UC-NRLF 
 
 SB Efl 757 
 
 A ~ 
 
GIFT OF 
 
 " C". 
 
 \Y^S~ ^4M 
 
THE 
 
 TRANSFORMATION 
 
 By 
 JOHN HERMAN WISHAR 
 
 Photographic Studies by X. O. Howe 
 
 THE REYNARD PRESS: 
 
 San Francisco, Cat. 
 
 July, 1911 
 
[Copyright applied for, 1911, by John H. Wishar.] 
 
 '/ 
 
To 
 Mrs. Hester Fairchild 
 
 of 
 
 Oakland, California 
 
 One of the Best Beloved 
 
 Christian Science Practitioners 
 
 in California 
 This Book is Dedicated. 
 
 265904 
 
Collision at Sea. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 RIES from forward and a crashing, grinding 
 shock which made the big steamship quiver from 
 stem to stern, and threw sleeping passengers 
 from their berths, told their own story of collision. For 
 a few moments the ships clung together, locked in a 
 deadly grip. The masts of the sailing vessel, which had 
 struck the liner amidships, fell with a rending, tearing 
 crash before the heavy seas tore the shattered hulls 
 apart and the curtain of dense, impenetrable fog closed 
 over the scene, hiding one section of the tragedy from 
 the other. 
 
 A stream of partly-clad men, women and children 
 poured from the salon; the companion-way vomiting 
 forth a shrieking, terror-mad throng. Orders shouted 
 by the officers were drowned in the frenzied cries of 
 those striving to reach the boats. The fear of death 
 was dominant and the souls of men reverted to the 
 primal instinct of the preservation of life. The sailors 
 deserted their posts and joined the frantic rush for the 
 boats which dangled from their davits, and the crack 
 of revolvers in the hands of the faithful officers as they 
 vainly strove to stem the tide, added their quota to the 
 unholy din. 
 
 Bentley leaned on the rail at the break of the hurri- 
 cane deck in the dim dawn, watching the desperate 
 struggle for life with a speculative air, the ghastly faces 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 and ghostly light rendering it more terrible. "How 
 they cling to their lives!" he muttered. "Yet they've 
 probably nothing in particular to live for; but at the 
 thought of death and the unknown they turn into ma- 
 niacs. I'll bet most of them are good church people, too ! 
 What a joke life is, a puff, and it vanishes. It's fun- 
 ny!" His cynical laugh blended with the wild pande- 
 monium from the deck below where the struggle had 
 centered. 
 
 "Won't you help me, please?" came a small voice 
 from behind him, which sounded clear and sweet de- 
 spite a slight tremor in the tone. Bentley turned and 
 gazed wonderingly at the little girl seated on the sill 
 of a stateroom door, trying vainly to button her shoes. 
 She was very pale, but eyed him calmly. She showed 
 no emotion other than a slight nervousness at her in- 
 ability to negotiate the refractory buttons, at a time 
 which seemed to demand haste. In an instant Bentley 
 was kneeling beside her, and the buttons were soon in 
 their places. 
 
 "There now, that's all right," he said in a comforting 
 way, rising and eyeing the child; "so don't be fright- 
 ened and I'll have you in one of the boats in a minute." 
 
 The small figure straightened self -assertively, and the 
 big blue eyes gazed into his calmly, but she did not an- 
 swer. Bentley noticed that the child was hurriedly, 
 but completely dressed, and had a satchel on her arm. 
 He was wondering vaguely what mother could have 
 deserted her little one in this hour of peril and im- 
 pending death. 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 "It's the old law of self-preservation, an atavistic 
 tendency in humanity that manifests itself when fac- 
 ing the inevitable," he thought, smiling at the child 
 who was still regarding him with the calm scrutiny 
 which characterized her. ''Keep up your courage, and 
 I'll soon fix things," he told her in a reassuring voice. 
 
 ' * I am not afraid now, ' ' she replied, her voice sound- 
 ing unusually sweet in contrast with the din below. ' ' I 
 know that Divine Love is guarding me and that I am 
 safe. But I am sorry for the poor drowning people who 
 don't know of this help, and who don't know that there 
 is no death." The child spoke so calmly, despite her 
 pallor and slight nervousness, that Bentley gazed at 
 her in wonder. 
 
 ' ' Phew ! what have I here ? " he muttered. ' ' No death, 
 eh?" and his eyes turned to the tragic scene below. 
 "You may be right, theoretically," he told her, "but 
 we shall both probably experience all the unknown 
 reality very shortly. There goes the last boat. Our 
 chance to escape is gone." 
 
 He drew the little girl close to him with a protecting 
 air, as if to guard her from the dangers that thickened 
 about them, and led her to the break of the hurricane 
 deck. Leaning on the rail they gazed down at the ter- 
 rible ruin revealed on the lower deck, which was torn 
 and shattered by the bow of the ship which had caused 
 the wreck; littered with articles of clothing, things 
 hastily snatched from staterooms by their frenzied own- 
 ers, and dotted here and there with the bodies of those 
 killed in the fight for the boats. On the bow two half- 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 clad Orientals, steerage passengers, rushed back and 
 forth, and then in a frenzy of fear leaped overboard 
 in a vain effort to overtake the last boat which was rap- 
 idly being swallowed up in the pallid fog. The noise 
 stilled to a few shrill cries, coming from the boats or 
 some poor wretch clinging to a bit of wreckage, but 
 these finally ceased. The silence was broken only by 
 the solemn sound of the water as it poured into the 
 shattered hull with a dull booming note, like a ghostly 
 requiem. The grey fog spread a soft blanket over all, 
 blotting out many of the ghastly details, as if anxious 
 to assist the sea in obliterating all traces of the tragedy. 
 Bentley, with a throb of pity, turned to the child, but 
 she was standing with eyes closed and he noticed that 
 her lips were moving. " Praying, evidently, " he thought. 
 "Well, she'd better, for this dirge-like farce will soon 
 be over and the waves will be chanting our funeral 
 knell. What a joke life is!" he laughed cynically, 
 but there was a look of peace on the little girl's face 
 which caused a sense of wonder to creep into the man's 
 hardened soul. He was brave with the masterful brav- 
 ery of the strong, and smiled with the resignation of the 
 stoic. He cared little for life and less for death; he 
 believed in nothing save that the grave was certain and 
 merely a fitting climax to the stale comedy called Life. 
 But the sweet calm that rested on the child's face was 
 something new to Bentley and puzzled him. His brain 
 was strangely active, although not overwrought, and 
 keenly alive to all sensations. So this was the end ; his 
 life's race was run, his work finished, and his grave was 
 
 10 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 to be at the bottom of the sea ! He shrugged his shoul- 
 ders and acquiesced in this fiat of inexorable Fate. He 
 cared little one way or the other. In fact, he rather 
 welcomed it, as Death might furnish a new sensation; 
 something out of the ordinary, or else oblivion. He 
 smiled grimly at the thought. But the idea that the 
 child must die seemed unjust. To cut down such a 
 pretty bud in its sweet unfolding impressed him as un- 
 fair, when many whose lives probably were worthless 
 and useless had escaped in the boats. The heavy, wal- 
 lowing roll of the shattered hull told Bentley that the 
 vessel would keep afloat but a short time. The swish 
 of the water was the only sound that broke the sombre 
 silence ; the man and the girl were the only living crea- 
 tures on the wreck. 
 
 Bentley gazed around helplessly. The fog lifted 
 slightly, and the first faint streaks of dawn trickled 
 through the mist in a mellow glow. Suddenly he spied 
 a small patent life-raft lashed on the top of the after 
 wheel-house and his eyes sparkled with hope. "It's all 
 right, kidlet," he cried, his heavy voice booming out 
 through the silence; "111 have that in the water in a 
 
 jiffy." 
 
 He left her and climbed to the wheel-house. It was 
 the work of but an instant to cut loose the raft and 
 slide the tin cylinders with their light lattice work 
 covering to the foot of one of the davits from which 
 the falls still dangled; make a sling around the raft, 
 hook it om, and tie the child on board. 
 
 "I knew you would find something," she said as 
 
 11 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 Bentley was making her secure, ''for I was declaring 
 the Truth for us both." 
 
 You're a wonderful little girl. Now sit here while I 
 go below and see if I can get something for us to eat, 
 for we may be on the raft for some time. ' ' 
 
 "You'll find everything we need," came the child's 
 voice, and again her eyes closed and her lips moved 
 silently. Bentley paused for an instant to gaze at the 
 little girl in a puzzled manner, and then plunged down 
 the half-lighted companion-way, now desolate and dis- 
 mal, recently the scene of the mad rush for safety. 
 All was a harrowing picture of devastation. Water 
 swished back and forth with every roll of the vessel, 
 carrying a medley of boxes, tables, chairs and odds and 
 ends. With difficulty, Bentley made his way to the 
 salon galley and lost no time in seizing and filling a 
 hamper with canned meats and crackers. A small keg 
 of water completed his load, and he hastened on deck 
 as the roll of the doomed ship told him that her time 
 was short. He hastily tied the food on the raft, 
 snatched some blankets from a stateroom, hoisted the 
 raft over the side, climbed on board it and lowered 
 away. Watching a favorable moment when the ship 
 rolled to starboard and a big sea swept upward, he 
 cut the tackle and the raft rose and fell on the big 
 combers. With the oars which were lashed to the raft, 
 Bentley sculled farther from the sinking liner. "We'll 
 have to get a good distance off," he told his little com- 
 panion, "so that when the vessel goes down we won't 
 get caught in the suction and follow her." 
 
 12 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 The steamer loomed dark and menacing through the 
 fog in the dim light of dawn. Suddenly her stern rose 
 higher; there was a muffled explosion as the forward 
 bulkheads gave way; she seemed to stagger; gave a 
 desperate roll and plunged downward, throwing spray 
 high in the air and creating a huge wave which spread 
 out in everwidening circles. The water rushed back 
 in a small maelstrom. 
 
 ''Goodbye to the Merving Hall!" said Bentley, a note 
 of awe creeping into his metallic voice, "but cheer up, 
 little one, for we are among the survivors." 
 
 "I'm sorry about Miss Creyton," said the child, wip- 
 ing a tear from her eyes. ' * She was my governess. She 
 didn't understand Truth, but she was God's child and I 
 loved her. She got awfully excited when the collision 
 woke us up. I was frightened myself at first, but I tried 
 to remember and explain to her that Infinite Love was 
 all-powerful and that we were safe ; but she wrung her 
 hands and cried, and ran from the cabin, and that was 
 the last I saw of her. Poor Miss Creyton!" 
 
 Bentley was puzzled. "What do you mean," he 
 questioned, "by 'the Truth' and 'Infinite Love/ and 
 knowing that you were safe? You must be a very re- 
 ligious little lady." 
 
 "Why, I mean that God, Good, is all-powerful 
 Don't you know that there is no evil in reality? In- 
 finite Love is omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent; 
 and nothing can harm those who understand this and 
 claim this protection. That is what I did, after I got 
 over my first scare, and then I found you, and you 
 found the raft. It was kept for us. And then you 
 
 13 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 found the food and water, and we escaped from the 
 ship in time. Isn't that a demonstration of the pro- 
 tection of Love?" 
 
 "Well, of all little preachers ever I heard, you're 
 certainly the most original and the best," exclaimed 
 Bentley with an amused but puzzled look. "Do you 
 mean to tell me that you conquered your fear even be- 
 fore you knew that there was a chance of being saved?" 
 
 * ' When the shock threw me out of bed, I was afraid, 
 but I repeated the Scientific Statement of Being and de- 
 clared the Truth; and was not much afraid afterward 
 because I knew that Love was guarding me," replied 
 the little girl, with a quaint sincerity and maturity, 
 combined with her childishness, that deeply touched 
 Bentley. 
 
 "What's your name, child, and how old are you?" 
 he asked. 
 
 "My name is Esther Doure, and I am twelve years 
 old," she answered. 
 
 Bentley started at the name, and gazed at the child 
 with a renewed interest and an odd expression. 
 
 "You don't look that old. You are small for your 
 
 age. Have you an aunt named ; or, what is your 
 
 aunt's name?" he asked. 
 
 "My auntie is Miss Camille Brontel, and next to my 
 mama and papa I love her better than anyone else in 
 the world. She went with papa and mama to Hong 
 Kong. Do you know her ? ' ' 
 
 "Yes. Has your aunt got the same religion that you 
 have?" he asked. 
 
 "Oh yes, she's a Scientist, and so is mama. That's 
 
 14 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 the reason that when they hear of the wreck, they will 
 know that I am protected, ' ' answered the child. 
 
 ' ' Scientist ? ' Will know you are protected when they 
 hear of the wreck!' What are you talking about, 
 child ?" 
 
 "I mean that we are Christian Scientists, and they 
 know that I will be able to demonstrate my safety. You 
 know I told you that Divine Love was guarding us." 
 
 The man gazed wonderingly at the small face peeping 
 from the folds of the blanket which he had wrapped 
 about her to keep off the spray and the wash through 
 the slats of the raft, as well as the chilly air. 
 
 11 Religious fanatic she may be, but she's an original 
 one, and has shown wonderful nerve," thought Bentley, 
 "but this explains Camille, if she has the same kind of 
 peculiar belief." 
 
 "By the way," he asked the child, "what were you 
 doing when you were standing on deck with your eyes 
 closed and your lips moving? Praying?" 
 
 "I was claiming the help of Divine Love. You see 
 the demonstration was made. Don't you understand?" 
 
 "Do I understand how my eye happened to light on 
 this raft and how it had been overlooked by that 
 frightened crowd of people? Why, yes. It was Luck, 
 just Luck. And it was the same way when I went after 
 the food. I was lucky. I fail to see any Divine Provi- 
 dence in that," and Bentley laughed his old cynical 
 laugh, and laughed again at the thought that he of all 
 men should be sitting on a raft in the Pacific Ocean, 
 discussing religion with a child. He turned to her and 
 
 15 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 paused in amazement, the question he was about to ask 
 losing itself in his wonder at the sight, for she was care- 
 fully combing the hair of a rather dilapidated looking 
 doll which she had taken from the small satchel. Her 
 face was pale, but peaceful. She smiled at him, then 
 clasping the doll to her heart, she closed her eyes and 
 was soon asleep. Bentley watched her with a puzzled 
 air. " There are more things in Heaven and Earth, 
 Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy," he 
 murmured. 
 
 16 
 
Doure's Hong Kong Home. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 EWSPAPERS all over the world issued start- 
 ling extras when a wireless message was re- 
 ceived from the liner City of Paris telling of the 
 rescue of one boatload of people, apparently the sole 
 survivors of the Merving Hall, sunk in collision with 
 an unknown vessel, which had also foundered. The list 
 of saved was pitifully small, and no woman or child 
 was among them. Although the City of Paris had 
 cruised for a day in the vicinity of the spot where the 
 Merving Hall had gone down, nothing was seen. The 
 ocean had obliterated all signs of the tragedy, so the 
 rescuing ship fled away for San Francisco at a twenty- 
 knot gait bearing the small remnant of the passengers 
 and crew of the ill-fated liner, and sending by wireless 
 the details of the awful story as told by the survivors. 
 
 Herbert Doure, with trembling hands, held the paper 
 to his wife, where in big, black type was the tidings of 
 the loss of the Merving Hall. They were in their Hong 
 Kong home, where Doure's railroad interests had called 
 him, and the breakfast viands still covered the cheer- 
 ful table. 
 
 "My God! Annie, read that," he exclaimed. The 
 Merving Hall sunk in a collision and only eighteen men 
 saved ! That means our Esther is drowned. Uncle Ned 
 cabled when he waved them farewell. Oh ! It was fare- 
 well forever!" and Doure groaned in grief. 
 
 17 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 The mother's face paled to sick whiteness, and trem- 
 blingly she glanced over the short bulletins in sombre 
 type which told of the disaster in terse sentences, giv- 
 ing the pitifully small list of names of those rescued. 
 She bowed her head for an instant in seemingly unutter- 
 able woe, but the next moment looked up at her hus- 
 band. 
 
 "Herbert," she said, "look beyond this material law. 
 Esther is safe. She is God's child and no harm can be- 
 fall her. She will be returned to us safely, for spiritual 
 law cannot be annulled." 
 
 Doure regarded his wife in amazement, half fearing 
 that the shock had affected her mind, but the next mo- 
 ment a look of anger swept over his grief -stricken face. 
 "Oh, damn," broke from his lips, "some more of your 
 religious fads! Christian Science, isn't it? Well, if you 
 can get any consolation out of such things for Heaven's 
 sake take it and make the most of it. Poor, dear 
 little Esther ! ' ' and the lines of yearning love cut deep 
 furrows in the father's face. 
 
 At that instant the door was hastily opened and a 
 slender, graceful young lady entered, and kneeling by 
 the side of the white-faced mother, placed her arms 
 closely about her and said: 
 
 "Darling sister, I just heard the terrible news from 
 our friends and rode over at once. I wept at first, then 
 knew it was mortal fear, and rose about it. Now is the 
 time for our Proof. 'Though ten thousand fall, yet it 
 shall not come nigh thee.' We have got to demonstrate 
 over these dangers of sense and KNOW that our pre- 
 cious Esther is safe." 
 
 18 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 "His promise is that the waters shall not overflow 
 nor the flames kindle upon us," brokenly murmured 
 Mrs. Doure, while the younger woman's face glowed 
 with the radiant reverence of perfect understanding of 
 the Power and Principle of Life. 
 
 "You two would drive one distracted with your 
 senseless protests and declarations and assurances about 
 some unseen protecting power," and Doure walked the 
 floor in an agony of despair. "The fact remains, de- 
 spite all your incomprehensible talk, that our little darl- 
 ing has met a frightful death, drowned amid the un- 
 told horrors of that terrible wreck." With a stifled 
 sob he sat down, crossing his arms on the table and 
 buried his face in them. 
 
 Mrs. Doure went to her husband and tenderly put an 
 arm around his neck, while she leaned over, patting 
 his head and softly manifesting her love and sympathy 
 in this their hour of earthly anguish. 
 
 Camille, the beautiful sister, regarded them with com- 
 passionate affection, and then spoke as though inspired : 
 "Herbert, dear brother, listen to the voice of Truth. In 
 this seeming darkness and error turn from the false to 
 the true. God created this world in Love ; wrath and 
 danger are not of his creating and he is All." 
 
 Doure lifted his grief-stricken face and gazed at his 
 wife and then at her sister. Though pale, they were 
 showing a courage and faith that stilled the tempest of 
 his emotion. "Do you really believe that some miracle 
 has been wrought and that Esther has been saved?" he 
 inquired, his voice trembling as he spoke, his mind eager 
 
 19 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 to grasp at any slight shred of hope that his child had 
 been spared. 
 
 * ' Dear, ' ' his wife gently said, ' * we are demonstrating 
 Christian Science ; proving through understanding that 
 the spiritual law of Love has power over material evils. 
 Young as Esther is she has a clear sense of God as Love 
 and the only Power, so when the awful collision came 
 she would KNOW that Divine Love was present and 
 that it would open the way for her preservation. Little 
 children often grasp the scientific facts of being and 
 prove Omnipotent Truth in a marvelous manner. The 
 * still small voice that yet is louder than a roaring lion' 
 to those willing to listen assures me that Esther has 
 been divinely cared for, and through her unclouded un- 
 derstanding that 'God is ever present help' others may 
 also have been preserved from peril." 
 
 "Then," said Doure, "if such sublime faith has any 
 foundation in fact and it proves that our dear little one 
 is alive and will be superhumanly brought back to us, 
 I will scon 6 no more, but will devote my life to finding 
 this Science of Being, as you call it, which is now up- 
 holding you both, for I know your hearts must be torn 
 with anguish, as well as my own." 
 
 Seating herself by her husband's side and motioning 
 Camille to take a chair, Mrs. Doure said in low, reverent 
 tones: "Let us ask for help; for the clearer understand- 
 ing that 'Divine Love always has met, and always will 
 meet every human need. ' Mrs. Eddy says to enter into 
 the heart of prayer, the door of the erring sense must 
 be closed ; lips must be mute and materialism silent, that 
 
 20 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 man may have audience with Spirit, the Divine Prin- 
 ciple, which destroys all error." She closed her eyes, 
 and remained silent, as did Camille. 
 
 Doure felt an unwonted peace and confidence as he 
 sat in the midst of this sacred, secret communion or 
 ''treatment" which his wife and her sister thus entered 
 upon. Soon his confusion was stilled, the wild pic- 
 tures that had been madly tormenting him with their 
 horrors vanished, and a feeling of rest and strength 
 gave him gentle happiness. After about a quarter of 
 an hour of this stillness, their eyes opened and his wife 
 solemnly said: "The demonstration is made and we 
 have only to wait for its manifestation." 
 
 "How can you make such a statement?" he doubting- 
 ly inquired. "Does it mean that you actually have 
 some proof that Esther is alive and cared for?" 
 
 His wife reached over and lovingly laid her hand up- 
 on his and replied: "We know Truth to be the only 
 power, and we feel that Esther claimed that protection, 
 and that Love is guarding her." 
 
