou mayst yet become like Mother Schneider and -Mother Kaufmann, who have long been in the third rank because they love -not men,” remarked Diedrich Werther. - -“Thou speakest hateful words.” Mother Werther’s voice was choked with -anger. “Many times hast thou tried me sorely, but never until to-day -have I seen that thou art indeed a man with sinful impulses. Thy feet -have been turned from the straight and narrow way. Thou hast a liking -for wicked things.” - -Everett smiled when he heard what he might take as an object-lesson of -the inevitable experience of even the most faithful of married couples. -He shrugged his shoulders, and thought that, after all, it was only the -few who knew the real meaning of love, the love that blended worship and -lofty aspiration. - -Diedrich Werther came into the office. It was plain that the berating he -had received had not disturbed his phlegmatic calm. He shuffled along in -his carpet slippers until he reached the desk, behind which he perched -himself on a high stool. Everett felt irritated at the unpleasant -interruption to his thoughts of Walda. He snatched up his soft felt hat -and went out into the muddy street. He turned his steps towards Wilhelm -Kellar’s room, where he found his patient sitting up in an arm-chair. -Gerson Brandt was with him. The two colonists showed an unusual -restraint in the presence of the stranger in Zanah. - -“I have been telling Brother Brandt that I need thy services no longer,” -said Wilhelm Kellar, addressing Everett. “There is nothing to hinder -thee from leaving Zanah to-morrow.” - -Everett noticed that Gerson Brandt watched him closely while Wilhelm -Kellar spoke. - -“I shall not go away for at least a week,” said Everett, leaning against -the chest of drawers, and assuming an indifferent manner. - -“It is strange that thou findest colony life so pleasant,” said Gerson -Brandt. - -“It is restful and interesting to me,” Everett replied, carelessly. - -As he faced the two elders of Zanah he felt a twinge of remorse, because -his dearest purpose in life was to win from them Walda Kellar. He who -had held honor first experienced a certain amount of self-abasement, but -he quieted his conscience, as he had many times before, by the thought -that love was the ruling power of the world, and that all things should -give way before it. - -“The colony of Zanah would recompense thee for thy services in helping -to restore me to health,” said Wilhelm Kellar. “Wilt thou render to me -thine accounting?” - -“Whatever aid you have received from me has not been given for money,” -Everett replied, in a voice so decided in its accents that both his -hearers felt there was beneath his words something which they could not -understand. - -“The colony never shirks the payment of its debts,” Wilhelm Kellar -declared, proudly. - -“If you think you owe me anything, accept the amount as a gift to -Zanah,” said Everett. - -A moment of embarrassment followed, and he was glad to take his leave -rather hastily. When he reached the inn, many of the villagers were -assembled in the main room and on the porches. The meeting-house bell -sounded as he went up the steps, and instantly the men and women moved -towards the old building on the hill. The women drew heavy shawls over -their heads to protect them from the rain, and the men, who walked apart -from them, now and then removed their caps to shake off the water which -ran down upon their hair and shoulders. No one spoke. It was evident -that the Day of Warning had its terrors for many of the colonists. -Everett stood on the topmost step watching the little children, who were -miniature reproductions of the men and women, and listening to the click -of the wooden shoes upon the board walk. He looked down the street in -the hope that he might see Walda Kellar, but he was disappointed. - -“Would I be admitted to the meeting-house?” he asked Diedrich Werther, -who was putting a long-tailed coat over a faded blue-gingham shirt. - -“Ja, ja; if thou desirest to attend a service of much solemnity, come -with me,” the innkeeper answered. - -The meeting-house was crowded when they entered. Its interior was as -devoid of ornament as its exterior. The bare, white walls were broken at -regular intervals with small-paned, clear glass windows, which let in -but little light on a gloomy day. A broad middle aisle led straight to a -platform upon which sat the thirteen elders, for Everett was astonished -to see that Wilhelm Kellar had been carried in his arm-chair from his -room in the near-by school-house. The men occupied rude benches on the -right side of the meeting-house, and the women sat on the left. The -children were placed in front, the boys on the men’s side and the girls -on the women’s. On a dais in the middle of the elders’ platform was a -heavy oaken chair. - -A few moments after Everett’s entrance a group of colonists, who still -lingered at the door, separated to allow some one to pass in. A hush -fell upon the assemblage, for Walda Kellar was walking up the aisle. -Over her blue gown she wore a long cloak with a pointed hood that she -put back from her head as she moved slowly forward. The damp air had -caused her hair to curl in many unruly ringlets about her forehead, and -her pure skin had the peculiar clearness and transparency that a rainy -day imparts to a delicate complexion. Everett could see only her -profile. There was a majesty in her carriage, a consciousness of power -in her pose, that made her seem far off from him. His heart beat wildly -as he looked at her, and when the villagers knelt in acknowledgment of -her presence, he obeyed the impulse of worship, and bent forward with a -despairing humility in his heart. He, to whom prayer had long ceased to -be a daily habit, breathed his heart’s sincere desire in a petition that -his love might be given its reward. - -When Everett raised his eyes again Walda had ascended the platform, and -had taken her place on the steps in front of the chair which it was -plain was the seat reserved for the prophetess. She had thrown aside her -cloak, and she sat with her hands folded in her lap. Adolph Schneider -spoke, in German, the words of a droning invocation. He left the front -of the platform, and Everett was surprised to see Walda come forward as -if she were about to speak. Instead of making an address, she began to -sing a monotonous hymn, to which her rich voice lent a glorious melody. - -While Walda sang, the man of the world listened in breathless awe. Her -voice thrilled with the diapason of hope. It rose in triumphant notes, -and then fell with a softened cadence. His soul went out to hers, but in -the tense moment that followed her hymn he felt as if she were far away -from him. Her purity rebuked the passion of love in him, and yet he -could scarcely restrain himself from the impulse to claim her there -before all Zanah. She went back to her place on the steps before the -chair of the prophetess, which she was to occupy before another week had -passed. - -Adolph Schneider commanded the colonists to listen with undivided -attention to what he had to say to them. It was the Day of Warning, when -all who felt they were not prepared for the _Untersuchung_ would make -confession. If there was any man or woman who desired to ask for -promotion in the colony, the time had come to show reason for a desire -for advancement. - -A tall, large-boned woman rose from her place far back in the -congregation. - -“I would seek advancement to the first grade of the colony,” she said. - -“What is thy ground for making this request? Why dost thou believe that -thou art worthy?” the Herr Doktor asked. - -“It is five years since I refused to listen to the elders of Zanah when -they told me of the trials earthly love would bring,” answered the -woman, turning a sallow, weather-beaten face towards the platform. “Now -have I learned that marriage is a hard discipline. Otto Schmidt hath -vexed me every day for forty months. I have found that the love of man -for woman is fleeting, and now do I know that I can worship God in -singleness of heart.” - -On the men’s side a stout mill-worker pulled himself to his feet. - -“Christina hath not suffered the smallest tithe of the mortification of -spirit that hath been mine,” he declared, in an emphatic tone. “It was -for her sake that I gave up my place in the first grade of Zanah’s -people, and now do I confess that the elders of Zanah are wise when they -entreat the people to beware of love. Love is but the fire of man’s -vanity kindled to flame by a woman’s wanton eyes.” - -“Nay, it is but a woman’s faith which is nourished by man’s false -promises of kindness and constancy,” replied the woman, who was still -standing. - -“Let the brother and sister of Zanah be seated,” commanded Adolph -Schneider. - -As she obeyed, Christina Schmidt cast a glance of hatred towards her -husband. - -The elders spoke together. While they were holding their conference, -Everett noticed that Hans Peter was creeping slowly up the aisle with a -letter in his hand. He passed the envelope up to Adolph Schneider and -tiptoed to a vacant place on the front seat. The elders examined the -letter. The colonists waited without any show of impatience. - -“It is my sad duty to announce that one of the colony youths hath looked -with longing eyes on a maid, and that he entreats permission to wed -her,” said the Herr Doktor, standing upon the edge of the platform and -looking down at the people with a stern expression on his face. His -small eyes scanned the women and then the men. “I would have Frieda -Bergen and Joseph Hoff step forward.” - -It would not have been in human nature for the people to remain -impassive. More than half of them turned their heads to look for the -culprits. Joseph Hoff made his way towards the elders. He carried his -head high, and had an air of bravado that showed how little he cared -because he was transgressing the laws of the colony. He waited for -Frieda Bergen, who came towards him with her head bent and her cheeks -flaming. “Be of good courage,” he whispered, as they faced Adolph -Schneider. - -“You two have made for yourselves idols here on earth,” said the -president of the colony in a thundering tone, which frightened every -youth and maiden in the meeting-house. “Ye have not heeded the behests -of Zanah. How did Satan manage to tempt you when all the safeguards of -Zanah were thrown around you?” - -Neither of the lovers spoke. - -“It is not permitted here in the colony for men and women who are -unmarried to speak together except on rare occasions, and never are they -allowed to talk when no one is near them; how then did ye two surrender -to the tempter?” - -Still there was no answer. - -“Speak, Joseph Hoff!” Adolph Schneider shouted, in a tone which showed -that he was filled with indignation. - -“Love needeth not words or messengers; love is carried on the winds that -blow across a woman’s cheek,” said Joseph. - -“Nay, it is like a prayer that cometh from the heart of man to the heart -of woman,” faltered Frieda, bending in a low courtesy. - -“Thou art blaspheming!” Adolph Schneider cried, looking on the maiden -with angry eyes. “It is plain that thou art made mad by what thou -callest love. To you two erring ones shall be given a chance to repent -between now and the _Untersuchung_, but if your eyes are then still -blind to your iniquities ye shall be allowed to marry. Ponder well upon -the testimony given here this day by Otto and Christina Schmidt. Human -love lasteth but a few years, and eternity is not long enough to blot -out the sorrow it can bring to a human soul. Go hence to pray that ye -may be delivered from paying the hard penalties earthly love bringeth to -all.” - -Tears were streaming from the girl’s eyes as she walked back to the -women’s side of the building, but in her face was no sign of repentance. - -Karl Weisel and the other elders had listened with stolid faces while -Adolph Schneider rebuked the people. After the young lovers had taken -their seats, Wilhelm Kellar pronounced a benediction. The colonists -filed slowly out of the meeting-house. Everett lingered in the hope that -by some happy circumstance he might speak to Walda, but she was detained -by the elders, who gathered around her. He had given up hope of getting -near her when it occurred to him to make Wilhelm Kellar’s imprudence an -excuse by which he might at least go closer to the woman he loved. He -went forward to where Wilhelm Kellar stood at the foot of the platform -steps. - -“You have taken a great risk,” he said, to his patient. “You should not -have come here to-day.” - -The old man drew himself up with a show of strength and said he was well -enough to make an effort to enter the Lord’s house. - -Walda, who had smiled upon Everett when she saw him coming towards her, -put her hand upon her father’s shoulder and persuaded him to be carried -back to his room. Gerson Brandt and another man of Zanah lifted the -invalid’s chair. Everett opened the side door that they might pass out. -Walda, who was anxious for her father’s comfort, would have gone into -the rain ahead of them, but Everett reminded her she had not put on her -cloak. He stepped up to the chair of the prophetess without taking -thought that he might be profaning the place of the elders, and, taking -the long garment, put it around her. Although Karl Weisel and the other -elders stood by, he calmly fastened the clasp at the neck and drew the -hood over the head of the prophetess. Walda, looking up into his face, -beheld in the deep-set eyes as they rested upon her something that sent -the blood to her face. Gerson Brandt, looking back over his shoulder, -saw Everett hold the door open while Walda went through, and he noticed -that the strong face of the man of the world had upon it a look of -tenderness such as he had never seen before. - -Everett hesitated a moment as he buttoned his mackintosh. He was -uncertain whether to go out into the woods for a long walk or whether to -return to the dreary inn. He turned his steps towards the inn, and he -had not gone half-way down the hill before he saw Walda coming from the -school-house. The prophetess was with Frieda Bergen, and behind them -walked two of the village “mothers.” Everett let them pass him, but he -noticed with a pang that Walda appeared not to see him as he stood with -uncovered head while she walked by. - -“The elders have asked me to entreat thee to overcome this love that -thou hast confessed,” he heard Walda say to Frieda Bergen; but they had -gone beyond ear-shot before the girl replied. - -They went into the inn, whither Everett followed them after a time. -Walda drew Frieda Bergen to the settle near the fire which Everett had -kindled. - -“Thou seemest so happy in thy sin that I would know what is thy -feeling,” said Walda. “Thou hast the look of one to whom heaven hath -been revealed.” - -“A great joy hath come to me, Walda. If it is wicked to love, then would -I continue in my sin,” answered Frieda. “Hast thou never known the -temptation of love? Hast thou never seen one who maketh the world seem -better to thee?” - -“Gerson Brandt and Stephen Everett have taught me much,” said Walda, -“but no one hath ever tempted me to forget God and to worship man. Doth -not thy conscience make thee repentant?” - -“Nay, I cannot believe that it is wicked to love.” - -“How didst thou come to know that thou lovest?” - -“One day, as we worked together, Joseph Hoff looked at me through the -trellis of a hop-vine. He was on one side and I was on the other. My -heart trembled, and thenceforth his face was often before me.” - -“That is but a small matter. The stranger in Zanah hath sometimes made -my heart leap, but that meaneth naught.” - -“After the hour in which Joseph Hoff looked at me, the day was happier -when I could see him. I no longer rebelled against the hard tasks given -me. I had sweet dreams,” declared Frieda. - -“I have felt as thou sayest thou feelest, but it was prayer and fasting -that made the earth like the outer courts of heaven. Frieda, Frieda, -thou hast mistaken the spirit of holiness for earthly love.” - -Walda Kellar leaned forward, clasping her hands together in a gesture -which betrayed her relief at what she supposed was her discovery of the -true state of her companion’s mind. - -“Nay, nay, it was love that made a new life for me,” insisted Frieda, -shaking her black-capped head and speaking in a low voice. - -“How couldst thou know?” - -“One day Joseph spoke to me sweet words; he touched my hand. Life became -changed again. In my heart thenceforth was a great loneliness except -when I was near Joseph Hoff. I trembled when he touched my hand, and I -would have had him always by my side.” - -“Ah, this that thou tellest me is strange indeed. I have known something -of this loneliness, but it was the loneliness of the soul that seeketh -God and feareth to lose the way to heaven. Tell me something more of thy -love.” - -“Joseph Hoff sometimes said I was like an angel to him. He spoke softly -of love.” - -“Thou wert wrong to listen,” said Walda. - -“Thou hast spoken often with the stranger in Zanah.” - -“True, but we talked of books, and the woods; of the wonders of the -heavens and the glories of the earth.” - -“We spoke few words, but they gave me strange strength. The earth seemed -a pleasanter place after we had talked together. Hast thou never known a -day when suddenly the flowers became more beautiful and the sun shone -brighter?” - -“Yea, lately, since the inspiration hath come to me, it is as if Zanah -were bathed in a heavenly radiance. But tell me more, Frieda.” - -“The days became pleasant; every one was joyous. There was in my heart a -singing that made me care not for the reproofs of the village mothers.” - -“I know what thou meanest. Thy experiences are not different from mine.” -Walda looked into her companion’s face with a smile of sympathy. -“Disturb not thyself any longer. Thou hast the revelation of divinity -that the Lord sendeth to those who serve Him. Why didst thou think this -new glory in thy life was an earthly love? Foolish girl, I am glad that -I did have this chance to probe thy heart to-day.” - -“It was not love of God that was in my heart, Walda.” Frieda looked into -the fire and shook her head thoughtfully. “Else why should I look each -day for a glimpse of Joseph Hoff? Why should the simplest word from him -be more to me than the longest prayer of any of the elders? Even if I -had thought in the beginning that the tumult in my heart was due to the -fervor of my religious faith, I found out very soon that it was Joseph -Hoff I loved.” - -“How did the revelation come?” Walda whispered. - -“One day, when I went back into the hay-field to find a rake I had left, -Joseph Hoff, who was working on the top of the stack, came down to the -field, and, taking both my hands, he kissed me.” Frieda lifted the -corner of her apron and half hid her face as she made this confession. - -“Ah, that was sinful, indeed!” exclaimed Walda, her eyes wide with -horror. “We of Zanah have been taught that a kiss is the password that -Satan giveth to weak and foolish men and women. I hope that thou didst -rebuke the bold and sinful youth.” - -Frieda raised her apron a little higher and made no reply. - -“What didst thou do when he had kissed thee?” Walda asked, after a -moment of silence. - -“I—I—waited for him to kiss me again.” - -Walda drew away from the girl beside her. “How couldst thou let any man -touch thy lips?” she exclaimed in indignation. - -“Because I loved him.” - -“And since Joseph Hoff hath kissed thee, hast thou not lost the sense of -holiness that belongeth to the people of Zanah?” - -“Nay, every kiss hath added a glory to the earth. I care no longer for -heaven if I may dwell with Joseph Hoff here in Zanah.” - -“Truly, thy state of mind doth alarm me, Frieda. Thou hast many of the -emotions that have come to me