“Very holy men have before now had spiritual difficulties and mental trials,” reflected Io. “Does not Bunyan represent even his Christian and Hopeful in Doubting Castle under the tyranny of Giant Despair? They indeed had strayed from the narrow path. I cannot think that Oscar has ever thus strayed, but yet he may have his giant to fight. Christian had the key of promise in his bosom, and so, I am sure, has my husband. I will be Oscar’s Hopeful, and we will escape together. No doubts can for long imprison those whom the truth has set free.”
Io found Oscar sitting in the veranda, a volume ofHerbert’s poems in his hand, but he did not appear to be reading. Mr. Coldstream rose when the palanquin was set down by the bearers, and helped his wife out of the conveyance. He then brought another chair from the house, and he and Io sat down together. The lady wished to bring on conversation on some religious subject, and naturally recurred to the chaplain’s sermon, the first which the Coldstreams had heard from his lips.
“Did you not think the preacher’s words very comforting?” said Io after a pause, feeling that she must be the first to break the silence.
“Searching, incisive,” was the reply.
“To what part do you allude, dear Oscar? The address was all upon following the Lord and receiving His blessing.”
“A conditional blessing,” said Oscar.
“Surely not, dearest. Our salvation is free; Mr. Lawrence pressed that point on us,” observed Io Coldstream.
“Was there nothing in the sermon about cutting off the right hand and plucking out the right eye?” asked her husband.
“That is but a figure of speech.”
“A figure, I grant you, but conveying a fact. It is too much the way with men to take all that is pleasant and soothing in Scripture and to leave out the sterner truths. That figure does imply the surrender, at any cost, of what is dear as a hand or an eye.”