Hinds' Feet on High Places (Complete and Unabridged) (Rediscovered Books). Hannah Hurnard

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СКАЧАТЬ style="font-size:15px;">      And where thy flocks at noonday

      To rest and browse dost lead.

      For why should I

      By others be,

      And not by thee?

      O fairest among women,

      Dost thou indeed not know?

      Then lead my little flock let

      The way that my flocks go;

      And be to me,

      As I to thee,

      Sweet company.

      (Cant. 1:7-8)

      Then she fell into a heavy, dreamless sleep.

      Fearing Invasion

      Much-Afraid woke early the next morning and all her fears were gone. Her first thought was, “Probably sometime today I am to start for the High Places with the Shepherd.” This so excited her that she could hardly eat her breakfast, and as she began making arrangements for her departure, she could not help singing.

      It seemed to her that ever since the seed of Love had been planted in her heart, songs of joy were welling up in her innermost being. And the songs which best expressed this new happiness and thankfulness were from the old book which the shepherds so loved to use as they worked among the flocks and led them to the pastures. As she carried out the simple arrangements the Shepherd had told her to make, she sang another of these songs.

      Now when the King at table sits,

      My spikenard smelleth sweet,

      And myrrh and camphire from my store

      I pour upon his feet.

      My thankful love must be displayed,

      He loved and wooed a beggar maid.

      Ye daughters of Jerusalem,

      I’m black to look upon

      As goatskin tents; but also as

      The tent of Solomon.

      Without, I bear the marks of sin,

      But Love’s adorning is within.

      Despise me not that I am black,

      The sun hath burned my face,

      My mother’s children hated me,

      And drove me from my place.

      In their vineyards I toiled and wept.

      But mine own vineyard have not kept.

      I am not fair save to the King,

      Though fair my royal dress,

      His kingly grace is lavished on

      My need and worthlessness.

      My blemishes he will not see

      But loves the beauty that shall be.

      (Cant. 1:12-15, 5-6)

      From time to time as she went about her work her heart fluttered, half with excitement, half with dread of the unknown, but whenever she remembered the thorn in her heart, she tingled from head to foot with the same mysterious sweetness. Love was for her, too, even for her, crippled little Much-Afraid. When she reached the High Places she was to lose her humiliating disfigurements and be made beautiful, and when the plant in her heart was ready to bloom she was to be loved in return. Even as she thought of this, doubt mingled with the sweetness. Surely it could not possibly be true; just a beautiful dream, but not reality.

      “Oh, I am afraid it won’t ever happen,” she would say to herself, and then, when she thought of the Shepherd, her heart quickened again and she would run to the door or window to see if he were coming to call her.

      The morning wore on and still he had not come, but just after midday something else came: an invasion by her terrible relatives. All of a sudden, before she realized what was happening, they were upon her. There was tramping of feet and a clamor of voices and then she was surrounded by a whole army of aunts and uncles and cousins. Craven, however, was not with them. The family, hearing of his reception the evening before, and realizing that she shrank from him with peculiar dread and terror, had decided that it would not be wise to take him with them.

      They were determined to overrule Much-Afraid’s objections to the marriage, and if possible get her out of the cottage and into one of their own dwelling places. Their plan was to make a bold attack while he would be alone in the cottage and the Shepherd far away with his flocks, so they hoped she would be at their mercy. She could not be forcibly abducted in broad daylight; there were too many of the Shepherd’s servants in the village who would instantly come to her assistance.

      However, they knew Much-Afraid’s timidity and weakness and they believed that, if there were enough of them present, they could cow her into consenting to go with them to the Mansion of old Lord Fearing. Then they would have her in their power.

      The old Lord himself was actually with them, assuring her in a fatherly tone of voice that they had come with the kindest and friendliest intentions. He understood that she had some objections to the proposed marriage, and he wanted to have the opportunity of quietly talking them over with her, to see if he could set them at rest. It seemed to him that it was a suitable and attractive match in every way and that there must be some extraordinary misconception in her mind which a little understanding talk together would set right. If not, he assured her kindly, he would not permit her to be married against her will.

      When he had finished, a babel of other Fearing voices broke in, reasoning with her and making all sorts of suggestions. The fact was, they told her, that she had cut herself off from her relatives for so long, it was now quite apparent that she had all kinds of strange notions about their feelings and intentions toward her. It was really only right that she should now spend a little time with them and thus give them the opportunity of proving that she had misjudged and misunderstood them.

      Craven might not be just as handsome and pleasing in appearance as a prince in a fairy tale, and it was true that he had, unfortunately, rather a rough manner, but that was because he had known nothing of the softening and refining influences of marriage. Certainly the responsibilities and joys of married life would quickly alter this, and would indeed effect a transformation in him. It was to be her delightful privilege to assist as principal mover in bringing about this reformation which they all so eagerly wished to see.

      The whole gang talked on and on, while poor Much-Afraid sat cowering in their midst, almost too dazed to know what they were saying and suggesting. Just as they had hoped, they were gradually bringing her to a state of bewilderment and incoherent fear. It looked as though they would soon be able to persuade her that it was her duty to attempt the impossible task of trying to convert Craven Fear into something less objectionable than he really was. Suddenly there came an interruption from without.

      The Fearings had carefully closed the door when they entered the СКАЧАТЬ