 "It is all black night and chaos to my understand- 
 ing," said Herbert, "but in some way you inspire me 
 with comfort and I feel less dejected, although I cannot 
 understand how you cherish the hope that Esther was 
 saved when the dispatches state that only one boat- 
 load of people survived and that there was not a woman 
 or child among them. The ship went down so rapidly 
 that probably Esther was drowned in her stateroom." 
 
 "Listen, Herbert," said Camille, sweetness and sym- 
 pathy radiating from voice and glance. "We are not 
 
 21 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 trying to cherish false hopes; we are fighting dark 
 visions and are depending on the promises made by 
 Christ that in times of trouble we should call on him 
 and that he would be an ever-living shield and buckler, 
 Esther, although only a child, has been t right the true 
 interpretation of Christ's words, and she understands 
 how, in the hour of danger, to claim the aid and protec- 
 tion that is ever present, and to look beyond seeming de- 
 struction. Mrs. Eddy has revealed to us the true mean- 
 ing of Christ's teachings and has placed within our 
 hands the means of overcoming all sin, sorrow, sickness 
 and unhappiness. Our duty is to realize the right and 
 thus overcome the claim of sorrow. It is only the lack 
 of Spiritual understanding that makes this vague and 
 difficult. When once you understand the Principle of 
 Life ; when you learn that man is the image and the 
 likeness of God, Good, and that error has no power 
 when Infinite Love is called on for aid, then you will 
 know what we mean when we say that Esther is safe in 
 this Love, and will be returned to us through the de- 
 monstration of Love as the only Power." 
 
 Doure endeavored to grasp this explanation of a 
 Science beyond his present understanding, reaching out 
 in his mental darkness for any ray of hope, something 
 upon which to pin a shred of faith that his idolized child 
 was still alive, snatched from a violent death; but the 
 keen brain of the business man was untrained in mat- 
 ters not relating to material affairs, and he shook his 
 head despondently. 
 
 "I fail to grasp your meaning," he finally said as he 
 
 22 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 restlessly paced the floor, "although there may be some- 
 thing in your faith that is beyond my comprehension. 
 The idea that Esther could have escaped when hundreds 
 of others went to their death is beyond human concep- 
 tion. Besides, the steamer which rescued the survivors 
 cruised around the spot for a day, and there was not 
 even a bit of wreckage to show where the collision oc- 
 curred. Do not forget that the days of miracles have 
 passed, if they ever existed outside the imagination of 
 a few fanatics. ' ' 
 
 "One minute, dear Herbert," answered Camille, her 
 countenance sublime with the light of faith, "do not 
 forget that if it were not for Christian Science Annie 
 here would not be alive to-day. You know that both 
 the European and American physicians had given her 
 up and that she was sent home to die, when Divine 
 Love, with its merciful healing, restored her to health 
 by freeing her from that false belief. Through her un- 
 derstanding I, too, was lead to Truth." 
 
 "Yes, yes," answered Doure impatiently, "I know 
 that you attribute Annie's recovery to Christian 
 Science, but the physicians declared that it was the 
 beneficial effects of the Roentgen rays making them- 
 selves felt later than was expected. In fact, Dr. Weid- 
 muller emphatically stated this to be the real explana- 
 tion of her remarkable cure." 
 
 "He did at that time, but how long since have you 
 heard from Dr. Weidmuller?" asked Camille. 
 
 "I do not remember exactly, but it must be some four 
 or five years." 
 
 23 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 "Then you do not know that Dr. Weidmuller was 
 himself healed by Infinite Mind, and that he abandoned 
 his materia medica and is now a Christian Science prac- 
 titioner in Berlin?" 
 
 The amazement on Doure's face brought a brighten- 
 ing smile to the lips of his wife and her sister. 
 
 "Inconceivable," he replied, "I beg to decidedly dif- 
 fer with this peculiar statement, and deem you have 
 been wrongly informed. Dr. Weidmuller was one of 
 the foremost surgeons in Germany. He's not going to 
 abandon such professional distinction for some relig- 
 ious fad. The man is too famous, too brilliant, too in- 
 telligent to do a thing like that." 
 
 "Nevertheless, such is the true case. Dr. Weidmul- 
 ler seemed to become the victim of the claim of cancer, 
 and after several operations resigned himself to what 
 he deemed inevitable death. He knew the torturing 
 progress of the disease, and could calculate with reason- 
 able accuracy how long a term he had to live, when 
 it was determined that the last operation was a failure. 
 At that dark hour a friend brought him Science and 
 Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Ed- 
 dy, assuring him that the study of its truth would heal 
 him. Knowing there was no earthly help, he was re- 
 ceptive to the Spiritual thought and the error was cast 
 out. For years he had striven earnestly and conscien- 
 tiously to heal the sick through material remedies, but 
 he came to realize that he had been combatting error 
 with error, ignorant of the Truth of Life. The light 
 of Divine Intelligence came to him, lying there on his 
 
 24 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 seeming death-bed, and he realized that matter had no 
 life, that Mind is All, and that mortal belief alone occa- 
 sions disease and death. He came to understand that 
 Divine Mind had made man in His own image, and 
 that man is harmonious and eternal, just as is this In- 
 finite Power which created him. He learned that this 
 mortal mind which claims to govern every organ of the 
 mortal body is a myth and is not to be trusted, and that 
 Immortal Mind saves Mortal Mind from its delusions. 
 
 "When he had come to understand these Eternal 
 Truths, the error which had gripped him vanished, 
 and the European surgeons marveled at the cure. Per- 
 force they attributed it to the last operation, but Dr. 
 Weidmuller, the most noted surgeon of them all, knew 
 better. The result was that he abandoned his medical 
 practice and devoted himself to metaphysical study. 
 So, if a man such as he can investigate the Science and 
 gain understanding, there is no reason why you should 
 not at least study it a little, and determine for your own 
 satisfaction whether it is founded on Truth or is merely 
 a 'religious fad' as you call it." 
 
 "To say the least, Weidmuller 's case astounds me, 
 leads me into different lines of thought," answered 
 Doure. "As to reading Science and Health, well, I 
 have tried to read a little of it, but I can't make head 
 nor tail out of it. The language is grand, but so far 
 as a principle is involved it seems to me to be a jumble 
 of meaningless, impossible theories. But what has it all 
 to do with poor little Esther?" 
 
 "It has this to do, Herbert," answered his wife, "it 
 
 25 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 shows that the Power of Love can accomplish what you 
 call a miracle, as is illustrated in the case of Dr. Weid- 
 muller, and in my own case, and in thousands of others. 
 Now, if these miracles or divinely natural manifesta- 
 tions of Love can be performed on land, why can they 
 not be made manifest at sea as well? God is every- 
 where and Divine Good is protecting our little girl. If 
 I were not sure of this truth do you think I could be 
 sitting here calmly discussing this seeming evil? I 
 know that Esther is safe, and we will hold and cling to 
 the right thought so that she will be returned to us as 
 soon as Love opens the way. 'Patience must have her 
 perfect work'." 
 
 "Look here, Annie/' said Doure, "if you honestly be- 
 lieve there is a chance of Esther being alive ; of having 
 been saved on some plank or floating bit of wreckage, 
 why, I'll get Phil Worden's big steam yacht and we'll 
 cruise off to the vicinity of where the wreck is reported 
 to have occurred. The details of latitude and longitude 
 are given by the survivors. Sometimes a woman's in- 
 tuition is better than a man's reasoning. It gives hope, 
 at least." 
 
 "It is not intuition, Herbert, it is knowledge of Di- 
 vine Love. Yes, I shall be glad to start, and I feel that 
 Truth will lead us to happiness and success in our Mis- 
 sion." 
 
 "Very well, I will make arrangements at once as I 
 am impatient to attempt some definite act, and if what 
 you believe has any foundation in fact, every hour 
 may be of value." 
 
 26 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 When Doure, in nervous haste, had left the house, 
 first tenderly kissing his wife and bidding her be of 
 good cheer, and the sisters were left alone, Mrs. Doure 
 said: "Let us go to my room, Camille, as we must be 
 alone to work against this seeming trouble." 
 
 Once in her room, Mrs. Doure picked up the little 
 leather-bound volume which pointed to the One 
 Source, and she read out loud without noticing that 
 her sister remained standing with her head bent. As 
 Mrs. Doure looked up from her reading, Camille, with a 
 sob, dropped to her knees and buried her face in her 
 sister's lap in a passion of grief. 
 
 "Camille! what is it?" came in shocked tones from 
 Mrs. Doure. "How can you yield to the darkness of 
 sense after the explanation of Love you gave to Her- 
 bert ? Don 't you really believe that Esther is safe ? ' ' 
 
 "I have no fear for Esther," sobbed the younger 
 woman, "but, Annie, there was some one else on the 
 Merving Hall ; some one who did not know that he was 
 God 's child ; some one whose generous nature and bril- 
 liant mind had been warped by the errors in which he 
 lived ; some one who was secretly dear to me, and it is 
 for him that I fear." 
 
 "My poor darling! It was - ?" 
 
 * * Tommy Bentley, ' ' came the broken whisper. 
 
Adrift on the Raft. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 HE raft rose and fell on the long Pacific rollers 
 which swept onward with an easy regularity. 
 The motion was gentle and soothing, as the 
 frail craft would sink into the gully between two of 
 the small mountains of water, only to be lifted the next 
 moment and poised for an instant on the crest of the 
 succeeding swell. Bentley lay on his back smoking, 
 with the child nestled in the hollow of his arm. The 
 deep blue vault of the sky was studded with stars 
 which burned with a brilliancy found nowhere save in 
 the tropics. The rim of the great moon peeped above 
 the horizon, flooding the sea with a mellow light as 
 the golden disk rose higher from out of the ocean's 
 depths, dimming the brilliancy of the constellations. 
 "What a joke it does seem!" murmured Bentley, 
 talking to himself in a half audible tone. " What would 
 my old friends say if they could see me now, drifting 
 around on a raft with a few days food, a keg of water, 
 and a little child. What a story this would make! 
 Some of those boats are sure to be picked up. I won- 
 der what kind of a yarn they'll tell. It was the wild 
 scramble which caused the loss of life; the exercise 
 of coolness and judgment would have saved probably 
 most of those on board. Human nature is indeed 
 strange." 
 
 28 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 He paused in his soliloquy as a pair of little arms 
 slipped around his neck, and the golden head cuddled 
 closer. She was sleeping peacefully, a smile lighting 
 up the childish features. Something in the confiding, 
 unconsciously loving action touched a chord in the man's 
 nature that had not vibrated since his own childhood, 
 and the cynical look softened. He was experiencing a 
 new emotion. Some remnant of his earlier faith in 
 mankind stirred within him, and he vaguely wondered 
 at the change. Bentley was old with the weight of 
 knowledge of the world, although still in his prime. 
 Life for him had been a battle ground on which the 
 strong lived and the weak fell. There was no quarter 
 asked nor given. He was equipped with a cultured 
 mind and no conscience. He was satirical, brilliant and 
 relentless, believing in nothing save that death was cer- 
 tain and that oblivion was the end of all. His nature 
 was summed up by himself in the single phrase, "What 
 a joke life is!" 
 
 During his many years of newspaper work, Bentley 
 had seen life pass before him like a great kaleidoscope, 
 and had laughed at it all ; laughed his cynical laugh and 
 had gone on his strange, careless way. The reports of 
 crime, scandals, tragedies, births, deaths and marriages, 
 together with the other details of the world's happen- 
 ings which nightly passed through his hands when in 
 the office of the great metropolitan newspaper, caused 
 him much silent mirth; sometimes so humorous would 
 the inferior standards of human nature seem to him that 
 he would lay back in his chair and chuckle aloud to re- 
 
 29 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 lieve his profund disgust. It was all a joke, and one 
 of poor calibre. 
 
 As the years passed his nature hardened. All hu- 
 manity appeared the same to him. The tales of wrong- 
 doing, many involving the highest names, and many 
 which never saw light in print through moneyed or in- 
 fluential suppression, had almost ceased to even amuse 
 him. It was merely part of life as he knew it; it was 
 what he expected, and he ceased to look for anything 
 higher. It was only after he met Camille Brontel that 
 some glimmer of another side of life made itself felt. 
 She was beautiful and appealed to his sense of the ar- 
 tistic; and she was bright, which pleased him, as his 
 keen mind liked a worthy and congenial antagonist in 
 argument, or an intelligent listener. Although he was 
 a polished man of the world, something of his strange 
 views of life unconsciously communicated themselves to 
 the girl and her pure nature recoiled from the sheer 
 materiality of the man's though. When she refused his 
 offer of marriage, Bentley philosophically shrugged his 
 shoulders, concealing his heart-ache, and returned to his 
 Bohemian friends ; drinking hard, yet always retaining 
 his brilliant faculties and laughing cynically when the 
 others yielded to the insidious spell of the alcohol; en- 
 tering into the fervid recreation of Bohemia where he 
 was one of the gay moving spirits, where his reckless- 
 ness, cynicism and good-fellowship had caused the mem- 
 bers of this charmed circle to both love and fear him. 
 Among the wildest he was a leader; and no revel was 
 
 30 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 complete without Bentley's cynical smile and caustic 
 tongue. 
 
 But Bentley was lonesome unsatisfied. Even at the 
 height of some mad revel, he would pause with glass 
 and cigarette poised, and pictures of an infinitely differ- 
 ent life would form before his mental eye. He would 
 see a home, with a sweet wife and loving children gath- 
 ered before the bright grate fire. The picture would 
 grow in detail and the hardness and the bitterness of 
 life would fade away, but the noise of the revel would 
 bring him back from those sweet dreams to the present, 
 and he would seek to drown the ideal pictures in the 
 mockery of worldly joy. It was at such times that 
 Bentley was dangerous in his mood. A lust for ex- 
 citement, a wild desire to wreak vengeance on the grin- 
 ning men and women who surrounded him with their 
 bestial influence, was concealed under his mask-like 
 face and sardonic glance. Only an additional twist 
 to the cynical smile and a keener edge to his satire in- 
 dicated the volcano of distaste raging within his bitter 
 consciousness. 
 
 It was only this mad play of pretense and his work 
 that kept him from ending the mortal farce by seeking 
 a suicide's grave. Bentley had pride in his work on 
 the big newspaper. In a little world of his own he 
 wrote pretty stories and idyls and romances that were 
 never profaned by any eye save his own. Had any of 
 the Bohemian set seen one of the dainty webs of fancy 
 spun in his solitary hour, they would have doubted 
 that Bentley, the cynic, could have been capable of the 
 
 31 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 finer, higher thoughts expressed. It was part of Bent- 
 ley's joke that such should be the estimation of his boon 
 companions, for in his heart he despised them all for 
 their lack of moral principle, and secretly laughed at 
 them while ashamed of his own downward tendencies. 
 It was only while in the quiet of his own rooms, which 
 were beautiful with gems of art and a rare library, 
 showing the innate culture of the man, after his ab- 
 sorbing work was over, that the feeling of utter lonli- 
 ness would steal over Bentley and drive him to pace the 
 floor for hours, as he wondered what this accusing, re- 
 proachful thought could be that thus strove with him 
 and would not be silenced. He knew where his usual 
 companions awaited him, but he dimly realized that it 
 was not the companionship that his starving soul 
 sought. And so he lived his life, laughing outwardly, 
 yet concealing a bitter, suffering heart. 
 
 When his paper selected him for its representative 
 in the Orient, Bentley packed his trunk with an indif- 
 ferent heart. He cared not that he was the envy of 
 many other keen and brilliant writers. He had been in 
 the Orient before and knew the conditions of life there 
 as he knew the conditions of life in America, from New 
 York to San Francisco it was all the same to him, like 
 a twice-told tale. So he had taken passage on the Merv- 
 ing Hall with an indifferent heart. He had been stand- 
 ing on the deck in the early morning when the collision 
 occurred, but had experienced no thrill. With his usual 
 carelessness he had shrugged his shoulders at the 
 thought that death was approaching, and had watched 
 
 32 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 the struggling mass, terrifically fighting for earthly cal- 
 vation, with a calm stoicism, more as though he was a 
 spectator at a drama. At that supreme hour his good 
 angel brought him in contact with the little girl, whose 
 odd philosophy had awakened emotions in him which 
 he thought were long since dead, and over which he was 
 now pondering as he gazed at the glory of the solemn 
 night. 
 
 ''And so I have Camille Brontel's niece with me!" 
 he mused. "Verily, wonders are past finding out. 
 What would she say if she could see us drifting alone 
 upon this tropical sea perhaps the sole survivors of all 
 those on board the ill-fated steamer; for it's possible 
 that none of those overcrowded boats will be picked up. 
 Perhaps Camille would feel that destiny was cruel 
 to place this innocent little child in my care. But 
 no, I wrong her. She would know that purity has 
 power to soften even the hardest natures. I have a 
 softer heart than the average so-called good Christian, 
 on that I'll gamble. Christians? bah! They're all 
 alike all hypocrites, with their creeds and doctrines 
 and sects and intolerance. But I'll get this child ashore 
 and back to her parents if it is possible ! ' ' 
 
 Bentley gently soothed the golden curls from off the 
 placid brow, and acting on an impulse that was strange 
 to him, bent and kissed the soft little cheek and drew a 
 fold of the blanket more closely over her head to keep 
 off the fresh night air, that seemed to be whispering 
 messages of hope and peace. 
 
 33 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 Bentley then became practical, trying to calculate 
 their chances of rescue, but after pondering over 
 the problem he was forced to reluctantly admit that the 
 possibilities of their being discovered and saved were 
 dishearteningly remote. He judged that the Ladrone 
 Islands lay somewhere to the south, but this was an al- 
 most impossible journey on their little raft ; and he real- 
 ized that their chances of being picked up were ex- 
 tremely slight at best. Their lives seemed to hang by 
 a slender thread. "And yet," thought Bentley, "luck 
 has been with us so far, so why should it not continue?" 
 He glanced again at the child and saw that the big 
 blue eyes were open, still drowsy with soft sleep, yet 
 regarding him with an odd, pensive expression. 
 
 "What's the matter, kidlet? Did I wake you up 
 talking to myself? Well, don't let that bother you. 
 Just tuck your head back under the covers and go to 
 sleep again like the good little girl that you are." 
 
 "I'm not sleepy now, thank you," she answered. 
 ' ' O-o-o, how bright the moon is ! I never saw it so be- 
 fore. Why, it gives almost enough light to read by. 
 You look sad. Shall I read to you a little ? That's what 
 mama liked me to do when she felt some error trying 
 to fasten on her. ' ' 
 
 "Of course I'd like to have you read to me, but, un- 
 fortunately, the library of this good ship consists of 
 my pocket note-book, and there is nothing in that of 
 interest to you." 
 
 "Oh!" cried the child, "I have my Bible tnd Science 
 and Health. I wouldn't have left them for anything." 
 
 34 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 From the satchel which contained the doll, Esther 
 drew out two books, small leather-covered volumes. 
 
 "So, Christian Scientists also read the Bible, do 
 they?" Bentley asked. "I thought this woman, Mrs. 
 Eddy, had written a Bible for them." 
 
 "Science and Health is only a spiritual explanation 
 of the Bible," gravely responded the child. "The Bible 
 is what we always read, but there are lots of passages 
 in the Bible that are awfully hard to understand unless 
 you have a guide, and this is what Science and Health 
 is. My mama says Mrs. Eddy was selected by God to 
 be a prophet; that is, a channel through which Divine 
 Love could speak. We learn in Sunday School that 
 Jesus' mission was to show that Harmony is God's law, 
 and that inharmony is error, and all sickness, unhappi- 
 ness and death are errors. But you know that the les- 
 sons taught by Jesus were lost for ever so many hun- 
 dreds of years, or, until Mrs. Eddy rediscovered their 
 real meaning, so we read the Bible and Science and 
 Health together." 
 
 "And do you really believe that your religion can 
 help us way out here on the ocean ? ' ' 
 
 "Of course. God is everywhere, and no harm can 
 befall us. Isn't it lovely to feel we are cared for?" 
 
 "But, Esther, how do I know that all this is the 
 truth ? It is easy enough to say that God is everywhere, 
 but the fact remains that we will soon be very hungry, 
 and how will all this feed us or get us off this raft?" 
 
 "You know Christian Science by its demonstrations 
 and they are always good. Weren't we saved from the 
 
 35 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 sinking ship by Love? And we will be saved from this 
 raft. God is here with us. I used to hear mama say 
 that harmony is Principle, and it isn't Principle or 
 Harmony to be where one is uncomfortable or unhappy, 
 or lonely or away from our friends; therefore, Truth 
 will place us elsewhere, and will give us all we need. 
 You know that when the ship was wrecked and my 
 governess left me I had to handle the thought of fear. 
 I had to realize that God, Good, was taking care of me 
 and was protecting me, and that no harm could befall 
 me, and then I got dressed, took my satchel and went 
 out and saw you, and you buttoned my shoes and were 
 just as loving to me as though you were my papa." 
 
 Bentley was silent for a few moments, eyeing the 
 child with a puzzled and speculative air. 
 
 "I gather, Esther, from what you say that you 
 don't believe people should be poor or unhappy; am I 
 right?" 
 
 "There is no truth in want," she replied; "Divine 
 Mind is the source of all supply." 
 
