efore 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 woma
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