"Peter, he may be right here now and knowing all that we are thinking."
Peter dropped his jaw. Joseph craned his long neck, while Nicodemus, the disciples and bystanders all leaned forward, to catch, if possible, from the angel face the last gleam which might swing the gates of death ajar.
"I know," she continued, "for I have been talking with him."
At this they all drew near, when she said, "His death upon the cross was natural, simply the separation of himself from his body."
"Has he gone up to heaven, from whence he came?" inquired Joseph.
"Why, Joseph, you are worse than Peter; do you think heaven is up above the moon?"
"Magdalene, you know what Jesus said when alive—"
"When alive, Joseph; he is alive now and possibly hears every word you say."
"Be that as it may, Magdalene; he has said from the beginning, 'I came down from heaven.'"
Magdalene scowled, and with a painful effort bit her lip as she tried to form a convincing sentence, and then began: "Down in a well and up on a hill are material positions, while down in hell and up in heaven are spiritual conditions."