 "And do you think that all the poverty and suffer- 
 ing in the big cities can be alleviated by the 'One 
 Source,' as you call it?" 
 
 "There is no poverty or suffering in reality, for In- 
 finite Mind is plenty," answered Esther. 
 
 "No poverty or suffering! Well, of course you are 
 too young to understand, but, child, there is such misery 
 in every big city that even those accustomed to see it 
 daily and hear the pitiful tales will occasionally shud- 
 der at the spectacle." 
 
 36 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 "It is only seeming want; God's child cannot want 
 for anything that is needed. " 
 
 "And does this theory of yours apply likewise to sick- 
 ness? 77 
 
 "Why certainly, because people couldn't really be 
 happy if they were sick, and God could not be very 
 good if he would send sickness, like some people be- 
 lieve. But these things are only errors, and when you 
 learn how to demonstrate over them, why, they just dis- 
 disappear, and you're happy all the time." She smiled 
 at him, watching him in her quaint, childish manner, 
 as if half expecting him to agree instantly with what 
 to her was such a self-evident proposition. Bentley 
 shook his head doubtingly, but he was strangely thrilled 
 by the child's melodious voice, and he marveled at her 
 language and the mature thought exhibited. 
 
 "How did you learn all this at your age?" he ques- 
 tioned. 
 
 1 1 We must attend Sunday School until we are twenty- 
 one years old, and we study Science and Health with the 
 Bible. The lessons are all arranged for us. Then we 
 learn to use this Intelligence and Love in our daily 
 lives." 
 
 Esther lay back and gazed at the golden splendor of 
 the moon, and Bentley unconsciously bowed his head 
 as he heard her murmur : 
 
 "Divine Love, comfort mama and papa." 
 
Dr. Wellingford's Aid. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 RS. DOURE and her sister sat in the pretty for- 
 eign-looking parlor of their Hong Kong home, 
 reclining in the rich, inlaid ebony chairs for 
 which the Orient is noted. Specimens of the wonderful 
 Chinese embroidery and tapestry covered the walls, to- 
 gether with the quaint specimens of Oriental art with its 
 odd lack of perspective. In sharp contrast was a large 
 picture, "Truth's Victory Over Error," adorning one 
 side of the room, and the eyes of the ladies rested upon 
 it. 
 
 Since the "passing" of their parents Camille had 
 made her home with Mrs. Doure, and they were most 
 devoted, while Herbert Doure regarded the young 
 woman with the tenderness of a brother for a dear sis- 
 ter. 
 
 When the syndicate was formed to build the rail- 
 way in China, Doure became a heavy stockholder and 
 was commissioned to start for the Orient and take 
 charge of the negotiations for the necessary concessions 
 from the Imperial government. They both knew it 
 would necessitate a lengthy stay in the Orient, and 
 Camille herself was wrestling with a human problem. 
 She loved Thomas Bentley loved the winning, fascin- 
 ating, brilliant man of the world ; but his strange views 
 of life repelled her, and she would not ally herself to 
 
 38 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 him by marriage while there was so vast a gulf between 
 their souls. Secretly she had hoped that some unfore- 
 seen chance would bring about the transformation in 
 his nature that she longed for, but until that time ar- 
 rived life together would be impossible. He had plead- 
 ed with her, but she had remained firm, and when her 
 sister and brother-in-law left for China she accompanied 
 them, but with an undercurrent of sadness running 
 through the melody of her life. It had been decided 
 to leave Esther with Mrs. Doure's uncle and aunt in 
 their pleasant Oakland home until they could become 
 settled in their new quarters in the Chinese city. Six 
 months had passed and according to instructions from 
 Mr. Doure, Uncle Ned had placed Esther and her gov- 
 erness on board the Merving Hall and now the ill-fated 
 steamer, with its throng of tourists, and scores of re- 
 turning Chinese, was lost, and the world was shocked at 
 the tragedy. 
 
 It was now late in the afternoon of the second day 
 since the dreadful tidings had been received. Friendly 
 hearts, of all nationalities then dwelling in Hong Kong, 
 had been in and out of the bereaved home with gentle 
 sympathy and offers of kindness; for the brotherhood 
 of man is manifest when sorrow touches any of the 
 great human family. Mrs. Doure and Canaille were both 
 pale and worn, but were upheld by Ever-present Love. 
 Now, just before the dinner hour, they were awaiting 
 He/bert's return. Mrs. Doure was reading from 
 Science and Health. 
 
 "Camille," she said, "what more of comfort do you 
 
 39 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 want than the first line of the preface, 'To those lean- 
 ing on the sustaining Infinite, to-day is big with bless- 
 ing'?" 
 
 She closed her eyes in the communion that gives rest 
 to all. Suddenly she arose, saying: 
 
 11 Herbert is coming; I hear his step," and went to 
 meet him. 
 
 Camille, with a look of peace supplanting the one of 
 worry, arose to welcome the good husband and brother. 
 Herbert fondly kissed his wife and looked at Camille 
 with brotherly affection. 
 
 ''I have no news for you," he said, "no further ac- 
 counts ; just the reiterated bulletins that only one boat- 
 load of men was picked up. Now, how do you stand 
 regarding your faith in Christian Science's protection 
 and salvation?" 
 
 "The proof will come," replied Mrs. Doure, "I feel 
 certain that Esther is alive. But come and rest. You 
 look worn out. Dinner will be ready soon." 
 
 "Lie down here on this lounge, brother Herbert," 
 said Camille, "I am going to my room for a little 
 study." 
 
 As Camille went out Herbert sat down wearily, re- 
 marking : 
 
 "Yes, Annie dear, I feel fagged out, mentally and 
 physically. Calamities never seem to come singly, but 
 in droves. There is a hitch in the negotiations over the 
 contract for the Hangkow road, and the government 
 may refuse to sign the agreement. This will block the 
 operations for the company and disappoint me of an 
 
 40 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 amount close to half a million dollars; then, with, the 
 failure of the Berlin deal, in which I was induced to 
 invest, I'm practically driven to the wall. It is a dis- 
 couraging outlook." He smoked disconsolately, then 
 continued : 
 
 "And to add the full quota of misery, my neuralgia 
 is coming back with renewed severity; but I would 
 care little about all these trials if we only had Esther, 
 or confirmation that she is saved." 
 
 His wife seated herself beside him, and smothered his 
 hair with a caressing touch. 
 
 "Do not worry, Herbert," she said. "The darkest 
 night has a golden dawn, and I feel certain that the 
 right will prevail and all these difficulties be smoothed 
 away. Those who claim the help of Omnipotent Love 
 cannot suffer or want for anything; but we must do 
 our part and claim the right. If it is best that the 
 government accept the contract, you will surely be 
 notified that the officials have reconsidered the matter 
 and have agreed to your terms. None can stay Om- 
 nipotent Truth." 
 
 "How you talk, Annie just like a woman!" Her- 
 bert irritably replied. "Of course it is best for the 
 government to accept this contract. The road is really 
 a necessity. It means the development of a great sec- 
 tion of rich territory, and the modernizing of a dis- 
 trict in which the customs of a thousand years ago are 
 still in vogue. The line will be of untold value to the 
 government if it is built ; and if not, it will mean prac- 
 tically bankruptcy for me, as I have risked nearly all 
 
 41 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 our means in this venture, because I realized the possi- 
 bilities of the road and was assured that there would 
 be no hitch in the negotiations. The trouble is that 
 the officials over here are skeptical and jealous of Amer- 
 ican advancement, and I suppose that I may have to 
 resort to the usual methods to carry the matter through 
 the foreign office, if it isn't too late even now to manipu- 
 late the affair. Even so, it may eat up half the profits 
 which I had counted on." 
 
 "What do you mean, Herbert bribery?" asked his 
 wife in a shocked tone. 
 
 "Well, it is not customary to use such a harsh term. 
 The officials merely demand an enormous fee, and trou- 
 blesome restrictions for their influential services, and if 
 this is not forthcoming we get no contract. That is the 
 provoking situation in a nutshell. Heretofore I have 
 always avoided doubtful business methods, but I sup- 
 pose I shall have to resort to intrigue, misrepresenta- 
 tion, and graft of every kind to secure consent from the 
 imperial government. I must do it in self-protection. 
 Otherwise, I will go to the wall, and 'charity begins at 
 home.' The world has reached a stage where one has 
 to lower his standard of honor in order to succeed in 
 any business venture." 
 
 "Oh, Herbert, don't say that," rejoined Mrs. Doure, 
 "for it is not true. Honor and Truth are all powerful. 
 Although they may seem to be trodden underfoot, yet 
 they spring to the surface triumphant and bring their 
 own reward." 
 
 "Old-fashioned talk, my dear! Look at many shining 
 
 42 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 examples of modern bankers and financiers. Many are 
 shamefully dishonest ; but they steal legally, as it were, 
 sheltered by their own power of. wealth and the influ- 
 ence they can bring to bear on that elastic fabric known 
 as the law." 
 
 Mrs. Doure shook her head in dissent. 
 
 "Remember, dear," she rejoined, "that 'nothing is 
 real and eternal but God and his idea.' Evil has no 
 reality. It is neither person, place nor thing. It is sim- 
 ply a belief, a wicked illusion of the material senses. 
 The triumphs of these men you describe are only seem- 
 ing triumphs, and they bring misery and despair in 
 place of peace and joy. The Bible says: 'Ask and it 
 shall be given unto you,' so let us ask the aid of Divine 
 Love and trust in His almighty power, who alone is In- 
 telligence." 
 
 "Nonsense! A business man nowadays can trust in 
 nothing save his own ability to do the other fellow be- 
 fore he himself is done, to use a colloquialism. If a 
 man has this ability he will make a success of business 
 and reap millions, possibly, as a result of his unscrup- 
 ulousness, otherwise he will soon become a bankrupt 
 and some one else will gather in the golden harvest. But 
 do not let us argue over this subject in my present con- 
 dition. Theories are very well for those who do not 
 come in contact with real life. Why, the credulity 
 of the average person is pitiful. I could announce 
 myself as the reincarnation of one of the apostles and 
 if I kept at it I would in time acquire a following, and 
 
 43 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 there would be many who believed in me. Bah, it's the 
 same old story!" 
 
 Doure rose and paced the floor restlessly, his hand 
 rubbing his brow in which the neuralgic pains had 
 caused deep lines to appear. Occasionally he would 
 pause to apply a lotion prescribed by a physician, but 
 he secured no relief. 
 
 Mrs. Doure watched him as he paced to and fro. 
 
 "Now is a good time, Herbert, " she finally said, "to 
 prove whether or not Christian Science is a fad or a 
 theory. You are getting no relief from the medicine 
 you are using, and I can see that you are suffering. 
 Let me try to help you. If you are willing to let me 
 read to you awhile, or are willing to have me de- 
 monstrate over these dark beliefs, I think I can be the 
 channel for Love to aid you. Will you let me try ? ' ' 
 
 "What do you want to do?" 
 
 "Merely to sit beside you and ask for your freedom 
 from the mortal sense. A Christian Scientist's medicine 
 is Mind, the Divine Truth that makes man free." 
 
 "Yes, yes," he said impatiently, "Go ahead and do 
 what you will, for this pain is intolerable." 
 
 He seated himself, head in hands, on a low couch, 
 while his wife read aloud from her little leather-covered 
 book, and then remained quiet. In a short time Doure 
 stretched himself at full length upon the lounge, and 
 as the minutes went by, his breathing became more 
 regular, and at the end of half an hour he was sleeping 
 peacefully; "pain had vanished to its native nothing- 
 ness." Mrs. Doure quietly spread a slumber robe over 
 
 44 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 the recumbent form, and went to the bed room where 
 her sister was reading. 
 
 "Camille, I believe that in time we will bring Her- 
 bert to see the Truth," she said, seating herself by the 
 side of the younger woman. She then told of the neur- 
 algia and the demonstration that had just been made. 
 
 "But we have a number of momentous problems to 
 handle," she continued. "The first is to gain definite 
 news of our precious Esther ; the second is to find peace 
 for you, and to adjust Herbert's complicated financial 
 affairs, which, coming at this time of sorrow, threaten 
 to overwhelm him entirely. It is a question in my mind 
 as to whether our knowledge of Science is sufficiently 
 clear to handle these great undertakings. I feel we 
 need some one to help us who has a higher understand- 
 ing than we have gained." 
 
 "Why not send for Dr. Wellingf ord ? " answered 
 Camille. "He has a high understanding of Truth. You 
 know his own wonderful healing saved him from the 
 leper colony." 
 
 "Yes, it would be a great comfort to have him now, 
 for the error clouds seem very dark. Will you tele- 
 phone and ask if he can come?" 
 
 Doure had awakened, refreshed and free from pain, 
 when Dr. Wellingford arrived. He was a tall, impres- 
 sive appearing man, whose strong, kindly, clear-com- 
 plexioned face was surrmounted with a mass of wavy, 
 snow-white hair. The gentle expression in the clear 
 eyes softened lines in the face caused by former suffer- 
 ing. His figure was still straight, and there was a spring 
 
 45 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 to his step and a suggestion of perfect health and ac- 
 tivity that appeared incongruous in connection with his 
 white hair. Mrs. Doure and Camille welcomed him, 
 and the three seated themselves on the porch of the 
 pretty home, nestling in the heart of the European 
 quarter, and perched on the hill overlooking the busy 
 city and harbor dotted with ships of all nations, where 
 the quaint Chinese fishing boats dodged in and out 
 among the great vessels. Dr. Wellingford gazed out 
 over the wonderful picture, while thoughtfully listen- 
 ing as Mrs. Doure briefly detailed the problems of seem- 
 ing sorrow and business that false beliefs had now 
 drawn around their lives. There was a force to his 
 personality that seemed to radiate from him and lend 
 strength to the anxious hearts now asking for help. 
 He nodded understandingly during Mrs. Doure ? s re- 
 cital, and when she ceased speaking he smiled encour- 
 agingly. 
 
 " Understand the Truth and claim its aid, and every 
 error will vanish into its native nothingness," he said. 
 "After my own healing I went to America and had the 
 privilege of class instruction in Boston, which gave me 
 a higher understanding. I will be glad to assist you." 
 
 As dinner was then announced, they postponed the 
 treatment until a time of quiet and leisure. Mr. Doure 
 appeared at the door, and, seeing the guest, cordially 
 welcomed him. 
 
 "Well, well, Dr. Wellingford, glad to see you!" he 
 exclaimed, grasping the old man's hand. "Let me see, 
 it must be seven years since I last had the pleasure of 
 
 46 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 meeting you, when we toured the Orient on our way 
 around the world. Why, I do believe you are growing 
 younger instead of the opposite. At our last meeting, 
 if I remember rightly, you tried to convert me and 
 make a Christian out of me, but I am afraid that was 
 impossible. Business men nowadays devote too much at- 
 tention to mundane affairs. But how is the mission pro- 
 gressing? You must have built up quite a flourishing 
 college by this time." 
 
 Dr. Wellingford smiled as he and Doure followed the 
 ladies into the dining-room and he took the offered seat 
 at the table. 
 
 "I am no longer connected with a missionary board," 
 he answered, "I resigned from that branch of church 
 labor three years ago." 
 
 " Indeed! My time and thoughts have been so cen- 
 tered on this railroad negotiation that I have had little 
 social news ; but after thirty years spent in China teach- 
 ing the heathen it must seem strange to lay it aside. 
 Did it become too strenuous with advancing years?" 
 
 "Before I answer that question," said the doctor, 
 "tell me if you think I am a healthful-looking man." 
 
 "You certainly appear to be in the pink of vigorous 
 condition," replied Doure, in a puzzled manner. "In 
 fact, as I told you before, you seem ten years younger 
 in appearance than when I saw you last." 
 
 "Yes, I am younger, both mentally and physically, 
 and yet, according to the material world I am very old, 
 as earthly years are reckoned." 
 
 "I do not quite understand you, doctor, but may I 
 
 47 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 inquire how old you are ? You can't be more than fifty- 
 five or sixty, judging from vigorous indications." 
 
 Dr. Wellingford smiled. "We do not acknowledge 
 birthdays," he answered, "but since you are curious I 
 do not mind telling you that I shall soon be eighty-four 
 years old." 
 
 He made the admission in an impersonal manner, as 
 though he had no interest in the matter. 
 
 "It seems impossible !" exclaimed Doure, and even 
 his wife and her sister looked at their guest in amaze- 
 ment. 
 
 "Yes, by chronological data that is a worldly fact. 55 
 Dr. Wellingford continued : "But in reality I am young, 
 and I shall never grow old, for God's children reflect 
 eternal youth." 
 
 "You must have discovered the secret that Ponce de 
 Leon gave his life in a vain effort to find," laughed 
 Doure. 
 
 "No, it is an open secret that all can have who desire 
 the Truth. It is all contained within the covers of this 
 little book, ' ' and he took from his inner pocket and laid 
 on the table a copy of Science and Health. 
 
 Doure glanced at it in apparent disapproval. "So, 
 you too have turned Christian Scientist! Well, who 
 will get the idea next? Do you really believe there is 
 a principle underlying it?" 
 
 The old man's face shone with a wonderous light as 
 he replied : 
 
 "My dear friend, I not only know that every word 
 contained in this book is the truth, but I am a living 
 
 48 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 proof of it. Perhaps a personal testimony will enlight- 
 en you. When I last saw you I was" a leper, but the 
 knowledge of the Science of Being which I gained from 
 that book cleansed me and I was born again. I did not 
 understand, at the time, what this Power was which 
 had set me free, but I knew it came from the reading 
 of the book." 
 
 . Doure gazed at the old missionary in a startled man- 
 ner : Surely there was some misapprehension regarding 
 the malady !" he exclaimed. 
 
 1 l There are four reputable physicians in this city who 
 will assert that I was in that afflicted condition," said 
 Dr. Wellingford. " Christian Science, that is, a knowl- 
 edge of the Truth, of the power of Omnipotent Love, 
 at that hour of despair, saved me through the under- 
 standing of a faithful friend who brought me the book. 
 It made me a well man ; it gave me a new claim of per- 
 fect life, for I saw that this was the truth which Jesus, 
 the Christ, taught to save humanity from their dark 
 beliefs, and has enabled me now to demonstrate the liv- 
 ing Truth for those who are in bondage to mental or 
 physical claims." 
 
 "This is astounding! Do you really mean to tell me 
 that you were cured of leprosy?" asked Doure. "Why, 
 the statement seems incredible. ' ' 
 
 "Nevertheless, it is true. In the hour of my terrible 
 need I was receptive to Truth ; I learned the impotence 
 of error and the Omnipotence of Mind ; also the eternal 
 fact that mortal mind and body are the material dream, 
 and that the only reality is Immortal Mind. By study- 
 
 49 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 ing this inspired text book and the Bible you will find 
 that matter is a false conception of mortal mind ; that 
 this so-called mind builds its own superstructure, of 
 which the material body is the grosser portion ; but that 
 from first to last the body is a sensuous, human con- 
 cept, without foundation and dissolving into dust. The 
 understanding, even in a degree, of Divine Love de- 
 stroys fear." 
 
 "That is all Greek to me, doctor. I have been a sup- 
 porter of orthodox churches for years, believing their 
 influence was good; but I admit that I have never had 
 time or inclination to read the Bible to any great ex- 
 tent since I was a small boy, and was compelled to do 
 so at least once a week. But this information about the 
 body being nothing is non-intelligible to me. My wife, 
 here, attributes her healing from invalidism to this 
 Science and claims that there is no such thing in reality 
 as sickness ; yet you, also a Christian Scientist, just con- 
 fessed that at one time you were a leper. Is there not 
 a slight discrepancy?" 
 
 "Not when you gain even a glimpse of the Principle 
 of Love, which illumines, designates and leads the 
 way," replied Dr. Wellingford. "The statement that 
 there is no reality in sickness is proved by the fact that 
 when held up to the light of Truth it vanishes, as was 
 illustrated in the case of Mrs. Doure, and also my own. 
 If it had been real, it would have been impossible to 
 destroy it, as a thing that is real is indistructable. That 
 is the difference between seeming reality and reality. 
 Truth is real and dispells sickness and the kindred er- 
 
 50 
 
51 
 
.1 
 
 Q 
 1 
 
 -Si 
 
 '5 
 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 rors which are only seemingly real; the superiority of 
 spiritual power over mortal mind is the controlling 
 point of Christian Science. " 
 
 Doure was thoughtful for a moment. 
 
 "You may be right, doctor, but I have little faith 
 in this mental doctoring, hypnotism, mesmerism, tele- 
 pathy or whatever you call it. Metaphysics may attract 
 the student and the dreamer, but I am afraid I am too 
 practical." 
 
 11 There is where many people make their mistake/' 
 rejoined Dr. Wellingford. "They ignorantly believe 
 that the Science of Life is hypnotism or spiritualism or 
 some other kind of ism. It is not so. There is but one 
 spiritual existence, the life of which corporeal sense can 
 take no cognizance. The Divine principle of man speaks 
 through immortal sense, and takes spiritual control of 
 the counterfeit human. Hypnotism is merely the false 
 mortal conception exerting a baneful influence over an- 
 other mortal mind. The results are bad at best, for 
 Spirit, which is God, has no part in the transaction. 
 