since the beginning of mine inspiration, -and yet thou hast fallen a victim to the wiles of man. Pray that thine -eyes may be opened to thine errors.” - -“Nay, I would not pray that, lest my prayer should be answered. If I -prayed from my heart, I would ask that many years might be given me to -live and love Joseph Hoff here on earth.” Frieda Bergen rose and walked -away, but she turned back to put her hand on Walda Kellar’s shoulder. - -“Forgive me if I seem of a stubborn spirit. I know that thou canst not -understand how the love of man can take possession of a woman’s heart. -Thou wilt be satisfied to live aloof from the people of Zanah that thou -mayst be near to God, but I would rather have the love of Joseph Hoff -than the inspiration that cometh to a prophetess of Zanah.” - -“It is my duty to reprimand thee for thy sin, but somehow, when thou -speakest of Joseph Hoff, I cannot feel the abhorrence for thy -transgression that should fill my heart. I will pray that the Lord may -show thee the right way.” - -Walda leaned her head against the settle and thought about Frieda -Bergen’s state of mind, but her thoughts were confused. Her reflections -were interrupted by Everett, who came into the inn. Drawing near to the -fireplace, he made a great show of drying his hat, which was wet from -the rain. Walda did not seem to notice his presence. - -“You appear to be troubled about something,” he said. - -“Yea. A matter of much moment hath been laid before me, and I have not -wisdom enough to see it in all its sinfulness.” - -“Do you suppose my worldly advice would help you?” Everett asked. - -“Nay, thou hast different measures of judgment from those set by the -people of Zanah. Thou dost not hold earthly love a sin.” - -“No, I do not, Walda.” Everett smiled. “I hold love—the earthly love you -are taught to try to escape—as the most precious gift the Creator gave -to the children of men.” - -His voice was low, and it betrayed an intensity of feeling that caused -Walda to give him a questioning glance. Everett looked at her with so -much tenderness she turned her head away. - -“Thou hast in thy tones the same sound that was strange in Frieda’s -voice. Dost thou love? Hast thou the same unreasoning rapture as Joseph -Hoff?” - -“Not the same, Walda. I love much more than any man in Zanah.” - -Walda’s face became as white as the cap upon her soft hair. She clasped -her hands tightly together and said, with a catch in her voice: - -“Stephen, why hast thou never told me of thy love?” - -“Because I thought you would not care to hear about it. Because it is -forbidden to speak of love in Zanah,” Everett answered. - -He seated himself beside her on the settle. From behind the high desk -Diedrich Werther now and then stared at them with a glimmer of suspicion -in his eyes. His recent contact with the world at the railway station -evidently had made him less trustful than his fellow-colonists. Everett -noticed the innkeeper’s watchfulness, and therefore was careful not to -betray emotion. - -“Walda, you are not angry because I have deceived you, are you?” he -said, when she did not answer him. - -“Angry with thee, Stephen? Nay, thy love cannot concern the prophetess -of Zanah.” Her lip quivered, but she held her head high, and disdained -to let him know that the heart beneath her kerchief was throbbing so -that her words were almost smothered in her throat. “Thy confession did -cause me to be abashed for a moment. I had never thought that out in the -world some woman loved thee.” - -She rose to her feet as she spoke, and she would have gone away without -another word but he boldly caught her hand and pulled her back upon the -settle. Diedrich Werther looked on with jaw dropped and pipe suspended -at elbow-length, but Everett defied him. - -“You misunderstand me, Walda. I want to explain to you, but this is not -the place.” - -“I—I would not hear what thou hast to say about thy love, Stephen,” she -said, with a faint smile. “Frieda hath told me her story, and it is -enough for me to think of in the watches of the night. Detain me not. I -must pray for Frieda Bergen. I must seek divine light for the -understanding of mortal weaknesses, of which love is said to be the most -dangerous. Verily, to-day I fear the inspiration hath been withdrawn -from me, for I am dull of comprehension.” - -Before Everett could reply, Gerson Brandt entered the room. The -school-master came towards them with a stern look upon his face. - -“Why dost thou talk here with the prophetess of Zanah?” he said, -addressing Everett. “Thou canst have nothing to say that will be worthy -of her hearing, since she is close to heaven and thou art of the wicked -world.” - -His long hair was wet as it lay upon his shoulders, and his thin face -was deeply lined. - -“We were talking of love—earthly love,” Walda said, leaving her place -beside Everett. “Gerson Brandt, he hath just told me that he loveth.” - -The school-master’s tall, gaunt form swayed beneath the burden of a -great emotion. - -“Tell me, sir, thou hast not dared to speak of love to the prophetess of -Zanah?” he cried. - -“Yes, I have spoken of love,” said Everett, going to the farther side of -the fireplace. “Yes, I have spoken of love.” He was again the cool, -well-poised man of the world. Carelessly he took up an old pair of -bellows, as he added: “But you need not fear. The prophetess of Zanah -did not care to hear about my love.” - -“Walda, thou wouldst not listen to any man who would dare to speak of -love to thee, wouldst thou?” Gerson Brandt asked, in an agony of fear. - -“Disturb not thyself, Gerson Brandt,” Walda answered. “What harm can -there be in Stephen Everett’s declaration that he loveth a woman out in -the world?” - -An expression of relief passed over the face of the school-master. Beads -of perspiration stood upon his white forehead. He was shaking so that he -had to steady himself against the end of the settle. - -“Thy time of inspiration is so near that thou shouldst not speak to the -stranger,” he said, in a softened tone. “Thou art close to heaven, and -it is not wise for thee to commune with any man.” - -“Must I speak no more with thee, Gerson Brandt?” Walda looked at him -with all the tenderness of a deep affection shining in her eyes. Everett -watched her as she addressed the school-master. The childish heart and -the unawakened soul associated with the majestic form of a woman had -fascinated him when he first came to Zanah, but he saw that the face, -once as placid as a nun’s, showed the inner disquietude that is the -recompense of those who come into a knowledge of the great emotions of -life. - -“Thou wouldst better dwell alone until the great day of the -_Untersuchung_,” Gerson Brandt said to Walda. “Go now to thy closet, -where thou canst pray until thou forgettest what thou hast heard of -earthly love.” - -Walda started to obey the counsel of the school-master, but she -hesitated after she had gone to the door. She glanced at Everett. His -tall form was outlined in the fire-light, but she could not see his -face, which was in the shadow. - -“I would speak a last word with Stephen Everett,” she said. Gerson -Brandt stood by the door while she went near to Everett. - -“Since this may be my last meeting with thee, I would offer thee -gratitude from my heart for all that thou hast done for my father and -for me,” she said. “Thou hast helped me to gain wisdom, Stephen.” - -“Do not speak of gratitude, Walda. You cannot say good-bye to me here, -for I shall see you again.” - -“Nay, I may not be permitted to see thee again.” She stopped, as if she -were taking care to speak wisely. “It is my prayer, Stephen, that thy -love shall bring happiness to thee and to the woman upon whom thou hast -set thine heart.” - -She was gone before she could hear Everett’s reply. - - - - - XVI - - -The evening of the Day of Warning closed in dark and dreary. The rain -stopped and a high wind came up. After tea in the inn, Everett walked up -and down the porch. The village square and the winding street were -deserted. At long intervals lights gleamed from fast-curtained windows. -At first he took it for granted that Walda would not make her nightly -visit to the grave of Marta Bachmann. When he thought over the matter, -however, it occurred to him that it might be well to walk out towards -the cemetery. He knew the fanaticism of the colonists caused them to be -punctilious in the smallest religious observances. He watched for Walda -in vain. After Gerson Brandt’s exhibition of evident unfriendliness to -him he knew that precautions might be taken to prevent Walda from -passing the _gasthaus_. As he had nothing else to do, he decided that a -walk out through the woods to the shore of the lake might possibly be -rewarded by a glimpse of the prophetess. He met no one on the way to the -cemetery, but when he reached the gate he could dimly discern the forms -of two women who were standing by the grave of Marta Bachmann. He -guessed that Mother Kaufmann had been sent with Walda. A tall hedge -surrounded the God’s-acre of Zanah, and he followed this evergreen wall -to the point where it was nearest the grave of the dead prophetess. He -was careful that his presence should not be discovered by the colony -“mother.” - -An old oak-tree spread its branches over the little plot of ground in -which the tomb of Marta Bachmann was situated. The wind waved the -branches of this tree and blew a shower of brown leaves upon the two -women. It wound Walda’s cloak about her and tore the shawl from Mother -Kaufmann’s shoulders. - -“This is a night to make the spirits of the dead walk about their old -haunts,” said Mother Kaufmann. - -“Put superstition away from thee,” Walda answered. “If thou hast fixed -thy faith on God, evil spirits cannot harm thee.” - -Mother Kaufmann put her hand to her forehead while she peered about her, -as if to discover some chance ghost. - -“Dost thou not hear footsteps among the dried leaves?” she asked Walda. - -“Nay, Mother Kaufmann. Why art thou so affrighted?” the girl replied. At -that moment a gust of wind almost swept them from their feet. Mother -Kaufmann uttered a scream of terror and pointed to a far corner of the -graveyard where a white form was moving about among the graves. She did -not wait to find out who or what the unexpected apparition might be. -Gathering her skirts in her hand she fled, leaving Walda alone beside -the grave. Everett stepped through the hedge and spoke gently to Walda. - -“Do not be afraid,” he said. “I will find out what sort of a ghost has -frightened Mother Kaufmann.” He walked towards the place, where what -appeared to be a headless form wrapped in a sheet was moving back and -forth. When he came near to it he saw that it was a most substantial -substance, for Hans Peter had borrowed a white rubber blanket, through -which he had thrust his head, and thus improvised a most serviceable -rain-coat. - -“What are you doing here?” Everett asked, in an angry tone of voice. “Do -you know that you have scared one of the colony women?” - -“Thou hast no concern in what my errand may be,” said the simple one, -gathering his rubber blanket around him and calmly seating himself upon -the nearest gravestone. “If Mother Kaufmann had been scared to death -there is none in Zanah who would have wept upon her bier.” - -“You had better go back to the village,” Everett advised, as he with -difficulty restrained a laugh. - -“Nay, it is thou who hast no occasion to linger near the cemetery,” the -simple one replied. “I have come to wait for Walda Kellar.” - -Another gust of wind, even stronger than the preceding one, carried -Everett’s hat away, and while he searched for it in the dark a tree was -uprooted. It fell with a crash that came from the direction of Marta -Bachmann’s grave, towards which Everett ran in a frenzy of fear lest -Walda had been injured. - -“Stephen, Stephen,” he heard her call. She took a few steps towards him, -and in a moment his arms were around her. - -“You are not hurt, are you?” he said, putting his right hand upon her -head, and drawing it close to him until it rested on his shoulder. He -felt her tremble, and he said: - -“You are quite safe now. I will take you home.” - -The simple one had come near. Without glancing towards Stephen and -Walda, he went to Marta Bachmann’s grave, and, climbing over the -branches of the fallen tree, began to search for something. Everett -gently put Walda away from him lest the simple one should notice them. -Then, taking her by the hand, he led her through the hedge and along the -road until they came to the open place by the lake. - -“Stephen, I have shown a grievous weakness and lack of faith,” said -Walda, catching her breath, and drawing her hand from his. “The -prophetess of Zanah should not know fear, and yet I felt a strength and -comfort in thine aid that my prayers have never given me.” - -Walda raised her face to him, and again he put his arms around her. - -“Walda, I mean to take care of you always,” he said. “I shall never let -you go. Cannot you understand that it is meant you should belong to me?” -He kissed her on the lips, and, abashed and trembling, she drew away -from him. - -“Stephen, thou dost betray my trust in thee. Why wouldst thou profane -the lips of a prophetess of Zanah?” she cried. She put her hands over -her heart, as if to still its wild beating, and her eyes were wide with -fear and astonishment. - -“Walda, I love you. I think I have loved you ever since the first day I -came to Zanah. I have kissed you because my heart claims you from all -the world. Life without you means nothing to me. Can’t you love me, -Walda?” - -“I know not what it means to love. I have been warned that it is selfish -and sinful for men and women to fix all their thoughts upon each other. -Oh, Stephen, what have I done that thou shouldst speak thus to me?” - -“You have made me centre all my hopes in you. You have won my reverence. -I know I am unworthy to touch your hand, but this love that has come to -me gives me a supreme courage. Walda, surely your heart answers mine. -Words are so clumsy that, now that my tongue should tell you how great -and holy a thing is the love of a man for a woman, I am but a poor -supplicant.” He took both her hands in his and drew her towards him. -Again he kissed her, and, instead of resenting the caress, she hid her -face upon his shoulder. He held her thus for a moment. He pushed back -the white cap and softly touched her hair. - -“Walda, do you know, I have often been afraid of the prophetess of -Zanah,” he said, in a low tone, “and if it were not for my great love I -would not have the courage to covet you for my wife. Love is stronger -than reason, and so I dare covet you for my own forever. You are mine, -for I could not love you so if you were not the woman destined to rule -my life. Cannot you find in your heart a little love for me?” - -“I know not what is in my heart,” she answered. “Thy kisses make me -ashamed, Stephen, and yet my heart is glad. This night my weakness hath -been revealed to me. Even now I cling to thee when I should bid thee go -away from me.” - -“You do love me, Walda. You must love me. It was fate that brought me to -Zanah to find you. I know that all my years I have been waiting for you. -You have been kept for me here in Zanah. Cannot you begin to comprehend -that love is the birthright of every man and woman? Zanah would have -cheated you, but now it cannot separate us.” - -“Thy words make me think of my duty, Stephen.” Walda’s voice trembled. -“Since thou hast kissed me, I am no longer fit to be the prophetess of -Zanah.” - -“You will be a wife instead of a prophetess, Walda. You can still be an -instrument of the Lord, for you will make the world outside better for -your presence.” - -She was very quiet for a moment. It was as if she had not heard him. - -“Is it love that maketh my heart beat? Is it love that casteth out fear -while thou hast thine arms around me?” she asked, presently. “What -meaning is there in a kiss that it should make me ashamed and yet happy, -Stephen? Verily, thy kisses are not like the kisses of good-fellowship -that the elders give one another at the _Untersuchung_; they are not -like the kisses the mothers have pressed upon my forehead.” - -“Of course they are not,” Everett said, and he laughed aloud in the joy -the knowledge of her love gave him. “Look up, Walda, and let me kiss you -again, and you will learn that the kiss of love is the token that -unlocks the hearts of men and women.” - -She looked into his eyes, and their lips met. - -“Thou speakest truly, Stephen,” Walda said. “Let us go back to the -village. I would think of thee and of love in solitude and with much -prayer. This hour hath robbed me of the mantle of the prophetess.” - -“But it has given you the highest heritage of life. It is better to be a -wife than a prophetess, Walda.” - - - - - XVII - - -Kneeling by the window in her bare little room, Walda tried to pray -after the manner of Zanah, yet no words of penitence came to the lips -that had been touched by a lover’s kiss. The soul that the good elders -had turned towards heaven as a mirror upon which the divine will might -be reflected held an earthly image. A human love was enshrined in the -heart that had been consecrated to God. As the girl prostrated herself, -the discipline of long years of religious training was forgotten. Her -Zanah life fell from her. New emotions swept over her, submerging her -old character and bringing strange, sweet hopes. The soul of the -priestess was consumed by the supreme passion of earth, and in its place -flamed the soul of a woman. - -One by one the lowly duties that had occupied her days came up before -her. She recalled the pious fervor that had made them pleasant. Looking -back to the time when Everett’s chance words in the sick-room had -tempted her to enjoy the beauties of sky and field, she realized how far -she had grown away from her former self since the almost imperceptible -beginning of the fuller life which she had unconsciously entered. -Kneeling there in the darkness, for the first time in all her life she -rebelled against the laws of Zanah. Her youth and womanhood demanded the -privilege of accepting human love. Everett’s influence was over her, and -she gave little thought to the future. It was enough to feel the -exaltation of love, to comprehend that she stood at the threshold of the -ultimate mystery of life. She looked out at the stars that shone above -the far horizon. She felt that she had ceased to belong to Zanah. It was -as if she had entered into a larger kinship with all nature. Love had -wrought the miracle that puts away all one’s years and leads the soul -into a new existence independent of the past, expectant of the future. - -Long after the village had gone to sleep Everett stayed out in the -starlight, thinking of the weeks he had spent in Zanah, and of the woman -who would henceforth claim his life’s allegiance. He dreamed of the -future that was his and Walda’s. He saw the girl’s stunted life -expanding under its new environments. His thoughts wandered over -imaginary years, and he beheld her clad in the ripened charm of -maturity. He saw the light of happiness in her eyes reflected in the -eyes of their children. Sometimes, perhaps, they would look back to -Zanah and thank God that among the middle-aged mothers with dwarfed -minds and cramped souls there was none that bore the name of Walda -Kellar. - -For Walda the next day dawned with mysterious splendor. Zanah had fallen -under a spell of enchantment, yet as the village awoke to life all its -influences once more stole over her. Looking out of her window, she -began to remember that she had been the prophetess of Zanah. She watched -the men and boys walk leisurely towards the factory. Ox-teams creaked up -the narrow street. The children solemnly wandered schoolward. She could -no longer put her father or