The Maréchale (Catherine Booth-Clibborn)Strahan, James
Religion
The Maréchale (Catherine Booth-Clibborn)
Strahan, James
Booth-Clibborn, Catherine, 1860-1955
Next morning a service was held in the garden of the farmhouse near
Geneva where Charles Wyssa had died, and there the Maréchale found a
lifelong friend. Mrs. Josephine Butler was present, and gave a brief
address which lived long in the memory of those who heard it. Having
spoken of her profound sympathy with the work of the _Armée du Salut_ in
Switzerland, she made a moving reference to the fact that she had lost
her only and dearly-loved daughter, whom she had named Evangeline in the
hope that her life would be dedicated to evangelisation. One fatal
evening, when, the mother returned home after a long journey, her little
daughter came running downstairs to meet and welcome her. In her
extreme eagerness to see her mother again, the child forgot all danger,
slipped over the staircase balustrade, and was taken up crushed and
unconscious. In less than an hour her gentle spirit had fled.
"At the coffin of that child," said Mrs. Butler, "I consecrated my life
to the relief of my suffering and oppressed brothers and sisters. My
great desire was that she should become a preacher of the Word of God.
And now," added the mother, throwing her arms round the Maréchale, "by
another new coffin I have found my long-lost daughter, an Evangelist
chosen and blessed of God." When the Maréchale had daughters of her
own, she called the eldest Catherine Evangeline and the youngest
Josephine.
From that garden the company moved to the churchyard, where the
Maréchale spoke on the beautiful words, "Who are these which are arrayed
in white robes, and whence came they?" Just as John Wyssa, the younger
brother of Charles, was throwing a handful of earth on the coffin, and
murmuring the words "_Au revoir, mon frère_," the Mayor of the Commune
approached in order to arrest Miss Booth. At this juncture Col.
Clibborn interposed, saying, "Sir! this is a funeral." He was a coarse,
brutal fellow, very different from the Prefect of Police in Neuchâtel.
The mayor not heeding was putting his hand upon Miss Booth’s arm, when
she turned upon him with flashing eyes, and said, "Hands off! this is
holy ground! Don’t you see that we are in the presence of the dead? I
finish this service, and then will speak with you."
When the funeral rites were ended, the Mayor thought his turn was at
last come. He was about to proceed with the arrest, when the Maréchale
still objected.
"You can’t arrest me!"
The Mayor stared in bewilderment.
"I say you can’t arrest me!"
"May I ask why?"
"Because with the best will in the world I can’t go to two prisons in
two Cantons at the same time. I am due in Nauchâtel."
The Mayor saw that she was right, and retired crestfallen.
The Maréchale returned to Nauchâtel and surrendered to her bail. The
iron gates of the grim jail closed upon her. The imprisonment was
shared by her faithful lieutenant, Kate Patrick, who refused to leave
her.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account