 "In regard to spiritualism-medium control, the belief 
 that one man as spirit, can control another man as mat- 
 ter, upsets both the individuality and the science of 
 man, for man is the image and likeness of God. God 
 controls man, who is his reflection, and God is the only 
 spirit. Any other control or attraction of the so-called 
 spirit is a mortal belief, which ought to be known by 
 its fruit the repetition of evil. These are the words 
 of Mrs. Eddy who discovered, or I should say, redis- 
 covered the meaning of Christ's teachings. Jesus was 
 
 53 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 the fleshy body which rendered Truth visible and en- 
 abled him to be the Way-shower." 
 
 "I gather from what you say that you take issue with 
 all the denominational churches," said Doure. 
 
 "The various churches mean well, no doubt, and are 
 helpful so far as they know. Scholarly men who preach 
 the gospel are conscientious and earnest, but they are 
 blind in regard to the spiritual fact; groping in the 
 dark, in the belief of the material. They preach of hell- 
 fire and eternal damnation and make God, who is Love, 
 a pitiless person more cruel than any tyrant this world 
 has ever seen. They tell the sick it is God's will." 
 
 "There you hit the nail on the head, doctor. That's 
 one reason why the orthodox church has had no influ- 
 ence with me. I could never bring myself to pray to a 
 God who had to be catered to and praised in order to 
 get him to do his common duty; and I never could be- 
 lieve in a personal devil or in the locality of a hell. If 
 I saw the devil now I would consult an oculist without 
 delay. But have Christian Scientists any creed?" 
 
 "I will answer you in Mrs. Eddy's inspired words: 
 
 " 'They have not, if by that term is meant doctrinal 
 beliefs. ' 
 
 ' ' I will read you from Science and Health a brief ex- 
 position of the important points, or religious tenets of 
 Christian Science : 
 
 " '1 As adherents of Truth, we take the inspired 
 
 Word of the Bible as our sufficient guide to eternal Life. 
 
 ' '2 We acknowledge and adore one supreme and 
 
 infinite God. We acknowledge His Son, the Holy Ghost 
 
 54 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 or Divine Comforter; and man is God's image and like- 
 ness. 
 
 " / 3 We acknowledge God 's forgiveness of sin in the 
 destruction of sin and the spiritual understanding that 
 casts out evil as unreal. But the belief in sin is pun- 
 ished so long as the belief lasts. 
 
 " '4 We acknowledge Jesus' atonement as the evi- 
 dence of divine, efficacious Love, unfolding man's unity 
 with God through Christ Jesus the way-shower ; and we 
 acknowledge that man is saved through Christ, through 
 Truth, Life and Love as demonstrated by the Galilean 
 Prophet in healing the sick and overcoming sin and 
 death. 
 
 '5 We acknowledge that the crucifixion of Jesus 
 and his resurrection serve to uplift faith to understand 
 eternal Life, even the allness of Soul, Spirit, and the 
 nothingness of matter. 
 
 ' 6 And we solemnly promise to watch and pray 
 for that Mind to be in us which was also in Christ- 
 Jesus ; to do unto others as we would have them do unto 
 us, and to be merciful, just and pure.' : 
 
 "The tenets of the faith are beautiful. It certainly 
 wins strong adherents. My wife and her sister have 
 borne up wonderfully since the terrible news was re- 
 ceived. They believe that our little girl has been saved 
 from the wreck of the Merving Hall, through that same 
 Omnipotent Power of which you have been talking, 
 but for my part, I can see nothing on which to pin a 
 shred of faith. There were no women or children re- 
 ported picked up, and I cannot see how our little darl- 
 
 55 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 ing could have been saved. What is your view regard- 
 ing it, doctor?" 
 
 "It was an appalling calamity but we in Science 
 look beyond material evidence. We know Divine Love 
 is Omnipotent, Omnipresent and Omniscient. Mrs. 
 Doure tells me that your little daughter has been an 
 earnest Sunday School pupil, and therefore a student 
 of Science. No doubt she claimed help in that terrible 
 hour of need. Hold steadfastly to the Truth, claim the 
 right, and let Divine Love smooth the troubled waters. 
 Mrs. Doure has asked me to help in this demonstration. 
 She and Miss Camille have steadily denied any power 
 of evil ; so we must know that Omnipotent Mind has pro- 
 vided safety for your child. Are you willing to be 
 present when we declare the Truth for her?" 
 
 There was a mist of tears in Doure 's eyes as he bowed 
 his head and silently extended his hand to the good 
 friend. 
 
 "If you would but study Science and Health, the rev- 
 elation of this Principle of life would lift you above 
 material delusions and you would understand the noth- 
 ingness of error, which vanishes before the light of 
 Truth," said Dr. Wellingford. 
 
 They then arose from the table and entered the front 
 room, closing the doors against interruption. There 
 was a silence that was eloquent of peace and strength, 
 during the time the practitioner, with eyes closed, was 
 "treating" them. When he finished, Doure said: 
 
 "I believe I will at least try to read the book, since 
 you say it is the 'the voice of Truth to this age'; and 
 
 56 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 that thus man appropriates those things 'which eye 
 hath not seen nor ear hear.' I badly need help now, 
 for, besides this dreadful anxiety over Esther's fate, 
 I am confronted with an unlocked for difficulty in the 
 negotiations over the railroad concession. A friend has 
 offered me the use of his steam yacht jf I cared to go in 
 search of some clew as to our little girl's fate, but I 
 do not see how I can leave at the present time without 
 sacrificing our entire business interests, and this would 
 be a serious matter to the syndicate and also to me. If 
 I thought there was a possibility of finding my little 
 girl, you know, of course, that worldly affairs would not 
 stand in my way, but the possibility seems so slight that 
 it gives me scarcely any hope. But I can send my wife 
 and her sister under the care of our friends, the Wor- 
 dens. I should like to accompany them, but I do not see 
 how I can arrange my affairs to get away." 
 
 1 ' Mr. Doure, ' ' solemnly said the old man, ' ' God is all 
 powerful. I understand the difficulty that confronts 
 you in the matter of the concession. I have not lived 
 in the Orient for nearly forty years without acquiring 
 a full knowledge of existing conditions. This matter 
 will take time; it cannot be pushed in a hurry, and it 
 will be of no immediate interest to wait here when you 
 seem anxious and unhappy. Go with Mrs. Doure and 
 Miss Camille and recover your little girl, and learn the 
 Truth of Being. If you care to place the matter of 
 the railroad concession in my hand, I have no doubt 
 that these worldly claims will adjust themselves to 
 your complete satisfaction; probably beyond your ex- 
 pectations." 
 
 57 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 Doure knew that Dr. Wellingford, during his many 
 years in the Orient, had gained great influence with 
 the Peking authorities, and gratefully accepted his 
 offer of aid, even though he regarded it in the light of 
 material aid rather than spiritual help. 
 
 "Doctor, you've taken a load off my mind," he said, 
 ' ' and I am beginning to hope that we may find Esther. 
 Furthermore, I'm going to read Science and Health 
 from cover to cover, and seek to imbibe not the letter 
 but the spirit. " 
 
 As the old practitioner walked homewards he paused 
 an instant on the brow of the hill, and glanced at the 
 strange city at his feet. A myriad of lights twinkled 
 through the darkness, and a rickshaw drawn by a bare- 
 footed Oriental creaked by. The ships swung at their 
 anchors and from all ascended that indescribable 
 "smell of the Orient," that charms and holds the trav- 
 elers from other lands. He stood gazing at the fair 
 picture: finally murmuring: "Love heals every heart- 
 ache as well as other earthly errors." 
 
The Two Castaways 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 EA and sky bended in a blazing medley of gor- 
 geous colors as the sun climbed from the rim 
 of the ocean, painting the sapphire vault of the 
 heavens with vivid dashes of vermillion and gold ; tip- 
 ping fleecy clouds with glowing color; changing the 
 emerald rollers that swept rhythmically across the sur- 
 face of the sea with an endless monotone, into lustrous 
 billows of irridescent, glowing beauty. Already the 
 heat of the day made the odd pair of voyagers on the 
 little raft stir uneasily. Bentley awakened from a 
 troubled sleep and gazed at the sun with mingled emo- 
 tions. Seldom before in his checkered life had he been 
 so keenly alive to the splendors of nature. There was 
 a charm to the sea and sky, to the marvelous dashes 
 and splashes of celestial color, that heretofore he had 
 at times dimly felt but never realized. 
 
 The ten days on the raft with the child had awak- 
 ened a side of his nature of which he had been uncon- 
 scious. He was now in closer touch with the Spirit 
 of Life than at any former period in his remembrance. 
 Much of his hardness and cynicism had melted, giving 
 way to softer thoughts and kindlier feelings, under the 
 combined influence of the little girl's odd philosophy 
 and the communion with Nature. 
 
 "But its nearly over now," he thought, looking at 
 
 59 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 the almost empty water cask, 1 1 and then well . ' ? 
 
 He shrugged his shoulders with the old careless mo- 
 tion that had characterized him ashore, but which now 
 was followed by an involuntary sigh. 
 
 The child stirred and sat up with a bright smile She 
 was pale and thinner, but with the same happy and 
 untroubled look that had first attracted Bentley's at- 
 tention. 
 
 ' ' Oh, how pretty ! ' ' she cried, gazing at the wondrous 
 picture presented by the tropical sunrise. Bentley 
 smiled at her. He had never ceased to wonder at the 
 peace and sweetness of the little girl's character under 
 the most trying circumstances; never complaining, al- 
 ways happy and confident in her belief that help would 
 come to them. She was exquisitely refined and orderly 
 in her habits, retiring behind the canvas screen with her 
 little satchel, from whence came towel and brush and 
 comb; then returning with the golden hair arranged 
 in long curls, and the crumpled dress smoothed as well 
 as possible under the difficult circumstances. 
 
 * ' And in another few days this poor little darling will 
 be food for the sharks, ' ' Bentley thought, gazing at her 
 with an odd lump in his throat, for the child had be- 
 come inexpressibly dear to him. 
 
 "Now, don't feel sad," she suddenly said, noting the 
 melancholy expression that flitted across the man's 
 strong face. "You must learn to know that we are 
 all right, and that we are being protected and cared 
 for. God is all around us, and we cannot suffer. Let 
 us get out the lesson now. You take the Bible and read 
 
 60 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 about the loaves and fishes, and you will see that Love 
 did not let the people go hungry. Perhaps you would 
 never have known of Science if it had not been for this 
 wreck/' and the big blue eye's looked into his with an 
 earnestness that made Bentley, while he thrilled to her 
 words of hope, think of another pair of blue eyes, and 
 again he sighed. 
 
 "You have a beautiful religion, Esther, and I believe 
 that there is much truth in it. If I had known more 
 about it earlier in my life, possibly I would have been 
 a different man, but it is too late now. Dangers are 
 thickening around us and you will need all your spir- 
 itual strength for the inevitable end that is fast ap- 
 proaching. While we had enough water to drink the 
 heat was not so hard to bear, but there is very little 
 left now. You can understand what that means, be- 
 cause you have intelligence far beyond your years. " 
 
 She shook her head with a deprecatory wave of her 
 hand. 
 
 "Won't you understand that we cannot want for 
 anything?" she questioned. "I know that you are 
 afraid that we will want for water and die from it, but 
 water will be supplied us when we need it. We do not 
 need it yet. If you remember, we read yesterday how 
 Moses was told by God to get water from a rock off in 
 the desert. Now just listen while I read from our Text 
 Book: 'Divine Love always has met and always will 
 meet every human need.' You must not be like the 
 Thomas who lived long ago and who was always doubt- 
 ing," and she smiled in her quaint little way. "We 
 
 61 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 such as he had not known for many burdensome years. 
 The soft voice of the child as she read to him from her 
 Science and Health or the Bible, while he shielded her 
 from the glare of the sun with a corner of the small 
 sail, had soothingly mingled with the lapping of the lan- 
 guid water against the sides of the raft as it rose and 
 fell on the long rollers. Death might be at the end 
 but Bentley felt content. For once in his life he 
 had found peace, perfect peace, such as he had 
 dreamed of, but never known. Unconsciously he had 
 absorbed part of the child's belief that a power of 
 Good was all around them and would care for and pro- 
 tect them. He vainly puzzled his head as to what this 
 unseen power really was, but groping in the spiritual 
 ignorance of many years spent in the harder, material 
 side of life, it was as yet a mystery to him. What the 
 child read appealed to him as beautiful. He dimly un- 
 derstood the lofty sentiments expressed, and while feel- 
 ing that they were based on truth, it was difficult for a 
 man whose life for so many years had been the reverse 
 of all that he was learning, to change or accept the 
 teachings without a clearer understanding. At times he 
 scarcely heard the child's words as she read to him, 
 merely listening to the solemn music of the voice of the 
 sea which blended with the little girl 's soft tones, final- 
 ly sinking into a peaceful slumber from which he would 
 awaken refreshed and strengthened, and with a feeling 
 of peace and contentment, hitherto foreign to his irri- 
 table, unhappy nature. Life, which formerly held little 
 heart interest, now assumed nobler proportions. Ambi- 
 
 64 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 tion of a higher tone, calling for better work, stirred 
 within him, and kindlier thoughts, in which he vague- 
 ly felt a truer duty towards his fellow men, replaced the 
 bitterness that had characterized him for so many years. 
 Possibly there was some good in the world after all, he 
 thought, and in a dim way he began to comprehend that 
 he had seldom endeavored to find or even expect aught 
 but the worst from the men and women with whom he 
 had come in contact. 
 
 The question now arose in his mind as to whether or 
 not he had been mistaken and unfair. Possibly there 
 were many people in the world who viewed life in the 
 same uplifting way as his little companion. The 
 thought puzzled him. Was it through ignorance of the 
 darker side of life ; was it due to the sheltering existence 
 they led, away from temptation and away from the 
 endless struggle to live ; or was it through an innate de- 
 sire to do right? These questions which Bentley for- 
 merly believed were settled to his entire satisfaction 
 now intruded themselves in his thoughts with disturb- 
 ing force ; but the abiding conviction was on the softer 
 side when gazing at the child or when listening to her 
 voice when she read from her little leather-covered 
 book. 
 
 The days passed quickly. There was the preparing of 
 the simple meals; the opening of tins with his pocket 
 knife, and the make-believe that the canned meats were 
 various and dainty delicacies. It was great fun for 
 both the man and the child. 
 
 From old cans Bentley had constructed a rude stove, 
 
 65 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 such as he had not known for many burdensome years. 
 The soft voice of the child as she read to him from her 
 Science and Health or the Bible, while he shielded her 
 from the glare of the sun with a corner of the small 
 sail, had soothingly mingled with the lapping of the lan- 
 guid water against the sides of the raft as it rose and 
 fell on the long rollers. Death might be at the end 
 but Bentley felt content. For once in his life he 
 had found peace, perfect peace, such as he had 
 dreamed of, but never known. Unconsciously he had 
 absorbed part of the child's belief that a power of 
 Good was all around them and would care for and pro- 
 tect them. He vainly puzzled his head as to what this 
 unseen power really was, but groping in the spiritual 
 ignorance of many years spent in the harder, material 
 side of life, it was as yet a mystery to him. What the 
 child read appealed to him as beautiful. He dimly un- 
 derstood the lofty sentiments expressed, and while feel- 
 ing that they were based on truth, it was difficult for a 
 man whose life for so many years had been the reverse 
 of all that he was learning, to change or accept the 
 teachings without a clearer understanding. At times he 
 scarcely heard the child's words as she read to him, 
 merely listening to the solemn music of the voice of the 
 sea which blended with the little girl 's soft tones, final- 
 ly sinking into a peaceful slumber from which he would 
 awaken refreshed and strengthened, and with a feeling 
 of peace and contentment, hitherto foreign to his irri- 
 table, unhappy nature. Life, which formerly held little 
 heart interest, now assumed nobler proportions. Ambi- 
 
 64 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 tion of a higher tone, calling for better work, stirred 
 within him, and kindlier thoughts, in which he vague- 
 ly felt a truer duty towards his fellow men, replaced the 
 bitterness that had characterized him for so many years. 
 Possibly there was some good in the world after all, he 
 thought, and in a dim way he began to comprehend that 
 he had seldom endeavored to find or even expect aught 
 but the worst from the men and women with whom he 
 had come in contact. 
 
 The question now arose in his mind as to whether or 
 not he had been mistaken and unfair. Possibly there 
 were many people in the world who viewed life in the 
 same uplifting way as his little companion. The 
 thought puzzled him. Was it through ignorance of the 
 darker side of life ; was it due to the sheltering existence 
 they led, away from temptation and away from the 
 endless struggle to live ; or was it through an innate de- 
 sire to do right? These questions which Bentley for- 
 merly believed were settled to his entire satisfaction 
 now intruded themselves in his thoughts with disturb- 
 ing force ; but the abiding conviction was on the softer 
 side when gazing at the child or when listening to her 
 voice when she read from her little leather-covered 
 book. 
 
 The days passed quickly. There was the preparing of 
 the simple meals; the opening of tins with his pocket 
 knife, and the make-believe that the canned meats were 
 various and dainty delicacies. It was great fun for 
 both the man and the child. 
 
 From old cans Bentley had constructed a rude stove, 
 
 65 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 and with bits of the oars he would occasionally cook a 
 flying fish that dropped on the raft, making a dainty 
 dish, which was relished by both, while from the wings 
 of the little creatures Bentley made pretty articles for 
 his young companion. But the question of water was 
 ever uppermost in Bentley 's mind, and he viewed with 
 a sombre eye the keg which contained scarcely more 
 than a glassful, although he had carefully husbanded 
 the precious fluid, denying himself in order that the 
 child might have more. But the supply had steadily 
 dwindled and Bentley had little faith in the protecting 
 unknown power of which Esther had told him. But the 
 little girl herself expressed no fear, and apparently 
 gave no thought to the time when the last drop would 
 be gone from the keg. 
 
 The tenth day on the raft wore along, and when the 
 sun sank in a cloudless sky that evening Bentley gazed 
 at it with a pensive air. The heat had been unusually 
 oppressive throughout the day, and already Bentley 
 was beginning to feel the pangs of thirst. With only 
 a glassful of water left, he knew the end was not far 
 off. 
 
 "The last sunset we'll ever see," he thought. "A 
 quick death is better than the sufferings of thirst, and 
 to-morrow ends it all." He shrugged his shoulders in 
 his cynical manner and lay studying the stars which 
 gleamed over head, and puzzling over the strangeness 
 of life and the world old question as to the reason for 
 it all, when the voice of the child, from her little canvas 
 nest, broke in on his thoughts, and he lay listening as 
 
 66 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 she softly repeated: "The Lord is my shepherd; I 
 shall not want." Her voice was drowsily soft, and 
 with the last words her eyes closed. 
 
 Bentley gazed at the sleeping child with a strange 
 tenderness, and with a sense of peace, despite the dan- 
 gers, dropped off to sleep. 
 
 67 
 
Seeking the Wreck Survivors, 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 NE of the seeming great troubles with most 
 people of the present age is that they fail 
 to appreciate their blessings, or realize what Je- 
 sus meant when he said: 'Gather up the fragments that 
 nothing be lost'," said Mrs. Doure, laying down her 
 Science and Health and turning to her husband who was 
 smoking beside her, with his face clouded and anxious. 
 They were on the deck of the beautiful yacht Star of the 
 East, owned by the Wordens, friends of the Doures of 
 many years standing, who had been the first to volun- 
 teer any assistance possible when they heard of the col- 
 lision in which Esther Doure 's name was listed among 
 the drowned. 
 
 When Doure had decided to accompany his wife on 
 the search for some trace of his little daughter, the 
 yacht was placed at their disposal. It was now headed 
 for the spot where the ill-fated Merving Hall was sup- 
 posed to have gone down. During the two weeks that 
 had elapsed since news of the collision had startled the 
 world, Doure had fretted, and lines of worry were seen 
 in his fine face. It was this look that caused Mrs. 
 Doure to point out the many blessings that they were 
 enjoying. 
 
 "People have much to be thankful for that they do 
 not realize, Herbert, " she continued, "and we are in 
 
 68 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 that category, for we have each other, and we have 
 health, affluence, and we have the hope of finding our 
 darling Esther. Try to see the brighter side of life, 
 and realize that all is harmony if we but claim it. Hap- 
 piness and peace are the only realities ; care and sorrow 
 are beliefs of error which have no foundation in fact 
 and are only a dark dream. Am I not right, Camille ? ' ' 
 Camille turned to Mrs. Doure with a smile. "I 
 should think that Brother Herbert would see and under- 
 stand something of these truths even from observing 
 the changes they have made in you and me," she re- 
 plied. "Do you not remember how delicate and sickly 
 we both were before we came into the understanding 
 of Science? Do we manifest those unpleasant errors 
 any longer? Has Annie any more heavy bills for med- 
 ical attention, for drugs and for trained nurses? Are 
 we not more keenly alive to the beauties of life than 
 formerly ? Can we not enjoy good, wholesome fun and 
 pleasantries more fully at the present time than ever 
 before ? Of course, I am not alluding to the immediate 
 present when the clouds of uncertainty over Esther's 
 fate remain undispelled. But are not the answers to 
 these questions proof that we have been led into the 
 right path ? We do not fear for Esther because we are 
 trying to see the nothingness of error when it holds up 
 the picture of loss and death. We deny evil as power, 
 and claim that, as God's image and likeness, she was 
 protected by this Omnipotent Love, and that in her res- 
 toration to us will be manifested the victory of Truth 
 over error." 
 
