At length
these curtains were drawn, and through them, bearing a cup in her hand,
passed a shape like to that of a mortal woman, only so radiant that
Barbara knew that had she been alive with the old life she would have
felt afraid.
This shape also was clad in garments that gave out light, and in its
hair were jewelled flowers. It glided to her side and looked at her with
loving, mysterious eyes. Then it held the cup to her lips, and said, or
rather thought, for the speech of that land declared itself in thought
and vision:
"Drink of this new wine."
She drank of the wine, and a wonderful life fell upon her like a glory.
"Who are you, O Vision?" she asked, and by way of answer there rose up
within her a picture of herself, Barbara, leaning over a cot and looking
at the white face of a dead child in a certain room in London. Then she
knew that this was her daughter, and stretched out her arms towards her
and received her in her arms.
Presently she looked again, and there around the bed appeared four other
shapes of beauty.
"You have forgotten us, Barbara," said one of them, "but we are your
sisters who died in infancy."
For the third time she looked, and behold! kneeling at her side, just as
he had been found kneeling in the church, was her adored father, grown
more young.
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