Page:Lazarus, a tale of the world's great miracle.djvu/257

Rh "Then I saw that this was the greatest punishment of all, to be blind and in hell, and to know that this blindness is forever and ever. Yet could I not pity them as I did the others, for I thought of all the rulers and high priests that I had known, and could call none to mind that spake the truth or taught it; and I considered how the laws of Moses had been perverted by these hypocrites, and that their sayings and writings would remain written for generations; and I wondered not that the worst punishment of eternal blindness should be theirs.

"Then we came to a field which was fair to see, with fruit and flowers that hung in bounteous profusion everywhere; and I said: 'This can be no hell!'

"But the Spirit shook his head and made reply: 'This is the garden of hell, where the women wander for one hour in every day. This blessing is accorded them because of the mother of the Lord. 'T is only since the birth of the Christ on earth that it hath been planted. For her sake, and for the sake of their suffering on earth, women are given one hour that they may rest them from the torture of hell. But not all women are allowed to enter here. 'T is like unto the Garden of Eden, in which the Lord placed Adam and Eve; for, each evening, an angel with a flaming sword doth chase them from the garden, even as Eve was chased, and crieth out: "Depart, depart, ye sinful."

"And as I gazed, I saw that many women of exceeding fairness wandered in the cool shade of the garden, and for one hour their eyes did shine and their smile was sweet. And even while I looked,