Gerson Brandt from her thoughts. The -realization that she would give them pain burst upon her. - -She tried to think what Everett’s love meant to her, but she found it -impossible to get beyond the one idea that she was to be unfaithful to -the trust that the people of Zanah had put in her. She did not shrink -from facing the change in her position in the colony, but she could not -understand what her future would be. She recalled that Everett had taken -it for granted she would leave Zanah, but she knew she could not desert -her father, even though a greater love than that which she bore for him -might call her away. She was not sad, however, for underneath her new -anxieties there was the consciousness of the revelation of love, the -recognition of divinity that was so different from the one to which she -had looked forward since her childhood. It gradually came over her that -the inspiration she had felt came through a human medium, and not -directly from heaven. She fell upon her knees before the low table that -held her little German Bible. She tried to pray that she might know the -will of God, but she could not bring herself to plead that she would -have power to cast out from her heart the human love which had brought -to her life the holy exaltation she had hoped to obtain through rigid -conformity to the creed of Zanah. - -Walda went out of the house of the women and stood in the little street, -in which she felt suddenly that she was a stranger. She turned her steps -towards the hill, for she obeyed the impulse to go to her father. -Wilhelm Kellar was sitting in the window whence Walda had looked so many -times at the far-off bluffs. He was reading his Bible, and as Walda -entered the room he was mildly rebuking Piepmatz, who was singing the -doxology and the love-song, mingled in such a medley as was never before -heard from the throat of any bird. - -“Peace be with thee, daughter,” he said, taking off his horn spectacles -and stretching out his thin hand to her. - -Walda clasped his hands, and her eyes fell beneath his glance. “Thou art -feeling better, I hope?” she said, sinking upon a stool that was just -beneath Piepmatz’s cage. - -“The knowledge that the day of the _Untersuchung_ is so near giveth me -new life,” declared the old man. “To-day I am full of gratitude because -the Lord hath kept thee safe from the wiles of men. I have given thanks -unto the Lord that thou art to be the prophetess.” - -Walda’s face flushed and then became pale. Her heart beat so that she -could not answer. - -“Come near to me, Walda,” her father said. “I would tell thee that thou -hast crowned my life with happiness, that thou hast atoned for the sin -of the mother who bore thee.” - -Walda knelt before him and hid her face upon his knee. - -“Nay, nay, father,” she cried, “I am unworthy of thy trust. I am but a -weak woman such as thou sayest my mother was.” - -“It is right that thou shouldst feel humble, my daughter,” the old man -replied, putting both hands upon her head. “But thou hast not sinned in -deceiving those that trust thee. Thou hast not known the temptations of -a human love.” - -“Father, father!” Walda raised her head and looked up with tearful eyes. - -A knock sounded on the door, and Hans Peter, still tapping on the -door-jamb with one of his gourds, crossed the threshold. - -“The elders have sent me to tell thee they would consult with thee. They -bade me make ready the ink-horn and the papers, as they have business of -much importance,” he announced. - -Walda went away from her father’s room with her confession still -unspoken. She lingered for a moment on the school-house porch, for she -felt uncertain what to do with her day. For the first time in all her -Zanah life she had no inviting task before her. She was already removed -from the calm routine of duty. Ordinarily she would have gone to study -the heavy books kept in the elders’ room which occupied a little wing of -the meeting-house, but as she looked at the door, which stood invitingly -open, she felt that she would no longer need to be familiar with the -annals of former prophetesses and the discourses of the elders long -since sanctified by good works. She had a sense of being outside the -colony. A pang of homesickness made her sink upon the bench and look out -upon the quiet valley. - -The years had slipped by so noiselessly that she had come into womanhood -without realizing the changes wrought by time. When she was a child, the -colonists had labored in simple harmony and humble faith, content to -work for the common welfare. Each season their harvests had been more -abundant, their vineyards more fruitful, their lands more extensive. In -the midst of this well-preserved plenty she had been happy, although she -had often vexed the “mothers” by her sudden impulses and hasty actions. -Beneath the kerchief crossed upon her breast now an eager, restless -heart beat, and she comprehended that all the teachings of the good -elders had not altered her intense nature. It seemed to her that Zanah -had been metamorphosed since the coming of the early summer-time when -she had looked forward to the autumn with a large hope for the final -step towards her complete consecration to the service of God and the -colony. She felt that, somehow, mysterious influences were at work. -There was a general discontent. It had been a bad year for both the -mills and the harvest fields, and she had represented hope and wisdom to -the colonists. Tears came to her eyes when she thought that she had -betrayed the trust of Zanah, and yet underneath her remorse was the -consciousness that she was being led by the divine power in which she -had trusted. Love flamed beneath every shifting emotion. - -Through her tears Walda gazed down at the quaint village. The low-roofed -stone houses were almost hidden beneath the vines and shrubbery that -were turning to gorgeous color with the magic touch of the first frosts -which had come early. Beyond the village the little valley melted into -the plain, which rolled away to the far-off bluffs. The fields were -brown and gold, as the gleaners had left them after the harvests, except -here and there where the rich, black earth had been turned up by the -plough. Cattle grazed beside the placid river that flowed almost -imperceptibly onward to the Mississippi. The sunlight, mellowed by the -autumn haze, glorified even the commonest every-day things. The scene -had the beauty that gave it unreality. As her eyes rested upon the -familiar landscape Walda felt a vague fear that it might vanish, since -she had forfeited her right to remain in it as one of the faithful -colonists. While she was looking down the wavering street she saw Gerson -Brandt slowly climbing the hill. He had taken off the broad-rimmed hat -that distinguished him from the other men of Zanah, and Walda noticed -with a pang that his face had the stamp of pain upon it. He paused -half-way up the hill to look back upon the village, and the girl, whose -perceptions had been quickened with her recognition of an earthly love, -noticed that the school-master’s tall form was more stooped than usual. -When he resumed his walk towards the school-house Gerson Brandt caught -sight of Walda, and his face took on an expression of gladness. - -“Providence is kind to give me yet another chance to speak with thee -before the _Untersuchung_,” he said, pausing before her. He saw that -there were tears in her eyes, which refused to meet his glance. “Thou -hast no sorrow? Surely, I know that nothing can disturb thee, now that -thou art so near to thy Father in heaven. Yet why dost thou weep?” - -He pushed the long hair back from his forehead with a trembling hand -while he waited for her reply, but she remained silent, with only her -profile turned to him. The white kerchief on her breast moved with her -quick breathing. - -“Canst thou not answer me, Walda?” he asked, in the tender tone that she -remembered from her childhood. - -Walda rested her elbows on the back of the porch seat, and, with her -chin in her hands, shook her white-capped head. The tears began to fall -so rapidly that she dared not try to speak. Gerson Brandt sank upon the -seat opposite her. - -“It would be foolish for me to offer thee solace for thine aching heart, -for I know that thou, who art the prophetess of Zanah, no longer cravest -human sympathy. Forgive me for forgetting that thou art no longer the -colony maiden over whom I have felt a care all these years. Yet thy -tears are no more sacred to me now than they were in thine earliest -childhood, Walda. Thy griefs were always felt by me.” Gerson Brandt -leaned forward as if he would read what was in Walda’s heart, and he -paled with a formless fear. - -“Thy tears distress me,” he said, presently, “and yet I know that it is -but natural thou shouldst feel awe-stricken and oppressed with a weight -of responsibility, now that thou art so near to thy consecration.” - -“Speak not so. Thy words smite me,” exclaimed Walda, turning towards him -and blushing scarlet as she met his eyes. “I am not worthy to be the -prophetess. I—I—I am sorely troubled.” She put her face upon her arms -and sobbed. - -“To them whom the Lord maketh most strong He revealeth weakness,” the -school-master replied. - -“I shall need much strength,” said Walda, controlling herself with an -effort. - -“Yea, that is true,” agreed Gerson Brandt. “My prayers will help to -support thee, for thou art always in my mind. Much have I rejoiced to -know that thou hast escaped all danger from earthly love. Ah, now that -thou hast safely passed thy period of probation nothing can befall -thee.” - -“Gerson Brandt, tell me what would have happened if I had found an -earthly love?” asked Walda, turning to him with an intensity of interest -that was but lightly disguised. - -“Why wouldst thou waste time talking of such an unprofitable subject now -at this holy season? It is a sacrilege to link the name of the -prophetess of Zanah with an earthly love.” - -The school-master was looking far away as he answered, and he did not -see that his words caused the girl to clasp her hands tightly and to -bite her full, red lips. - -“Tell me, is human love such a wicked thing, after all? Thou didst once -speak to me as if thou hadst known it, and thou canst tell me whether it -hath in it something of the divine quality. If I had loved, wouldst thou -have condemned me as severely as would those of the colonists who live -like the cattle on the fields, feeling none of the mystery and the glory -of life?” - -“If thou hadst loved any man I should have sorrowed more than all the -colony, for I have longed to see thee spared the pangs and pains that -love brings.” - -“Doth love never bring happiness?” - -“The woman who loveth must suffer much,” declared Gerson Brandt. - -“But women are glad to suffer for love.” - -In Walda’s eyes shone the light of a new-born courage, and Gerson -Brandt, catching some of the spirit that had taken possession of her, -answered: - -“Walda, it passeth understanding that thou shouldst speak thus of love -now, when thou hast gone forever beyond the reach of temptation. Thy -mood doth confound me.” - -He went near to her, and, standing before her, studied her face. - -“In thine eyes I behold a mystery,” he said, presently, with a tremor in -his voice. “Thou hast lost the essence of childhood that lingered with -thee until—was it yesterday or to-day that thou didst lose it?” - -“The world hath been different to me since the sun set yesterday.” Walda -spoke the words softly, and Gerson Brandt beheld in her face a radiance -which made him ashamed of the vague suspicions that had sent a chill to -his heart. - -“Verily, the spirit of prophecy hath descended upon thee. Thou hast come -into the full possession of the divine gift.” He drew away from her, and -looked at her in awe. - -“Nay, nay,” Walda faltered; “thou art deceived.” - -Her gaze wandered past him as she spoke, and she saw, ascending the -hill, six of the village mothers. Gerson Brandt, following her glance, -said: “This is the day when thy vigil beginneth. The watchers are coming -for thee.” - -Walda’s face paled. - -“I had forgotten that the time had come,” she exclaimed. “I am not ready -for it. I am unworthy.” - -“It is the hour of our last talk together,” Gerson Brandt announced, in -a solemn tone. “Thy misgivings are only human.” He raised his hands -above her bowed head and gave her his blessing. He could not trust -himself to look at her again. Passing by her he entered the -school-house, closing the door tightly behind him, lest he might be -tempted to look back. - -Walda submissively followed the women, who led the way to the little -room that opened out of the bare auditorium of the meeting-house. It was -here that she had spent many hours of study among the elders’ books, but -its appearance was slightly changed. In one corner stood a cot covered -with white blankets of the finest weave that came from the looms of -Zanah. In the centre was a reading-desk, upon which a large Bible lay -open. Six chairs were ranged along the wall just outside the door that -led into the interior of the meeting-house. - -“Thou wilt find nothing to distract thy thoughts here,” said Mother -Kaufmann, glancing into the room. - -“We will take good care that thou art not disturbed,” asserted Mother -Schneider. - -Walda gave no sign that she heard. Crossing the threshold she closed the -door, shutting out the six women. She threw herself upon the bed, and -gave way to a paroxysm of weeping. The realization that she had missed -her opportunity to confess her love for Everett at first frightened her, -for she knew it was now too late to speak before going to the -_Untersuchung_. Zanah guarded a prophetess so carefully that when once -the door of the sanctuary in which Marta Bachmann had fasted and prayed -closed upon one supposed to be inspired, no word could be spoken. She -lay awake far into the night. When the day had faded, a single candle -had been put upon her reading-desk by Mother Kaufmann, who scanned her -face with the inquisitive look of a mischief-maker. Walda, sitting with -folded hands, had appeared oblivious of the woman’s presence. She had -heard the evening prayers of the colony gathered in the meeting-house. -She felt a dull pain when she recalled her father’s face. Underneath -every emotion that she experienced in the dreary watches of the night -she was always conscious of the memory of Everett’s voice as he pleaded -for her love. At first she had a faint hope that he might speak to her -through the window, or that, in some way, he would send her a token of -encouragement, but nothing disturbed the oppressive quiet of the laggard -hours. - -Walda was wakened early in the morning, after a brief and troubled -sleep, by the whispers of the women outside her door. She knew that the -watch was being changed, and that soon she would be expected to be -kneeling at her prayers. Rising from the cot she looked out of the one -window—it overlooked the school-house garden, and she saw Gerson Brandt -walking back and forth amid the tangled nasturtiums and late asters. As -he moved to and fro he never once turned his eyes towards the -meeting-house. With difficulty Walda repressed an impulse to call him to -her. Through all her childhood and girlhood he had bent a ready ear when -she told him her troubles, and now it seemed an easy matter to confide -in him. While she was still at the window, Gerson Brandt went up the -worn steps that led to the school-room. - -A long, dull day followed for Walda. Her pride enabled her to preserve -an outward calm when, on various pretexts, the women opened the door to -look in upon her. She tried to think what she ought to do. So great is -the power of love that it did not occur to her she might try to put out -of her heart the sacred emotion she had mistaken for religious -inspiration. She accepted it as the divine gift for which she had been -waiting. Although she knew that it was likely her father would forbid -her marriage to Everett, she told herself no one in Zanah could take -away from her the glory of an earthly love. Towards the end of the day -she fell again into the old habit of praying much. Kneeling at the -reading-desk, with her head upon the big Bible, she asked that she might -be given strength to do her duty to her father, and to submit to the -will of Zanah. - -For the second time the evening hymns were chanted outside the door. -Walda listened quite calmly, and, long after she knew the meeting-house -was emptied of all except the six watchers, she sat in the fading light -of the evening looking out into the schoolyard, and thinking serenely of -the life she was putting behind her. Presently her thoughts were -disturbed by a man’s voice. With a heart-flutter she recognized -Everett’s low, clear tones. She heard him command one of the women to -open the door. Rising to her feet, she listened breathlessly to the -protracted parley that followed. Without warning, a light knock sounded -on the door. - -“Let me in, Walda,” said Everett. - -Before she could go to the door, he had lifted the latch and had -entered, followed by the six women, all of whom spoke words of angry -protest. - -“So this is where they have hidden you, Walda?” he said, paying no -attention to the colony mothers. “I have searched for you all day, for I -have much that I wish to say to you.” - -His manner was quiet and determined. “I wish to be left alone with Walda -Kellar,” he said, turning to the watchers. “I have a message of much -importance to give to her.” - -“How darest thou break in upon the vigil of a prophetess of Zanah!” -shrieked Mother Kaufmann. “Dost thou not know that the instrument of the -Lord is not permitted to speak until the last hour of her probation hath -expired?” - -“Ja, ja, Mother Kaufmann is right. We will send for the elders if thou -dost not leave here this minute,” chorused the women. - -Everett coolly surveyed the group. Putting out his hand he grasped -Walda’s arm, and quickly drew her into the meeting-house assembly-room. -With a quick motion he slammed the door and turned the key, imprisoning -the six women, who immediately began to call for help. Reopening the -door for a little space he ordered them to keep silence, accompanying -his admonition with the remark that if they summoned a crowd they would -prove they were not fit to watch the prophetess. For the second time he -turned the big key. Walda had watched the proceeding with astonishment. -Her face was white and scared when he put his arms around her and drew -her to him. - -“There, do not be frightened,” he said, soothingly, as he kissed her on -the forehead. “I have come to take you away.” - -“Ah, Stephen; now, indeed, do I know that I was never fitted to be a -prophetess,” said Walda, looking up into his face. “My heart hath -thirsted for thee. With thine arms around me I feel as if I had found a -safe refuge from all my troubles. When thou didst kiss me I forgot for a -moment that I had been untrue to the people who trusted me.” - -“I mean never to let you go away from me again,” he said. “But come; we -are wasting time. Let us go now to your father and tell him that you are -to belong to me, and not to Zanah.” - -Walda drew away from him. “Nay, Stephen,” she said. “In the nights and -day that I have been alone there in that room, it hath been made plain -to me that I must tell all the people how I have betrayed their faith in -me.” - -“You owe the people nothing,” said Everett, with a trace of impatience -in his voice. “Come; there is no time to be lost. I mean to take you -away from Zanah this very night. Your father and Gerson Brandt can -explain to the colony why you are not to be their prophetess.” - -Walda shook her head. “Wouldst thou have me show a craven spirit?” she -inquired. “Dost thou think I could go away to be happy with thee and -forget my father, even if I