Silently Mr. Daly turned over the leaves and pointed out the twentieth verse of the first Epistle of John, where it is said of Jesus Christ, “This is the true God and eternal life;” and then to Isaiah ix. 6.  “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder; and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace,” and several other passages equally strong and explicit in their declaration of the divinity of Christ.

“Well,” said Miss Reed, “if he was God, why didn’t he say so?”

“He did again and again,” was the reply “Here John viii. 58—­we read “Jesus said unto them, ’Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.’"”

“I don’t see it!” she said sneeringly.

“You do not? just compare it with this other passage Exodus iii. 14, 15.  ’And God said unto Moses, I am that I am:  and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I am hath sent me unto you.  And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you; this is children of Israel, The Lord God of your fathers my name forever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.’  The Jews who were present understood those words of Jesus as an assertion of his divinity and took up stones to cast at him.”

Isadore seemed interested in the discussion, but Virginia showed evident impatience.  “What’s the use of bothering ourselves about it?” she exclaimed at length, “what difference does it make whether we believe in his divinity or deny it?”

“A vast deal of difference, my dear young lady,” said Mr. Daly.  “If Christ be not divine, it is idolatry to worship him.  If he is divine, and we fail to acknowledge it and to trust in him for salvation, we must be eternally lost for ’neither is there salvation in any other; for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.’  ’But whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.’”

Virginia fidgeted uneasily and Miss Reed inquired with affected politeness, if that were all.

“No,” he said, “far from it; yet if the Bible be—­as I think we all acknowledge—­the inspired word of God, one plain declaration of a truth is as authoritative as a dozen.”

“Suppose I don’t believe it is all inspired?” queried Miss Reed.

“Still, since Jesus asserts his own divinity, we must either accept him as God, or believe him to have been an impostor and therefore not even a good man.  He must be to us everything or nothing; there is no neutral ground; he says, ‘He that is not with me is against me.’”

“And there is only one true church,” remarked Isadore, forgetting herself; “the holy Roman Church, and none without her pale can be saved.”

Mr. Daly looked at her in astonishment.  Violet was at first greatly startled, then inexpressibly relieved; since Isa’s secret being one no longer, a heavy weight was removed from her heart and conscience.