"I don"t know who you are, sir, but you are doing a very dangerous thing in causing these people to behave like this."
"Suffer Me first to do as they ask."
He stretched out His hand and touched those that were sick, so that they were whole. But when they came to look for Him who had done them this service, behold He was gone. And the lame man had gone with Him.
CHAPTER X
THE DEPUTATION
He came, with His disciple to a gate which led into a field, through which there ran a stream. It was high noon. He entered the gate, and sat beside the stream. And the lame man sat near by. The Stranger watched the water as it plashed over the stones on its race to the mill. When presently He sighed, the lame man said:
"I have money; there is a village close handy. Let me go and buy food, and bring it to you here."
But He answered:
"We shall not want for food. There is one who comes to offer it to us now."
Even as He spoke a carriage drew up in the road on the other side of the hedge. A lady, standing up in it, looked through a pair of gla.s.ses into the field. Bidding the footman open the carriage-door, alighting, she came through the gate to where He sat with His disciple beside the stream. She was a woman of about forty years of age, very richly dressed. As she walked, with her skirts held well away from the gra.s.s, she continued to stare through the gla.s.ses, which were attached to a long gold handle. Looking from one to the other, her glance rested, on the Stranger.
I Are you the person of whom such extraordinary stories are being told? You look it--you must be--you are. George Horley just told me he saw you on the Shaldon Road. I don"t know how he knew it was you-- and his manner was most extraordinary--but he"s a sharp fellow, and I shouldn"t be surprised if he was right. Tell me, are you that person?"
"I am He that you know not of."
"My dear sir, that doesn"t matter one iota. What I"ve heard of you is sufficient introduction for me. I don"t know if you"re aware that this field is mine, and that you"re trespa.s.sing. I"m very particular about not allowing the villagers to come in here--they will go after the mushrooms. But if you"ll take a seat in my carriage I shall be very happy to put you up for a day or two. I"m Mrs. Montara, of Weir Park. I have some very delightful people staying with me, who will be of the greatest service to you in what I understand is your propaganda. Most interesting what I"ve heard of you, I"m sure." The Stranger was silent. "Well, will you come?"
"Woman, return to your own place. Leave Me in peace."
"I don"t admire your manners, my good man, especially after my going out of my way to be civil to you. Is that all the answer you have to give?"
"What have I to do with you, or you with Me? I am not that new thing which you seek. I am of old."
He looked at her. The great lady shrank back a little, as if abashed.
"Whoever you are, I shall be glad to have you as my guest."
"I am not found in rich women"s houses. They are too poor. They offer nothing. They seek only to obtain."
"I offer you, in the way of hospitality, whatever you may want."
"You cannot offer Me the one thing which I desire."
"What is that?"
"That you should know Me even as you are known. For unless you know Me I have nothing, and less than nothing, and there is nothing in the world that is at all to be desired. For if I have come unto Mine own, and they know Me not, then My coming indeed is vain. Go! Strip yourself and your house, and be ashamed. In the hour of your shame come to Me again."
"If that"s the way you talk to me, get up and leave my field, before I have you locked up for trespa.s.s."
He stood up, and said to the lame man:
"Come!"
And they went out of the field, and pa.s.sed through that place without staying to eat or drink. In the next village an old woman, who was standing at a cottage gate, stopped them as they were pa.s.sing on.
"You are tired. Come in and rest."
And they entered into her house. And she gave them food, refusing the money which the lame man offered.
"I have a spare bedroom. You can have it if you"d like to stay the night, and you"ll be kindly welcome."
So they stayed with her that night.
And in the morning, while it was yet early, they arose and went upon their way. And when they had gone some distance they heard on the road behind them the sound of a horse"s hoofs. And when they turned, they saw that a wagonette was being driven hotly towards them. When, on reaching them, it stopped, they saw that it contained five men.
One, leaning over the side, said to the Stranger:
"Are you he we are looking for?"
The Stranger replied:
"I am He whom you seek."
"That is," added a second man, "you are the individual who is stated to have been performing miracles in London?"
The Stranger only said:
"I am He whom you seek."
"In that case," declared the first speaker, "we are very fortunate."
He scrambled out on to the road, a short, burly man, with restless bright eyes and an iron-gray beard. He wore a soft, round, black felt hat, and was untidily dressed. He seemed to be in perpetual movement, in striking contrast to the Stranger"s immutable calm.
"Will you come with us in the wagonette?" he demanded. "Or shall we say what we have to say to you here? It is early; we"re in the heart of the country; no one seems about. If we cross the stile which seems to lead into that little copse, we could have no better audience-chamber, and need fear no interruption."
"Say what you have to say to Me here."
"Good! Then, to begin with, we"ll introduce ourselves."
His four companions were following each other out of the wagonette.
As they descended he introduced each one in turn.
"This is Professor Wilc.o.x Wilson, the pathologist. Professor Wilson does not, however, confine himself to one subject, but is interested in all live questions of the day; and, while he keeps an open mind, seeks to probe into the why and wherefore of all varieties of phenomena. This is the Rev. Martin Philipps, the eminent preacher and divine, who joins to a liberal theology a far-reaching interest in the cause of suffering humanity. Augustus Jebb, perhaps the greatest living authority on questions of social science and the welfare of the wage-earning cla.s.ses. John Anthony Gibbs, who may be said to represent the religious conscience of England in the present House of Commons. I myself am Walter S. Treadman, journalist, student, preacher, and, I hope, humanitarian. I only know that where there is a cry of pain, there my heart is. I heard that you were in this neighbourhood, and lost no time in requesting these gentlemen to a.s.sociate themselves with me in the appeal which I am about to make to you. Therefore I beg of you to regard me as, in a sense, a deputation from England. Your answer will be given to England. And on that account, if no other, we implore you to weigh, with the utmost care, any words which you may utter. To come to the point: Do we understand you to a.s.sert that the feats with which you have set all London agape are, in the exact sense of the word, miraculous--that is, incapable of a natural interpretation?"
"Why do you speak such words to Me?"
"For an obvious reason. England is at heart religious. Though, for the moment, she may seem torpid, it needs but a breath to fan the smouldering embers into a mighty blaze which will light the world, and herald in the brightness of the eternal dawn. If these things which you have done are of G.o.d, then you must be of Him, and from Him, and may be the bearer of a message to the myriads whose ears are strained to listen. Therefore I implore you to answer."