could be unmindful of what I owe the men and -women of Zanah?” - -“Do you not think you owe me any duty?” Stephen asked. “Do not let us -stand here discussing what is right and wrong. It is right that you -should be my wife. You have been the victim of the bigotry and -superstition of a clannish, religious sect. Love has made you free. -Doesn’t your heart tell you to answer the call from my heart?” He -stretched out his arms to her, but she stepped beyond his reach. - -“Stephen, I have prayed constantly that wisdom might be given me, and my -way hath been made plain before me,” she answered, firmly. “I must go -before the _Untersuchung_, and, for my father’s sake, I must accept -whatever penalty is meted out to me.” - -“Do you mean that you would submit to any decree of the colony of Zanah? -That signifies that you do not love me, after all. It means that you are -lost to me forever.” - -The strong man’s voice trembled as he spoke. A wave of passion and -longing swept over him. He drew her to him and held her close, pillowing -her head upon his breast, and whispering to her that she was his; it was -not in her power to make the choice since love gave him the right to -her. - -“Thou dost affright me. There is something in thy love that terrifies -me,” she said, trying to make him free her. - -“I shall not let you go until you have promised that you will marry me,” -he said. - -“I cannot promise that, Stephen,” she said, so faintly that he scarcely -heard her. “Thou knowest I cannot leave my father, and surely thou -wouldst not be content to stay here in Zanah.” - -“I could live here or anywhere else with you. Promise.” - -“Nay, nay, I cannot,” she repeated. - -“Will you pledge yourself to marry me when your conscience tells you -that you are free?” - -“It is in my heart to promise that to thee, Stephen, but during my vigil -I have come to know that if thou shouldst live away from me out in the -world thou mightst no longer love me. Nay, I will not bind thee. The -only pledge I give thee is the pledge that I will love thee all my -life.” - -A furious knocking on the door made them remember the imprisoned -watchers. - -“If you refuse to go with me now what do you wish to do?” Stephen asked, -coming back to the subject of his original errand. - -“I want to wait until the _Untersuchung_, and I want thee to be patient -until thou hearest what the elders say. I shall pray that I may be given -to thee.” - -“There is no danger of your repenting of love, is there, Walda?” - -She smiled confidently and answered: “Thy love will dwell in my heart -forever.” - -He kissed her farewell, holding both her hands in his. - -“I wish I could spare you the ordeal of the _Untersuchung_,” he -exclaimed. “Why need we care for all the world?” - -“Hush!” she said. “We care not for Zanah or the whole world, but if we -would keep our love holy, we must be true, Stephen, to all our duties.” - -After he had kissed her for the last time, she stood before the elders’ -platform and looked up at the chair of the prophetess. Everett unlocked -the door. - -“I appreciate the opportunity you have given me of speaking to Walda -Kellar,” he said, with a suavity and courtesy to which the women of the -colony were so unaccustomed they did not know what it meant. They stood -scowling at him until Mother Kaufmann replied: - -“Thou wilt be ordered out of the colony for this day’s work.” - -“If you are wise—and I am sure you are, or you would not have been -chosen to attend the prophetess of Zanah—you will not make any -complaints.” He bowed deferentially to all of them, and passing Walda, -before whom he stopped to whisper “Farewell, until the _Untersuchung_,” -he went out of the meeting-house. - -“It must have been a message of much import that brought the stranger -here,” sneered Mother Kaufmann, as she seated herself on the nearest -chair. - -“He hath small respect for the laws of Zanah,” declared a second -watcher. - -Without uttering a word, Walda returned to her place of temporary -imprisonment. Kneeling before her reading-desk, she prayed that she -might be given strength and courage to accept whatever penalty the -elders might allot to her. - - - - - XVIII - - -The day of the _Untersuchung_ came at last. A brilliant sun shone upon -Zanah. An early frost had turned the maples yellow and had touched the -oaks with crimson. In the vineyards the last purple grapes hung in the -shrivelled foliage. Along the winding road the golden-rod was blossoming -in the tall, feathery grasses. A hush fell upon the quiet valley in the -morning. The brown fields on lowland and hill-side were deserted. At the -edge of the village the mill-wheels had ceased their busy whir. - -Everett had walked out under the autumn sky nearly all night. In the -days that had passed since his interview with Walda at the meeting-house -all the villagers had avoided him. Even the school-master had passed him -by with scarcely a nod of recognition. Time had dragged. Of all the -people of Zanah, Hans Peter alone remained on friendly terms with him. - -At dawn Everett arose from a brief sleep, and dressed himself with -unusual care. The thought came to him that before sundown he might be -robbed of Walda. All his strength left him. He dropped upon a chair near -the window. Love had become life to him. Sitting with his elbows on his -knees he looked out upon Zanah. Walda represented hope, worship, -aspiration. The touch of her lips had awakened all that was good in him. -He, who had rarely prayed, petitioned, in an agony of longing, that he -might be given the woman of Zanah. - -Some one knocked. Everett jumped to his feet to open the door. Hans -Peter, freshly scoured with soap until his round face shone, stood in -the hall, twirling a cap that had been recently mended. - -“The elders have sent me to tell thee that thou art to remain away from -the timber-land where the _Untersuchung_ is to be held,” announced the -simple one. - -“And why is my absence desirable?” Everett asked. - -“Question not the village fool,” Hans Peter replied. “He knoweth not -what the great men of Zanah think inside their wise heads.” - -“What do you think inside your foolish head?” Everett laughed, as if he -made light of the order. - -Hans Peter looked down at a pair of copper-toed shoes, which were to him -the insignia of an unusual occasion. - -“It seemeth to the simple one of Zanah that it is wise for the stranger -to be far away when the prophetess doth pledge herself to love only God -and the angels.” - -“I intend to go to the _Untersuchung_, Hans Peter, and I want you to -find a good place from which I can look on during the hours when the -people give their testimonies concerning the state of their souls.” - -“Thou canst not sit among the colonists,” said Hans Peter. “The men and -women of Zanah have turned against thee. They will not permit thee to -mingle with them on the most solemn day of all the year.” - -“Whether or not they permit me, I shall go to the _Untersuchung_,” -Everett replied. “Would it not be safe for me to wait behind the line of -poplars not far off from the platform upon which the elders will sit?” - -“If thou shouldst go out there early, and stay where the wild hop-vine -might hide thee, there is a chance no one would behold thee,” admitted -the simple one. - -“When does the prophetess go before the elders?” Everett inquired. “I -know nothing of to-day’s arrangements, because here at the inn no one -will give me any information. You are my only friend, Hans Peter. I -expect you to tell me all you know.” - -“Thou forgettest that the fool hath no memory.” - -“Where are your gourds? Is there not one that will help me to find out -when to hide among the poplars?” - -Hans Peter twirled his cap. - -“Thou wert merciful to me when I was in the stocks,” he said, slowly. -“The fool’s memory hath still a knowledge of that day. The fool doth -know that, last of all Zanah, Walda Kellar will appear before the -elders.” - -“That means I need not go to the _Untersuchung_ until this afternoon?” -queried Everett. - -“Yea, thou shouldst wait until late in the day.” Hans Peter turned as if -to run away, but Everett caught him by the sleeve of his gingham shirt. - -“Have you been to the meeting-house to-day?” Everett asked, looking at -the simple one with such entreaty in his eyes that Hans Peter answered: - -“Yea, I have but just come from the place where the prophetess of Zanah -hath been keeping her vigil.” - -“You went there on an errand, I suppose?” - -“I carried orders from the elders.” At this point Hans Peter closed his -mouth very tightly and stared stupidly. Everett saw that further -questioning would be of no avail. - -As soon as he had had breakfast Everett walked out to the timber-land -where the _Untersuchung_ was to be held. The elders had chosen a strip -of woods near the lake as a place for the ceremonies of the inquisition. -The road leading to it was that over which Everett had walked with Walda -the first day she visited the cemetery to pray at the grave of Marta -Bachmann. About two hundred yards from the shore of the lake a large -clearing had been made. A rude platform for the elders had been built -between the lake shore and rough benches, which had been arranged in -orderly rows beneath the intertwining trees. Everett saw that the line -of poplars was beyond the place where the path led into the out-door -chapel. Hidden there he could easily escape detection, and he would be -near enough to hear most of what was said from the platform. He walked -to the farther shore of the little lake, and lay down upon the ground to -wait as patiently as he could for the laggard hours to pass. The quiet -beauty of the day appealed to him, and, thinking of Walda, he was -finally lulled to sleep. It was mid-day when he awoke. He sauntered back -to the scene of the _Untersuchung_. He made a seat for himself at the -foot of one of the poplars where the vines were thick. Through the -screen of leaves he saw the people slowly gathering. The women occupied -the benches nearest him. - -By two o’clock all the colonists had assembled. The thirteen elders -formed a solemn row, Adolph Schneider holding the middle place, with -Wilhelm Kellar at one end of the platform and Gerson Brandt at the -other. After a droning hymn and a tedious prayer, those who were -candidates for preferment in the colony went before the elders. The men -first were catechised by Adolph Schneider, who did not rise from his -chair. Everett was astonished to see how few signified ambition for -colony honors. When the women’s turn came the applicants greatly -outnumbered the men. In both cases those who pleaded for advancement -boasted of spiritual conflicts and victories. Their sing-song voices -maddened the impatient lover. At last, when he had begun to fear that -Walda would not be summoned until the next day, Everett noticed that the -people, who had sat stolid and unmoved through the hours of dreary -recitative, stirred with something like interest. Everett pulled himself -to his feet, and, looking down the road, saw a sight that made his heart -beat. - -Two by two, a long line of girls approached slowly. All wore the blue -gowns of the colony, but white caps and white kerchiefs were substituted -for those of every-day use. Each carried in her hand a large hymnbook. -When the procession turned into the path of the woodland chapel Everett -caught sight of Walda, walking last of all. As they marched slowly -onward, the girls chanted a hymn. Walda carried her head in the old, -proud way, and her manner reassured the watcher who loved her. She was -clothed in a trailing gown, fashioned of the white flannel from the -colony mills. The clinging folds brought out the noble lines of her -figure. The kerchief crossed upon her bosom was of some thin material of -the same tint as the flannel. The cap, pushed back from her brow, -revealed the waves of her fair hair, which was confined in two long -braids. Her face was pale; her lips were firmly set; her eyes shone with -the light of peace and courage. The little procession passed quite near -Everett, but, although his heart called to her, and his eyes followed -her, she appeared unconscious of his presence. He noticed that her hands -hung at her sides, and he read a meaning in the fact that she no longer -crossed them upon her breast in the old fashion, signifying that she -would keep out the world and all its emotions. - -When the procession appeared before the colonists all the people knelt -in their places, none daring to lift curious eyes to her whom they -hailed as the instrument of the Lord. The procession moved back of the -assembly, crossing to the farther side of the clearing, and then -advancing to the front of the platform. Here Walda took the central -position, the girls separating to stand on either side of her. The -chanting ceased, and Walda bowed her head in prayer. - -All the elders rose to receive the prophetess of Zanah. Wilhelm Kellar, -still weak from his illness, leaned upon his cane and murmured a -thanksgiving to the Lord. Gerson Brandt, at the other end of the -platform, looked at Walda, and then turned his eyes away, as if the day -and hour held something that brought a severe test to the spirit long -disciplined to self-control. - -“Stand not before me, O ye elders,” Walda said, in a clear, steady -voice, lifting up one hand to claim attention. “Bow not, O ye people of -Zanah, for I am unworthy to be your prophetess.” - -“Speak not such words of humility,” said Adolph Schneider. “We know that -the inspiration hath come to thee. Thou hast already shown to us that -thou hast received the gift of tongues. To-day thou shalt be anointed -prophetess of Zanah.” - -“Amen!” shouted one of the elders, and the word was repeated in a chorus -by the men. - -Walda’s face became as white as marble. She stood immovable, with one -hand pressed against her breast as if she would stop the beating of her -heart. She would have spoken, but the Herr Doktor turned to command that -the chair of the prophetess be lifted to the centre of the platform. The -elders moved to give it space, and, when it had been put in position, -Adolph Schneider said: - -“Come hither to thy rightful place among the elders.” - -“My place is among the lowliest of the colonists,” said Walda. “Let me -stand here while I speak to the people of Zanah.” - -The elders shook their heads, and the people murmured that they could -not hear. Walda walked to the end of the platform where the steps -ascended. She moved slowly, pausing for a moment as she passed Gerson -Brandt. She crossed the platform with head bowed, but when she faced the -multitude there shone in her eyes a strange radiance that filled the -colonists with awe. - -“To all you of Zanah I have a last message,” she said, turning first to -the elders and then to the people. “From the years of my childhood ye -have led me in the ways of the Lord. Ye have looked upon me as the -instrument chosen to reveal the divine will of Zanah. I have prayed -through the months and years for the day of inspiration. It was not -until this summer that mine eyes were opened to the glory of God. In my -heart suddenly gushed a well-spring of happiness. I read meanings in the -stars, and the smallest things of earth spake to me. It was as if I -walked very near to God.” - -Walda, pausing, swept the assembly with her eyes. In the exaltation of -her mood she had become clothed in a majesty that overawed the people. -Some of the women fell to their knees, weeping. - -“Behold the prophetess! Behold the prophetess! Blessed be her name!” -shouted one of the elders. - -Walda continued, unheeding: - -“In my heart I felt a gratitude, for I believed that at last the divine -revelation had come to me. I thought that the love in my heart, which -made all that pertaineth to life sacred, belonged to heaven alone. I -thanked God that the baptism of the Holy Spirit had been given me.” - -Cries of joy ascended from the throng. - -“In the first days of the inspiration that had come to me I was -impatient for this time, when I could dedicate my whole life to the -service of Zanah. It seemed easy to live always near to God. Voices -spake to me. I believed that I was, indeed, the prophetess of Zanah—the -prophetess who could live untouched by human emotions. But one day there -was given to me a clearer vision. Just before the beginning of my vigil -it was shown to me that mine was not the rapture of the saints”—Walda -paused and caught her breath—“I came into the knowledge that my -inspiration had its origin in human love.” - -She pronounced the last words distinctly, with her eyes uplifted. Gerson -Brandt uttered her name in an agonized groan. Wilhelm Kellar strove to -speak, but his voice died in his throat. - -“What sayest thou, Walda Kellar?” demanded Adolph Schneider, rising from -his chair. The colonists listened stolidly, as if they did not -comprehend the meaning of Walda’s speech. - -“Nay, surely thou hast not been touched by an earthly love?” said Gerson -Brandt, in a tone which told that despair was clutching at his heart. -“Thy words are vague.” - -Walda saw the horror in her father’s face. She looked away from him and -the school-master, waiting a moment that she might choose her words so -that they would not give unnecessary pain. - -“We believe thou hast not looked with favor on any man,” Adolph -Schneider said, encouragingly, and then he added, as if to convey a -covert warning to the people of Zanah: “Yet thou art a woman, and all -that are made in the image of Eve are easy to be persuaded by the voice -of Satan, speaking through man.” - -“A love that is of heaven, and yet of earth, hath taken possession of my -heart,” declared Walda, fixing her eyes upon the people. “It came to me -like a great light shining through the gates of heaven. I did not know -the glory that enfolded me was what ye of Zanah call an earthly love, -for, truly, even now it seemeth to have in it more of heaven than of -that which pertaineth to earth. I did not fight against this love which -hath been revealed to me, for I did not know it was human love which -made me feel a kinship with God. Here, in Zanah, ye have taught me that -the love of men and women is a sinful thing, and there came to me no -prick of the conscience—no warning that I was transgressing the law of -God.” - -She was transfigured with the mystery and beauty of her new heritage of -love, and the people listened in awe. When she had stopped speaking, she -turned to her father with a look of such pleading and entreaty that the -old man, who had heard as one that dreams, moved his lips in an effort -to speak. Presently there arose a murmur from the people. The Herr -Doktor commanded that all should hold their peace. - -“What man in Zanah hath stolen thy thoughts from God?” the Herr Doktor -asked, in a stern voice. - -“I love Stephen Everett, the stranger who belongeth not to Zanah,” Walda -answered, in unfaltering tones. - -A wail arose from the people. It grew into a mighty sound that was like -the autumn winds rushing through the tall trees on the slopes of the -bluffs. - -“The tempter hath come to Walda Kellar even as he came to Marta -Bachmann, but repentance is possible for her who hath been chosen to be -the instrument of the Lord,” declared Adolph Schneider. “Daughter of -Zanah, pluck this love from thine heart.” - -“I have proclaimed to you that this love seemeth a holy thing sent from -heaven. It is fixed in my heart forever.” - -Walda was again the prophetess. She spoke slowly, and it was as if she -were but repeating the promptings of some inner voice. - -“Walda, I command thee, let the fountains of thy tears wash away this -earthly love!” Wilhelm Kellar cried, rising from his chair and lifting -his arms as if he were beseeching the intervention of Heaven. - -“Nay, I cannot repent. There is that which tells me this is the love -that is stronger than death,” Walda said, softly. “Father, I