Who am I? I am that which thou hast searched for since thy baby eyes gazed wonderingly upon the world whose horizon but hides this real life from thee. I am that which in thy heart thou hast clamoured for, demanding it as thy birth-right, yet knowing not what it was or even that thou didst clamour at all. I am that which has lain in thy soul through ages and æons. Sometime a little sad I lay, because thou didst not recognize Me; yet sometimes, standing with head high lifted and eyes wide and crest aloft and arms outstretched, calling thee softly or even harshly, bidding thee rebel against the hard iron chains of earth that held thee bound to earth, to clay, to brass. * * I am that which oft hath set My heel upon that earthly desire which thou didst pant for and with My heel I crushed it, before it lay temptingly fulfilled before thine eye. I crushed it with My heel by My might of love because I willed not that it should burn and sting thee, My lamb. * * I am that which hath laid thee low in pain and sorrow, rather than see thee run with blinded eyes on a path that was full unto shimmering softness with poisonous creeping things, that would have wound themselves about thy feet and so caused thee to stumble and fall face downward on their slippery bellies, so they might even devour thee and crawl into thee and take from thy heart its gold and from thy eye its beam and from thy brow its nobleness. * * I am that which hath had thee by the hand, when the smile of trust froze on thy lips, when the jewel of faith seemed to melt into nothing in thy heart, when the hand of unbelief in all humanity was near unto resting forever on thy brow. I held thy hand then and for a little I saw thee writhe and quiver and break and then My hand touched thy head and I breathed in thy soul My fragrance and lo, thy smile of trust again broke with tenfold beauty on thy moistened lips, the gem of faith lighted with tenfold power thy softened heart and a belief in all humanity came forth with a strength and radiance that could not have been, hadst thou not known that short span of barrenness! From each tear which hath fallen from thine eye, I have made a pearl and strung them on veins of gold and placed them about thy neck even as a priceless necklet. From each drop of blood that came from thine aching heart, I have made a bleeding ruby and placed it even as a girdle about thy heart, and for each kind thought, that hath gone out to those who have brought pain to thee I have made a fire-hearted gem of crystal and in a coronet placed them on thy brow which now gleam there in triple power. * * Now go forth and win thy sceptre and thy staff! They shall be crystalized of clearest jewels, which shall be made of which command of Mine which thou dost hear and obey. * *