"Yes, Auntie; but that did not make Mummie better when she was so ill.
The vicar often used to sit with her, and pray for her in church, but
she was never better for it. When Cousin Alicia came and I was so ill,
I began at once to get better. That little book, _Science and Health_,
had taught her to understand the Bible, and God answered her prayers for
me!"
"It was certainly a remarkable coincidence--your improving so quickly
after Miss Desmond came; but it may have been the result of some fresh
medicine the doctor was trying."
"Auntie, I was not taking any medicine. The first night Cousin Alicia
came I slept till morning, and the next day I wanted something to eat.
The nurses thought it was wonderful, because they had had such
difficulty to get me to eat before. Then when they dressed the wounds
on my hip every morning I used to scream so, some of the servants went
where they could not hear me. In only one week I lost all the pain and
I did not cry at all, and very soon one by one the wounds healed."
"It was very remarkable, dear. But do you associate your healing with
the book which Uncle Raymond has taken away?"
"Why, Auntie, _Science and Health_ is the Key to the Bible, and the
Bible is the ’tree whose leaves are for the healing of the nations.’
But people have not understood until they had that Key how to go to the
Bible for healing. Cousin Alicia understood; that was why she was able
to heal me."
"What you say seems very strange, Carol. If Uncle had not taken the book
away, I should have liked to look into it. I expect he would refuse if
I asked him to let me read it."
It did not occur to Mrs. Mandeville that she could obtain another copy
of the book. The confiscated copy was not the only one to be had. Her
conversation with Carol was interrupted just then. The same night when
she went, as the evening before, to his bedroom, she found him sitting
up in bed. He greeted her eagerly with the words:
"Auntie, I have been thinking."
"Dear boy, what have you been thinking?" She kissed the earnest,
upturned face, and realized for the first time that he had a very
beautiful countenance, so like, she thought, one of Murillo’s child
angels.
"I have been thinking, Auntie, of what you said about unorthodox. A
good many years ago when Protestants were called heretics, they were
unorthodox to the Church of Rome, were they not?"
"Certainly, dear."
"But Protestants are not called heretics now, are they?"
"I think we never hear them so spoken of now, dear, because there are
more Protestants in England than Roman Catholics."
"Then, Auntie, when there are more Christian Scientists than other
church people, _they_ won’t be called heretics."
"Will that ever be?" Mrs. Mandeville asked with a smile.
"Yes, Auntie; it must be, because Christian Scientists obey Jesus. All
that he said and commanded in the New Testament, they try to carry out.
He commanded his disciples to heal the sick."
"His disciples of that day, dear."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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