 69 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 11 Blind, but beautiful faith!" exclaimed Doure. "I 
 fear I am too practical for belief in miraculous salva- 
 tion, although if by any chance we should, as you ex- 
 pect, find Esther, I will admit I was governed by mate- 
 rial law and will then try to gain a truer understanding 
 of this great power, but I want some proof that it ex- 
 ists. I am certainly glad and willing to admit the won- 
 derful and delightful change in Annie's mental and 
 physical condition, but I am not sure that this was 
 brought about by Divine agency, nor does her restored 
 health convince me that there is no such thing as sick- 
 ness, sin, evil, and all the other kindred woes that af- 
 fect mankind. I am arguing from a practical stand- 
 point. Look on all sides, and you will see your state- 
 ments refuted. You say there is no pain. Prick your- 
 self with a pin, and then if you do not feel pain well, 
 I will believe you." 
 
 1 ' You put a false interpretation on my words and fail 
 to grasp their true meaning," patiently replied his wife. 
 "Mrs. Eddy shows us that there is no reality in pain, 
 for if pain were Real it would last forever, and yet you 
 must admit that pain will vanish. Anything that is real 
 is everlasting; anything that is not real is ephemeral, 
 and not founded on Truth. A pain will not last forever, 
 therefore it cannot be founded on reality, which is eter- 
 nal. We must silence the lie of material senses with 
 the Truth of spiritual sense, then the false belief will 
 cease. The Science of Mind denies the error of sensa- 
 tion in matter, and heals with Truth. ' ' 
 
 She paused, glancing over the moonlit sea through 
 which the yacht ploughed steadily, and then toward 
 
 70 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 the salon skylight, from which came sounds of merri- 
 ment from their friends, who, while they were sympa 
 thetic and affectionate, yet were young and happy, en- 
 joying to the full the beauties of the Southern seas and 
 the pleasure of the cruise. 
 
 Mrs. Doure observed that her husband had followed 
 her words closely, so she resumed: "You must learn, 
 Herbert, that the physical senses deceive one. For in- 
 stance, to all appearance the beautiful sunset which we 
 watched an hour ago was caused by the sun sinking in 
 the ocean at the edge of the horizon, while the earth re- 
 mained stationary; yet we know that the sun was sta- 
 tionary while the earth revolved, although in this case 
 our knowledge directly contradicts the testimony of 
 the senses. What is the answer? Why, our physical 
 senses have deceived us. If they can deceive us in one 
 thing, why not in another? This shows that they are 
 not infallible ; so we should never condemn a statement, 
 no matter how strange or improbable it may at first 
 appear, until we have weighed it and proved that it is 
 either true or false, for it must be one or the other 
 there is no half-way measure." 
 
 Mrs. Doure 's voice was low and sweet, and both her 
 husband and Camille listened attentively, Doure evi- 
 dently following the argument closely. Mrs. Doure 
 paused a moment, and, as her husband did not speak, 
 she continued: "The nothingness of evil is explained by 
 the statement that if God, Good, is real, then Evil, the 
 opposite of God, is unreal, and takes to itself that guise 
 of reality when it is in fact nothing. Evil can only seem 
 to be real by giving reality to the unreal, which is an 
 
 71 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 impossibility. Man is the reflection of this infinite 
 power of Good; and as there is no evil in Good, there 
 can be no evil in man. The errors we see on every 
 hand have no foundation in fact ; they are false beliefs 
 and must vanish into the nothingness whence they 
 came. But we must learn their unreality, and learn to 
 know the right; otherwise these errors seem to our 
 mortal senses to be endowed with reality, and appear 
 to have the mastery of us. The opposite, however, is 
 the case. We have the mastery, for we reflect God, 
 Good. Love is the only power, and it can smooth every 
 pathway. It is Infinite Wisdom that has led us to seek 
 for Esther, and you will find that 'sorrow will be turned 
 into joy/ ' 
 
 Long after the ladies had retired to their state- 
 rooms, Doure walked the deck, pondering the serious 
 problems confronting him. That there was even the re- 
 motest possibility of finding his little daughter, his 
 personal judgment doubted. The fact that only one 
 boat-load of people had been saved from the wreck 
 seemed ample proof that the child must have perished. 
 In his heart he considered the present trip a blind ef- 
 fort to leave no stone unturned to solve a veiled mys- 
 tery, even though the inner consciousness tells one that 
 the effort is futile, and the sterner common sense cries 
 out against it. He censured himself for leaving his bus- 
 iness at a critical time, realizing that the failure to se- 
 cure the railroad concession meant practically bank- 
 ruptcy, and he felt too old to start in anew the battle 
 of life with money as the goal. Problems without a 
 ready solution chased themselves through his head with 
 
 72 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 wearying persistence until words of spiritual meaning, 
 spoken by his wife, would recur to him, and he fell 
 to wondering whether or not there was any truth in the 
 statement that Good was stronger than evil, and if this 
 strange power, of which the gentle members of his 
 family talked, could straighten out the tangled skein 
 of his life. Another bewildering thought was Dr. Well- 
 ingford's statement that he would declare "the Truth" 
 through absent treatments. As he walked a sense of 
 peace replaced the troubled thoughts, and after a 
 glance at the moonlit water he went below. 
 
 The plan of the rescuing party was to head the yacht 
 for the spot where the ill-fated liner went down and 
 from there sail in ever-widening circles with the hope 
 that some survivor might be found clinging to a bit of 
 wreckage, or some other boat than the one picked up 
 might have got away from the vessel and not been seen 
 by the rescuing ship. Cases were cited where men and 
 women had lived for many days on bits of wreckage 
 from their lost ship, and there was a bare possibility 
 that a second boat had left the Merving Hall. Neither 
 Doure nor the captain of the yacht had any faith in 
 the chance, but it was a chance, and the belief of the 
 ladies that the recovery of Esther would be the result 
 of the cruise had often buoyed Doure 's spirits when 
 they were at their lowest ebb. There was a soothing 
 sweetness to his wife's voice as she read and sang to 
 him. The melodious voice seemed to quiet his troubled 
 spirit, and in the last few days they had been drawn 
 closer together than at any time since their courtship 
 
 73 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 days, not so much by the bond of sorrow for the loss of 
 their little daughter as by some strange power which 
 softened and united their natures in tender bonds, and 
 seemed to give them both a clearer outlook, making 
 each stronger for the other. Doure had been free from 
 his neuralgic pains, and despite his recurring anxieties 
 he seemed to feel a strange lightness of spirit. He had 
 felt better physically and mentally since starting on 
 their cruise, and when Mrs. Doure and Camille read 
 their daily lesson from the Bible and Science and Health 
 with the aid of the quarterly, he listened less moodily 
 and without the aversion to what he had previously 
 termed "this new cult," and which he had formerly 
 felt. The possibility that there might be truth in what 
 he heard stirred his consciousness, although it made 
 him wonder at what he termed his own credulousness 
 and he was surprised at his growing interest in the sub- 
 ject. Formerly he had disliked to hear his wife dis- 
 cussing Christian Science ; now he was interested, gain- 
 ing a strange strength and sense of calm from the 
 words, although he made no pretense of grasping their 
 meaning. The case of Dr. Wellingford puzzled him, 
 and when by chance he picked up a Christian Science 
 Sentinel and read testimonials of wonderful healing, 
 his thoughts turned in a new direction. Possibly they 
 were right. 
 
 The days on the yacht had passed peacefully, with 
 the hours taken up by his wife and her sister in more 
 earnest study of their text book, while he wondered at 
 the feverish unrest that had previously bound him. 
 Their friends were congenial and the time passed pleas- 
 
 74 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 antly. All on board wondered at the calm faces of 
 Mrs. Doure and her sister, and the old skipper mental- 
 ly set the mother and aunt down as heartless, without 
 any sorrow over the tragic loss of a beautiful child, as 
 never a word of despair was heard from them ; never a 
 moan of discouragement, but always a solemn, faithful 
 hope and confidence in the all-powerful protection of 
 Omnipotent Love. The spirit of Peace seemed to enfold 
 the yacht and its members and to bear them on invisi- 
 ble wings to the triumphant proof of Infinite, Ever- 
 present Love. Even the captain felt a softening thrill 
 and a rnist dimmed his eye, and the men rested from 
 their duties or recreation when, at the shimmering twi- 
 light hour, the ladies sitting on deck would sing one 
 of the wonderful hymns written by the leader of the 
 Christian Science Church. A sense of peace seemed to 
 enfold the yacht, and all on board felt the harmony 
 that dissolved the error-clouds of discord. 
 
 75 
 
In the Typhoon's Grip. 
 
 CHAPTEE VII. 
 
 DASH OF spray and an unusually heavy pitch of 
 the raft awakened Bentley, and he sat up, clutch- 
 ing at the guard ropes to keep from being rolled 
 overboard. The wind blew with a refreshing coolness, 
 but the sea had risen and the raft was already washed 
 by the breaking caps of the seas. The moon hung low, 
 but even as Bentley looked a black wall of clouds 
 spread over the sky with the speed of a racehorse, blot- 
 ting out the stars and covering all like a pall flung from 
 a giant hand. The wind increased. The little sail 
 rigged to the oar which Bentley had used more as a 
 sunshade for the child than for means of making the 
 raft move, was whipped from its lashings by the force 
 of the gale, for gale it now was, while the tops of the 
 big seas were snatched up and flung along in a sheet of 
 flying spume. Bentley quickly lashed the child to the 
 raft and made himself secure in the same way, drawing 
 a tarpaulin over both to keep off the spray which now 
 swept over the castaways in a smothering cloud. 
 
 "It's starting to blow pretty hard; one of these sud- 
 den tropical hurricanes and we'll have to lie quiet," he 
 told Esther. "If it starts to rain there's a chance to 
 get some water. I don't think the raft will capsize, al- 
 though it is possible with such a sudden wild sea as 
 this. But keep up your courage. This gale may blow 
 
 76 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 us on some island, but that's a long chance, and I don't 
 suppose there's much use in counting on it." 
 
 Esther leaned her face closer to his in order to be 
 heard above the roar of the wind and the surge of 
 the seas, and said : ' ' We need not fear. Love will not 
 forsake us." She cuddled closer and lay quiet, seem- 
 ingly unconscious of the wild turmoil of sea and wind 
 which was going on all around them. 
 
 The hurricane increased and the raft was swept by 
 the crest of almost every billow. At times it seemed 
 to poise on the top of a gigantic wave, only to slide 
 down into the succeeding gully with a sickening sensa- 
 tion that made Bentley wonder if they would ever come 
 to the surface again. The little girl's faith never for an 
 instant wavered. Chilled and drenched by the storm, 
 she seemed oblivious to the terrors of the tempest, and 
 Bentley felt that in her strange way she was claiming 
 what she termed ' ' the Truth ' ' for their deliverance, and 
 in some vague way his hope revived. 
 
 Throughout the remaining hours of the night the hur- 
 ricane blew with undiminished force, but with the 
 breaking of day the wind went down and the rain came 
 in torrents, beating down the seas and bringing a re- 
 newing sense of life to the man and child. It was a 
 simple matter for Bentley to stretch the tarpaulin and 
 let the rain fill the little water keg. The water tasted 
 sweet and fresh and they both drank freely of it, and 
 allowed the torrents to pour on their head and face, 
 washing away the salt brine and leaving a pleasant ex- 
 hilaration. 
 
 "Just in time, Esther," said Bentley, replacing the 
 
 77 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 top of the keg and smiling at his little companion whose 
 bright face with the damp hair was turned toward him, 
 watching with interest the filling and corking of the 
 keg. "Another day in this blazing sun without water 
 would have finished us both ; do you realize that ? But 
 I suppose you will say that God sent the rain to save 
 our lives." 
 
 ' Esther nodded her head in her odd little manner, 
 used when she wished to emphasize her remarks. * l Un- 
 cle Tom," she said, for he had asked her to address him 
 by that name, "I knew all along that we would be 
 saved. No, we are not off the raft yet, but we will be. 
 We needed water and it came to us. Don't you under- 
 stand now that God will not let us suffer if we claim the 
 help that is always ours? Haven't I been telling you 
 this ever since the shipwreck? Weren't we saved from 
 the steamer when many people lost their lives, and 
 haven't we been protected on this raft? We will be 
 rescued and returned to our homes, and it will all be 
 due to God. Now you just see if we aren't." 
 
 "Maybe you're right child, but let's wait and see 
 how things turn out." 
 
 It was at the closing of the following day, when 
 Bentley was dozing in the shade of the small tarpaulin 
 which he had again rigged up, that he was brought to 
 his feet by Esther excitedly crying: 
 
 "Uncle Tom! Oh, Uncle Tom, there's a sail over 
 there," pointing across the expanse of water. A small 
 patch of brownish white rose and fell on the face of the 
 ocean. It was indeed a sail. Help appeared to be near. 
 
 78 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 Bentley lost no time in kindling a small fire in his im- 
 provised stove from pieces of the remaining oar, and 
 wetting the chips to creat a black smoke. Together they 
 watched the patch of brown, and soon saw that it was 
 approaching. 
 
 "You see/' said Esther, "that Divine Love has made 
 another demonstration, and now we are off this raft." 
 
 "Maybe you are right, but that patch of sail looks to 
 me like a native canoe, and the natives of this region 
 are none too hospitable. In fact some of the islands 
 in these seas are inhabited by cannibals, and we must be 
 careful not to jump from the frying pan into the fire, 
 and Bentley anxiously watched the brown spot, now 
 outlined in the rays of the setting sun. 
 
 "Haven't I told you that Divine Love is all around us 
 and that no harm can befall those who claim the pro- 
 tection that is theirs? No matter who the people are 
 in that boat they will help us. Just know that God 
 love us and everything will always be all right," and 
 Esther waived her little jacket at the speck of sail. 
 
 Bentley was thoughtful for a few moments. "I'm 
 beginning to believe what you say, Esther, and if we 
 get ashore I'm going to look into your religion, for it 
 is the only one that seems to be founded on facts. Most 
 churches promise a reward in the next world, but I 
 have always gone on the principle that a bird in the 
 hand is worth two in the bush." 
 
 "Don't you remember reading yesterday that * Heav- 
 en is within us'? Oh, Uncle Tom, you seem so awfully 
 dull!" 
 
 79 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 Bentley laughed and turned to watch the approach 
 of the canoe, for canoe it now was seen to be. He felt 
 some trepidation. The faces of the natives that filled 
 it caused him a feeling of dismay, for from his for- 
 mer trip through the South Sea Islands he easily 
 recognized them as being from the jungles of the 
 northern Ladrones, a fierce, wild race, little known to 
 the white inhabitants of the more frequented places. 
 They were reputed to be cannibals. Yet the savage 
 canoe was better than the raft and he remembered that 
 he still had his revolver if the worst came to the worst. 
 The brown bodies of the natives glistened in the rays 
 of the setting sun, and their rude ornaments added a 
 charm to the savage picture they presented. They 
 gazed in unconcealed wonder at the man and the little 
 golden-haired child alone on the tiny raft, and crowded 
 curiously around them as they climbed into the big 
 canoe. 
 
 With the aid of signs and the few words of the na- 
 tive dialect that he knew, Bentley soon learned that the 
 canoe had been blown far out to sea by the recent hur- 
 ricane, and he wondered how they had succeeded in 
 weathering the storm. They were, now trying to sail 
 back to their island, and while they knew the general 
 direction, they had no exact knowledge as to how far 
 away it lay, although judging from the force of the 
 wind and general drift, Bentley roughly calculated that 
 they must be close to two hundred miles off shore. It 
 was one of the large war canoes, and Bentley observed 
 that the natives were all armed, and that several were 
 nursing wounds. He surmised that the tribe had at- 
 
 80 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 tempted an attack on some neighboring island, and, 
 being repulsed, had put to sea, only to be caught in the 
 hurricane and blown far off their course. 
 
 Esther was a study to the natives. It was seldom 
 that they had seen a white man, as the trading schoon- 
 ers came but infrequently and most of them were 
 manned by Chinese, with an occasional white captain. 
 A white woman had never visited their remote island, 
 and the little girl with her golden hair and blue eyes 
 was an ever-increasing source of wonder to the brown- 
 skinned crew of the great canoe. They were interest- 
 ing to Esther, but she expressed no fear, gazing gently 
 at the savages and turning to Bentley to murmur: 
 "They are God's children." 
 
 The wind, which was abeam, freshened and the 
 canoe tore through the water at a speed that astounded 
 Bentley, familiar as he was with the fast-sailing native 
 boats. Cocoanuts in plenty were stowed throughout 
 the canoe, and Bentley and Esther had a sufficient meal 
 despite their strange surroundings and the scrutinizing 
 faces of the natives. When night fell, Esther went 
 peacefully to sleep, leaning on Bentley 's shoulder, al- 
 though he remained anxiously awake, puzzling over the 
 new problem that now confronted them; but the 
 thought of the child's wonderful trust and the fact 
 that they had been miraculously guarded through so 
 many dangers caused a gentle peace to replace his fears 
 and finally he, too, slept. 
 
 Knot after knot was reeled off and before the close 
 of the following day a dark spot on the horizon was 
 discernible. This gradually grew larger until the top 
 
 81 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 of a mountain was plainly seen. Esther manifested no 
 anxiety, but Bentley's fears increased as he listened to 
 the jabbering of the natives and noted the looks cast in 
 their direction. Plainly the savages were discussing his 
 case and the disposition of the child, and he prepared 
 for trouble when they landed. He was confident, how- 
 ever, that a council of war would be held to decide on 
 their fate, and until this was done they would be safe 
 from violence. In the meantime something might arise 
 that would enable them to escape. He remembered 
 that they had been saved from the wreck, and in a 
 strange way had been rescued from the raft, and uncon- 
 sciously he thought of the Power in which the child 
 reverently trusted, and wondered if the demonstration 
 of help and protection would be continued. "She is 
 always 'declaring the Truth' for us, whatever that is. 
 What if she is right and there is a Divine Power guid- 
 ing us?" he mused. "It certainly seems as though we 
 had been divinely protected ; otherwise we never could 
 have gone through so many dangerous experiences, and 
 reached shore safely, as we have fair prospects of do- 
 ing. What marvelous events! The wreck; the storm; 
 the rain ; and then this canoe. It is beyond human un- 
 derstanding ! ' ' 
 
 The big canoe cut through the line of white surf and 
 slid into a pretty, sheltered cove to a sloping, white- 
 sand beach on which an excited crowd of natives gath- 
 ered to welcome the returned warriors. Native women 
 in their odd garb of grass-woven dress, burly fighting 
 men and little dark-hued children, pretty in spite of 
 color, as well as pets of various kind, crowded around 
 
 82 
 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 the white man and girl, regarding them with astonish- 
 ment. Palms and thickets, a tropical growth of vines 
 and flowers, grew in lavish profusion to the water's 
 edge, and the two castaways were conducted along a 
 trail banked on either side with the sweet-scented ver- 
 dure, to the native village, where more men and women 
 and children gathered to stare at them in wonder. But 
 an air of gloom and sadness seemed to hang over the 
 village, and the natives spoke in hushed voices and 
 many remained seated in postures expressing woe. 
 Bentley soon learned that the chief was dying, and 
 his people mourned. The witch doctors had worked 
 their spells and incantations in vain, and the famous 
 old warrior was fast sinking to his last rest. Not even 
 the interest created by the advent of the white man and 
 child could awaken the natives from the lethargy of 
 their grief, for the old chief was beloved, and his death 
 was now expected shortly. 
 
 Bentley and Esther were lodged in a pretty little 
 thatched hut on' one edge of the village, which over- 
 looked the mass of white surf that roared and boomed 
 on the sands as the seas swept in from the stretch of 
 blue water extending in a soft line to the clear horizon 
 beyond. An aged crone brought them food in a woven 
 basket of odd design, composed of tropical fruits and 
 dried fish. A tiny camp fire, which Bentley lighted in 
 front of the hut, added a picturesque touch to the 
 strange scene, as he and Esther, after their repast, for 
 they felt weary and hungry, sat beside it. The earth 
 was soft and warm, and gave the body a delicious sen- 
 sation after the cramped quarters on the raft for so 
 
 83 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 many days, and the last stage of the long journey in 
 the canoe with the natives. The flowers and trees ex 
 haled a delicious perfume, while the rumble of the 
 surf played a soft accompaniment to Esther's voice as 
 she earnestly read the lesson by the light of the tiny 
 fire. The jungle loomed dark, with here and there a 
 twisted creeper, outlined by the flickering light of 
 the fire, swinging and swaying with a lifelike move- 
 ment, while faintly came the sounds of sorrow from 
 the village. It was delightful and restful to be ashore, 
 but in Bentley's mind dark pictures of the morrow 
 formed themselves unconsciously. That the natives 
 were cannibals, or little better, he was sure, and that 
 their fate hung in the balance seemed a gloomy fact. 
 It was even possible that the natives might attempt to 
 kill them as a sacrifice to their heathen gods in the 
 hope of prolonging their chief's life in this manner. 
 True, he might make a hard battle for life, but what 
 could one man do against a whole village of sav- 
 ages, who would fight with the fanatic valor of the 
 Moslems? They were saved from the sea and yet the 
 future looked blacker than at any time since the wreck. 
 Drowning was infinitely preferable to being the vic- 
 tims of cannibals. Bentley's brows were drawn to- 
 gether in his old troubled scowl; the scowl which for 
 some time had been banished from his face by the gen- 
 tle teachings of his little companion. But now the old 
 beliefs arose and he gazed at the fire, lost in brooding 
 thought, with his old, unhappy, cynical expression. Fi- 
 nally he became conscious of being watched, and looked 
 up into the smiling, loving face of Esther. 
 