crave thy -forgiveness, and the forgiveness of all that belong to Zanah.” - -She went to him and knelt humbly before him. Gerson Brandt stood with -arms folded across his breast and head bowed over them. Karl Weisel -gathered some of the other elders close to him and talked to them in -whispers. The people looked on breathlessly. Suddenly, from her place -among the women, arose Mother Kaufmann. - -“Behold the unfaithful one asking for forgiveness,” she cried, in rage. -“Through her vanity and her weakness the divine messages that were to -direct Zanah how to prosper are withheld from the colony. Our crops may -fail and we may starve, but she careth for naught if she may love a man. -She hath chosen a stranger sent by Satan from the outside world to -confound us.” - -Cries of derision and reproach were heard among the women. At first they -were but low mutterings. Then an old hag jumped upon a bench and -shouted: - -“Send her back to the room where the watchers can guard her. Cast the -stranger out of Zanah.” - -“Yea, yea, cast out Satan’s messenger,” shouted the women. The men took -up the cry, and in a moment the orderly crowd of religionists became a -mob of fanatics which pressed towards the platform. - -“Repent, repent!” shouted the people. “Remember thy duty!” “Put aside -thy sinful love!” “Ask the Lord to forgive thee for thy transgression!” - -Walda faced the angry mob fearlessly. Her personality still impressed -the people, so that none dare lay hands upon her. - -“Let the curse of Heaven descend upon the head of the stranger in -Zanah!” Mother Kaufmann shrieked. - -“Curse him! Curse him!” called out the men, repeating the woman’s -imprecation. - -In an instant Walda compelled silence. She raised her arms in a warning -gesture, and shamed the people by the contempt she showed for their -weakness as she looked down upon them. - -“How are ye fitted to judge the stranger in Zanah?” she asked, in a -scornful tone. “Have ye the Christian charity the Bible enjoins you to -cherish in your hearts? If there is any one to be blamed for the loss of -your prophetess it is I, Walda Kellar, that should bear it all. But -again I tell you there is naught concerning love of which I would -repent.” - -“She would defy Heaven!” shouted Mother Kaufmann. “Let the elders take -her away that the sight of her shall not breed sinful thoughts of love -in the hearts of the maidens of Zanah.” - -“Yea, lock her up until she cometh to her right mind,” said the old hag, -waving her hands to invite the elders’ attention. - -The uproar became deafening. Gerson Brandt stepped forward where he -could stand between Walda and the mob. Through all the commotion -Everett, with difficulty, had restrained himself from rushing out to -protect Walda from the maddened colonists, but he realized that his -appearance would but fan the flame of wrath and increase the confusion. - -In the centre of the women’s division of the out-door chapel Mother -Schneider and her daughter Gretchen had been sitting. Both had taken -little part in the demonstration against the fallen prophetess. When -Gerson Brandt was seen to move forward on the platform Mother Schneider -said to the women near her: - -“It is a sorry day when the women of Zanah are permitted to hear a -maiden boast of a love that knoweth no bounds. It is an indecent -confession that Walda Kellar maketh. Truly, she belongeth to the class -of women that should be stoned.” - -“It is such as she that cast wicked spells upon men. Behold, the elders -fear to discipline her,” answered a mother, who that day had been -promoted to the highest grade of the colony because she testified that -she had found earthly love an unholy thing. - -“She should be stoned! She should be stoned!” repeated the women; and -the words passed from mouth to mouth until they reached a boy who -loitered on the edge of the crowd. The boy picked up a flat stone, and, -aiming it at Walda, threw it with all the force at his command. It -sailed above the heads of the people. Gerson Brandt, with a quick -movement, pulled Walda aside. The stone struck him on the forehead, -making a deep gash, from which the blood coursed down his cheek. Walda, -with a woman’s quick instinct of ministration, undid the kerchief around -her neck, and gave it to Gerson Brandt. - -“Stanch the blood with this,” she said, and when he made no effort to -take it, she pressed it against his cheek. - -Everett threw every consideration of prudence to the winds when he saw -the stone hurled towards Walda. He pushed his way to the platform, but -he had to fight his path through the crowd, which had been dazed at the -sight of the blood on the school-master’s face. The men frowned at him -sullenly, and some muttered low imprecations. Everett climbed to a place -near Walda. When the people of Zanah saw him they shouted in angry -protest. One burly man sought to lay hold of him, but he shook off the -colonist and would have gone closer to Walda, but Gerson Brandt put out -a restraining hand. - -“Profane not this place with thy presence,” said the school-master, -stepping between Everett and Walda. “Thou art a traitor. Thou hast -betrayed the trust we put in thee. The brother of Zanah doeth well to -hold thee back.” - -All the pent-up emotion of the hour suddenly burst out as Gerson Brandt -spoke. His gaunt form trembled with the strength of his passion. - -“It is this man who should bear all the curses of Zanah,” he continued, -turning to address the people. “We took him into close communion with -us, and he hath repaid our faith in him by seeking to ensnare the love -of our prophetess. He pledged me his honor, and he cared naught for his -word given with the seal of a hand-clasp. He is a Judas who hath worked -secretly for the undoing of Zanah—a Judas who hath cared for neither -honor nor truth, so that he might win the woman whom he coveted. He -deserveth not mercy. Let us cast him out of Zanah, and when he hath gone -back to the wicked world to which he belongeth, the soul of Walda Kellar -can be cleansed of the stain of an earthly love. Much prayer and fasting -will restore her to fellowship with God.” - -Everett moved close to Walda, and, laying his hand upon her arm, would -have drawn her away from the infuriated mob. When he touched her, the -sight of what seemed an assertion of his claim enraged Gerson Brandt. -The school-master was imbued with the strength of a giant. He thrust -Everett away with a mighty stroke of his arm. - -“Seize this man!” he commanded. “Bind him, and put him out of the sight -of the people!” - -Four or five colonists sprang forward to obey Gerson Brandt’s orders, -but Everett threw them off as lightly as if they were children. - -“You have no right to touch me,” he said, towering above even the -tallest. “I have broken no law, and I can hold you responsible if you -deprive me of my liberty.” - -The elders had gathered about Gerson Brandt and Walda. Wilhelm Kellar -tottered to his daughter’s side, and implored her to surrender her will -to the will of Zanah. - -“Shame on you! Shame on you, men of Zanah!” cried Mother Kaufmann, who -had climbed to the top of a high tree-stump. “Will ye let one man make -cowards of you? Do the bidding of Gerson Brandt.” - -Some of the women hissed, and a score of the mill-hands fought their way -to the platform. Surrounding Everett, they closed in upon him. One, more -daring than the rest, sought to seize him. Everett felled the colonist -with a quick blow. The others endeavored to detain him, but none was a -match for the athlete with muscles of steel. Knocking down two or three -of the most aggressive of his assailants, Everett went to Walda, who -trembled with fear for his safety. He drew her close to him. The -quavering voice of Wilhelm Kellar sounded in their ears. - -“Offend not the eyes of Zanah by parading your unseemly love,” he said, -raising his cane as if he would strike the man of the world. The effort -was too much for his feeble strength. He almost fell, and Walda knelt -before him to support him with her outstretched arms. His indignation -changed to grief, and, looking down at the daughter upon whom he had -built all his ambition, he gave way to bitter lamentation. - -“Oh, Lord, how have I deserved this punishment?” he cried. - -Walda sobbed, still holding his frail body close to her. “Forgive me, -father,” said she, looking up through her tears. - -“Nay, ask not my forgiveness,” he answered, sternly. “Seek the -forgiveness of the Lord, whom thou hast offended. Repent now, when it is -not yet too late.” - -“There is no repentance in my heart,” she said, rising to her feet. -“This love must ever seem to me a holy thing.” - -“Come away with me now, for I would talk to thee alone. Let us flee from -the presence of this man and the people of Zanah,” pleaded Wilhelm -Kellar. - -“Yea, we will go away together,” Walda answered. She drew his arm -through hers, and gently led him to the end of the platform. They slowly -descended the steps and walked to the middle aisle, which offered them a -chance of egress. As they passed the women, Mother Kaufmann hissed -Walda, and taunts and jeers from the crowd assailed her. Wilhelm Kellar -stopped. Raising himself on his cane, he said, with a tremendous effort: - -“Wag not your tongues, ye women of Zanah. Ye have no right to heap -insult upon her whom an hour ago ye were proud to hail as the -prophetess.” - -“Lo, this prophetess is but a Jezebel!” sneered Mother Kaufmann; and the -women near her repeated the name “Jezebel! Jezebel!” - -Wilhelm Kellar heard the insult to his daughter, and once more raising -himself on his cane, he called out: - -“Let your evil tongues be silent! There is none in Zanah who hath -suffered the bitterness of disappointment that hath come to me, yet now -do I forgive Walda Kellar, and bespeak for her your mercy and loving -kindness.” - -His voice died in a rattle in his throat. His gray head sank upon his -breast. His arm loosened its tense hold upon Walda, and he fell in a -heap at her feet. - -Walda bent over him with a cry of such agony and fear that it pierced to -the outer edge of the great assembly. - -Raising his head, she looked upon his face, ghastly with the touch of -death. In his eyes a last flicker of light faded as she stooped to -pillow his head upon her bosom. - -“Stephen, Stephen,” she called, “come to my father!” - -Everett gently lifted the emaciated form of the elder, and, waving the -crowd apart, laid his burden down upon the ground. A glance told him -that a soul had gone out of Zanah. - -“My father is dead! Dead!” shrieked Walda. Sinking on her knees, she -wrung her hands and gave way to her grief. - -“Wilhelm Kellar is dead,” Gerson Brandt announced, in solemn tones. - -He stood for a moment on the edge of the platform, where he could see -the white face upturned to the sky. Then his eyes fell upon Walda, who -was weeping with her head supported on the shoulder of Everett. The -school-master jumped from the platform, and, pointing to Everett, -ordered that he be bound. With his own hands he loosed the stranger’s -arms, and would have made the weeping girl lean upon him, but she -proudly drew away. - -“Brothers of Zanah, bind this man,” he said, repeating his command. -“Through him, death and grievous trouble have come to the colony.” -Everett waited, ready to defend himself, but the men hesitated before -making a second attempt to carry out the elder’s orders. - -“Let them bind thee, Stephen,” Walda said. “In the presence of death it -is not meet there should be strife.” - -“I want my liberty in order that I may defend you from these mad -zealots,” Everett answered. - -“Nay, Stephen, thou forgettest that I am in the Lord’s hand,” Walda -replied, with a little quiver of the lips. - -“I surrender myself as your prisoner,” Everett said, addressing Gerson -Brandt. “It will not be necessary for you to have me tied. I give you my -word that I will not try to escape.” - -“It hath been shown to me that thou hast no regard for thy promises,” -Gerson Brandt said, in an angry voice. “When thou art securely bound I -shall have faith in thy word, and not till then.” - -The insult kindled Everett’s anger. He would have retorted, but a sign -from Walda compelled his silence. He let the men tie his hands behind -him. They used the rope clumsily, and drew it so tightly over the flesh -that it was painful. During the process Gerson Brandt looked on, and -Walda stood with eyes upon the ground. The colonists waited quietly. The -elders on the platform had resumed the air of stolidity which generally -distinguished them. They watched the proceedings without interference. -By common consent they permitted Gerson Brandt to take the initiative in -dealing with the tragic climax of the _Untersuchung_. - -“Let a bier be brought that the body of Wilhelm Kellar, who hath fallen -into his last sleep, may be carried back to the village,” Gerson Brandt -directed. - -Diedrich Werther with three other colonists carried a heavy bier, over -which was thrown a black pall, down the grassy aisle of the out-door -chapel. Following it walked Hans Peter, carrying a gourd in his hand. -The body of Wilhelm Kellar was lifted upon the bier and covered with the -pall. When the men stooped to raise the bier, Adolph Schneider spoke: - -“Behold, this day we have lost one of the leading men of Zanah. Wilhelm -Kellar hath guided the business affairs of the colony. He hath been my -strong arm. Lo! he is slain by the frowardness of the daughter upon whom -he had centred too much affection. He hath suffered because he let her -become an idol of earth. If she repenteth, so that she may become the -prophetess of Zanah, her crime may be blotted out of the book of life.” - -He paused, but the people made no demonstration. - -“Repent, O daughter of Zanah!” the Herr Doktor shouted, in a voice -intended to terrify all who heard it. “Repent now. Pledge thyself to put -earthly love out of thy heart, and to serve the Lord forever.” - -“Love that hath taken root in the heart cannot be plucked out at will. -This love must remain always with me,” Walda replied. - -“Let thy shame be upon thine own head,” shouted Adolph Schneider. “Thou -art a woman possessed of Satan. Thou hast caused thy father’s death, and -yet thou darest to defy the laws of God and the laws of Zanah.” - -“She hath committed murder,” cried a woman. “The mark of Cain is set -upon her forehead.” - -The colonists surged around the place where Walda and Gerson Brandt -stood. Straining at his bonds, Everett, who had been dragged back upon -the platform and thrown before the vacant chair of the prophetess, -shouted to the elders to preserve order. Seeing Walda’s peril, he -demanded that he be released, and poured forth such a torrent of -invective and entreaty that Adolph Schneider and Karl Weisel were moved -to action. The two elders tried in vain to obtain a hearing. The crowd -was clamoring for revenge. Infuriated by disappointment and goaded by -superstition, the colonists pressed so closely upon Walda that she was -in danger of being crushed. - -Some of the women would have spat upon her, but Gerson Brandt pushed -them away. Terrible in his anger, he widened the circle around the -white-clad figure of the fallen prophetess, who seemed unmindful of the -turmoil about her. She stood with bowed head, and her lips moved in -prayer. - -“Make way for the bier!” Gerson Brandt said. Diedrich Werther and his -three companions lifted the bier, and slowly started down the grassy -aisle. When Walda would have followed, one of the most turbulent of the -colonists roughly shoved her back. Gerson Brandt threw out his arm with -a protecting gesture, and in the surging of the crowd Walda was pressed -close to him. His arms folded about her, and for one moment he felt her -heart beating upon his. In that moment the fires of life that had long -smouldered in him flamed up and illuminated his soul. In that moment -came to him the knowledge that he, the elder of Zanah, had long been -possessed of the earthly love against which he had preached so many -years. For a few seconds the golden autumn day faded from his sight. He -passed into a new existence. His divinity was unveiled to him. When the -mist before his eyes cleared away he looked into Walda’s face, and, -still clasping her close to his breast, said: - -“Canst thou forgive me for mine anger, which hath brought upon thee much -unnecessary trouble this day? Until this moment I have been blinded. I -have done thee and him whom thou lovest a grievous wrong.” - -“Thy provocation hath been great,” Walda answered. “Yet there is -resentment in my heart since thou hast caused Stephen Everett to be -bound.” - -“Forgive me, and I will make reparation for mine offence,” he pleaded. -“For the sake of the past, for thy father’s sake, bear no enmity against -me.” - -“Thou wilt see that no harm befalleth Stephen Everett?” she said. -Unconscious of the tumult in the school-master’s heart, and indifferent -to his touch, she thought only of the stranger in Zanah. The mob moved -forward, and Gerson Brandt gently put Walda away from him. - -“Let Walda Kellar follow the bier of her father,” he commanded. - -Again the women hissed their fallen prophetess. - -Raising her hands to heaven, Walda uttered the words: - -“Lord, have mercy upon us, thy people in Zanah. Forgive us our -transgressions.” - -The colonists’ jeers were silenced. As Walda passed down the aisle, the -majesty of her carriage and the exaltation that was written on her face -cast a fear upon the people. One woman who had but a moment before -uttered bitter gibes kissed the hem of the white garment of the fallen -prophetess. - -Hans Peter, who had been watching the proceedings from the limb of a -tree, slid from his high seat and walked a few feet behind Walda. - -A hush fell upon the multitude. Standing with uncovered head, Gerson -Brandt waited until the bier disappeared among the trees and the last -glimpse of Walda’s white-robed figure was obscured. - -The distant bell of the meeting-house tolled. The sunset hour of prayer -had come. Beneath the sky, dyed in crimson and purple, the people of -Zanah bowed their heads. - - - - - XIX - - -For three days after the _Untersuchung_ Zanah was in mourning. The body -of Wilhelm Kellar lay in the meeting-house, and there the colonists -spent many hours in prayer and fasting. Gerson Brandt shut himself in -the upper room where Wilhelm Kellar had been so long ill and where -Piepmatz still hung in the big wicker cage. The school-master sat for -hours looking towards the bluffs which shut out the busy world. He -thought constantly of Walda. He had given her a pledge that he would -make reparation for his part in the _Untersuchung_, but his heart -rebelled against his task. He coveted Walda with all the strength of a -nature in which the best human impulses had been thwarted. He knew that -he must give up the woman he loved to the stranger in Zanah, but his -soul cried out against the fate that took her from him. He looked back -upon the years in Zanah, and he knew that she had become all of life to -him. At first he was dead to the sense of his own unfaithfulness to the -colony. Gradually he realized that his had been the part of the -unconscious traitor. He felt relieved when he looked forward to his -release from the irksome duties of a leader of Zanah. - -A sense of terrible loneliness took possession of him whenever he -thought of the death of his friend, but his grief became more poignant -with the thought that Wilhelm Kellar’s death made Walda’s departure from -the colony possible. There was no reason why she should not go out into -the world as Everett’s wife. Night after night he battled with himself -to the end that he might be strong enough to help the woman he loved to -the attainment of happiness. He gained many partial victories over -himself, but at first he could not summon the courage to go to see