So the time went on. And every night, since that first night at the beginning of the two years, when she had uttered the prayer for him, she still continued to pray. Repetition instead of weakening only strengthened it. Nightly the silent tears would squeeze themselves between her closed lids because she felt it all so strongly. And every night she rose from her knees comforted. It was as if God stood there and said: “Yes, I will take care of him. He has been very good and very patient through all his losses and failures. And now I am going to let his last years be very happy ones. Only trust in me, and have faith.”
One night after this fervent prayer Deborah got into bed feeling in love and charity with all men.
Now, she was very frightened of the dark. “I feel as if when I’m in the dark there are things pressing all round me,” she used to say to herself, “so that I cannot breathe.” But she had also been told by various members of the family that people who were frightened of the dark had evil consciences. Therefore she used to try to overcome this excessive fear by earnest prayer.
On this particular night, however, she seemed for once to have got the better of her fear, as she neither closed her eyes nor pulled the bed-clothes very high about her head.
The real truth was she had got on to one of her favourite lines of thought—the devil.
“I can’t understand the devil,” she said half aloud. “I think he’s a silly old thing. The idea of him setting himself up to fight against God! Why, he might know he’d be beaten any day. I’m not the least bit frightened of him with his ugly horns and hoofs—he doesn’t seem to know whether he’s a man or a cow.” And she laughed.
But before the laugh had ended a curious sensation came creeping over her. It was as if something were compelling her to look at the foot of the bed, and she looked.
The light was pretty low, yet high enough for her to discern the objects around; but by the lower bed-post there was an unfamiliar shadow.
Deborah felt as if some power beyond herself was dragging her up in bed.
“Sit up,” said the voice.