CHAPTER V.
_NEW ROBES: AN ALLEGORY._
"Have you another dream to tell us?" asked Minnie on the followingSunday.
"It is the end of the same dream, but it has a different page in the'Wordless Book' as its suggestion," answered Agnes.
"Yes, the White page," said John.
White--Righteousness.
Then the boys passed out towards the Light, leaning on Him who haddelivered them. I followed silently, still allowed to watch and listen.
"Dost Thou say that Thou wilt present us to the King?" asked Alwinhesitatingly.
Their Deliverer assented; for Edred immediately answered, "We are notfit to appear before Him! Thy power has indeed saved us from thedestruction we merited; but we are so soiled and filthy from contactwith the mire in this awful Cavern, that we could not appear before anyone, least of all before the Great King." He spoke eagerly and halfproudly.
"Dost thou not remember what I told thee? That My Blood, which has beenshed for thee, with which thou hast been covered, will work--nay, hasalready worked, marvels; and when the Light shines upon thee, thou wiltsee. Fear nothing, only believe what I tell thee."
They were silent after this, and were quickly approaching the end of thedarkness. Then the boys could look upon their Deliverer, and could seethe terrible wounds that He had sustained in His conflict with the foulfiend. And when they looked they wept--wept for sorrow that He should sohave suffered for them--wept for joy that they were safe from thedreadful destruction.
They thought not of themselves; but when I could unfasten my eyes fromthe lovely face of the Deliverer, I was amazed to find that the boyswere no longer arrayed in their former clothes, for in that mysteriouspassage from Darkness to Light all these had been changed, and they werenow clad in a spotless robe of pure white.
By-and-by they perceived it themselves, or rather their Guide pointed itout to them.
"See," He said tenderly, "what My deliverance has done for you; now youcan meet the King without fear. Covered by this robe, you will beaccepted even in His eyes, because when He sees it He will rememberthat I have fought for you and prevailed; and He will count My meritsyours."
He led them now swiftly, it seemed to me, towards a spot which He toldthem would be the Meeting-place, but for the first time I was unable tofollow them. A thin cloud seemed to obscure my vision for a while.
When I saw the boys again their Guide had left them, and they werewalking along the road towards the Palace of the King, which lay at theend of the journey.
They were busily engaged in perusing the Guide-book, which Edred hadbefore so despised; but now his face bent over it with a look which wasboth inquiring and trustful.
"What does it mean, Alwin, when it says, 'Needeth not save to wash hisfeet?'"
"Does it not mean that we, who have been cleansed from all that filth bythe wonderful efficacy of our Deliverer's Blood, still may getdefilements in our path, and that these will need constant washingaway?"
"I suppose it does," said Edred hesitatingly and looking round; "butwhere----?"
"Our Deliverer told us--do you not remember it?--that by our road weshould find a cleansing stream, dyed by His Blood, to which we mustneeds constantly repair."
"He did, but I had well-nigh forgotten it; but see, Alwin, the end ofthe journey is not so very far off; just beyond those Hills, where theradiance is; there will be nothing to defile us _there_."
Alwin looked towards the Hills in silence, with a rapt face, on whichthe glory seemed reflected. Then he added suddenly, "Our Deliverer saidthat He might fetch us Himself, instead of our travelling so far; thatwould be better still, Edred."
"Indeed it would," answered Edred earnestly. "I hope He will."
Then I awoke from my dream.
* * * * *
"And this text has been running in my head while I have been ponderingover my dream," added Agnes, "'The blood of Jesus Christ His Soncleanseth us from all sin'--and--'He hath made us accepted in theBeloved.'"