He was looking toward the rising sun, which was still dim and flushed
with the autumn haze. "The Christ whom we all worship," he began
abruptly, "each in our different way, called himself by the sacred name
of Truth. Does he desire, do you think, that we must worship him by
adhering to what we know to be fact, no matter what would seem to be
gained by slighting facts? It is a great temptation to me to conceal
from you, Susannah, a part of my book knowledge which I cannot help
thinking has some bearing upon this case--how much or how little I do
not know."
He walked on for a little way, and at length, with a great sigh, he
began to speak again, answering her first appeal for advice.
"I think that your prophet is mad or false, that his Mormonism is utter
folly, but you knew that I thought that long ago. As to this story your
husband has told you, I am bound to say that it has happened before in
the world's history many times that men have seen, or thought they saw,
a man rise into the air. In my opinion it is not the indication of a
sound mind when men see such things, and I feel sure that such a
phenomenon, fact or delusion, whatever it may be, cannot bear any
relation to the religious life. My advice to you is--ah, Susannah, I can
say it truly in the sight of God and of my own conscience--my advice to
you is to be quit of such men and such scenes, but I dare not keep back
from you the truth that this one story, so far from lessening my
confidence in your husband's probity or in Smith's, has rather increased
it; for, being very ignorant men, they could not have heard of these
stories that I have told you, for I have read them only in rare books;
that they have reproduced the same incident seems rather to prove that
they have by accident stumbled upon the same fact--whether a dizziness
of the eyes, or an affection of the brain, or an actual counteraction of
gravity, I cannot tell."
She listened, drinking in each slow word. After all, then, to-day was
just like yesterday, and that which she had to decide was as to the
reasonableness of the whole new doctrine, as to her willingness to live
among such scenes and such men.
There had been no sudden madness or deceit to give her reason for sudden
revolt (perhaps her heart said excuse instead of reason).
Ephraim had grown very pale. After he had watched her for a while, he
said with a sad smile, "You will not come home with me to-day,
Susannah?"
"I must think over all this again, Ephraim. I don't know how these
things can be, but what you admit is very strange."
He knew from her tone that the die was cast; he had no heart to discuss
the laws that govern marvels.
"If at any time, any hour of the day or night, you should wish to come
to us, Susannah, the door is open."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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