He stumbled weakly back to his chair and sank into it with head bowed, feeling, rather than seeing, the figure of Brigham rise from its seat and step forward with deliberate, unruffled majesty.

As the Prophet faced his people they became quite silent, so that the robins could be heard in the Pettigrew peach-trees across the street.  He poured a glass of water from the pitcher on the table, and drank of it slowly.  Then, leaning a little forward, resting both his big cushiony hands on the green of the table, the Lion of the Lord began to roar—­very softly at first.  Slowly the words came, in tones scarce audible, marked indeed almost by the hesitation of the first speaker.  But then a difference showed; gradually the tone increased in volume, the words came faster, fluency succeeding hesitation, and now his voice was high and searching, while his easy, masterful gestures laid their old spell upon the people.

“It does not occupy my feelings to curse any individual,” he had begun, awkwardly; “in fact, I feel to render all thanks and praise for the discourse to which we have just listened, but I couldn’t help saying to myself, ‘Oh, dear, Granny! what a long tale our puss has got!’”

An uneasy titter came from the packed square of faces in front of him.  He went on with rising power: 

“But it is foretold in the Book of Mormon that the Lord will remove the bitter branches, and it’s a good thing to find out where the bitter branches are.  We can remove them ourselves.  We can’t expect the Lord to do all our dirty work.  Now hear it once more, you that need to hear it—­and damn all such poor pussyism as sniffles and whines and rejects it!  We don’t want that scrubby breed here!—­Listen, I say.  The celestial order of marriage is necessary for our exaltation to the fulness of the Lord’s glory in the world eternal.  Where much is given much is required.  Understand me,—­those that reject polygamy will be damned.  Hear it now once for all.  I will give you to know that God, our Father, has many wives, and so has Jesus Christ, our Elder Brother.  Our God and Father in heaven is a being of tabernacle, or, in other words, He has a body of parts the same as you and I have.  And that God and Father of ours was Adam.”

Again there was a stirring below as if a wind swept the people, and the little man in his chair cowered for shame of himself.  He had meant to do a great thing; he had thrilled so strongly with it; it had promised to master others as it had mastered him; and now he was shamed by the one true Lion of the Lord.

“Hear it now,” continued Brigham.  “When God, our Father Adam, came into the garden of Eden, he came into it with a celestial body, and brought one of his wives with him,—­Eve.  He made and organised this world.  He is Michael, the Archangel, the Ancient of Days, about whom holy men have written and spoken.  He is our Father and our God, and the only God with whom we have to do.  I could tell you much more about this; but were I to tell you the whole truth, blasphemy would be nothing to it, in the estimation of the superstitious and over-righteous of mankind.  But I will tell you this, that Jesus, our Elder Brother, was begotten in the flesh by the same character that was in the garden of Eden, and who is our Father in Heaven.”