“You forget why I am here,” said the criminal.
“No, I do not forget that you are here because you had the courage to confess your deed; because you preferred punishment and disgrace to honour and ease; because you dared to pluck out the right eye. Coldstream, do you repent having made a confession?”
“Never!” was the emphatic reply. “I would rather suffer any earthly misery than the terrible separation from God which I once had to endure.”
“Then indeed you are my brother in Christ,” said the chaplain. “Are we not both sinners redeemed by grace?”
Lawrence’s coming was to Oscar as a draught of cool and sweet refreshing water to one perishing of thirst.The friends sat down together, and long was the conversation which ensued. Coldstream spoke more freely to Lawrence of his grief than he had done to Io, for he was less afraid of inflicting pain. Lawrence gave heart-felt sympathy, and he gave consolation besides. The chaplain spoke of the tears of a David and the penitence of a Peter. He touched on the story of the woman deeply sunken in sin, who was offered freely the water of life by Him who was to die to procure it. Was not that woman to become a missionary to her own people? Was not David to prepare for the building of the Temple? Was not Peter to live an apostle and die a martyr?
“God may have some work for you to do even in the place of your exile,” said Lawrence. “The Lord asks not, ‘Hast thou ever sinned greatly against Me?’ but He says, ‘Lovest thou Me?’ You can give the same answer as did the penitent Peter.”
“I can, I can,” murmured Coldstream under his breath.
“Then, though severed from country and friends, you have a Home and a Father on high.”
After a few minutes of silent thought, Oscar said, in a hesitating tone, “Do you think that it would be sinful presumption in me to partake once more of the Supper of the Lord?”
“One of my chief objects in coming to Calcutta was to see if you could receive from me Holy Communion,” said Mark.