Soon after their return home, they were comforted by the intelligence that a few of those persons at Neufchatel who had so joyfully received their gospel message, had found strength to establish a meeting for worship.  This information was contained in a letter from Auguste Borel, from which the following is an extract:—­

He who tries the heart, and who knew the sincerity of my desires, deigned to hear my prayer on the 24th of February, when, without any previous understanding, we met four in number at my house at ten o’clock in the morning.  This day is called with us Torch Sunday, and is a day of rejoicing in the world; and, if I ought to say so, during my carnal life it was to me a day of true pleasure, which I always looked for with impatience, because of the great bonfires which are then lighted, and which are seen from our city, illuminating every point of the wide horizon.  It is my hope that the God of love, in the analogy of the spiritual order of things, may have kindled in our hearts his sacred fire, and will condescend to maintain and increase it in time and in eternity.  Since that time we have continued our meetings without interruption:  our number has not yet exceeded six or seven.  We do not force the work, but, recognising that it is the Lord alone who has begun it, I feel daily more and more that He alone ought to direct it.

A portion of this summer and autumn was occupied by John and Martha Yeardley with holding public meetings for worship within the compass of Pontefract and Knaresborough Monthly Meetings.  Amongst the notices in the Diary of these meetings, are the following:—­

8 mo. 16.—­A public meeting at Wooldale, to which name many more people than could get into the house.  The Friends said they never saw so large a meeting in that place.  Many of those present expressed their satisfaction by saying they could have sat till morning to hear what was delivered.  It is an easy matter to become hearers of the word; but it was the doers of the word that were pronounced happy.

23_rd_.—­Meeting at Otley, in the Methodist chapel.  It was not very full, but very solid and satisfactory.  The last public meeting in this place was held in silence, which might probably be the cause of a small attendance on this occasion.  It is bard work to bring the people to see and feel the advantage of silent worship:  the time is not yet come, and perhaps never may.  We must be willing to help them in the way pointed out, and try to strengthen the good in all; for if they are only brought to the Father’s house, it matters not in what way or through what medium.

In the Eleventh Month they returned to the Monthly Meeting the minute which had been granted them, and received at the same time a certificate to visit some meetings of Friends in the midland and south-western counties.

Before they left home for this journey, they received intelligence that John Yeardley’s early and intimate friend James A. Wilson was no more.