Why, it was--it was--Oh, it couldn't be! But it was. She knew Him now. She recognized Him--the Shepherd! The Good Shepherd, who fed His flocks, who cared for the sparrows and who loved little children! The realization awed and thrilled her. The joy of it made her want to shout, to sing, to weep such tears of happiness as she had never wept in her short life. At last, He had come! God had heard their prayers! He had received the message their kite had carried! He was sending them help. He was going to take them away. The Good Shepherd had come to tell her. And only yesterday she had been thinking that He had not heard or was not going to answer their prayers! The recollection made her feel so ashamed. She could hardly bear to look up into those loving, tender eyes. Yet she knew, somehow, that He understood just how she felt, and that He didn't hold anything against her. His very nearness made her feel calm and courageous. Even if He didn't stay, she knew she would never feel afraid and discouraged again. Seeing Him, knowing Him, even for a moment seemed to have dispelled all her old, haunting terror of Grimes and her dread of the future. She felt strong--strong to face even a lion, as her father had done. Strong enough to defy Grimes, if necessary, to help those children. But the sudden ecstasy and sense of exhilaration gradually gave place to an exquisite calm. A great hush fell, even upon her thoughts. It permeated the entire landscape and spread itself over into the loft. The little lambs on the hillside stood still. A soft, yet radiant light appeared as the Shepherd arose from His seat on the grassy knoll and passed, slowly and majestically, between them. Like one transfixed Mollie watched Him come--nearer, ever nearer, straight toward her, His sweet, loving eyes looking down so tenderly, so pityingly at Amy's little form lying, weak and helpless, across Mollie's lap, the strange, mysterious light emanating from Him falling in a direct ray, like a glorified sunbeam, full on the baby's face. Was it the magnetism of that wondrous light that drew Amy's soul away from its tiny tenement of pain and suffering, or was it those strong, gentle, scarred hands that reached forth and lifted the little sufferer from Mollie's tired arms? It may have been both. Mollie did not know. It was all so brief! So wonderful! So beautiful! She could not tell at just what instant the miracle took place. She only knew that in the twinkling of an eye there had been a change and when she looked again at the child in her lap little Amy had ceased to suffer, a smile of seraphic sweetness lingered upon her face and the Good Shepherd had gone away. Mollie was wide awake. She had not slept. She had only closed her eyes for one little minute, but what wonders had taken place!