Walda -in the House of the Women where she was kept under surveillance. The day -after the _Untersuchung_ he compelled himself to ask that Everett be -released, but he found that the cupidity of Adolph Schneider had been -aroused by the possibility of exacting a fine from the stranger, who was -locked in his room at the inn. It was a rule of the colony that a member -who brought money into the community should, in case of departure from -Zanah, receive just what he had contributed. Wilhelm Kellar’s share was -not small, and the danger of Walda’s marriage, and consequent demand for -her portion of her father’s property, was one that the elders desired to -avert. - -“Thou canst persuade Walda Kellar that the curse of God will descend -upon her if she leaveth Zanah,” Karl Weisel said to Gerson Brandt, at -the close of a long conference of the elders. “She is suffering from -remorse, and thou canst sway her woman’s heart.” - -“I refuse to have aught to do with inclining Walda’s will to the will of -Zanah,” said the school-master, in a tone so decisive that the matter -was dropped. - -It was two days after Wilhelm Kellar’s death that Gerson Brandt, who had -gone to look once more upon the still face of his friend, encountered -Walda. The girl was kneeling alone beside the bier. - -“See how peaceful he looketh,” she said, in a voice that was shaken with -sobs. “It is a comfort to remember that his last words told me and all -the people that he had forgiven my failure to fulfil his hopes.” - -“He hath attained greater wisdom. He knoweth that thou wast led by a -stronger power than thine own will,” the school-master answered. - -“As thou art my friend, point out the path of duty to me,” Walda -implored, rising to her feet. “I have prayed constantly, and it seemeth -that it is right I should stay here in Zanah serving the people, and -proving to them that while love must ever be in my heart, I can still -follow in the paths of righteousness.” - -Gerson Brandt was silent. He stood looking at her as if he would have -her image graven on his mind for all his coming years. The tempter spoke -to him. One word of counsel, given as from her father’s friend, and he -could keep her safe in Zanah. - -“Art thou strong enough to let Stephen Everett go back into the world -without thee?” he questioned. - -“I have prayed for fortitude. I have found courage to think of living on -here without him,” she replied. “I have seen myself an old woman of -Zanah who goes her way dreaming still of the love of her youth.” - -“Thou knowest that I would watch o’er thee,” said the school-master. - -“Yea; but thy brotherly compassion hath not the sustaining power of -love.” - -“Thou knowest not what sustaining power brotherly compassion may -reveal.” - -Gerson Brandt’s voice betrayed suppressed emotion, and, looking up, -Walda saw that his face had become suddenly old and drawn. - -“I have pained thee by my seeming ingratitude for all thy kindnesses,” -she said, putting her hand on his arm. The school-master’s face flushed, -for her touch made his heart throb. - -The tempter’s voice spoke insistently. - -“Shall I send Stephen Everett away?” Walda asked, after a brief pause. -“Direct me aright. Help me to do what my father would have me do.” - -Gerson Brandt did not answer. - -“The people of Zanah accused me of murdering my father,” Walda said, -after a long silence. “All the night after the _Untersuchung_ I was -filled with terror, but now I know that I could not have spared him the -sorrow. I was, indeed, but the instrument of fate. I had to tell the -truth as it was made clear to me. Oh, tell me that thou dost not deem me -guilty of my father’s death.” - -She was weeping again, and Gerson Brandt was stirred to compassion. - -“Cease thy lamentation,” he said, gently. “I have thought much about -thee ever since thou didst make thy confession of love. I have come to -know that thou must follow the dictates of thy heart. It is right that -thou shouldst go out into the world as Stephen Everett’s wife. There -thou wilt find pain and suffering, but all will be glorified by thy -love.” - -The tempter was vanquished. The school-master had listened to him for -the last time. - -“Nay, speak to me as my father would speak.” - -“As thy father’s friend, and as one who holds thee in the deep recesses -of his heart, I tell thee to go forth from Zanah with the man thou -lovest.” - -“And do I owe no duty to the colony? Is it not right that I should -strive to make amends for my unfaithfulness to the trust reposed in me? -Tell me the whole truth. Spare me not, for I would do the Lord’s will.” - -“The colony hath forfeited all claim upon thee, for the men and women -did shamelessly flout thee. Thy father hath recompensed the people of -Zanah a hundredfold for whatever may have been done for thee.” - -Walda gazed at the face of her dead father. Its calmness gave her -assurance of his forgiveness. Then the realization of her loss impressed -itself on her. She wept again. Stroking his stiffened hands, she prayed -that he might know she had not meant to disregard his teachings or to -bring him to dishonor. - -Distressed at the sight of her remorse, Gerson Brandt urged her to leave -the meeting-house, and when she gave no heed to him he led her away, -holding her hand as was his custom in the years of her childhood. Two -colony mothers were waiting on the steps. - -“Remember my counsel,” said the school-master. “There is but one path -for thee.” - -Walda walked slowly towards the House of the Women, and left him -standing on the threshold of the meeting-house. A mist came before -Gerson Brandt’s eyes, and as it cleared away he saw Hans Peter running -up the hill. - -“The stranger, who is still bound at the inn, would speak with thee,” -said the simple one, when he had reached the meeting-house steps. - -“What doth he want?” said the school-master. - -“He hath not talked with the village fool,” answered Hans Peter, “but -even the simple one might guess that he wants thee to have him set -free.” - -Gerson Brandt thought for a moment. Walda’s presence still exerted its -influence over him. He had not the courage to see the man she loved. - -“Tell Stephen Everett that I cannot go to him until after Wilhelm -Kellar’s funeral,” said the school-master, “and you may give him the -message that he may trust me to work for his deliverance.” - -“He hath made threats that he will not be patient much longer,” Hans -Peter volunteered. “He hath told the Herr Doktor that it will cost Zanah -much if he is imprisoned another day.” - -“According to the laws of the United States he hath right on his side,” -declared Gerson Brandt. - -“He hath offered to pay much money if they will let him take Walda -Kellar away, and every hour that he remaineth with his hands behind him -he is more wasteful of his dollars.” - -“Stand not here gossiping, Hans Peter. Hasten back with my reply to the -stranger’s message,” admonished the school-master, to whom the words of -the simple one had suggested an easy method of obtaining permission for -Walda to leave Zanah. If the elders were seeking to profit financially -from the loss of money as a compensation for the loss of their -prophetess, they would be likely to consent to let Walda leave the -colony on one condition—the forfeit of her property rights. - -In his room at the inn Everett received Hans Peter with much impatience, -and, after he had heard Gerson Brandt’s message, gave expression to his -views on Zanah’s methods of dealing with strangers. - -“So I am to remain bound until to-morrow,” he said. “Since Diedrich -Werther consented to tie my hands less tightly I am not so -uncomfortable. But I want you to summon the Herr Doktor immediately.” - -Adolph Schneider was slow in making his appearance, and Everett, who had -fretted under the delay, was not in his usual self-contained mood. - -“I sent for you to tell you that I am tired of this outrageous -treatment,” he said, as soon as the Herr Doktor’s burly form appeared at -the door. “You must come to an understanding with me to-night, or I will -show you that Zanah cannot ignore all the laws of the United States. I -will have you and all the leaders arrested for falsely imprisoning me. I -will cause an investigation of the affairs of the colony.” - -Adolph Schneider’s fat face was deeply lined and his thick skin was a -pallid yellow. He showed plainly that he was worried with the numerous -troubles that had come upon the colony. He sat upon the nearest chair, -and, letting his head sink into his neckcloth, studied Everett -furtively. - -“What do you intend to do with me?” the prisoner asked, after his first -outburst had remained unanswered. - -“After the funeral to-morrow thou art to have a trial, and then the -people of Zanah will fix thy penalty.” - -“Penalty? Penalty for what? I have broken no law. I have done nothing -for which you can deprive me of my liberty.” - -“Thou art not the judge of that,” declared the Herr Doktor. “Thou hast -acknowledged that thou hast wronged the people of Zanah, for hast thou -not offered to pay a fine?” - -“I have offered to buy my freedom, because I cannot expect to obtain -justice here among you bigots,” returned Everett. “I warn you that if -you do not take this rope off my arms, I shall see that you do not get a -penny from me, and that you pay for this week’s work.” - -“So long as Walda Kellar is guarded it will be safe to let thee have thy -freedom, but we take no chances now.” - -“Walda Kellar is my promised wife, and I demand her liberty as well as -my own.” - -“Walda Kellar belongeth to Zanah, and thou canst not assert any claim to -her,” Adolph Schneider retorted, angrily. - -“You will see what I can do,” Everett said. “But I do not want to try -coercion. Give your consent to our marriage, and I will make Zanah a -gift of money to signify my gratitude.” - -The Herr Doktor’s little eyes glittered. - -“How much?” he asked. - -“We will not discuss terms until I am freed from these ropes,” said -Everett. “My imprisonment would be much easier to bear if you would let -me have my hands free, so that I can smoke.” - -Adolph Schneider surveyed the stranger in Zanah with a look of -suspicion. - -“Zanah would not be doing the will of God if Walda Kellar was not -punished for causing her father’s death,” he remarked. - -“How dare you accuse her!” - -The prisoner strained his bonds, as if he would use his hands to some -purpose in defending the woman he loved. - -“Her confession broke her father’s heart,” said the Herr Doktor. - -“The cruelty of you zealots of Zanah made Wilhelm Kellar die,” declared -the prisoner. “I warn you to be careful how you blame an innocent girl, -who simply told the truth at your _Untersuchung_.” - -Everett’s face was so stern in its expression that the wily colonist -thought it wise not to pursue the subject. - -“When thou art ready to make an offer of money, the elders will weigh it -against Walda Kellar’s transgression,” he said. “If it is found better -for the colony that she be cast out with thee, consent to the marriage -may be given.” He thought for a moment, with his chin in his neckcloth. -Shaking his head, he added: “There is still a chance that Walda Kellar -may receive the true inspiration. She may yet lead the people. It is but -small hope that I can give thee.” - -He turned to go out. - -“Stop! How about these ropes? Have them taken off,” Everett said, in a -tone that was menacing. “I shall be here to my trial. Don’t think I -would miss that. I shall stay in Zanah until I can leave the colony with -Walda Kellar.” - -Adolph Schneider paid no attention to Everett’s demand. Instead, he -stalked through the door, his cane pounding in unison with every other -step. - - - - - XX - - -It was noontime when the colonists gathered in the meeting-house to -attend the funeral of Wilhelm Kellar. The bier, placed before the -platform of the elders, was covered with flowers—the late garden -blossoms of autumn. White dahlias and asters, intwined in wreaths, -almost concealed the lid of the coffin. The women, who wore gowns of -black calico, gathered solemnly on their side of the big, bare room. The -men stood in groups until the elders had taken their places on the -platform where the vacant chair of Wilhelm Kellar was draped in black. -This occupied the position formerly given to the chair of the -prophetess, which was pushed back and turned so that it faced the wall. - -The bell tolled the age of the dead elder. When its fiftieth stroke had -died away Walda was brought in from the room where she had held her -vigil before the _Untersuchung_. Mother Werther and Mother Kaufmann -accompanied her. Her appearance caused a hush to fall upon the assembly, -and some of the women covered their eyes, for it was seen that over her -black gown was thrown the scarlet cloak, which betokened that her soul -was clothed in the garment of sin. It was the same cloak that Marta -Bachmann had worn during the time of her probation, and some of the -softer-hearted of the colony “mothers” prayed that the fallen prophetess -might follow in Marta Bachmann’s footsteps until she reached the height -of final repentance. The maidens of Zanah gazed on Walda with fascinated -eyes. A few were bold enough to hope that she might be able to leave -Zanah with the stranger whose worldly ways and physical beauty had -charmed even those who had never spoken to him. At the head of the -coffin a stool had been provided for Walda, and she sank upon it as if -overcome with sudden weakness. For a moment she bowed her black-capped -head in prayer, and then, looking unflinchingly into the faces of the -colonists, waited with courage for the service to begin. She was very -pale, and once she threw off the cloak, as if it smothered her. In a -second she remembered its significance, and drew it about her shoulders. - -From his seat at one end of the platform Gerson Brandt, with pitying -eyes, looked upon Walda. His thin face had a pinched look, and from his -eyes had faded the last smouldering fires of youth and hope. He sat with -hands tensely clasped, except when, now and then, he pressed his thin -fingers to his temples, from which the long hair, touched with gray, -fell back to his shoulders. - -Karl Weisel read a long chapter from the Bible, and then a meek elder -offered a prayer. Adolph Schneider next told the people of their dead -brother’s services to the colony. His thick, droning voice, monotonous -in its cadences, did not hold Walda’s attention, until presently she -knew he was speaking of her and accusing her of unfaithfulness to Zanah. -She listened with downcast eyes, her lithe body quivering with emotion, -but she was too proud to show the pain she suffered. She choked back the -tears and prayed for strength. - -At last the funeral address was finished. The bier was carried out into -the golden sunshine. Walda rose as if to follow it, but one of the -elders detained her. - -“Is it meet that one who wears the scarlet cloak should walk first -behind the bier?” he asked. - -Gerson Brandt answered by going to Walda’s side, pulling her arm through -his, and waving the people aside. - -“He hath touched Walda Kellar’s hand, and he is no kin to her!” cried -Mother Kaufmann; but the school-master walked on as if he had not heard -her. Tenderly he supported Walda’s faltering footsteps. The procession -formed behind them, the men and women walking on opposite sides of the -village street, while Gerson Brandt and Walda kept in the middle of the -grass-grown road, directly behind Wilhelm Kellar’s coffin. - -“Gerson Brandt, thou art, indeed, a friend in mine hour of trouble,” -Walda said, when they had reached the strip of woods and the bier had -been put down in order that its bearers might rest. - -“Until death thou wilt be ever safe in my heart,” the school-master -answered, solemnly. - -“Pray that I may have fortitude when I see the earth cover my father’s -body,” she whispered, as the procession started again, and he pressed -her arm to give her the assurance of his aid. - -The school-master could have prayed that the walk to the graveyard might -last forever. He knew that, in all the coming years which might belong -to him on earth, he might never again touch her or be close to her. He -trembled in the excess of his joy. He felt a great strength taking -possession of him. They came to the lake, and he looked out upon it as -it lay undisturbed by wave or ripple. Around the water’s hem the -yellowing willows dipped into the placid pool. The sumach flamed among -the oak-trees. - -“When thou art gone from me out into the world I shall pray that thy -soul shall be untroubled as is this lake to-day,” he murmured, softly. - -“Ah! To-day I feel that I must remain here in Zanah to make atonement -for my betrayal of the people’s trust,” she answered. - -The tempter had spoken to him for the last time, and so he made haste to -say: - -“Thy love leads the way of thy duty. Harbor no longer the thought of -sacrificing thyself to no purpose.” - -They reached the high gate of the graveyard. The bier was carried to the -rise of ground where Marta Bachmann’s burial-place had been selected -many years before. A grave had been hollowed out near that of the -prophetess of revered memory. The colonists gathered around it. Walda -and the school-master stood on one side and the elders on the other -while the coffin was lowered. The simple one, who had not been seen at -the meeting-house or in the procession, looked on from a place of -vantage on the gravestone of Marta Bachmann. - -Adolph Schneider announced that there would be a reading of the -Scriptures. An awkward pause followed. It was discovered that the Bible -had been forgotten. The elders held a conference, while the villagers -waited stolidly. - -“Hans Peter shall be sent back for the Holy Book,” announced the Herr -Doktor, motioning to the simple one. - -Hans Peter advanced with slow steps. - -“There is a Bible here,” he said. - -“Bring it quickly, then,” ordered the elder. - -“It can be brought only after an understanding,” answered the simple -one. “Gerson Brandt’s lost Bible is hidden here. It belongeth now to the -stranger in Zanah. If it is the will of him who made it gay with colors -that it be given to the stranger I will bring the Bible forth.” - -“Would the fool make terms with the elders of Zanah? Bring forth the -Bible,” commanded the Herr Doktor. - -Hans Peter did not stir. - -“Dost thou defy me?” asked Adolph Schneider. - -The simple one made no sign that he heard. - -“Speak,” urged Gerson Brandt. “Stephen Everett shall have the Bible.” - -“When the promise is given that the elders will let me deliver it to the -owner I will find it,” said Hans Peter. - -The promise was given, after a brief consultation of the elders. Hans -Peter went back to Marta Bachmann’s gravestone, and from beneath it -pulled out a stout wooden box. This he opened with some difficulty, and -from it produced the Bible, which was wrapped in oil-cloth. Gerson -Brandt’s heart gave a throb of joy when he saw it. - -“Bring it here to me,” he commanded, and the simple one, almost -staggering under its weight, obeyed the wish of the school-master. - -The people whispered among themselves, and the elders looked sullenly at -the volume about which there had been so many conjectures. - -“I will read from the Scriptures,” announced Gerson Brandt, motioning to -the village fool to help him hold the heavy book. He turned to the -fourteenth chapter of St. John, and, scanning a page more beautiful in -its illumination than all the rest, he began to read the message of -peace. After he had finished he closed the Sacred Book. One of the -elders prayed, and while the people’s heads were bowed Hans Peter stole -away with the Bible. - -Diedrich Werther began to shovel the earth into the grave. Walda, with a -sudden feeling of horror, clutched Gerson Brandt’s arm, upon which she -buried her face. The school-master forgot