The Guardians of the Door 143

Then the sword yielded to his touch and
vanished into air, and the old priest leaned
forward on the window-sill and gazed
through the chink. And with a cry of joy
he saw a corner of the rude bed, and beside
the corner, one above the other, three great
dazzling wings; they were the left-hand side
wings of one of the Angels at the foot of the
bed.

Then all was deep darkness.

The Vicar thought that it was the blind-
ness that had fallen upon him, but the only
regret he felt was that the vision had vanished
so quickly. Then, as he turned away, he
found that not only had he not lost his
sight, but that he could now see with a
marvellous clearness. He saw the road, and
even the foot-prints and grains of sand on
the road; the hut, and the reeds on the hut;
the moor, and the boulders and the rowan-
trees on the moor. Everything was as dis-
tinct as if it had-been — not daylight, but as
if the air were of the clear colour of a nut-
brown brook in summer.

Praising God for all His goodness he
returned home, and as he went he looked
back once and again and yet again, and each