 84 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 "Are you conjuring up bugaboos again, Uncle Tom?" 
 she gently questioned. "Don't you know yet that we 
 have nothing to fear? Oh, my!" with a deprecatory 
 shake of her golden head, "how hard it is for you to 
 understand something that is so clear! Don't worry, 
 dear Uncle Tom, just trust in the only Ever-Present 
 Power, and nothing but Harmony can come to us." 
 
 She opened her Science and Health and read to Bent- 
 ley, while a few natives squatted around watching the 
 strangers wonderingly. When Esther closed the book, 
 she shut her eyes, and was silent for a few moments, 
 then she laid her head on the matting which Bentley 
 had spread over a pillow of flowers, and with a glance 
 the silvery splendor of the star-bespangled heavens 
 drowsily murmured, "God is Love,' and was enfolded 
 in soft slumber. 
 
 Bentley lay down. The warm night air soothed him. 
 A sense of peace and security, a feeling that Wisdom 
 and Intelligence were guarding them and would pro- 
 tect them, alone and helpless as they were on the lonely 
 cannibal island, enabled him to seek rest. He recalled 
 the child's words regarding the ever-presence of Divine 
 Protection, and the great Heart of Love heard his men- 
 tal call, and he trustingly slept. 
 
 85 
 
A Tropical Hurricane, 
 
 CHAPTEE VIII. 
 
 sat in the chart room of the Star of the 
 East smoking a cigar and watching Captain Sley 
 
 who was engaged in working out the yacht's 
 position from the sight he had just taken. He thought- 
 fully eyed the long column of figures and the sheets 
 covered with the complicated calculation, and as the 
 skipper checked off his latitude and longitude, and 
 paused with a sigh of relief, Doure remarked: "I sup- 
 pose all of that is as clear to you as the use of a city 
 directory would be to me in finding a locality in San 
 Francisco. " 
 
 " Exactly, " replied the Captain. "Nautical science 
 has become exact, and a shipmaster nowadays, aided 
 as he is with the latest and most improved instruments, 
 is never at a loss for his position. In fact, the average 
 liner sails with railroad regularity. The sextant and 
 chronometer are, of course, our chief dependence, but 
 one of the greatest aids to the seafaring man is the 
 barometer, and by the way, I don't like the looks of it. 
 The glass has been falling since early morning, and it 
 nows registers only 28. Yes, I know, it looks like a 
 beautiful day and for that matter it is, but at the same 
 time it's going to blow like Old Harry; but luckily, 
 the yacht is in good condition and everything is ship- 
 shape both fore and aft." 
 
 86 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 " Where are we now, captain? Have we reached the 
 locality of the collision ?" 
 
 According to the position given by the ship which 
 picked up the survivors of the Merving Hall we are 
 now approximately at the place where the crash oc- 
 curred," answered Captain Sley. "Shall we have 
 a look around from the bridge?" 
 
 Together they left the chart room, Doure glancing 
 over the placid sea with a sad expression. "With all 
 your nautical aids and wonderful instruments you can- 
 not prevent accidents or sudden death," he remarked, 
 his thoughts traveling to the tragedy in which his child 
 had been lost. 
 
 "No, there is no guarding against such calamities. 
 We can only do our duty when such accidents hap- 
 pen," and the old captain looked out over the broad 
 expanse with a troubled air, glancing thoughtfully at 
 the barometer on the bridge. He shook his head grave- 
 ly and conferred for a few moments with the officer 
 on watch before again joining Doure. 
 
 "So far there has been no sign of a single piece of 
 wreckage, though the closest watch has been kept 
 as you know," he resumed. "The drift in these seas 
 is supposed to be south, but the Pacific is, to a great ex- 
 tent, an unknown quantity. The possibility that some- 
 one might be clinging to a bit of wreckage or that 
 some other boat might have got away from the steam- 
 er is at best very remote, as I told you in the beginning, 
 although such things have happened before. But un- 
 less they were well supplied with water and food I 
 don't think it would have been possible for people to 
 
 87 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 live on a raft or in an open boat this long. From the 
 looks of the barometer there is a storm coming up 
 which will destroy any possibility that even a sin- 
 gle soul could have been saved except the number 
 picked up the day following the crash. I fear, Mr. 
 Doure, that you must abandon any hope that your 
 child has escaped. In the hurricane which the glass 
 tells us is approaching, it will test the strength of a 
 good-sized vessel, much less a boat or raft. I do not 
 want to alarm you, as I feel that the yacht can weath- 
 er any storm that will be encountered in these or any 
 other seas, but it will be a hard struggle. You had 
 better warn the ladies that a hurricane is coming and 
 that they will have to remain below." 
 
 Captain Sley turned to consult with his chief officer, 
 who had joined him, and together they bent over the 
 barometer, while Doure walked aft. Camille was seat- 
 ed in the shade of one of the deck awnings, working 
 over a small miniature in which sea and sky blended 
 in exquisite tints, while a stormy petrel winged its way 
 across the foreground. Mrs. Doure came from the 
 cabin and stood admiring her sister's work. Camille 
 laid aside her brushes and palate and gazed out over 
 the water with sad intensity. Mrs. Doure laid her 
 hand affectionately on her beautiful young sister's 
 shoulder. ' ' It 's an exquisite picture, Camille ; such ten- 
 der, glowing coloring; you have caught the expression 
 of the sea itself. Your work shows that you have risen 
 above material sorrow and have made a demonstration 
 over seeming grief. It comes to me that this cloud will 
 be lifted from your life. It is only an illusion of error 
 
 ss 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 which Truth can remove. It is possible that Tom Bent- 
 ley may have been among the survivors. He was a 
 strong, resolute and resourceful man." 
 
 "No, Annie, I have no such hope. The papers pub- 
 lished his name in the list of the lost. They said he was 
 a loss to the intellectual world, and that many would 
 mourn the brilliant man so suddenly and tragically 
 cut down. ' ' 
 
 Camille leaned her head against her sister's shoul- 
 der. Mrs. Doure smoothed the golden locks for a mo- 
 ment before she softly said: " 'The Lord on high is 
 mightier than the noise of many waters ; yea, than the 
 mighty waves of the sea.' 'God pours the riches of his 
 love into the understanding and affection, giving us 
 strength according to our day/ But here comes Her- 
 bert. What is it, dear?" 
 
 "Bad news, Annie. The captain tells me that a 
 storm of unusual severity is approaching ; in fact, from 
 what I gather it may be a typhoon, and he has given 
 orders that every one must stay below, as he believes it 
 will come before long. These tropical hurricanes spring 
 up with such surprising rapidity that they strike almost 
 without warning. So far the only indication of the 
 coming tempest has been given by the barometer, but 
 we had better go inside." 
 
 They entered the cabin where their friends, the two 
 married couples, were playing cards, and briefly in- 
 formed them of the captain's warning. All manifested 
 a degree of nervousness with the exception of Mrs. 
 Doure and her sister, who, although pale, were calm 
 and collected. The captain entered on a tour of in- 
 
 89 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 spection. His weather-beaten face was mask-like, ex- 
 pressing nothing, but the sharpness of his commands to 
 the men to see that all was secure, and his brief instruc- 
 tions that no one must attempt to leave the cabin as the 
 decks would shortly be flooded, increased the feeling of 
 uneasiness. There was, however, a strength in the cap- 
 tain which carried a feeeling of security, and he curtly 
 assured the ladies that the yacht was safe, although, if 
 the hurricane proved as severe as he expected, it would 
 pitch and roll in a manner to cause much alarm, but 
 that they should not be afraid. 
 
 ' * This hurricane will destroy the last hope of finding 
 Esther," said Doure bending over his wife so that his 
 words would not carry to the other members of the par- 
 ty grouped around the salon. "Captain Sley tells me 
 that no boat or raft could possibly live through it, so it 
 seems that our trip will have been in vain." 
 
 "God works in a mysterious manner, and we cannot 
 fathom his methods, except to know that they are Good, 
 and that everything Good is ours. I am as convinced 
 now that we will eventually find Esther as I was at first. 
 We are protected by Divine Love, and so is Esther. 
 Who knows but that this typhoon may in some strange 
 manner lead us to her?" and she smiled lovingly at the 
 anxious face of her husband. 
 
 Doure shook his head. Such faith was sublime but 
 impractical, according to his way of thinking, and even 
 savored a trifle of the fanatical in face of the facts as he 
 saw them. Excusing himself to the rest of the party, 
 and promising to return with news of the storm's ap- 
 
 90 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 proach, he left the cabin and joined the captain on the 
 bridge. Captain Sley's face was unusually grave and 
 his commands to the sailors who were completing the 
 work of double lashing everything on deck, snapped out 
 like the crack of a whip. Doure paused for a moment 
 and looked around. The sky was unusually clear and 
 the sea calm. There was no wind save that caused by 
 the onward movement of the yacht. The heat was op- 
 pressive, and the sun 's rays seemed to blister the paint 
 on the woodwork. Suddenly the chief officer who had 
 been sweeping the horizon with his binoculars uttered 
 a low exclamation and called to the captain. Together 
 they gazed to the north and the faces of both of them 
 showed concern. Doure joined them and gazed in the 
 direction the glasses were pointed. A small black spot 
 rested on the horizon, just at the junction of sea and 
 sky. 
 
 "What is it captain ?" he queried, puzzled by the 
 strange actions of the officers. 
 
 The captain pointed to the little speck which was 
 rapidly growing larger. 
 
 "That's the typhoon, Mr. Doure, and its coming fast. 
 You had better go below and warn the passengers to 
 hold tight to their chairs for when it hits us, the yacht 
 will be practically standing on her head." 
 
 "Very well, captain," said Doure, and he went below. 
 
 The officers and sailors gazed fascinated at the dark 
 speck, which was a speck no longer, but a sombre mass 
 that was sweeping across the northern portion of the 
 sky with startling rapidity, resembling a great grey- 
 black curtain which was being swiftly unrolled across 
 
 91 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 the clear, blue vault. On and on it silently swept, blot- 
 ting out the brilliant sun and bringing with it an awe- 
 some twilight. The sea took on a smooth, menacing slate 
 color, and seemed to writhe like a giant in bonds, testing 
 his muscles for the final struggle. The yacht's head 
 was pointed in the direction whence the typhoon was 
 coming. Hatches were battened down and companion- 
 way doors were braced and locked. The engines were 
 slowed down, and the sailors remained at their posts. 
 A solemn silence seemed to pervade all, as though awed 
 by the approach of one of Nature's great convulsions. 
 The yacht rose and fell on the long rollers with a sub- 
 dued movement, seemingly appreciating the battle for 
 supremacy that was soon to be waged. The hush per- 
 vaded the yacht, and all waited, tense and with nerves 
 keyed to the highest pitch. 
 
 Suddenly the silence on deck was broken by the cry 
 of a sailor; 
 
 ''There she comes!" and those on deck remained 
 spellbound with the awe-inspiring spectacle Far 
 ahead, rushing on them with the speed of a locomotive, 
 came a great wall of water, the crest of which was 
 caught up and whirled and twisted and flung far ahead 
 by the fierce fury of the typhoon at its back. The sea 
 had been lifted up and carried along by the irresistible 
 strength of the mighty air forces, and as it writhed and 
 raced, the foaming crest seemed to touch the sombre 
 sky spread overhead. 
 
 A puff of refreshing breeze struck the yacht, then a 
 gust that shrieked through the rigging, followed by a 
 
 92 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 blast that ripped the tiny stormsail from its bolt-ropes, 
 and screamed as it tore along. 
 
 The wall of water towered above the yacht for an in- 
 stant and crashed down with ripping, grinding, rending 
 force, engulfing the craft in a wild swirl of mountainous 
 seas, which struck and leaped and tore and danced, 
 flinging the vessel this way and that like a cork, the 
 plaything of the mighty element. The peaceful sea 
 was peaceful no longer, but appeared stripped of its 
 sweetness and flaunting its savage passion, tearing and 
 twisting at the yacht as though vainly endeavoring to 
 rend it asunder. The shriek of the wind and the roar 
 of the waves blended in a weird, unearthly melody, 
 now rising, now falling, but ever fierce and savage. 
 
 The yacht's deck were swept clean, every vistage of 
 boats, rails and stanchions being taken by the mighty 
 element. The vessel pitched and plunged with a wild- 
 ness that threatened destruction at every moment, and 
 caused those on board to cling to supports to avoid be- 
 ing hurled against the staterooms and cabin walls. The 
 wind seemed to increase, and the yacht was covered 
 with a sheet of spray, picked up by the hurricane and 
 swept along in steady streams which cut like bullets 
 and which no human being could stand against. 
 
 In the cabin the faces of the seven passengers were 
 ghastly in the faint light of the one remaining lamp; 
 the others having been put out by the vessel's wild 
 pitching. Death seemed near. The turmoil of the 
 storm came in a subdued roar, which was occasionally 
 pierced by a scream from little Mrs. Allen, who clung 
 frantically to her husband when the yacht would give 
 
 93 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 an unusually wild lurch, which would send them all 
 flying from their stationary chairs, and necessitate a 
 scramble to regain their seats, where a more secure 
 grip was taken. Occasionally Mrs. Campbell would 
 laugh hysterically, and beg her husband or Doure to 
 "do something." 
 
 The feeling that death was near seemed to pervade 
 the cabin. Doure shuddered at the thought of dying 
 trapped in the cabin, but the voice of his wife repeating 
 words of comfort, which he but indistinctly caught, 
 seemed to restore his mental poise, and the fear of a few 
 moments before was replaced by a calm that viewed 
 the situation with hope. 
 
 As the hours went by the noise from without seemed 
 to lesson perceptibly, and even the hysterical Mrs. 
 Campbell noted the absence of the typhoon's roar, al- 
 though the pitching of the vessel was terrific. A few 
 moments later Captain Sley tumbled down the compan- 
 ionway, and clung to a table for support. 
 
 "The hurricane has passed and we are safe, although 
 the yacht is pretty well battered up. But she's afloat," 
 and his heavy voice boomed through the cabin with a 
 welcome sound. ' l We passed directly through the cen- 
 ter of that typhoon, which was the worst I've seen in 
 my forty-odd years' experience at sea. You may all 
 consider yourselves fortunate to be alive. The danger 
 is all over now, but you must not come on deck until 
 the sea goes down. Mr. Doure, if you will join me in 
 the chart room we will discuss plans for the future." 
 As Doure passed out with the skipper, clinging to tables 
 and chairs and taking a few steps at a time owing to 
 
 94 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 the plunging and rolling of the yacht, Camille threw 
 her arms around her sister. 
 
 "Oh, Annie, how wonderfully we have been pre- 
 served. And to think that we passed though the center 
 of that terrific storm. It was indeed a demonstration. 
 At one time when I was thrown across the cabin and 
 lay against the wall, seemingly at the mercy of material 
 law, I was yielding to the clutch of fear, when I heard 
 your voice above all the noise, singing the communion 
 hymn, and the sentence, ' 'Twas the truth that made us 
 free,' restored me, and the mortal sense of terror van- 
 ished. ' Everlasting arms of Love ' seemed enfolding me 
 and I sat up, calm and hopeful, and claimed the ever 
 presence of Truth over error; then the hurricane died 
 down and we knew we were saved. " 
 
 "Camille, dear, we have to prove how much of un- 
 derstanding of mind we have gained. It was a great 
 revelation of the controlling power of Divine Love. 
 Come now to my room and let us go over the lesson and 
 render thanks. The steward is taking coffee to Mrs, 
 Allen and Mrs. Campbell, who both seem quite pros- 
 trated.'' 
 
 Camille held her for a moment. 
 
 "Do you still have faith, Annie, that Esther is alive; 
 that she has been saved?" 
 
 Mrs. Doure glanced at the angry sea which could be 
 seen through the cabin port holes, now touched with 
 the returning sunlight, her eyes soft with mother love, 
 and express a sublime, unclouded faith. 
 
 1 To those leaning on the sustaining Infinite, to- 
 
 95 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 day is big with blessings'/' she quoted, and together 
 the ladies made their way to their own stateroom. 
 
 When Doure returned from his conference with the 
 captain, his wife greeted him in her usual affectionate 
 manner. She was pale from the experience of the 
 last few hours, but was calm, and eyed him question- 
 ingly. 
 
 "The vessel is a wreck above decks," said Doure, 
 "and Captain Sley believes that we have been blown 
 far to the south, and it may take several days to work 
 back to our former position, even if the yacht is able 
 to proceed. This ends our last hope of finding Esther, 
 for even though she had miraculously escaped on some 
 wreckage or boat, no human being could have survived 
 such a tempest unless on board a staunch ship." 
 
 "God controls the storm as he controls the rest of 
 the elements, ' ' Mrs. Doure returned. ' ' No harm can be- 
 fall those who love and trust and seek the protection of 
 Divine Love. We were protected during this awful 
 storm, otherwise possibly no one on board would be 
 alive now. To those who claim help, nothing but good 
 can come, so this hurricane may have been a blessing 
 in disguise." 
 
 "Would that I had your wonderful religion," said 
 Doure, glancing thoughtfully from his wife to Camille, 
 who appeared at the door of her stateroom. "Come 
 here Camille and sit down. I am almost convinced that 
 neither one of you know what fear is, for I do not be- 
 lieve that you were afraid even when the typhoon was 
 at its height, although we were in the shadow of death. ' ' 
 
 "You are wrong, brother Herbert, for I at least felt 
 
 96 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 the error of fear at first, but succeeded in denying the 
 lie of evil as power and realizing the Truth as All; in 
 knowing that we were divinely protected, and trusting 
 to the Omnipotent power of Infinite Love to save us." 
 
 Before Doure had an opportunity to reply, Captain 
 Sley appeared with an annoyed expression. 
 
 "Something gave way in the engine-room," he said, 
 addressing Doure and bowing, with his fine politeness, 
 to the ladies. "It may require several days to make 
 repairs ; in fact, it may be necessary to beach the yacht 
 to get at the real cause of the trouble. But don't be 
 alarmed, for we have plenty of spare spars on board 
 and this little craft sails almost as well as she steams. 
 But it will be necessary to make some land as soon as 
 possible, and as nearly as I can calculate our position 
 without taking a sight, I figure we must be within three 
 hundred miles of the Ladrones group, so I am going to 
 sail for these islands in order to find a quiet harbor in 
 which to make the necessary repairs to enable us to 
 steam back to Hong-Kong. It is necessary to find 
 the exact damage suffered by the engines while tossed 
 by the typhoon. But this will not delay us more than 
 a week or ten days, so be contented as possible." 
 
 When the captain had left, Doure looked at his wife 
 and Camille, as if to remark that the object of their 
 voyage was futile, and that destiny was against their 
 efforts; but Mrs. Doure forestalled this disappointed 
 view by remarking: "God, Good, is leading us, Her- 
 bert, and is directing every movement. Happiness is 
 never the sport of circumstances; so, 'let Spirit have 
 the control and we shall behold its Power. ' ' 
 
 97 
 
The Power of Truth. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 EREY childish voices awakened Bentley from 
 his dreamless slumber in the pretty little 
 thatched hut, and he lay drowsily drinking in 
 the sweet odors from the jungle and listening to the 
 peals of laughter that arose from a group of brown- 
 skinned urchins that ran and whirled in a game of 
 tag. TEe hut was devoid of sides, and Bentley lay en- 
 joying the spectacle. From behind a palm tree raced 
 Esther, her golden hair flying and her cheeks pink with 
 the excitement of the play and exercise. She was one 
 of the merriest of the group, and when the game was 
 over the native children clustered around her in friend- 
 ly attitudes. They were merely children, although one 
 was white and the others were dark. The scene pleased 
 Bentley. Esther had impressed him as such a quaint 
 little person that to see her frolicking with others of her 
 own age came as a welcome surprise. His thoughts 
 were clear and the forebodings of the night before had 
 left him. It was all so peaceful and quiet and seemed 
 to exhale a sense of rest. He left the hut and went up 
 the beach to a small cove, where he stripped and 
 plunged into the limpid water. It was exhilarating and 
 refreshing, and when Bentley returned to the hut he 
 found Esther seated within a circle of her little brown 
 friends, arranging an enormous bouquet of the won- 
 drous wild flowers found only in the tropics. 
 
 98 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 "Aren't they pretty, Uncle Tom?" she called, hold- 
 ing up an armful of the orchids, and laying them about 
 the spot where the old native woman had set the fruit 
 and fish which formed their breakfast. 
 
