New York - The Novel

lust of the flesh,” he cried, “I will no more walk with thee. Farewell, pride of life. Oh, that there may be in you such a mind! God will set His mighty hand to it. Yes He will.” And now his voice was rising into an ecstasy, and all around the crowd, faces were looking up, some shining, some with tears in their eyes. “The judge is before the door. He that cometh will come and will not tarry.” Now he called to them, now was the time, now the very hour that should lead to their salvation. “And we shall all shine as stars in the firmament in the kingdom of Our heavenly Father, forever and ever …”
    Had he summoned them to come forward to him at that moment, had he told them to fall to their knees, most of them would have done it.
    And against his will John Master, too, had tears in his eyes; and a great, warm tide of emotion swept through him. And he glanced down at Mercy beside him, and saw in her face such a radiant goodness, such a calm certainty, that it seemed to him that if he could only be with her all his life, he should know a love, and happiness, and peace that he had never known before.
    That was when he had decided to marry her.

    His parents had begged him to wait before declaring his love. Come to know her better, and be certain, they counseled. They had some idea that the emotions stirred by Whitefield’s preaching had had a part in this, were glad when the evangelist left the city soon afterward, and gladder still, this spring, that he had not returned.
    Meanwhile, John had continued to see Mercy as usual.
    But even if he had been careful not to declare himself, she couldn’t have failed to be aware, by the spring, that the growing affection on his side might lead to more than friendship. For him, this cautious courtship was a new experience. His affairs with women had so far tended to be straightforward, and to resolve themselves speedily, one way or the other. But this gradual evolution, during which he studied her, and came to appreciate her qualities more each day, led him into a realm where he had not been before. By Easter, he was deeply in love, and she must know it. Only the general turbulence in the city had delayed him from declaring his love already. That, and one other thing.
    He was not sure his affection was returned.
    There was nothing coy about Mercy Brewster; and she knew her own mind. Yet he did not know how she felt about him. She had given him no sign. All he could tell was that she loved him as a friend, and that there was something, whatever it might be, that made her hesitant about encouraging him further. Recently, he had made his intentions very clear. He had given her signs of affection, let his arm slip around her waist, given her chaste kisses, and nearly more than that. But, though not entirely discouraging these advances, there had been a subtle reluctance, a quiet distancing of herself, that was more than merely Quaker propriety.
    Well, it was time to bring matters to a head. He had let her know that he meant to call that evening, and that he desired a private interview with her, so she knew what must be coming. But he wasn’t sure what her answer was going to be.
    No wonder then if, under his silk waistcoat, he put on the wampum belt, to bring him luck.

    Mercy Brewster waited. She was neatly dressed and she looked well enough. And that, she had decided, would have to do.
    She’d talked to her parents about John Master long ago. After all, her father would have to give his permission. Mr. Brewster was uncertain about the young man’s morals, but not too much against him. Her mother knew John’s parents and, besides their wealth, of which no one could be unaware, considered them respectable.
    If John Master felt easy in the company of Mercy Brewster, it was not so surprising. She’d been raised in a city of comfortable charm. Thoughonly founded late in the seventeenth century, Philadelphia was so well placed to serve the markets of the south, and so ready to welcome newcomers of different creeds and nations, that it had already surpassed both Boston and New York in size. And perhaps because, unlike the poor, rock-strewn land of Massachusetts, Philadelphia lay in some of the richest pasture in America, it was an easy-going place. Religion had also played a part. The Quakers who were so prominent in the city were by avocation gentle, private folk—quite unlike the harsh Puritans who had founded Boston, and who had always considered it their calling to