Seite:Marsh Hallig 1856.djvu/258

258THE HALLIG.

communion service, had raised them so much in their
estimation that they regarded them with a sort of ad-
miring reverence. They did not know that their island
had proved to their guests an Emmaus, where they first
recognized the Lord. Each family gave special thanks
to Mander for the silver candelabra which he had pre-
sented to the church for the altar, and which the pastor,
for certain reasons, had not placed on the table the day
previous, but had shown in the evening to such persons
as had assembled at his house. But their most painful
leave-taking was from Hold. As an indication of their
friendship and gratitude, they made presents to the
pastor and his wife, which were received without affected
reluctance. The difficulty, too, with which these things
had been brought from so great a distance, and the
time required for it, were indications that their friend-
ship was to last longer than their brief stay on the
island. Hold received every thing gratefully, declining
only a cask of wine, which was to have been sent to his
house, as he had long since ceased to make use of it as a
drink. But, even here, he was obliged to yield partially,
as Mander insisted that it might be serviceable to the
sick and suffering in the congregation, though the
pastor himself might have no occasion for it.
  Who could have foreseen, on listening to this discus-
sion, that the lives of several persons, and the health of
the whole congregation were to depend upon the recep-
tion of this gift, at first so positively declined.
  Oswald took leave of Maria with more emotion even,
than he had felt at parting with the other islanders,
and Mander deposited with the pastor a sum of money
for Maria and Godber, hoping, as did Hold, that they