“Wherefore in the sight of God and in the sight of these elect saints now present I declare that these two are joined together in the mystical union of a most holy marriage which God himself has revealed from heaven.”

For some moments Susannah gazed fascinated; then she snatched away her hand; dignity sought to maintain itself; pride rose up in anger.  Her growing awe of the prophet numbed to a certain extent both these sentiments, but stronger than pride and self-respect and awe was some tender shame within her heart which was hurt beyond enduring, so that she put her hands before her face and wept, and walked away from them weeping, followed by Emma, who began, as they walked, to weep in sympathy.

Tears bring relief to the brain, a relief it is hard to distinguish from comfort of soul.  When Susannah could check her unaccustomed sobs, when she found herself walking quietly homeward with only the weeping Emma by her side, the spirit of long suffering and patience stole upon her unawares.

“Why do you cry?” she asked gently.

“I think it must be so hard for you,” said Emma; “it’s been very hard for me, although I love Joseph with all my heart; but you are so childish and so good-looking, it seems someways as if it came harder on you; and then that Mr. Halsey hasn’t got the warmth of heart that Joseph has.”

To this astonishing reply Susannah found no answer.  Emma was too respectable, too honest in her sympathy, to be derided, but Susannah’s understanding could ill endure the thought that the incident of the hour was important.  As the outcome of honest delusion, she might forgive it; something in the pathos of Halsey’s strained face as she remembered his look when she turned away weeping, urged her to forgiveness.

“Mr. Halsey is nothing to me,” said Susannah at last; she spoke with a falter in her voice, for Emma’s unfeigned grief touched her.

“Oh! don’t say that.  Some judgment might come on you that would be worse than any suffering that would come from obedience to the word of the Lord; and besides, it’s the will of God, you see; and of course He’ll see that it’s done, so you’d be punished for rebellion, and you’d have to obey all the same.”

Susannah was beginning to be infected by this steady assumption that God had indeed spoken.  Could it be possible?

CHAPTER VII.

How much better humanity might have been had we been at the world’s making we cannot tell, but as it is, the Creator knows that a woman whose veins are pulsing with youth does not know, as she stands between her lovers, how far influences not born of reason are affecting her understanding.  Ephraim remained neglectful, and Susannah remembered with more and more distinct compassion Halsey’s wistful face and the touch of his trembling hand.  But the emotion which is deeper than human love was also in ferment.  The shock which she had received, aided by the pressure at home, had effectually worked religious unrest.  She was certain now that she must do some new thing to obtain peace with God.  Long monotonous days ripened within her this altered mind.