As they came in sight of the tomb, Joel clutched Phineas by the arm, and pointed, with a shaking finger, to the dark opening ahead of of them.
"See!" he said, pointing into its yawning darkness. "She was right! The stone is gone!"
It was some time before they could muster up courage to go nearer and look into the sepulchre. When at last they did so, neither spoke a word, but, after one startled look into each other's eyes, turned and left the garden.
It was growing dark as they hurried along the highway homeward. Two men came half running towards the city, in great haste to reach the gates before they should be closed for the night. They were two disciples well known to Phineas.
He stopped them with the question that was uppermost in his mind.
"Yes, He is risen," answered one of the men, breathlessly. "We have seen Him. Hosanna to the Highest! He walked along this road with us as we went to Emmaus."
"Ah, how our hearts burned as He talked with us by the way!" interrupted the other man.
"Only this hour He sat at meat with us," cried the first speaker. "He broke bread with us, and blessed it as He always used to do. We are running back to the city now to tell the other disciples."
Phineas would have laid a detaining hand on them, but they hurried on, and left him standing in the road, looking wistfully after them.
"It must be true," said Joel, "or they could not have been so nearly wild with joy."