Mercy had knocked only once when a dog began barking across the road. Its bark was deep and sharp, as if something were running along the wall. Her hand dropped at once.
“The dog is in the yard opposite,” Watchful said. “There is a fence. You are safe here.”
The dog went on barking. As Mercy listened, she began to feel it was telling her to leave. She clutched her bundle and turned away. “I’d better not go in. I’m not really—”
The door opened. Goodwill stood inside. “Who knocked?”
Mercy opened her mouth but could say nothing. She had walked a long way and had drunk only a little water that morning. Her legs gave way, and she sank down beside the gate. Christiana knelt to support her. Goodwill called for water and brought a chair.
When Mercy recovered, the first thing she asked was whether she had broken the flowerpot by the door.
“The flowerpot is quite all right,” Goodwill said. “How are you feeling?”
“I was afraid you would open the door and find I wasn’t the person you were waiting for.”
Goodwill sat opposite her. “What have you come to ask?”
“For the King to have mercy on me. There are things I don’t dare think about, and things I cannot put right by myself. I heard he would save people like that.”
“What you heard is true.”
“But I haven’t got a letter with my name on it.”
“The Bible’s invitation is not only for people holding a special letter. Anyone who is willing may come and take the water of life. If you are willing to come, do not add a rule the Lord has never made.”
Christiana listened beside her. She remembered how she had spent the night counting: how many days too late, how many chances missed. It was as though she too had fitted a lock to this door, then stood outside in sorrow with a key that could never fit.
Mercy drank some water, and her color slowly returned. She asked whether she could put her bundle down. Goodwill took it and led her into the courtyard. The dog was still barking far away, but inside, someone had filled a bowl with porridge for her.
Christiana went to fetch her own bag. Her husband had packed the food. Chris was looking for his sister’s hat. She suddenly understood that the barking had never spoken for Goodwill. Yet her own heart often made the same mistake. It took the loudest, most frightening voice for God’s answer.
Before leaving, she asked Goodwill to copy the promise from the gate. She kept that small piece of paper beside her letter.