 "I had a jolly time. Why, these natives are lovely," 
 she continued, smiling at the children who had with- 
 drawn a short distance at Bentley's approach. 
 
 "It's not the children that I am afraid of," answered 
 Bentley, glancing apprehensively at a number of na- 
 tives who had silently approached and were eyeing the 
 white man and child closely. 
 
 "I suppose they will be blaming us for the death of 
 their king, if they don't sacrifice us beforehand as an 
 offering to their heathen gods with the hope of prolong- 
 ing the old fellow's life." 
 
 Esther was thoughtful for a few moments, silently 
 eating the fruits. She glanced fearlessly at the dark 
 faces of the natives who stood near. 
 
 "Maybe I could help the chief, Uncle Tom; that is, 
 if he would be willing that I should try. I feel that I 
 might be a channel for Truth to drive out the error 
 that holds him. Won't you see if I may be permitted 
 to try?" Bentley looked at her with almost awe. How 
 could she, a little child, heal a rough savage, sick unto 
 death. Yet her faith had thus far been justified by 
 the results. Her belief in their rescue had never wav- 
 ered, and here they were safe ashore, although in the 
 midst of seeming dangers. But how could she demon- 
 strate over disease? If she could, then their future 
 was assured; they would be given every care and at- 
 
 99 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 tention; and ultimately would be able to get back to 
 civilization. If she failed; well immediate death 
 would probably be the result. As it was they might not 
 be molested for several days, and who knows what 
 might turn up in the meantime? These thoughts and 
 many more chased each other swiftly through Bentley's 
 brain. Never before had he felt such indecision. He 
 had been used to think and act quickly, but for once 
 he was at a loss what to do. Esther seemed unconscious 
 of his mental struggle. She had opened her Science 
 and Health and together with her Bible and quarterly, 
 was calmly studying the lesson. In the midst of his 
 mental conflict several warriors approached, gazed in- 
 tently for a few seconds, and then beckoned Bentley 
 and the child to follow. 
 
 "Well, Esther, it seems that the matter of your in- 
 terview with the old king is taken out of my hands, 
 for if I surmise correctly we are on our way to his hut 
 now. But no one can foretell what the result of our 
 summons will be. The prospect is not enticing." 
 
 "Just think Love. Hatred has no place, no power/' 
 answered Esther, putting her hand in his and tripping 
 alongside of him through the pretty lanes of flowers 
 and vines that encircled the trunks of the trees. 
 
 "If I have sufficient understanding to declare the 
 Truth for the sick king, then I can be the channel for 
 Mind to flow through me with healing for him," she 
 continued. 
 
 Bentley was dubious, but a glance at her peaceful 
 face was comforting. 
 
 100 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 As they neared the village, the cries and lamenta- 
 tions of the women and children, combined with the 
 deeper voices of the men and the noisy incantations of 
 the priests, struck with a jarring note. They passed 
 by a crowd of natives who were indulging in wierd 
 ceremonies in honor of their dying chief, and who eyed 
 the alien visitors with suspicion; through rows of 
 thatched huts to the center of the village, where the 
 king's "palace" stood. It was a picturesque structure, 
 with its grass roof and skull-adorned doorway, flanked 
 on either side with knives and spears captured in many 
 island wars. Scores of natives were gathered around 
 the hut, and while walking through the lines of savage- 
 looking men, all armed with their rude weapons, Bent- 
 ley half expected to be struck down, but Esther man- 
 ifested no fear, sedately walking along. 
 
 They were conducted through the doorway, beneath 
 the barbaric decorations, past a matting screen, and 
 were ushered into a large room in the center of which, 
 on a goat-skin covered couch, lay a giant savage. Mem- 
 bers of his household, and the most noted warriors were 
 grouped about him ; while at one side the priests chant- 
 ed their frenzied incantations, beating on tom-toms and 
 shaking rattles, and creating an unearthly clamor. 
 The old chief lay gasping in fevered agony. His great 
 form, covered with native cloth, showed to grand pro- 
 portions, although wasted with illness. The cheeks 
 were hollow, the black hair matted, but the sunken eyes 
 burned with a strange brilliancy. He was fighting with 
 Death, and his indomitable will struggled against the 
 
 101 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 conquering foe. The great form indicated herculean 
 strength, and the bronzed face, despite its traces of 
 savagery, and marks of war and illness, was attractive 
 and Bentley felt unconsciously drawn to the sick man 
 as though by some unseen tie of brotherly kindness. 
 
 Esther released Bentley 's hand and stepped gently 
 to the side of the sick savage ; laying a small white 
 hand on the fevered brow. The natives in the hut 
 started menacingly, but the touch was soothing and 
 something in the fearlessness and confidence of the 
 child made the old chief turn a softened look on her. 
 With a wondering manner he touched the golden hair 
 and soft white cheeks, evidently half believing that a 
 spirit from the Better World had come to take him to 
 join his fathers. 
 
 In an instant Bentley felt a wondrous calm replacing 
 his troubled dream ; his consciousness awoke to the fact 
 that God, Spirit, is All. The feeling that the supreme 
 power of Good would continue its Divine protection 
 came to him with renewed force. He seemed in the in- 
 stant to feel the stimulus of Divine Mind ; to grasp what 
 the child had read and told him of the false evidence 
 of the senses and the harmony of being, and the realiza- 
 tion that the old chief was gripped by a false belief; 
 jthat he was the helpless victim of destroying error came 
 to him in an enlightening flash. He knew that Spirit, 
 not matter, governs man, and also that Esther had un- 
 derstanding to meet the foe fearlessly, and thus be the 
 channel for Divine Love to prove its Omnipotence over 
 every physical action and condition. 
 
 102 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 Bentley stepped forward and raised his hand for si- 
 lence. At a nod from the chief the priests ceased their 
 incantations; the tom-toms were silent, and the sounds 
 of wailing were stilled. Partly by native words and 
 partly by signs, Bentley explained that the child was 
 also a great healer, and that she could make the chief 
 well; could drive out the sickness and restore the old 
 monarch to health through Mind-Science; and as he 
 spoke the conviction came to Bentley that it was so; 
 that there was no defeat in mind ; that Truth and Har- 
 mony destroy error and discord; a realization of this 
 metaphysical fact which had hitherto been little more 
 than chaos to him. The savage faces that surrounded 
 him seemed to fade, and dangers and fears appeared to 
 drop away into their native nothingness in the glorious 
 light of Truth triumphant ; a sweet feeling of peace and 
 thankfulness replaced the former turmoil of material 
 sense ; and when Esther knelt by the side of the suffer- 
 ing man, Bentley reverently joined her and listened 
 with a new appreciation to the words she read from 
 Science and Health. 
 
 Later Esther closed her book and silently declared 
 ''Supremacy of Truth over error; Life over death and 
 Good over evil." Scientifically and to the best of her 
 ability she argued that disease is a mortal dream of the 
 material senses which Love will break and thus recon- 
 struct the body; she realized for him that the fear 
 which controlled him would be destroyed by Mind, 
 which is All; that Mind reaches every part of the hu- 
 man system ; that Health and Harmony is the Truth of 
 
 103 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 Being, and sin, disease and death must vanish in that 
 Light ; that the economy of being must yield to this su- 
 premacy. The minutes passed by, with only the breath- 
 ing of the sick man and the occasional nervous move- 
 ment of one of the natives to break the awed silence. 
 Esther continued her silent work and finally the heal- 
 ing power of Truth dispelled ignorance and disease 
 with the removal of the false sense of illness and death ; 
 Love was reflected and the body responded harmonious- 
 ly; inflammation abated, peace shone through the old 
 king's eyes; a gentle smile played about the grim lips, 
 and a dew of perspiration cooled the heated brow. With 
 a look of tenderest gratitude at the little messenger of 
 Love, the sick man restfully closed his eyes in refresh- 
 ing sleep. 
 
 Astonishment held all those in the hut silent. One 
 thought governed every mind and swayed every breast 
 that the white-skinned man and child were spirits 
 sent by the gods above to save their old chief, for all 
 knew that the sleep meant the breaking of the fever. 
 
 Esther gazed at the sleeping man, and then glanced 
 brightly around at the awed faces, and with a gesture 
 for silence, passed out through the wondering crowds, 
 and the savage heads bowed in mute tribute to the little 
 white girl, whom they regarded as a spirit of Good, and 
 who had proved herself more powerful than their great- 
 est priest. 
 
 Esther's face glowed with happiness as they went 
 joyously back to their little hut, through the flower- 
 crowned jungle. 
 
 104 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 4 'Uncle Tom, isn't it lovely! Wasn't it a beautiful 
 demonstration of the Omnipotence, Omnipresence and 
 Omniscience of Love?" 
 
 "Yes, Esther, it was a glorious proof of the dominion 
 of Mind. I am beginning to understand that 'man is 
 spiritual, not material/ and to know that we are the 
 expression of Life, Truth, and Love." 
 
 105 
 
Nearing the Goal. 
 
 CHAPTEE X. 
 
 HAT smoke you see on the horizon, ' ' said Captain 
 Sley, indicating a patch of black far ahead, "is 
 from a volcano on the island of either Pagan or 
 Uraccas, in the Ladrones group, and if this wind holds 
 out we will be there by three or four o 'clock this after- 
 noon." 
 
 The star of the East was gliding over the smooth 
 water with a fair wind, and reeling off the knots in a 
 manner that delighted the heart of the old captain, and 
 proved his assertion that the yacht could sail almost as 
 well as she could steam. The smoke had been sighted 
 at sunrise, and the passengers were all eager for news 
 of the land they were about to see. They were gath- 
 ered about the skipper on the upper deck, which had 
 been repaired as well as possible, and save for the brok- 
 en davits and wrecked rail gave no evidence that the 
 yacht had passed through the center of a typhoon three 
 days before. 
 
 "It seems so good to be nearing land again," said 
 Mrs. Allen. "Do tell us something about these islands, 
 captain. Are they inhabited?" 
 
 "Well, the Ladrones consist of a group of islands 
 with the most northerly one lying about 20 degrees 
 north, or to make it more intelligible to you, about a 
 thousand or twelve hundred miles from the equator. 
 
 106 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 They were discovered by some of the early Spanish 
 navigators, who named them 'Islas de los Ladrones.' 
 Only the southern half of the group are inhabited. The 
 northern islands are wild, desolate jungle, with active 
 volcanoes. It is said that some of the natives I believe 
 they are part of the Tagals from the Philippines who 
 were driven from their own islands took refuge in one 
 of the northern Ladrones, and live there in the dense 
 jungles ; fierce, and independent, and are reputed to be 
 cannibals. The islands are owned by Spain, and on the 
 southernmost there is a little Spanish settlement, but 
 that is some five hundred miles to the south of 
 Uraccas, which, I am sure, is the volcano you see ahead. 
 I remember touching at this island many years ago 
 when I was trading among the South Sea Islands and 
 along the China coast, and I don't suppose there have 
 been any changes since. 
 
 ' ' The difference between the southern and the north- 
 ern half of this group of islands is that in the north 
 they are high and wooded, while in the south the islands 
 are low and sandy, surrounded by coral reefs that make 
 navigation difficult ; but you will soon be able to see for 
 yourselves," and the skipper re-entered his cabin. 
 
 Under the big green awning on the upper deck the 
 passengers lounged with their accustomed cheerfulness, 
 the ladies engaging in their various occupations. Mrs. 
 Allen and Mrs. Campbell, no longer victims of nerves 
 and fears, but feeling the glad spell of enjoyment which 
 the revivifying tonic of the sea brings with exhilarat- 
 ing effect, were among the merriest. Camille, in a pret- 
 
 107 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 ty pale blue gown of delicate lawn, was starting upon a 
 new canvas, a study of sky and water, but of different 
 color and conditions. 
 
 Mrs. Doure came from the cabin where she had been 
 playing the piano, and sitting with the group at the 
 table, opened her work basket and began embroidering. 
 
 ' * This motion of sailing seems so easy and quiet after 
 the throbbing of the propeller," she remarked. "I will 
 really be glad if the engines are not repaired." 
 
 "I wonder what adventures will befall us next," 
 laughed little Mrs. Allen. 
 
 "If we ever get back to Hong Kong, we will be able 
 to rival the adventures of some of the old explorers," 
 chimed in Mrs. Campbell, surveying her lace work with 
 admiration. 
 
 Camille looked up from her painting, and said : ' ' We 
 will return to Hong Kong in safety, and will carry with 
 us beautiful memories of this voyage. You will see how 
 lovely everything will turn out." 
 
 1 'Well, in that case," returned Mrs. Allen, "I shall 
 turn my attention seriously to Christian Science. Real- 
 ly, up to this time I have been so happy and have had 
 such a good time all my life, that I have not felt the 
 need of anything that my husband could not get for me. 
 But it is just wonderful to see how quiet you two were 
 during that awful typhoon. Oh, it was so dreadful!" 
 
 "Love watches over all," responded Mrs. Doure, ris- 
 ing and joining her husband who was strolling along the 
 deck. He was rather moody and turned a troubled 
 face to his wife. 
 
 108 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 ' ' Annie, dear, the troubles of the last few weeks have 
 made me feel years older. I used to be jollier, and 
 more hopeful, entering into business enterprises with 
 keen zest, thinking all the while how pleasant it was 
 for you and Esther to have everything you wanted, 
 and how this Chinese deal would make us independent- 
 ly wealthy. But like a clap of thunder out of a clear 
 sky, came this succession of calamities, and the future 
 looks dark to me." 
 
 "The mortal and material are unstable, Herbert, and 
 to build that way is to build on the shifting sands." 
 
 "Yes, I have come to realize that fact. The swift, 
 sharp blow of Esther's loss on the Merving Hall; then 
 the tangle in the railroad concession, our undertaking 
 to seek Esther upon this great ocean as practical as 
 pursuing the ignis fatuus and as a rebuke to our fool- 
 ish presumption, the narrow escape from death of our- 
 selves and friends in the typhoon has stirred the foun- 
 dation of my nature, and I am beginning to look upon 
 life from a more serious and higher plane." 
 
 Mrs. Doure leaned more closely upon her husband's 
 arm as she answered: "The depths have to be stirred 
 for the cleansing. 'It is always darkest before dawn.' 
 Your sorrowful forebodings will turn thought into the 
 right direction, and these dark beliefs will vanish into 
 their native nothingness. Love is troubling the material 
 waters of illusion, and when Truth destroys unreal dis- 
 cord, then you will find that all is everlasting harmony 
 and these sad visions will vanish." 
 
 109 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 ' ' So you yet have faith ! Do you still believe that 
 we will find Esther?" 
 
 ' ' Infinite Mind is the only power. The demonstration 
 will be that of Perpetual Love." 
 
 As they turned and walked back toward the others, 
 Doure spoke in a softer tone. 
 
 " Annie, it has come to me that perhaps Dr. Welling- 
 ford is helping clear away the difficulties surrounding 
 the railroad concession, for this morning it suddenly 
 occurred to me where the misunderstanding lay, and 
 how it could be settled satisfactorily." 
 
 As they passed along the deck they could see the en- 
 joyment of their friends over a game of cards. Camille 
 sat before her small easel, working intently on her 
 sketch, her brush moving rapidly, and a beautiful con- 
 ception of a picture was laid on with masterly strokes. 
 The study represented a pretty tropical island, nestling 
 in a sapphire sea, with a clear blue sky overhead, while 
 palms and flowers adorned the shore. They paused, 
 watching Camille as she filled in the details of the scene, 
 and hearing a step, turned to find Captain Sley standing 
 beside them, gazing at the painting. 
 
 " That's splendid, Miss Camille," he said, "and short- 
 ly after noon you will see an island that resembles your 
 painting very much. We are headed for Uraccas, one 
 of the Ladrones, as I have already told you. With the 
 glasses you can already see the rugged peak. Would 
 you like to look," and the captain handed Camille his 
 binoculars. 
 
 They were passed around, and others were secured, 
 
 no 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 and the morning hours passed in watching the island 
 grow from a speck to a green reality. It was a small 
 island, and the volcano which crowned it sent forth a 
 thin column of smoke which was wafted far out over the 
 sea before being lost in the mists of the violet distance 
 of the upper air. Waving palms and deep green 
 thickets sloped down to the water's edge, and a line of 
 white marked the beach. The yacht glided nearer and 
 nearer. The lighter sails were taken in as the captain 
 wished to select a safe anchorage and avoid piling up on 
 some uncharted reef. A pretty little inlet was spied 
 by the man on the lookout, and the yacht's head was 
 pointed for the place. Gradually she crept closer, while 
 the lead was kept going to give warning of shoal water. 
 The inlet formed a sheltered bay, and as the yacht's 
 head swung around the point, all on board expressed 
 their delight at the beauty of the scene. The water was 
 clear as crystal and smooth as a millpond; flowers and 
 vines trailed in the glassy surface, while far above tow- 
 ered the volcano 's crest. 
 
 Throngs of natives lined the beach, and dark faces 
 peered ominously at the travelers on the little white 
 yacht. 
 
 ill 
 
Transformation Island. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 >T WAS afternoon on the island ; a drowsy hum of 
 insects and a subdued twitter of bird life, pierced 
 occasionally by the scream of a parrot, lent a 
 dreamy tone to the soft, warm air; spicy breaths and 
 fragrant odors were exhaled from the jungle in de- 
 licious wafts of sweetness, while the warm sunlight 
 touched the brilliant flowers with dazzling lustre, 
 strengthening a highlight here, softening a flaming 
 color there, and blending the whole shimmering scene 
 into a picture of warm, exquisite beauty. The subdued 
 murmur of the surf on the near-by beach added to the 
 sense of rest and beauty, and dreamy peace. 
 
 Esther and Bentley sat under the pleasant shadows 
 of the tall palms in front of their little hut, which now 
 presented a quaint appearance, with odd, savage decor- 
 ations adorning the front and sides. The gratitude of 
 the old chief over his wonderful restoration to health 
 had been expressed every way his mind could devise; 
 a reverent humility characterizing his manner toward 
 them; his rude, savage nature, ignorant and narrowed, 
 dimly and devoutly felt that the sky had opened and 
 sent down upon the sea these white spirits, for spirits 
 they were in his eyes, who were good and who brought 
 him health and happiness; for he had never felt so 
 capable and so kind. He could not grasp the fact that 
 
 112 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 in Truth he was the image and likeness of the Only 
 Cause, the One Mind, nor could Esther explain herself 
 in his tongue ; but he felt Love permeating his being and 
 casting out all disease and pain, and the result was 
 peace and health. . His physical strength was returning 
 slowly, but the mental content was beyond any feeling 
 he had ever known, something strangely quiet and hap- 
 py. The morning after his restoration to health he had 
 sought out the man and child, walking feebly and with 
 still weakened steps, anxious to see again the white 
 beings who had snatched him back from the brink of 
 the great hereafter. Behind him came natives bearing 
 the finest mats woven by the women of his tribe ; strings 
 of shells, coral, rare pearls, the choicest fruits and 
 dainty fish, while children carried garlands of flowers. 
 All the treasures of the island were laid at the feet of 
 the strangers, including many savage relics of wars. 
 
 Esther laughed in delight while surveying the gifts, 
 and taking the old king's hand, looked smilingly into 
 his face, as she motioned him to sit down beside them. 
 He gravely squatted on the grass, and signified to his 
 followers to return to the village. 
 
 To make the king welcome, Bentley drew his meers- 
 chaum pipe from its case, saying to Esther: "I have 
 lost all desire for it another little demonstration, or 
 I might say, a big one, for tobacco to me has been a 
 companion for a great many years." 
 
 Filling the pipe, he lighted it, and handed it to the 
 chief, together with the tobacco pouch in which a small 
 quantity still remained. 
 
 113 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 "It beats your island tobacco and your cane pipe," 
 he smilingly remarked, and though the dusky king was 
 ignorant of the words, he understood the actions and 
 was soon puffing contentedly, pausing now and again 
 to admire his new possession, and .beaming on the 
 strange visitors who had opened a new world to him. 
 
 ''The chief has been healed of sickness while I have 
 been healed of sin," he finally said. "Savage and civ- 
 ilized, we both feel that we are children of the ever-liv- 
 ing 'Father-Mother-God/ who is ever-present Love, 
 casting out our disease and false beliefs. Esther, child, 
 I feel like naming this place Transformation Island, for 
 the transforming power of Mind has freed this aged 
 savage, and myself, a representative of modern civiliza- 
 tion, from our different errors. He cannot read this 
 precious book and gain the scientific thought and spir- 
 itual unfolding; but I desire to do my part and learn 
 of my birthright as revealed in Science and Health. It 
 is sublime to awake from this earthly dream and know 
 that man is spiritual and not material." 
 
 "But you see, Uncle Tom, you had to have proof that 
 Infinite Truth was ever present ; that harmony was real ; 
 that discord, sin and sickness are error beliefs. Now, 
 when we get home, you can tell others what our dear 
 leader has done for you you were blind, but now 
 you see. I'm glad you don't want to smoke any more." 
 
