And women their pining children brought,

For a touch of his hand to ease their pain,

And his prayers to make them strong again.

And now one wish in his heart remained:

He longed to know what his soul had gained,

And how he had grown in the Master's grace,

Since first he came to that lonely place.

This wish was haunting him night and day,

He never could drive the thought away.

Until at length in the beech-tree's shade

He knelt, and with all his soul he prayed

That God would grant him to know and see

A man, if such in the world might be,

Whose soul in the heavenly grace had grown

To the self-same measure as his own;

Whose treasure on the celestial shore

Could neither be less than his nor more.

He prayed with faith, and his prayer was heard;

He hardly came to the closing word

Before he felt there was some one there!

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