Page:Lazarus, a tale of the world's great miracle.djvu/230

218 And shall I see Him yet again; Him whom my soul delighteth in?' I asked of the old man. 'Shall I see the Christ?'

Yea, thou shalt see Him again even on earth, for thou shalt rise again; but go now, appear to thine whom thou lovest best, and repeat the message that shall be spoken to thee; for, during the first twelve hours that follow death, 't is given to thee to comfort those that thou hast loved, if so be thy love be pure and good, and that they need thee.'

"And then, sweet Magdalene, I saw in memory thy sad eyes, as they had been at my death-bed, and methought, 'Surely 't is she that needeth me the most.' Yet when I came to thee, I bethought me of what the Lord would have me do, and it came strong upon me to give thee the message of which thou dost wot."

Here Lazarus looked lovingly at the Magdalene, and her eyes began to fill with tears of mingled joy and wonder.

"And didst feel that thou wert dead?" asked Martha.

"Nay, I felt only a great rest and lightness and that evil thoughts no more oppressed me; but, for all else, I seemed to be yet myself, and to be yet in the same place. And I said to the old man: 'If this be death, where then are heaven and hell, and where is God and where is Satan?'

Be still,' he said. 'Dost thou that hath but lately left thy fleshly case, with all thy evil thoughts and wrongful understandings, and thy cavilings, and hankerings after thine own goods, dost think that thou art fit to come before the God Eternal?