A KNIGHT OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY, Edward Payson Roe [top young adult novels TXT] 📗

Can, And It May Do Us Both Good To Meet Once More. I Do Not

Think That She Will Refuse To See Me Or Give Me Shelter For A Few Hours,

Even Though Her Last Letter Seemed harsh.

 

 

 

I Shall Also Be Glad To Escape For A Few Hours From My Squalid And

Wretched surroundings. The Grime Of The Sordid Things With Which I Have

So Long Been In contact Seems Eating Into My Very Soul, And I Long To

Sleep Once More In my Clean, Airy Room At Home.

 

 

 

But I Am Inflicting Myself Too Long Upon You. That I Have Ventured to Do

So Is Due To Your Past Kindness, Which I Can Only Wonder At, But Cannot

Explain. Gratefully Yours, E. Haldane.

 

 

 

Mrs. Arnot Was More Than Curious; She Was Deeply Interested in the

Result Of This Visit, And She Hoped and Prayed earnestly That It Might

Result In good. But She Had Detected an Element In the Young Man'S

Letter Which Caused her Considerable Uneasiness. His Idea Of Conversion

Was A Sudden And Radical Change In character That Would Be A Sort Of

Spiritual Magic, Contravening all The Natural Laws Of Growth And

Development. He Was Hoping To Escape From His Evil Habits And

Weaknesses, Which Were Of Long Growth, As The Leper Escaped from His

Disease, By A Healing and Momentary Touch. He Would Surely Be

Disappointed: Might He Not Also Be Discouraged, And Give Up The Patient

And Prayerful Struggle Which The Sinful Must Ever Wage Against Sin In

This World? She Trusted, However, That God Had Commenced a Good Work In

His Heart, And Would Finish It.

 

 

 

Even The Sight Of His Native City, With Its Spires Glistening In the

Setting Sun, Moved haldane Deeply, And When In the Dusk He Left The

Train, And Walked once More Through The Familiar Streets, His Heart Was

Crowded with Pleasant And Bitter Memories, Which Naturally Produced a

Softened and Receptive Mood.

 

 

 

He Saw Many Well-Remembered faces, And A Few Glanced at Him As If He

Suggested one Whom They Had Known. But He Kept His Hat Drawn Over His

Eyes, And, Taking advantage Of The Obscurity Of The Night, Escaped

Recognition.

 

 

 

"It Is Almost Like Coming Back After One Has Died," He Said To Himself.

"I Once Thought Myself An Important Personage In this Town, But It Has

Got On Better Without Me Than It Would Have Done With Me. Truly, Mrs.

Arnot Is Right--It'S Little The World Cares For Any One, And The

Absurdest Of All Blunders Is To Live For Its Favor."

 

 

 

It Was With A Quickly Beating Heart That He Rang The Bell At The

Parsonage, And Requested to Be Shown Up To Dr. Marks' Study. Was This

The Supreme Moment Of His Life, And He On The Eve Of That Mysterious,

Spiritual Change, Of Which He Had Heard So Much, And The Results Of

Which Would Carry Him Along As By A Steady, Mighty Impulse Through

Earth'S Trials To Heaven'S Glory? He Fairly Trembled at The Thought.

 

 

 

The Girl Who Had Admitted him Pointed to The Open Study Door, And He

Silently Crossed its Threshold. The Good Old Clergyman Was Bending Over

His Sermon, To Which He Was Giving His Finishing Touches, And The Soft

Rays Of The Student'S Lamp Made His White Hair Seem Like A Halo About

His Head.

 

 

 

The Sacred quiet Of The Place Was Disturbed only By The Quill Of The

Writer, Who Was Penning Words As Unworldly As Himself. Another Good Old

Divine, With His Bible In his Hand, Looked down Benignantly And

Encouragingly At The Young Man From His Black-Walnut Frame. He Was The

Sainted predecessor Of Dr. Marks, And The Sanctity Of His Life Of Prayer

And Holy Toil Also Lingered in this Study. Old Volumes And Heavy Tomes

Gave To It The Peculiar Odor Which We Associate With The Cloister, And

Suggested the Prolonged spiritual Musings Of The Past, Which Are So Out

Of Vogue In the Hurried, Practical World Of To-Day. This Study Was,

Indeed, A Quiet Nook--A Little, Slowly Moving Eddy Left Far Behind By

The Dashing, Foaming Current Of Modern Life; And Haldane Felt Impressed

That He Had Found The Hallowed place, The True Bethel, Where His Soul

Might Be Born Anew.

