Mrs. Mandeville's thoughts at once went to the stables, where one of the horses was named Peter.
"Peter, dear?" Just a note of surprise in her voice.
"Yes, Auntie, when Jesus called Peter to come to him on the water, at first he was not afraid, and he got out of the boat to go to him. Then he began to be afraid, and as soon as fear crept in, he began to sink. Auntie, I was just like that. At first I was not afraid of the bull. I knew God had given me dominion, and I was trying to realize it. Then the moment I began to be afraid, the bull tossed me. As I was thinking of this perhaps I fell asleep, and it was a dream. But it was so real. I seemed to see Peter standing by the bed, but he didn't look like the picture in the stained-glass window, and he spoke so kindly and gently. 'Little brother,' he said, 'you have not learned to trust the Master yet.' It was just as if he remembered there was a time when his faith had failed. I wanted to ask him something, but he was not there, and I was quite wide awake. May it perhaps be, Auntie, that as Christ 'walks life's troubled angry sea,' they are with him, those disciples who were always with Jesus, especially Peter, and James, and John; and they are working now, doing his bidding, as they did it in Galilee, watching over and helping those who are still fighting?"
"It may be, Carol, we cannot tell. It seems that events which happened two thousand years ago are to you but as yesterday."
"Why, yes, Auntie; time in God's kingdom is not measured by years and weeks and months. I shall just love now to think about Peter, and know that my faith will grow stronger, as his did. There are many people who would not have been afraid of the bull. Cousin Alicia told me of a lady in India who, one day, came quite close to a cobra. But she was not afraid, and as she stood quite still and looked at it, the cobra coiled itself into a heap and went to sleep. Then she told me of a gentleman who was shooting game in Africa, and once he was in a position when he could not fire, and a leopard was only a few yards from him, but the animal did not attack him, it ran away into the desert. The lady and the gentleman knew and realized that they had dominion; I hope I shall understand it better some day, and not be afraid of anything."
"You have been taught some strange things, Carol, still they are beautiful; it seems almost too beautiful to be true."
"Oh, Auntie, nothing can be too beautiful to be true, because only good, and good is always beautiful, is real; evil, and evil is always ugly, is unreal."
"Carol, darling, I wish I could believe that. You are leading me in strange paths. I must not let you talk any more to-night. I am quite sure that it is time a little boy, who has lost so much sleep lately, tried to make up for it."
But as she bent over him to kiss him, he clung both arms around her neck, keeping her a willing captive for some minutes longer.
"Auntie, I am so longing for Cousin Alicia's letter," were his last words as she left the room.