The Story Girl went to Charlottetown for a week in June to visit Aunt Louisa. Life seemed very colourless without her, and even Felicity admitted that it was lonesome. But three days after her departure Felix told us something on the way home from school which lent some spice to existence immediately.  
"What do you think?" he said in a very solemn, yet excited, tone.
"Jerry Cowan told me at this afternoon that he HAD SEEN A
PICTURE OF GOD—that he has it at home in an old, red-covered
history of the world, and has looked at it OFTEN."
To think that Jerry Cowan should have seen such a picture often!
We were as deeply impressed as Felix had meant us to be.
"Did he say what it was like?" asked Peter.
 
"No—only that it was a picture of God, walking in the garden of
Eden."
"Oh," whispered Felicity—we all in low tones on the subject, for, by instinct and training, we thought and uttered the Great Name with , in spite of our curiosity—"oh, WOULD Jerry Cowan bring it to school and let us see it?"
 
"I asked him that, soon as ever he told me," said Felix. "He said he might, but he couldn't promise, for he'd have to ask his mother if he could bring the book to school. If she'll let him he'll bring it to-morrow."
 
"Oh, I'll be almost afraid to look at it," said Sara Ray tremulously.
 
I think we all shared her fear to some extent. Nevertheless, we went to school the next day burning with curiosity. And we were disappointed. Possibly night had brought counsel to Jerry Cowan; or perhaps his mother had put him up to it. At all events, he announced to us that he couldn't bring the red-covered history to school, but if we wanted to buy the picture he would tear it out of the book and sell it to us for fifty cents.
 
We talked the matter over in serious in the that evening. We were all rather short of hard cash, having most of our spare means to the school library fund. But the general of opinion was that we must have the picture, no matter what sacrifices were involved. If we could each give about seven cents we would have the amount. Peter could only give four, but Dan gave eleven, which squared matters.
 
"Fifty cents would be pretty dear for any other picture, but of course this is different," said Dan.
 
"And there's a picture of Eden thrown in, too, you know," added
Felicity.
"Fancy selling God's picture," said Cecily in a shocked, tone.
 
"Nobody but a Cowan would do it, and that's a fact," said Dan.
 
"When we get it we'll keep it in the family Bible," said
Felicity. "That's the only proper place."
"Oh, I wonder what it will be like," breathed Cecily.
 
We all wondered. Next day in school we agreed to Jerry Cowan's terms, and Jerry promised to bring the picture up to Uncle Alec's the following afternoon.
 
We were all intensely excited Saturday morning. To our dismay, it began to rain just before dinner.
 
"What if Jerry doesn't bring the picture to-day because of the rain?" I suggested.
 
"Never you fear," answered Felicity decidedly. "A Cowan would come through ANYTHING for fifty cents."
 
After dinner we all, without any verbal decision about it, washed our faces and combed our hair. The girls put on their second best dresses, and we boys donned white collars. We all had the unuttered feeling that we must do such honour to that Picture as we could. Felicity and Dan began a small over something, but stopped at once when Cecily said ,
 
"How DARE you quarrel when you are going to look at a picture of
God to-day?"
Owing to the rain we could not foregather in the orchard, where we had meant to the business with Jerry. We did not wish our grown-ups around at our great moment, so we betook ourselves to the of the granary in the spruce wood, from whose window we could see the main road and hail Jerry. Sara Ray had joined us, very pale and nervous, having had, so it appeared, a difference of opinion with her mother about coming up the hill in the rain.
 
"I'm afraid I did very wrong to come against ma's will," she said , "but I COULDN'T wait. I wanted to see the picture as soon as you did."
 
We waited and watched at the window. The valley was full of mist, and the rain was coming down in lines over the tops of the spruces. But as we waited the clouds broke away and the sun came out flashingly; the drops on the spruce glittered like diamonds.
 
"I don't believe Jerry can be coming," said Cecily in despair. "I suppose his mother must have thought it was dreadful, after all, to sell such a picture."
 
"There he is now!" cried Dan, waving excitedly from the window.
 
"He's carrying a fish-basket," said Felicity. "You surely don't suppose he would bring THAT picture in a fish-basket!"
 
Jerry HAD brought it in a fish-basket, as appeared when he mounted the granary stairs shortly afterwards. It was folded up in a newspaper packet on top of the dried herring with which the basket was filled. We paid him his money, but we would not open the packet until he had gone.
 
"Cecily," said Felicity in a hushed tone. "You are the best of us all. YOU open the parcel."
 
"Oh, I'm no gooder than the rest of you," breathed Cecily, "but
I'll open it if you like."
With trembling fingers Cecily opened the parcel. We stood around, hardly breathing. She unfolded it and held it up. We saw it.
 
Suddenly Sara began to cry.
 
"Oh, oh, oh, does God look like THAT?" she .
 
Felix and I spoke not. Disappointment, and something worse, sealed our speech. DID God look like that—like that stern, angrily frowning old man with the tossing hair and beard of the wood-cut Cecily held.
 
"I suppose He must, since that is His picture," said Dan miserably.
 
"He looks awful cross," said Peter simply.
 
"Oh, I wish we'd never, never seen it," cried Cecily.
 
We all wished that—too late. Our curiosity had led us into some Holy of Holies, not to be by human eyes, and this was our punishment.
 
"I've always had a feeling right along," wept Sara, "that it wasn't RIGHT to buy—or LOOK AT—God's picture."
 
As we stood there wretchedly we heard flying feet below and a voice calling,
 
"Where are you, children?"
 
The Story Girl had returned! At any other moment we would have rushed to meet her in wild joy. But now we were too crushed and to move.
 
"Whatever is the matter with you all?" demanded the Story Girl, appearing at the top of the stairs. "What is Sara crying about? What have you got there?"
 
"A picture of God," said Cecily with a in her voice, "and oh, it is so dreadful and ugly. Look!"
 
The Story Girl looked. An expression of scorn came over her face.
 
"Surely you don't believe God looks like that," she said impatiently, while her fine eyes flashed. "He doesn't—He couldn't. He is wonderful and beautiful. I'm surprised at you. THAT is nothing but the picture of a cross old man."
 
Hope sprang up in our hearts, although we were not wholly convinced.
 
"I don't know," said Dan . "It says under the picture
'God in the Garden of Eden.' It's PRINTED."
"Well, I suppose that's what the man who drew it thought God was like," answered the Story Girl carelessly. "But HE couldn't have known any more than you do. HE had never seen Him."
 
"It's all very well for you to say so," said Felicity, "but YOU don't know either. I wish I could believe that isn't like God—but I don't know what to believe."
 
"Well, if you won't believe me, I suppose you'll believe the minister," said the Story Girl. "Go and ask him. He's in the house this very minute. He came up with us in the buggy."
 
At any other time we would never have dared catechize the minister about anything. But desperate cases call for desperate measures. We drew straws to see who should go and do the asking, and the lot fell to Felix.
 
"Better wait until Mr. Marwood leaves, and catch him in the lane," advised the Story Girl. "You'll have a lot of grown-ups around you in the house."
 
Felix took her advice. Mr. Marwood, presently walking benignantly along the lane, was confronted by a fat, small boy with a pale face but eyes.
 
The rest of us remained in the background but within hearing.
 
"Well, Felix, what is it?" asked Mr. Marwood <............