There was a loving silence between the two friends while Virginia held Rachel’s hand and caressed it. Then Rachel said brightly, “Have you told Mr. Maxwell?”

Virginia blushed and laughed. “No, but Richard is going to tell him today. We wanted to keep it to ourselves a while.”

“Selfish creatures! Keeping it to yourselves at least a week! Virginia, I did not think you were so selfish!”

Virginia laughed again, a laugh that revealed her intense happiness. “I am not going to apologize for the suddenness of it. I have no doubt people will be surprised. They will say it is not like me.”

“Well, it is not like anything you have ever done yet. But don’t you imagine anyone will be critical. I have not been so happy since Rollin, with my help, asked me to marry him. But,” and her face grew happily thoughtful, “what a blessing greater than mine or any friend’s, dear Virginia, is the blessing he gave you both.”

“Yes,” Virginia said softly, her face glowing, her eyes looking afar. “We shall carry that gracious blessing of his all our lives. Thank God!”

“Do you think we shall ever see him again?”

“Not here in Raymond. He must go to as many other places as he can.”

“Where will he go first?”

“To New York, then Washington. After that, he did not know himself. But he bade us farewell, as if we should not see him again here. I shall never forget his last words. ‘Beloved, we shall all meet in the Father’s House.’”

“It is what he said to Rollin and me at the grave that day. Virginia, how wonderful that we have seen and talked with Jesus!”

“And that he has loved us and told us so. Oh, I am so happy! We want to serve him all our lives and give our lives completely to him.”

After a silence, Virginia rose to go and Rachel asked, “When will you be married?”

“Very soon. We see no reason for waiting long.”

“No. You have waited so long all these years, it would be too sad to wait any longer!”

Virginia laughed, kissed Rachel and little Frank, and went away.

The boy turned to his mother and said, “Mamma, what makes Auntie Virgie so beautiful today?”

“Love. It is the great beautifier of life.”

“Is that what makes you so beautiful too?”

“Bless you, my son, it must be,” said Rachel as she clasped the boy to her heart and thought of Eloise and Rollin.

At about the same time in the day that Virginia was “confessing” to Rachel, Stanton was with Mr. Maxwell in his study at his house. They had been reviewing that wonderful week which would remain in their personal history as the most astonishing experience they would ever know on earth.

“What has been left as a result of his short stay with us?” Stanton asked.