the nine months of mourning, during which
all Baha'i festivities are to be suspended. His answer is that this refers
to nine solar months. He says further that the blessed and exalted Leaf
ascended at one hour after midnight, on the eve of Friday, July 15.

12: ...He is eagerly awaiting to see the friends ...

(86) ...He is eagerly awaiting to see the friends as ever burning with the
desire to serve a Cause for the sake of which our departed Holy Leaf gave
up her entire existence.

May her glorious spirit cheer your hearts, strengthen your faith and
inspire you with renewed courage and hope.

13: His loss is too immense to be adequately ...

(87) His loss is too immense to be adequately expressed in words. But his
joy is also great. For such calamitous events, though cruel in their
immediate effects, nevertheless, serve to stimulate the friends and
quicken their souls.

Ours, therefore, is the opportunity to arise and serve the Cause and put
all our trust in God. Surely, He will guide our steps and will inspire us
with the necessary enthusiasm and strength.

May the immortal spirit of our departed _Kh_anum quicken our energies and
give fresh lustre to our endeavours for the greater extension of the
Cause.

14: The profound sorrow occasioned by the ...

(88) The profound sorrow occasioned by the sudden passing of the Greatest
Holy Leaf, as well as the unnumbered messages of sympathy received from
friends and believers in East and West, all of which the Guardian
acknowledged in person, have caused the unavoidable delay in giving his
immediate attention to various matters referred to in your communications
to him. He deeply regrets the obstacles which stood in his way and which
by their very nature he found them impossible to surmount.

15: The Guardian of the Cause of God has ...

(89) The Guardian of the Cause of God has received your letter of 21 July
1932, telling of your and the other friends' profound distress on
receiving word of this calamity, this dire ordeal, that is, the ascension
of the Most Exalted Leaf, that brightest fruit of the Eternal Tree.

It is certain that this anguish, this harrowing event, has reached into
the very depths of his being, and oppressed and darkened his radiant heart
more than words can ever tell. For the subtle and spiritual attachment
that the Guardian felt for her, and the heavenly tenderness and affection
between that lovely fruit of the