the people of Zanah. He leaned -over her, whispering words of comfort and strength. Half fearfully he -touched her on the shoulder, and bade her remember that the Lord worketh -in wondrous ways. He told her that the Father in heaven had planned for -her deliverance from Zanah. - -The people had begun to leave the graveyard before Walda was calm. Two -of the colony “mothers” waited for her, and she bade the school-master -return to Zanah, leaving her alone with the women. - -Gerson Brandt hesitated, loath to walk away from the place that had -become to him one of the outer courts of heaven. - -“I would pray here for a time,” Walda said, “and thou shalt be -remembered in my petitions.” - -He looked at her, not trusting himself to speak. - -He led her close to the new-made grave and left her there. Not until he -had closed the graveyard gate behind him did he dare to look back. -Gazing with straining eyes he beheld the prophetess as she lay face -downward on the ground, with the scarlet cloak still wrapped around her. -From a place a little distant the colony women watched her. - - - - - XXI - - -Immediately after the funeral the colonists gathered in the village -square for the trial of Stephen Everett. The stocks still stood where -they had been erected for the punishment of Hans Peter, and upon the -high platform surrounding the culprit’s seat the elders met for the -purpose of passing judgment. The prisoner was not brought from the inn -until after all the villagers were assembled. He walked from the porch -of the _gasthaus_ with a step that showed he was glad to have a chance -to make a plea for liberty. An expression of scorn and anger was plainly -visible on his handsome face. He had been inclined to accept whatever -happened in Zanah as rather an amusing experience, but the events since -the morning of the _Untersuchung_ had awakened him to a full sense of -what he had at stake. He meant to have Walda at any hazard, but his -patience had been exhausted in his tiresome ordeal of imprisonment. His -old, careless manner asserted itself when he had ascended the steps to -the stocks and had taken a seat upon the great beam in which the simple -one’s feet had been fastened. - -At the first sight of him some of the villagers gave vent to indignant -murmurs, which were quickly quieted. - -“This man is accused of being one whom Satan hath sent to Zanah,” -announced Karl Weisel. “He hath stolen the affections of her who would -have been our prophetess; he hath tempted the Lord’s chosen one with an -earthly love. He hath broken his pledge to an elder of the colony. -Through his wicked plottings the plans of Zanah are overthrown. He hath -lost to the people who serve God the instrument that would have led the -people in the paths of pleasantness.” - -“He shall be punished!” shouted some of the people. - -“Yea; he shall be punished,” agreed the head of the thirteen elders, -puffing out his chest and knitting his brows. “He shall be punished; but -is there a penalty severe enough for offences such as his?” - -“He shall be made to pay a fine,” said Adolph Schneider. “Many thousand -dollars would not wipe out the harm he hath done to the crops since we -are deprived of the guidance of a prophetess.” - -“Cast him out of Zanah!” clamored many voices. - -At this point Gerson Brandt advanced from his place at the end of the -row of elders. - -“Who is fitted to determine the stranger’s punishment?” he asked. - -No one answered. With arms folded upon his breast Gerson Brandt waited -for a response. - -“In this case it seemeth just that only he who hath not succumbed to the -same temptation that Stephen Everett hath found here in Zanah is fit to -choose a penalty for this offence. Let the man of Zanah who hath lived -twenty-one years without loving a woman say what the stranger’s -punishment shall be.” - -The men of Zanah stared at one another. The women tiptoed to see if they -might read long-buried secrets in the faces of their husbands and -brothers. - -“There must be many here who have escaped the lure that lurketh in the -eyes of women,” the school-master said, presently. “It may be that my -meaning hath not been made plain. Let him who hath attained the age of -manhood without knowing what Zanah calleth an earthly love judge Stephen -Everett.” - -The men of Zanah looked at one another with shamefaced glances. - -“Is not he who hath loved and repented a better judge?” asked Karl -Weisel. - -“Nay; why should one that hath been weak in the presence of woman judge -another?” responded the school-master. “There are many men of Zanah who -have never married. Why do not they answer? Why do not they volunteer to -measure the sin of loving a woman?” - -A minute passed. - -“Is there none in Zanah qualified to judge the stranger?” inquired -Gerson Brandt. - -From the edge of the crowd came the simple one. - -“I, the fool of Zanah, have passed the age of one-and-twenty without -loving,” he declared, in a tone that betrayed not the least trace of any -feeling. - -His face was, as usual, absolutely without expression. - -“Set a fool to judge a fool,” sneered Mother Schneider. But the men had -nothing to say. - -“What is thy judgment, Hans Peter?” asked the school-master. - -“The simple one would have the stranger freed,” said Hans Peter. -Standing with both hands in his pockets, he waited to be dismissed. He -had uncovered his head, and as he stood there before the people -something of the tragedy of the simple one’s life was revealed to Zanah. -He was a creature apart; one who had reached the years of manhood -without attaining to the full stature and the full knowledge of -maturity. Some strange recesses of his brain were closed to memory, and -yet nature had made compensation by giving him queer flashes of wit and -odd shreds of intelligence that often confounded Zanah. In the crowd -were some, more superstitious than the rest, who looked at the village -fool with fear written on their faces. - -“Let us free the stranger and send him out of Zanah. He hath brought a -curse with him. The sooner he goeth from among us the better,” spoke -Mother Werther, who, since the _Untersuchung_, had gone about with care -marked upon her good-natured face. - -“He whom you call the simple one is the only man in Zanah who hath not -transgressed the colony law forbidding all who would attain to serve the -Lord in singleness of purpose to put away earthly love,” said the -school-master. “Would not your own weaknesses teach you lenity?” - -From his place on the stocks Everett scanned the dull faces below him. -The idea of associating sentiment or romance with the heavy-featured men -of Zanah brought a contemptuous smile to his lips. - -“How is it that thou dost not judge the stranger?” asked Mother -Kaufmann. “Surely thou hast not loved a daughter of Eve?” She laughed, -mockingly, showing her hideous tusks. - -“Let Gerson Brandt, the elder and school-master, be the judge of the -stranger,” cried a sturdy colonist, who had been quietly looking on from -the porch of the inn. - -A chorus of voices bade the school-master deal with the prisoner. - -Gerson Brandt motioned to Hans Peter to retire from the place in front -of the stocks. - -“Thou hast this day taught Zanah a lesson,” he declared, in a kindly -voice. “Thy verdict is right. It should be accepted by the people.” - -“Faugh! Wouldst thou let a fool decide a matter of great importance to -Zanah?” angrily inquired Adolph Schneider, who had with difficulty -smothered his rage when he saw the chief law of the colony made -ridiculous by Gerson Brandt’s declaration that the man who had never -loved should judge Stephen Everett. - -“We demand that the school-master shall fix the penalty,” shouted Mother -Schneider. “He knoweth best to what extent the madness of an earthly -love hath afflicted her who would have been a prophetess; he hath lost -his best friend through the iniquitous influence of the stranger.” - -The people became unruly, for their patience had been tried by the -suspense. They clamored for speedy justice to him who had made trouble -for them. - -“Gerson Brandt, thou shalt pass the verdict,” said Karl Weisel. “Since -thou didst order Stephen Everett made a prisoner, thou shouldst make -sure that he suffers for his misdeeds.” - -The school-master pushed back the hair from his forehead. He waited for -a moment, lifting his hands to invite the attention of the people. - -“None is more unworthy to judge this man for loving a woman than I, -Gerson Brandt,” he said, with a quaver in his voice. “It is my desire -that some of you fix his punishment, for even though you may set him -free, I shall do penance for him. I have sinned against Zanah more than -he.” - -“What meanest thou, Brother Brandt?” asked Adolph Schneider, confronting -him. “Beware how thou dost forfeit the respect of the people.” - -“I have treasured in my heart an earthly love,” the school-master -confessed, turning from Adolph Schneider and speaking to the colonists. - -His words caused even the most stoical of the elders to turn pale. It -meant much to the colony to lose the school-master from among those who -managed the affairs of the community. - -The people heard and yet appeared not to believe their ears. The square -became so quiet that when Piepmatz, hanging in his cage from a rafter of -the inn-porch, sang the one bar of the love-song, the bird-voice reached -every one in the throng, and presently broke the spell of amazement that -held the villagers. - -“Thy case shall be taken up presently,” said Karl Weisel, who was the -first to recover from astonishment. “Thy sin is minor to his, in that -thou didst not love the prophetess.” - -“Mine offence is greater than his,” answered Gerson Brandt. He had -gained complete control of himself, and he spoke in a voice clear and -unfaltering. “I have loved Walda Kellar even from the days of her -childhood with a love that is stronger than all else in life. I had -thought that mine affection was merely that of a teacher, a counsellor, -a friend, until, through the stranger, it became known to me that I -loved her who might have been the prophetess as a man loveth the woman -whom the Lord hath sent into the world for him to cherish until death. -There is no word of extenuation for me. I love Walda Kellar with the -longing to claim her from Zanah and all the world.” - -He paused, as if the flood-gates of his heart had broken, and the tide -of his emotion drowned his words. Stephen Everett, who had listened with -a shamed sense of his own good-fortune, gazed upon the school-master’s -face until he was compelled to turn his eyes away, for he saw despair -and pain so deeply graven there that the pity of it brought tears. - -“In the heat of what I thought a righteous anger I did order the -stranger to be bound,” Gerson Brandt said, after a brief pause. “But -there, in the place of the _Untersuchung_, it was made clear to me that -jealousy actuated me unworthily to use my power as an elder. For that -offence, I crave Stephen Everett’s pardon and Zanah’s forgiveness.” - -The people were stirred with indignation and sorrow. They began to speak -to one another, but Gerson Brandt compelled them to hear him to the end. - -“I would ask you to release the prisoner and to give Walda Kellar into -his keeping. The love I bear for this daughter of Zanah hath in it that -which giveth me the strength to surrender my heart’s desire, and so I -crave for her the happiness that cometh through the love of another man. -I plead with you to consent to the marriage of Stephen Everett and Walda -Kellar. Send them forth into the world together this night. Delay not in -meting out to them the judgment that will give them joy. The punishment -is mine.” - -Gerson Brandt leaned against one of the supports of the stocks. He was -dimly conscious that the elders whispered to one another and that the -people gathered in groups to talk earnestly. - -The afternoon was far advanced. A golden haze had settled upon the -valley. Above his head the dry leaves of the trees were rustled by a -gentle wind that soothed his spirit. He was conscious of a sudden -faintness. His little world, the colony of Zanah, slipped away from him -for a moment, but he remembered that he had not won his battle for -Walda’s freedom, and he steadied himself, calling all his senses to -serve him until the end of the day’s ordeal. - -“Art thou aware that when an elder lets human love into his heart he -must be put under the ban of silence?” asked Adolph Schneider. “It is -the law of Zanah. Thou art the first elder to prove himself too weak for -the high office.” - -Gerson Brandt made no response. Far down the road he caught sight of the -scarlet cloak worn by the fallen prophetess. - -The elders continued their conference, presently taking Stephen Everett -into their circle. The school-master kept his eyes on the approaching -figure of Walda, who came towards the square with lagging steps. Her -attendants followed her closely, and when the three at last came into -the crowd he saw that some of the villagers gathered about them. - -“Will Walda Kellar stand before the stocks,” commanded Karl Weisel, -seeing that the fallen prophetess had come into the square. - -Walda obeyed the summons. - -“Art thou willing to forsake Zanah in order that thou mayst go forth -into the world with a stranger?” he asked. - -Everett looked at her with pleading in his eyes, but she hesitated -before replying. He leaned forward in an agony of suspense. - -“Tell the elders that thou art under a law higher than any of Zanah,” -prompted Gerson Brandt. “Thou art led by the law of love, which ruleth -the world outside the colony. This day hath shown that it ruleth here, -even in Zanah.” - -“If in leaving Zanah I am not ignoring any allegiance I owe to the -memory of my father, I would go with Stephen Everett. This love that I -bear to him hath given me a desire to be always near him,” Walda -answered. - -“Thou shalt be cut off from the roll of those who serve the Lord in -Zanah,” declared the head of the thirteen elders. “Thou shalt leave -Zanah to-night, after the village hath closed its doors on thee, so that -the eyes of the men and women may not be offended by seeing the -beginning of thy journey into the world.” - -“I would give vent to my gratitude,” Walda said, tremulously. “Even now -I prayed at my father’s grave that if it be the will of God I might be -permitted to be the wife of Stephen Everett, and lo! when I least hoped -for it my prayer hath been answered.” - -“Silence! Dare not to rejoice in thy frowardness of heart here before -the people of Zanah,” Karl Weisel admonished. “Remember that there may -be a curse in answered prayer.” - -Walda shrank under the lash of his cruel words. She glanced around her -as if seeking sympathy from some of the women, but all who were nearest -her drew their skirts away as if they would not be defiled by the touch -of her scarlet cloak. Her pride came to the rescue, and, drawing the -crimson mantle around her, she stood proudly waiting for a sign that she -might pass on. - -“From this moment Walda Kellar, once hailed as the prophetess of Zanah, -is no longer to be counted with the colonists who live in the hope of -earning an entrance to heaven by walking in the paths of righteousness,” -announced Adolph Schneider, coming forward. “She hath listened to the -voice of Satan, and she hath been unfaithful to a most sacred trust. She -hath lost the gift of tongues; she hath turned a deaf ear to the voice -of prophecy. Henceforth, forever, her name shall not be spoken in Zanah. -Let her go in peace, and may she repent of her sin.” - -Some of the colonists shuddered as the Herr Doktor proclaimed the -excommunication of the fallen prophetess. Walda read reassurance and -encouragement in Gerson Brandt’s face. She stood gazing up at him, and -he held her spirit in calm submission. - -“Stephen Everett is hereby liberated. He hath consented to pay to Zanah -a goodly fine, which is still out of proportion to his great offence,” -Adolph Schneider next announced. “Through the agency of Gerson Brandt, -Walda Kellar hath waived all claim on her share of the property of -Zanah. She shall go forth from the colony penniless, and dependent upon -the stranger.” - -“That is good,” agreed some of the men. - -“To-night Stephen Everett and Walda Kellar shall leave Zanah, even as -Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden of Eden,” continued the Herr -Doktor, pronouncing the sentence so that it might intimidate all -possible lovers in the colony. “They shall go forth, never to return.” - -When Adolph Schneider dwelt on the words “never to return,” Gerson -Brandt caught his breath as if he felt a sudden pain. - -“It is my duty to pronounce upon Gerson Brandt the ban of silence,” Karl -Weisel said, taking the Herr Doktor’s place at the front of the -platform. “As head of the thirteen elders I hereby declare to the people -of Zanah that his office of counsellor and guide to the colony is -vacant. Like the fallen prophetess, he hath forfeited all right to a -high place in Zanah by opening his heart to an earthly love.” - -Walda could not repress an exclamation of surprise. She glanced -questioningly among the women, as if she would discover the one upon -whom the school-master had bestowed his heart, but she received such -looks of anger and indignation that she turned to Gerson Brandt, as if -she would read his secret. He gave her a smile, and she listened sadly -to the terrible sentence pronounced upon him. - -“For the space of a year no man or woman of Zanah shall speak to Gerson -Brandt,” the elder continued, in a loud voice. “Although he hath been -the school-master, the children shall not be permitted to utter one word -to him. He shall no longer be a teacher in the colony. Instead, he shall -dwell alone, avoided by all. Because Zanah harboreth no drones, he shall -serve the colony as night-watchman. During all the hours of darkness he -shall pace up and down the street of Zanah. He shall call out the hours -from sunset until sunrise, and he shall be forgotten by all who serve -the Lord.” - -Gerson Brandt heard the words unmoved, as if the sentence were of little -concern to him. In a moment, after Karl Weisel ceased speaking, his -thoughts were far away. He exulted over the solitude before him. He knew -that he could live in memories; precious dreams would be his. Each -night, while he walked alone, he told himself that he could send to -Walda his best hopes. He could speak her name in his prayers. After all, -he had triumphed over himself and over the laws of Zanah. Unconsciously -he drew his thin body to its full height. The light of victory illumined -his face. He looked at Walda and saw that she was weeping for him. Then -he was troubled. - -“This sentence is monstrous,” Everett asserted, with wrath in his voice. -“Gerson Brandt shall come out into the world with me. Walda Kellar and I -owe him whatever of happiness may be ours in the future, and we shall -see that he has some of the joys of life.” - -“Nay, nay,” spoke Gerson Brandt. “I would be out of place in the great -world. I thank thee, but I am better here. I shall be quite contented to -remain in Zanah. Outward conditions count for naught.” - -When Everett still would have insisted, he showed such evident -embarrassment and uneasiness that it was kindlier to cease to importune -him. - -“Stephen Everett, thou shalt take Walda Kellar to the _gasthaus_, there -to wait until darkness falls,” snarled Adolph Schneider, who had begun -to feel that he had not made the stranger’s fine large enough. - -Everett hastened to Walda’s side. When he gently took her by the arm, -Gerson Brandt turned his head away. The crowd began to disperse. The -school-master walked down the steps from the stocks. All the colonists -pretended not to see him. As he crossed the square a little girl ran to -him, clasping her arms about his knees. He