Chapter XXXVIII (The Miracle Takes Place)

"The Body Of My Sermon Is Finished; May The Lord Breathe Into It The

Breath Of Life!" Ejaculated dr. Marks, Leaning Back In his Chair.

 

 

 

Haldane Now Secured his Attention By Knocking Lightly On The Open Door.

The Old Gentleman Arose And Came Forward With The Ordinary Kindly Manner

With Which He Would Greet A Stranger.

 

 

 

"You Do Not Remember Me," Said Haldane.

 

 

 

"I Cannot Say That I Do. My Eyesight Is Not As Good As When I Was At

Your Age."

 

 

 

"I Am Also The Last One You Expect To See, But I Trust I Shall Not Be

Unwelcome When You Know My Motive For Coming. I Am Egbert Haldane, And I

Have Hoped that Your Study Would Remain Open, Though Nearly All

Respectable Doors Are Closed against Me."

 

 

 

"Egbert Haldane! Can I Believe My Eyes?" Exclaimed the Old Clergyman,

Stepping Eagerly Forward.

 

 

 

"When Last In this Place," Continued the Youth, "I Was Led by Your

Generous Forgiveness Of My Rude Behavior Toward You To Say, That If I

Ever Wished to Become A Christian I Would Come To You Sooner Than To Any

One Else. I Have Come, For I Wish To Be A Christian."

 

 

 

"Now The Lord Be Praised! He Has Heard His Servant'S Prayers," Responded

Dr. Marks Fervently. "My Study Is Open To You, My Son, And My Heart,

Too," He Added, Taking Haldane'S Hand In both Of His With A Grasp That

Emphasized his Cordial Words. "Sit Down By Me Here, And Tell Me All That

Is On Your Mind."

 

 

 

This Reception Was So Much Kinder Than He Had Even Hoped, That Haldane

Was Deeply Moved. The Strong, Genuine Sympathy Unsealed his Lips, And In

Honest And Impetuous Words He Told The Whole Story Of His Life Since

Their Last Interview. The Good Doctor Was Soon Fumbling For His

Handkerchief, And As The Story Culminated, Mopped his Eyes, And

Ejaculated, "Poor Fellow!" With Increasing Frequency.

 

 

 

"And Now," Concluded haldane, "If I Could Only Think That God Would

Receive Me As You Have--If He Would Only Change Me From My Miserable

Self To What I Know I Ought To Be, And Long To Be--I Feel That I Could

Serve Him With Gratitude And Gladness The Rest Of My Life, Even Though I

Should Remain In the Humblest Station; And I Have Come To Ask You What I

Am To Do?"

 

 

 

"He Will Receive You, My Boy; He Will Receive You. No Fears On That

Score," Said The Doctor, With A Heartiness That Carried conviction. "But

Don'T Ask Me What To Do. I'M Not Going To Interfere In the Lord'S Work.

He Is Leading You. If You Wanted a Text Or A Doctrine Explained i'D

Venture To Give You My Views; But In this Vital Matter I Shall Leave You

In God'S Hands, 'Being Confident Of This Very Thing, That He Which Hath

Begun A Good Work In you Will Perform It Until The Day Of Jesus Christ.'

I Once Set About Reforming You Myself, And You Know What A Bungle I Made

Of It. Now I Believe The Lord Has Taken You In hand, And I Shall Not

Presume To Meddle. Bow With Me In prayer That He May Speedily Bring You

Into His Marvellous Light And Knowledge." And The Good Man Knelt And

Spread His Hands Toward Heaven, And Prayed with The Simplicity And

Undoubting Faith Of An Ancient Patriarch.

 

 

 

Was His Faith Contagious? Did The Pathos Of His Voice, His Strongly

Manifested sympathy, Combine With All That Had Gone Before To Melt The

Young Man'S Heart? Or, In answer To The Prayer, Was There Present One

Whose Province It Is To Give Life? Like The Wind That Mysteriously Rises

And Comes Toward One With Its Viewless, Yet Distinctly Felt Power.

Haldane Was Conscious Of Influences At Work In his Heart That Were As

Potent As They Were Incomprehensible. Fear And Doubt Were Passing away.

Deep Emotion Thrilled his Soul. Nothing Was Distinct Save A Rush Of

Feeling Which Seemed to Lift Him Up As On A Mighty Tide, And Bear Him

Heavenward.

