the arch inclosed all, and seemed filled with great folding gates, in
which the smaller doors were set, so that if need arose a vast opening
might be made for many to enter. Of the little doors many were shut as
the Pilgrim approached; but from moment to moment one after another would
be pushed softly open from without, and some one would come in. The
little Pilgrim looked at it all with great interest, wondering which of
the doors she herself had come by; but while she stood absorbed by this,
a door was suddenly pushed open close by her, and some one flung forward
into the blessed country, falling upon the ground, and stretched out wild
arms as though to clutch the very soil. This sight gave the Pilgrim a
great surprise; for it was the first time she had heard any sound of
pain, or seen any sight of trouble, since she entered here. In that
moment she knew what it was that the dear Lord had given her to do. She
had no need to pause to think, for her heart told her; and she did not
hesitate, as she might have done in the other life, not knowing what to
say. She went forward and gathered this poor creature into her arms, as
if it had been a child, and drew her quite within the land of peace; for
she had fallen across the threshold, so as to hinder any one entering who
might be coming after her. It was a woman, and she had flung herself upon
her face, so that it was difficult for the little Pilgrim to see what
manner of person it was; for though she felt herself strong enough to
take up this new-comer in her arms and carry her away, yet she forbore,
seeing the will of the stranger was not so. For some time this woman lay
moaning, with now and then a great sob shaking her as she lay. The little
Pilgrim had taken her by both her arms, and drawn her head to rest upon
her own lap, and was still holding the hands, which the poor creature had
thrown out as if to clutch the ground. Thus she lay for a little while,
as the little Pilgrim remembered she herself had lain, not wishing to
move, wondering what had happened to her; then she clutched the hands
which grasped her, and said, muttering,--