stooped to disengage himself, -and a woman snatched the child away from him. A few steps farther on -several of the boys who had been his pupils ran away from him, one -hiding behind a tree to peep at him, as if he were an evil thing. He had -not reached the bridge before he felt some one touch him on the arm. It -was Hans Peter. - -“I shall dwell with thee,” said the simple one. “The laws of Zanah rule -not the village fool.” - - - - - XXII - - -Everett led Walda into the living-room of the inn and shut the door. -Taking the red cloak from her shoulders, he tenderly placed her in one -of the big rocking-chairs. - -“From this moment you are always to be in my care,” he said. “Ah, Walda, -I cannot realize that at last you are to be mine—all mine.” - -She looked up at him with tears in her eyes. - -“Stephen, it is strange, but now that I am about to go out into the -great world with thee I am full of misgivings,” she replied. - -He knelt beside her, and, taking her hand, said: - -“You have had a tragic day. You are exhausted. Surely, you are not -afraid to trust yourself to me?” - -“Nay, nay. When thou art close to me I feel safe from all trouble; yet -my heart trembles. Thy love hath a power that affrights me.” - -He had risen and kissed her, drawing her head upon his breast and -holding it there. She hid her face with a sudden shame while she asked: - -“Are we to be married to-morrow, Stephen?” - -“It was the agreement that we should leave Zanah at midnight. We shall -drive to a town twenty-five miles away, and there, at sunrise, you and I -will attend our own wedding.” - -“Thou art sure that my father would have had it so?” - -“Yes, Walda; I would have gained his consent. You are to forget all the -troubles that my love has brought to you. I shall try to atone for every -heartache of these last few days.” - -“Our love was sent from heaven. Truly thou believest that?” - -“Fate has given you to me. You must not ask any more questions. We are -to begin to be happy now.” He stroked her cheek and soothed her as if -she were a child, and his great strength gave her confidence. “The first -thing that I shall do will be to send for your white gown, so that you -can take off this mourning,” he said, lightly, when he saw that she was -more composed. “I bought from the elders the white gown and the red -cloak, for both have a significance for us—both have marked great days -in our lives.” - -She smiled faintly, and he began to unpin the black cap that she wore. -It was securely fastened to her fair hair. He had to ask her assistance -in getting rid of it. When it was loosened he threw it on the floor, and -then walked off to look at her. She was very pale, after the sorrow and -excitement of the day. Her black gown accentuated the fairness of her -skin, and her clear-cut features were brought out in relief against the -dark back of the chair. - -“You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen,” he said, with the -fervor of sincerity. “How often you will hear your praises sung when you -belong to the world.” - -“Art thou teaching me vanity so soon, Stephen?” she exclaimed, with a -sigh, for she was in no mood for gayety. - -“I am half afraid to take you into the world,” he answered, with some -seriousness. “You see, I have my misgivings. But you did not tell me -what disturbed you. Come over here to Mother Werther’s sofa, where you -can whisper to me all the vague fears of your heart.” - -“Thou knowest I shall need thy charity oftentimes,” Walda said, after -Stephen had made her rest her head upon his shoulder. “I shall not -understand many of thy ways—even thy thoughts will be too deep for me to -understand.” - -Everett laughed. - -“You forget that you have wisdom and goodness that I can never fathom.” - -“Here in Zanah those who love soon weary of each other. Surely, it is -not so in the world, where earthly love is not counted a sin. Is it?” -she questioned. - -“Our love is for all our life,” he said, softly. “I shall be faithful to -it always.” - -“And thou wilt be patient with me? Thou wilt teach me all that I should -learn, if I would be thy worthy companion?” - -“I would not have you changed in any way, Walda.” - -“Ah! but love bringeth wisdom, and I have thought much about our -marriage. I shall be unlike all the people thou knowest. When Gerson -Brandt said he would be out of place in the great world, his words smote -me.” - -“You shall learn all that you need to know about the ways of the world,” -Everett promised, easily. “Is there any other subject that is causing -you apprehension?” - -“Nay; none that I may voice to thee. When a woman is about to give -herself to the man she loveth there is a tumult in her heart. It is of -mingled faith and fear. Love carrieth both with it, for, while it exalts -the soul, it bringeth the wisdom that hath a far sight of the meanings -and mysteries of life.” - -Walda put her hands upon his shoulders, and, looking into his eyes, saw -in them something that gave her courage. - -“Let us be grateful in this hour of our deliverance,” she said, rising. -“Have the white gown—my wedding-gown—brought to me.” - -Everett went up to the room he had occupied during his last sojourn in -Zanah, leaving Walda alone while he made his preparations for the -journey. - -Walda, leaning on the window-sill, looked out upon the quiet village -that had been so long her home. One by one the lights in the stone -houses on the winding street went out. The footsteps of chance -passers-by became less frequent. The noises in the inn were hushed. At -last every door was closed against her. - -When the tall clock struck eleven, Everett entered the room. The -solitary candle had burned out, and Walda was sitting in the darkness. - -“Can you see to find your cloak?” he asked. “It is time for us to -start.” - -Walda caught up the wrap from its place on the sofa, and followed -Everett out on the porch of the _gasthaus_. There was not a sign of life -anywhere. - -“The carriage will be waiting for us on the other side of the square -beneath the old oak-tree,” said Everett. “Don’t you want to say good-bye -to Piepmatz, or would you like to take him with you?” - -“Nay, Stephen; Piepmatz is like the others that dwell in Zanah. He would -not feel at home in the great world,” Walda answered, going to the cage -where the chaffinch, with his head beneath his wing, slumbered in happy -unconsciousness of the influence of love-songs. - -On the bridge appeared a lantern. It came towards the inn, and when it -was a few feet away the form of the bearer, Gerson Brandt, was -discerned. By his side walked Hans Peter. - -“I was afraid I should not have the chance to say good-bye to thee, -Gerson Brandt,” Walda exclaimed, going down the steps to meet him. -Everett drew the simple one away, with the excuse that they would go to -see whether the carriage had come. - -“Nay, at any cost, I meant to send thee out into the world with my -blessing,” Gerson Brandt answered. He set down his lantern and put his -hands behind him lest he should be tempted to touch her. - -“It seemeth selfish of me to be so happy when thou art sad, Gerson -Brandt.” Walda put her hand upon his arm, and they looked into each -other’s faces with something of the old frankness in their glance. - -“In this hour of parting it is good to know that thou leavest Zanah with -a light heart.” Gerson Brandt spoke bravely, but his lips quivered. -“Farewell, Walda. If I never behold thy face again, remember thine image -is ever treasured in the memory of a man of Zanah. To him thou wilt -never grow old. Here in my thoughts thou shalt dwell always in thy youth -and beauty.” - -He trusted himself to let one hand reach out above her head. - -“Peace go with thee. The Lord bless and keep thee,” he said, softly, -lifting his face to heaven, because he could no longer depend upon his -human strength. - -They stood silent for a moment. - -Everett and Hans Peter returned to the inn to say that the carriage was -waiting. - -“Thou shalt have Piepmatz, if thou art willing to be burdened with the -care of the chaffinch,” said Walda, speaking to the simple one. - -“Nay, give him to both of us,” pleaded Gerson Brandt so earnestly that -she bestowed the bird upon him and Hans Peter, with the injunction that -they must not disagree over the partnership. - -Everett put the scarlet cloak upon Walda’s shoulders and led her away. -She went without waiting to say a last word to the man of Zanah, who had -lifted his lantern and held it so that it might give her light. Gerson -Brandt would have gone on ahead illuminating the way, but a sudden -weakness overcame him when he saw that Walda had forgotten his presence -in the excitement of her departure. He sank upon the well-curb, at the -very place where Everett had first seen him and Walda speak to each -other. He listened for the wheels of the carriage. He heard the horses -start and then stop suddenly. Hans Peter had run out of the inn carrying -on his shoulders the illuminated Bible which had become, by right of -purchase, the property of the stranger. - -Gerson Brandt quelled in his heart the rebellion he felt because to him -was denied even the privilege of giving to Walda the Sacred Book into -which he had wrought so many of his best thoughts and most precious -hopes. He buried his head in his hands, waiting patiently until he -should know that the woman he loved had gone forever beyond his reach. - -The horses’ hoofs struck the soft road with a muffled sound. The wheels -started a second time. Gerson Brandt closed his ears for a moment, and -then, rising, listened for the last sound of the carriage. He was still -standing in the deserted square when Hans Peter spoke to him. - -“It is almost the beginning of a new hour,” the fool said. - -Gerson Brandt examined his big, silver watch by the light of the -lantern. - -“Midnight!” he called, in a voice out of which all hope had gone. -“Midnight!—” - -“And all is well!” cried the simple one, taking up the words that Gerson -Brandt had not power to speak. - - - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - -Transcriber’s note: - - 1. Silently corrected typographical errors and variations in spelling. - - 2. Archaic, non-standard, and uncertain spellings retained as printed. - - - -***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WALDA*** - - -******* This file should be named 63629-0.txt or 63629-0.zip ******* - - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/6/3/6/2/63629 - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, -and may not be used if you charge for the eBooks, unless you receive -specific permission. If you do not charge anything for copies of this -eBook, complying with the rules is very easy. You may use this eBook -for nearly any purpose such as creation of derivative works, reports, -performances and research. They may be modified and printed and given -away--you may do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks -not protected by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the -trademark license, especially commercial redistribution. - -START: FULL LICENSE - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full -Project Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at -www.gutenberg.org/license. - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or -destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your -possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a -Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound -by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the -person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph -1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this -agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the -Foundation" or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection -of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual -works in the collection are in the public domain in the United -States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the -United States and you are located in the United States, we do not -claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, -displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as -all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope -that you will support the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting -free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm -works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the -Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with the work. You can easily -comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the -same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg-tm License when -you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are -in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, -check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this -agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, -distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any -other Project Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no -representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any -country outside the United States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other -immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear -prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work -on which the phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, -performed, viewed, copied or distributed: - - This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and - most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no - restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it - under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this - eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the - United States, you'll have to check the laws of the country where you - are located before using this ebook. - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is -derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not -contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the -copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in -the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are -redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply -either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or -obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any -additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms -will be linked to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works -posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the -beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including -any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access -to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format -other than "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official -version posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site -(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense -to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means -of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original "Plain -Vanilla ASCII" or other form. Any alternate format must include the -full Project Gutenberg-tm License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -provided that - -* You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed - to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he has - agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid - within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are - legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty - payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in - Section 4, "Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg - Literary Archive Foundation." - -* You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all - copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue - all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg-tm - works. - -* You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of - any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of - receipt of the work. - -* You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work or group of works on different terms than -are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing -from both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and The -Project Gutenberg Trademark LLC, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark. Contact the Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project -Gutenberg-tm collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may -contain "Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate -or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other -intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or -other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or -cannot be read by your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium -with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you -with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in -lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person -or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second -opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If -the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing -without further opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO -OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT -LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of -damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement -violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the -agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or -limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or -unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the -remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in -accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the -production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, -including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of -the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this -or any Project Gutenberg-tm work, (b) alteration, modification, or -additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any -Defect you cause. - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of -computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It -exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations -from people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future -generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see -Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at -www.gutenberg.org - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by -U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's principal office is in Fairbanks, Alaska, with the -mailing address: PO Box 750175, Fairbanks, AK 99775, but its -volunteers and employees are scattered throughout numerous -locations. Its business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, Salt -Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up to -date contact information can be found at the Foundation's web site and -official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -For additional contact information: - - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND -DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular -state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To -donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project -Gutenberg-tm concept of a library of electronic works that could be -freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and -distributed Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of -volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in -the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not -necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper -edition. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search -facility: www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. - |