 

 

 

This Was What He Had Sought; This Was What He Had Hoped; This Strong,

Joyous Feeling, Welling Up In his Heart Like A Spring Leaping Into The

Sunlight, Must Be Conversion.

 

 

 

When He Arose From His Knees His Eyes Were Full Of Tears, But A Glad

Radiance Shone Through Them, And Grasping The Doctor'S Hand, He Said

Brokenly:

 

 

 

"I Believe Your Prayer Has Been Answered. I Never Felt So Strangely--So

Happy Before."

 

 

 

"Come With Me," Cried the Old Man, Impetuously, "Come With Me. Your

Mother Must Learn At Once That Her Son, Who 'Was Dead, Is Alive Again';"

And A Few Moments Later Haldane Was Once More In the Low Carriage, On

His Way, With The Enthusiastic Doctor, To His Old Home.

 

 

 

"We Won'T Permit Ourselves To Be Announced," Said The Childlike Old

Clergyman As They Drove Up The Gravelled road. "We Will Descend Upon

Your Mother And Sisters Like An Avalanche Of Happiness."

 

 

 

The Curtains In the Sitting-Room Were Not Drawn, And The Family Group

Was Before Them. The Apartment Was Furnished with Elegance And Taste,

But The Very Genius Of Dreariness Seemed to Brood Over Its Occupants.

The Sombre Colors Of Their Mourning Dresses Seemed a Part Of The Deep

Shadow That Was Resting Upon Them, And The Depth And Gloom Of The Shadow

Was Intensified by Their Air Of Despondency And The Pallor Of Their

Faces. The Younger Daughter Was Reading, But The Elder And The Mother

Held Their Hands Listlessly In their Laps, And Their Eyes Were Fixed on

Vacancy, After The Manner Of Those Whose Thoughts Are Busy With Painful

Themes.

 

 

 

Haldane Could Endure But A Brief Glance, And Rushed in, Exclaiming:

 

 

 

"Mother, Forgive Me!"

 

 

 

His Presence Was So Unexpected and His Onset So Impetuous That The Widow

Had No Time To Consider What Kind Of A Reception She Ought To Give Her

Wayward Son, Of Whom She Had Washed her Hands.

 

 

 

Her Mother-Love Triumphed; Her Heart Had Long Been Sore With Grief, And

She Returned his Embrace With Equal Heartiness.

 

 

 

His Sisters, However, Had Inherited more Of Their Mother'S

Conventionality Than Of Her Heart; And The Fact That This Young Man Was

Their Brother Did Not By Any Means Obliterate From Their Minds The Other

Facts, That He Had A Very Bad Reputation And That He Was Abominably

Dressed. Their Greeting, Therefore, Was Rather Grave And Constrained,

And Suggested that There Might Have Been A Death In the Family, And That

Their Brother Had Come Home To Attend The Funeral.

 

 

 

But The Unworldly Dr. Marks Was Wholly Absorbed in the Blessed truth

That The Dead Was Alive And The Lost Found. He Had Followed haldane Into

The Apartment, Rubbing His Hands, And Beaming General Congratulation.

Believing That The Serene Light Of Heaven'S Favor Rested on The Youth,

He Had Forgotten That It Would Be Long Before Society Relaxed its Dark

Frown. It Seemed to Him That It Was An Occasion For Great And Unmixed

Rejoicing.

 

 

 

After Some Brief Explanations Had Been Given To The Bewildered

Household, The Doctor Said:

 

 

 

"My Dear Madam, I Could Not Deny Myself The Pleasure Of Coming With Your

Son, That I Might Rejoice With You. The Lord Has Answered our Prayers,

You See, And You Have Reason To Be The Happiest Woman Living."

 

 

 

"I Am Glad, Indeed," Sighed the Widow, "That Some Light Is Beginning To

Shine Through This Dark And Mysterious Providence, For It Has Been So

Utterly Dark And Full Of Mystery That My Faith Was Beginning To Waver."

 

 

 

"The Lord Will Net Suffer You To Be Tempted above That You Are Able,"

Said The Clergyman, Heartily. "When Relief Is Essential It Comes, And It

Always Will Come, Rest Assured. Take Comfort, Madam; Nay, Let Your Heart

Overflow With Joy Without Fear. The Lord Means Well By This Young Man.

Take The Unspeakable Blessing He Sends You With The Gladness And

Gratitude Of A Child Receiving Gifts From A Good Father'S Hands. Since

He Has