 ' ' No resolution on my part could have freed me from 
 that habit; however, the desire to use tobacco has left 
 me. But now we must consider the problem of get- 
 ting off this island. Do you expect Love to open a 
 
 114 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 way for us ? Is that the demonstration you are working 
 on now ? I feel so grateful to God that I merely want to 
 be an obedient child and let Love lead the way. And, 
 Esther, I am just beginning to realize the debt of grati- 
 tude humanity owes to Mrs. Eddy. She is indeed God's 
 Prophet to this age. What's the excitement, I won- 
 der?" 
 
 Some of the savages came running, and hastily re- 
 ported to the old chief, whose face expressed surprise, 
 He took the pipe, now smoked out, from his lips, and 
 replacing it in its case, slipped it in his loin cloth and 
 spoke some words to Bentley and Esther, which were 
 meaningless to them, but his manner seemed excited, 
 and he hurried after the warriors who had summoned 
 him, and who had returned toward the beach on a run. 
 
 1 ' What do you think is the matter, Uncle Tom ? ' ' 
 
 "Hard to say. Something of little importance to 
 us, though; possibly some natives from one of the ad- 
 joining islands are hovering in the distance, threatening 
 an attack ; or some fishermen may have caught a shark. 
 But we might follow and see how they manage their 
 barbarous affairs." 
 
 Clinging to Bentley 's hand and talking cheerfully 
 as she skipped along, Esther accompanied him to the 
 pretty cove, which was screened from their view by the 
 heavy foliage. 
 
 "It is evidently an event of some importance," Bent- 
 ley remarked, as he watched the natives hurrying 
 through the jungle from all directions, manifestly ex- 
 cited by what they had heard. As they neared the cove 
 
 115 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 they beheld the old king, forgetful of recent weakness, 
 and manifesting force and fire, issuing orders to his 
 warriors, who were hastily manning many canoes, as 
 though about to engage some hostile tribe. 
 
 Esther, impelled by some sudden, uncontrollable im- 
 pulse, let go of Bentley's hand and pushed through the 
 crowd of savages till she reached the side of the old 
 chief. From an unobstructed view, she looked out 
 over the pretty cove, where, upon the blue, sparkling 
 water a white yacht, graceful and beautiful, lay peace- 
 fully at anchor, while eagerly clustered along the rail, 
 watching the savages with an anxious look, were a num- 
 ber of white people, both men and women. Esther gave 
 one scream. 
 
 " Mother, Father, Aunt Camille! Uncle Tom, Uncle 
 Tom! The demonstration is made. God has brought 
 them." As Bentley reached her side with a bound, 
 and in intense bewilderment, she threw herself into his 
 arms, weeping for joy and ecstatic emotion. 
 
 Lifting her in his arms, he, too, gazed at the spectacle 
 of the strong, fine yacht of his own people crowding 
 her deck and a strange reverence surged through his 
 being, and closing his eyes his soul murmured : ''Father, 
 I thank thee. Thy strength is made perfect in mortal 
 weakness." 
 
 "Esther!" burst from Mrs. Doure's lips in a cry 
 that carried clear and sweet over the short distance, 
 "we have found you," and she threw her arms around 
 her husband's neck and lay sobbing on his breast. 
 
 "Esther! Tommy! both of you," came a cry from 
 
 116 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 Camille, and she clung, trembling, to a stanchion for 
 support. 
 
 Doure gazed at the man and the child on the beach 
 as though unable to believe his own vision and to com- 
 prehend that it was his little daughter and his friend 
 restored to life; it seemed too wild and impossible; it 
 was evidently a mistake or a Hallucination. But his 
 wife, now recovered from the first great shock, was 
 waving frantically at the small figure, who was dancing 
 up and down on the sand, and throwing kisses with 
 both hands, and calling words of dearest greeting. 
 
 Doure heard his wife murmuring: " Divine Love has 
 indeed watched over our darling and has restored her 
 to us safely. Oh, Herbert, what a demonstration of the 
 mighty protection of Infinite Good ! Oh, Father, Moth- 
 er, God, how grateful I am!" And she looked from her 
 little daughter to the blue sky above, while tears of 
 joy and happiness streamed down her cheeks. 
 
 After her first outburst of joy, Esther skipped and 
 danced on the sand, and clasping the chief's hand, 
 pointed to the yacht and then to herself, and the old 
 native saw and understood, and called his warriors back 
 from a possible attack on the strange craft that had 
 thus invaded his harbor. He felt that as the white 
 spirits had been sent to heal him, thus they would be 
 taken away. 
 
 Bentley was the prey of indescribable emotions. Cam- 
 ille was before him; nothing else in his chaotic condi- 
 tion, for the moment, mattered. Divine Love had not 
 only rescued him from the deep, but had brought to 
 
 117 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 his aid the woman he loved, and whom he loved now 
 with a higher, nobler, and purer feeling than in the 
 days before his regeneration. How long it seemed ! It 
 was awe-inspiring, and Bentley bowed his head in pro- 
 found reverence, and gave silent thanks to the Divine 
 Power that had never failed nor forsaken them, and 
 which had brought about such wonders. 
 
 Explaining his desires to the chief by motions, with 
 Esther, he stepped into one of the canoes and shot out 
 to the yacht, where, in an instant, the child was in her 
 mother's arms, with the father bending over both, and 
 the friends and crew manifesting wonder and delight. 
 
 Bronzed and worn by the marvelous experiences 
 through which he had passed, with marks of care and 
 shipwreck on face and clothing, yet with a look of 
 noble manhood in his face that was hitherto foreign to 
 his reckless nature, Bentley stood eagerly before Cam- 
 ille. It was the same old commanding and fascinating 
 Bentley, but a new force had been added; the dross 
 had been burned away in the fires of adversity, and 
 Mind now dominated, adding strength and a certain 
 beauty to his features. It was the Bentley of old, but 
 reborn into a spiritual life, the mortal yielding to the 
 immortal. 
 
 "Camille, dear, from the gates of death I am per- 
 mitted to come back to you; but I have come back a 
 better and truer man than the one you knew. Your 
 heart realizes this, and opens to me. Our lives can now 
 blend and blossom with Heaven's approval." 
 
 "Tom, the anguish has been terrible. I mourned you 
 
 118 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 as dead! Who could have dreamed of this blessed re- 
 sult," and she buried her face on his breast and wept 
 softly in that haven of her choice. Bentley gazed ten- 
 derly down at the golden head and reverently pressed 
 his lips to the white forehead as he answered : ' * My be- 
 loved, the purifying process of danger and tribulation, 
 together with the teachings of Esther and the reading 
 of Science and Health through our strange experiences, 
 has made a new man of me, dear, and the old errors that 
 held me have vanished into their native nothingness. 
 The 'old man' has been cast off; the 'new man* brings 
 his love, the nobler purposes of his life, to your heart, 
 and I feel that you do not fear to join your life with 
 mine now." 
 
 * ' God has re-united us, Tom ! Oh, how blessed ! And 
 to think that you had Esther ! What a manifestation of 
 Love!" 
 
 ''Yes, sweetheart, she has been my guardian angel. 
 At first she was so like you in look and manner that it 
 caused many a pang; then she gradually won me by 
 her devotion to Truth and thus unfolded the Science of 
 Life to my darkened understanding." 
 
 This blissful communion was interrupted by a hand 
 on Camille's shoulder and the gay voice of the vivacious 
 little Mrs. Allen saying: "Mrs. Doure, these happy lov- 
 ers are in their own paradise, oblivious to the rest of 
 us excited ones. We all want to talk and question and 
 welcome. Make them remember us." 
 
 ' ' Oh, dear ! ' ' said Mrs. Campbell, as she and her hus- 
 band stepped closer to the happy group, "I am bewil- 
 dered with joy." 
 
 119 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 Captain Sley's voice broke in with: "Let me have 
 a part in the welcome ! This is the most remarkable res- 
 cue I have known of during my experience at sea, al- 
 though it is simple enough when you come to study it 
 out. But let me shake the hand of this gentleman, 
 and also of this brave little girl, who goes through the 
 peril of shipwreck, typhoon and cannibal island with- 
 out a trace of fright or illness," and the rugged sea- 
 faring man gazed with wonder at the little golden- 
 haired child who smiled happily at him from her moth- 
 er's arms. 
 
 "Divine Love was taking care of us all the time," 
 she told the captain in her pretty, ladylike way, "and 
 I denied error and knew that Truth would bring me 
 back to papa and mama, and Aunt Camille ; and then I 
 had to help Uncle Tom to learn." 
 
 "Yes," said Bentley, "Esther was not only my com- 
 rade, but my teacher and guide." 
 
 Captain Sley regarded her gravely. 
 
 ' ' What sublime faith ! I did not know children could 
 grasp it. But that same power in which you have been 
 taught to trust must have managed for us on this yacht 
 as well as for you, for we, too, had a narrow escape from 
 death during the typhoon. And it was that same ty- 
 phoon that brought us all together," he continued, "Of 
 course you know a typhoon is a circular storm. I heard 
 Mr. Bentley say the native canoe had been blown far off 
 shore, while his raft had been swept to the south. This 
 is explained by the fact that the canoe caught one side 
 of the typhoon, while the other side caught the raft, 
 
 120 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 sweeping the canoe off shore and swinging the raft 
 toward the island, and bringing them together at the 
 point where the circling currents converged. We re- 
 mained practically stationary because we passed 
 through the center of the storm. 
 
 "Mrs. Doure," continued the old captain, "I am 
 ready to acknowledge after this astounding revelation 
 that Christian Science is the religion I want ; and after 
 we return to Hong Kong, if you will lend me a book I 
 would like to study it under your instruction. I want 
 to reach out into Principle." 
 
 "And I, and I," exclaimed Mrs. Allen and Mrs. Camp- 
 bell, who had been listening intently to Captain Sley's 
 words; while their husbands gravely bowed. 
 
 The close approach of an enormous canoe diverted 
 the attention of all on board. 
 
 "That is our good friend, the chief of this island/' 
 said Bentley, l ' and he has come with his canoe to bring 
 you all ashore. Later on I will tell you what Esther 
 did for him as well as me." 
 
 "If you can vouch for our safety on a cannibal island, 
 we would like to get ashore for a while at least," said 
 Doure, "as the appearance of this island is most en- 
 chanting. ' ' 
 
 "Don't be afraid, father dear," said Esther, "the 
 chief will do anything he can for us. He has a kind 
 heart," and she waved and smiled at the old savage 
 who was looking up at the wonderful sight of the 
 throng of white people on the shapely vessel, and he 
 gravely returned her salute. 
 
 121 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 "Oh, do let us go," said Mrs. Doure. "Esther and 
 Tom stayed with the natives and they were not harmed. 
 By all means let us go." 
 
 Bentley looked at them all with a happy smile, and 
 said : ' ' Since we are now saved from this lonely island, 
 I can better appreciate its scenic loveliness, but it re- 
 quired all of Esther's trust in the power of Mind to 
 sweep away the troubled dreams." 
 
 "Yes, Uncle Tom," said Esther brightly, "but you 
 were comforted and hopeful when I read out loud to 
 you these sentences from Science and Health : ' The un- 
 derstanding, even in a degree, of divine All-power, de- 
 stroys fears and plants the feet in the true path' and 
 'Love inspires, illumines and designates the way.' We 
 had to wait for this demonstration. Let us go now and 
 we will show you where Uncle Tom and I have lived 
 m the island." 
 
 The ladies were carefully assisted into the canoes, 
 the men following; Tom and Camille, impervious to 
 teazing, side by side. The dusky savages quickly pad- 
 dled from the yacht to the land, where all the village 
 was assembled to look upon more wonders taking place 
 on their lonely shore and all followed as Esther led the 
 way to their decorated hut. 
 
 The big chief stalked solemnly along by Captain Sley, 
 much to that gentleman's amusement; and his jolly red 
 face was wrinkled with delight. 
 
 "You see, friends, the chief is a gentleman of dis- 
 cernment. He has apparently reasoned out that he and 
 I are the commanders of the party. I presume it is be- 
 
 122 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 cause I am nearer his size than any of the rest of you." 
 
 "I am glad he did not select me," giggled Mrs. Allen, 
 "for he probably would not recognize a snub." 
 
 "How can you laugh?" and turning around they saw 
 Mrs. Campbell with a rather woebegone face. "I ex- 
 pect to be stewed and chewed every minute. Just look 
 at all this dark crowd following us." 
 
 Camille, who was walking with Bentley, immediately 
 behind her, spoke gently and soothingly. 
 
 "Why, dearie, do not allow nervousness to cloud this 
 wonderful occasion. There is nothing to be afraid of; 
 these lonely people are filled with joy at this change in 
 the monotony of their desolate lives." 
 
 Mrs. Campbell made a wry face. 
 
 "Since Mr. Bentley and Esther have lived to tell the 
 story of their escape," she said, "I should think they 
 would prefer to remain upon the yacht where one has 
 at least a chance to die a respectable death. I recall 
 dreadful details of how missionaries were killed and 
 eaten ; it was probably on this very spot by these very 
 people!" 
 
 Tom laughed loud and cheerily, and then said: 
 "Those gruesome tales belong to all the other horrors 
 of long ago. These people are simple and kindly, and 
 since you have a share in our rescue we want to show 
 you how we passed our time here." 
 
 "I wonder you're not white-headed," said Mr. Camp- 
 bell. * ' I should have waded out into the sea and ended 
 my misery. Like my wife, I have no fancy for these 
 murderous savages." 
 
 123 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 Camille raised her eyes to look fondly into Tom's 
 bronzed face as she softly said: "Mr. and Mrs. Camp- 
 bell do not realize that * Perfect Love casteth out 
 fear.' " 
 
 Tom reached for her hand and drew it through his 
 arm as he replied in low, tender tones : t i No, my darling, 
 they are dwelling in the dark, material dream. To get 
 my freedom from that bondage of the physical senses 
 I passed through great mental tribulation ; now I have 
 named this small remote land, encircled by the blue car- 
 essing tropical sea, 'Transformation Island,' for here I 
 awakened to the transforming touch of Truth." 
 
 "I am so thankful, Tom, that I can see it with you. 
 Now that salvation, mentally and physically, has come 
 to you, we can hold these fair scenes in sacred mem- 
 ory." 
 
 "Uncle Tom ! Aunt Camille ! Please hurry and come 
 into our house. You see how kind the chief was to give 
 us so many things." The sweet face, so pure and inno- 
 cent, and beaming with affection and gratitude, seemed 
 like that of an angel, as it was framed by the dark 
 bark of the hut and manifesting no shadow of the evil 
 which might have been. 
 
 Herbert Doure, wrought to the highest pitch by the 
 picture of her superhuman deliverance, gathered her in- 
 to his arms, murmuring in a broken voice: "Oh, my 
 child ! my precious one ! To think what a fearful fate 
 might have been yours ! You might have grown into old 
 age, her among this savage tribe and we never have 
 known!" 
 
 124 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 Esther kissed and fondled him as she said: li Daddy, 
 dear, I knew that Divine Love would open the way. 
 Uncle Tom was afraid at first, but now he has found 
 that God is Omnipotent." 
 
 ''Mrs. Doure's face was pale, but lovely, as she said 
 in fervent tones: "Esther had understanding to utilize 
 the might of Mind and demonstrate its power." 
 
 Bentley laid his hand on Doure's shoulder as he said 
 in tones deep with feeling: "Mr. and Mrs. Doure and 
 friends, let me briefly tell you how this little girl's un- 
 derstanding of Christian Science accomplished my sal- 
 vation, and also that of the chief here. It is a powerful 
 testimony as to the ever-presence of Truth. The natives 
 had rescued us after they had been blown far to sea by 
 the typhoon; we were then brought here and given 
 this hut. I was in the grasp of black forebodings, but 
 Esther was calm and happy, declaring that ' evil had no 
 place nor power,' that 'Love was enthroned.' While 
 she read in Science and Health, peaceful and content, 
 I was secretly examining my revolver, feeling that it 
 might be a swift means for our deliverance. We knew 
 by the shrieks and wails and wierd sounds that floated 
 through the still air that some great tragedy or calam- 
 ity must be taking place in their village. My secret 
 fears suggested a cannibal feast. Two warriors then 
 approached and beckoned us to follow. It certainly 
 looked grim." 
 
 "A good chance for your revolver," interrupted Mr. 
 Campbell. 
 
 ' ' No, friend. Esther had spiritual intuition that there 
 
 125 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 was trouble to be overcome and she insisted on going 
 to relieve suffering. It was a scene to daunt the stoutest 
 heart. Their village is just a short distance from here. 
 The chief, here, was lying in his own house, in the last 
 agony of some terrible fever, and pandemonium seemed 
 to reign. The ceremonies for a dying king and warrior 
 were being enacted. Dante could not have imagined a 
 more furious and deafening racket. But at the ap- 
 proach of the 'white spirits,' as they have since design- 
 ated us, quiet ensued. Then, friends, that rude hut, 
 with the dying King and the savage occupants, was 
 transformed into the temple of the Living God ; peace, 
 strength sweetness permeated every troubled heart ; the 
 Principle of Life, Love and Truth cast out false beliefs ; 
 each soul, in some vague way, realized that Divine Law, 
 not material law, was the controlling power ; one by one 
 the people went out quietly to their own huts, calmed 
 and comforted; the fever vanished before the search- 
 light of Infinite Love, and I knew that I was healed 
 from material delusion as well as the king from seem- 
 ing disease. Then, with this demonstration made, life 
 was revealed as all-harmonious, as is ever the case when 
 human minds yields to Divine Mind; and then you all 
 came to take us home." 
 
 Silently they turned from that little place of God's 
 annointing and retraced their way to the beach. As 
 they entered the canoes, Captain Sley with a gentle 
 gesture motioned the chief to accompany them. 
 
 Once more on the yacht the captain gave orders to 
 bring boxes of canned meats and jars of preserves to be 
 
 126 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 placed in his canoe. Esther asked for some steamer 
 .chairs, rugs and cushions, to also be given; while Mr. 
 Campbell and Mr. Allen robbed themselves of pipes and 
 tobacco to lavish upon him. 
 
 The old warrior was paddled back to his own shore, 
 and the chief engineer hurriedly approached Captain 
 Sley. 
 
 "Sir," he said, "I found out what stopped the en- 
 gines. The repairs were made while you were ashore, 
 and we are now ready for sea." 
 
 1 ' Good work, chief ! It will be high tide before long, 
 and in that case we can sail," answered Captain Sley, 
 starting for the chart room. As he passed the window 
 of Mrs. Doure's room, where she was happily putting 
 tired little Esther to bed, in the luxury of soft white 
 sheets, he heard her sweet voice saying: "My beloved 
 child, we have had the proof of Divine Love, and as our 
 leader says, ' there is but one real attraction, that of 
 spirit ; the pointing of the needle to the pole symbolizes 
 this all-embracing power, or the attraction of God, Di- 
 vine Mind/ " 
 
 127 
 
Dreams Come True. 
 
 CHAPTEE XH. 
 
 LOWLY the tropical moon rose in a golden 
 glory; the peaceful sea sparkled in its shining 
 light ; the engines throbbed with rhythmic force 
 as they carried the white yacht, with its glad and grate- 
 ful hearts, far out on its homeward way. 
 
 Each of the happy married couples walked together 
 in the radiant air, planning already to resume their 
 duties and enjoyments that had been laid aside for this 
 seemingly impossible mission on which the yacht was 
 bent, and each soul felt that it had touched the hem of 
 His garment and been reborn by this supreme demon- 
 stration. 
 
 Tom and Camille revelled in the joy of their own true 
 love and thrilled with the ardent, rosy dreams of the 
 future. 
 
 "You will not be separated from your sister and Es- 
 ther, Camille dear. Mr. Doure assured me of an in- 
 terest in the syndicate ; so we shall dwell for some years 
 in Hong Kong." 
 
 "And we will be married by dear old Dr. Welling- 
 ford," Camille said with a charming blush. 
 
 And they left, forever, the outward vision of that 
 lonely land which Tom's soul treasured in grateful 
 memory, as the Island of the Transformation. 
 
 128 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 1'Envoi 
 
 " If a man keep my sayings he shall never see death. ' ' 
 
 Jesus. 
 
 "That statement is not confined to spirital life, but 
 includes all the phenomena of existence. Jesus demon- 
 strated this, healing and dying and raising the dead." 
 
 Mary Eddy Baker. 
 ' ' Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind. ' ' 
 
 Romans, 12 :2. 
 Finis. 
 
 129 
 
THE 
 TRANSFORMATION 
 
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 P. O. BOX 325 
 
 OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA 
 
RETURN TO the circulation desk of any 
 University of California Library 
 
 or to the 
 
 NORTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY 
 Bldg. 400, Richmond Field Station 
 University of California 
 Richmond, CA 94804-4698 
 
 ALL BOOKS MAY BE RECALLED AFTER 7 DAYS 
 
 2-month loans may be renewed by calling 
 (510)642-6753 
 
 1-year loans may be recharged by bringing 
 books to NRLF 
 
 Renewals and recharges may be made 4 
 days prior to due date. 
 
 DUE AS STAMPED BELOW 
 SENT ON ILL 
 
 SEP 03 
 
 U. C. BERKELEY 
 
 5? 
 
 12,000(11/95) 
 
 -0/37 
 
YC [5617 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY