When the girls awoke, they found themselves in a large and comfortable bed, in a small but sunny room with tall windows overlooking a bright, snowy scene below. Above one of the windows, they saw the words, Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. Above the next, they read, Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. And above the third was written, Now the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all.

For some time the girls did not speak, but looked about in wonder, as though they could hardly believe their good fortune.

"Well," Faithful said at last, "where do you suppose we are now?"

"I cannot tell," answered Christian, "though when I think of our journey here, I could almost imagine this were the Celestial City itself."

"At least it must be very near to it," said Faithful. "But to tell the truth, I fear my wits were becoming disordered, for I can hardly remember what happened last night. Was it my imagination, or did Prudence meet us at the door?"

"I did indeed," answered Prudence, entering the room with a smile. "Good morning. I hope you slept well."

"Very well, thank you," answered Christian, "and many thanks for your hospitality. I hardly know what would have become of us if we had not come when we did."

"You are most welcome," said Prudence, "and indeed, few could last long in such weather as we had last night. But there was no need to fear, for we were told to expect you, and so we kept watch."

"But where are we now?" asked Faithful. "And who lives here?"

"This is another house built by order of the King for the benefit of His people," Prudence answered, "and as you have guessed, it lies very near to that City to which you are going. Though it may look small and plain enough on the outside, you will find here a mighty fortress, and the best school in all the world. You are, in fact, in the house of Wisdom, and if you would come to the library for breakfast, she would very much like to make your acquaintance."

Now the girls had often heard this name since they began their journey, and being a little nervous to meet such a grand person, anxiously asked Prudence what she was like.

"She is just as she should be," said Prudence, "pure, peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. There are indeed some who call her stern and exacting, yet you may be sure this is nothing but the slander of fools. I have no doubt you will like her very much. But I will let her introduce herself, for I think she rather enjoys doing that."

So before long, the girls made their way to the library, which now looked far larger and grander than it had the night before. Now before the fire there was set a table, and by it stood a woman with a book in her hand, tall and plainly dressed, yet with a regal air about her. She appeared neither young nor exceptionally old, and dignified without being stiff, as she closed her book and greeted the girls with a gracious smile.

"Good morning," she said, "and welcome."

The girls returned the greeting and began to apologize that they had not met her last night, but far from seeming annoyed by their lack of courtesy, Wisdom smiled and shook her head.

"Of course," she said kindly, "I expected you would be tired. You see, I know something of you already, as doubtless you have heard something of me. But since we are all here now, let us sit down together, and I will tell you of myself."

Then seating herself at the table, she gestured for them to join her, and after blessing the food, invited them to eat and drink, while she began thus:

"I Wisdom dwell with Prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions. The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate. Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I am understanding; I have strength. By me kings reign, and princes decree justice. By me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth."

As she spoke, the room seemed to grow brighter and warmer, and as the girls became aware of the sound of water dripping and felt a gentle breeze which carried with it the smell of grass and fresh flowers, they felt as though spring had come early, and half wondered if the snow outside had only been a dream.

Wisdom continued, "I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me. Riches and honour are with me; yea, durable riches and righteousness. My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold; and my revenue than choice silver. I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment: that I may cause those that love me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures.

"Now," she said after a little pause, "I would ask you about your journey, and no doubt there is much we could say on that subject, but there will be time enough to get better acquainted later. First we must see to your injuries."

At this, the girls looked puzzled and were about to protest that they felt quite well, when they looked and saw to their own surprise that they had, in fact, been wounded, for their arms now appeared to be covered with a number of scratches and bruises, besides a few faint scars.

"I hardly need to ask," said Wisdom, "whether you have had dealings with those who whet their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words: that they may shoot in secret at the perfect."

"We have," replied Christian, "but we did not think the results to be anything serious."

"But after these encounters, did you not find yourselves struggling with some lingering confusion or forgetfulness, some recurring doubts or fears?"

The girls were silent a moment before Faithful spoke.

"I did," she admitted, "though I tried not to think of it."

Wisdom shook her head gravely. "Here is a deadly poison which has slain many by its subtlety. It does not appear to have spread far, yet there may be much hidden beneath the surface which should not been left untreated. But do not trouble yourselves. There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health, and the cure should be simple enough."

She paused and considered them carefully a moment before asking, "How long has it been since you attended to the words of life?"

Again, the girls appeared surprised, and now almost offended, yet before they could speak, Wisdom raised a hand and added, "I know you have long been in the habit of daily reading and studying to show yourselves approved. I am not accusing you of any neglect on that account. But how long has it been since you looked to the Scriptures for your own benefit, rather than for that of others, and found rest and strength in the words of peace and comfort and encouragement?"

Now I saw the girls did not know how to answer, not wishing to say that they had had no time, yet clearly perplexed as to how they could have spared even a moment in light of all their other responsibilities. Wisdom at once perceived how things stood, and laying a comforting hand upon them both, spoke gently.

"I have no doubt you have been much occupied in a very worthy business, yet even when there were many coming and going and much work to be done, our Lord told His disciples, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while, knowing it would do no harm, but rather help both them and those they desired to serve. And here is a matter of great importance, which you might have done, without leaving the other undone.

"Now," she said, "you will find this an extraordinarily large library, with many places well suited to rest and private study. I must leave you a while to attend to other matters, but please, look around and find a place where you might have some solitude, and I will come to you by and by and see how you do."

She stood as if to take her leave, but before she did, Christian asked if they might borrow some of the books there.

"That is the purpose of a library," remarked Wisdom, "and here you will find many good books, yet you must start with only the best."

To this the girls agreed, but said they had none, which greatly surprised Wisdom.

"But surely you did not come so far without a copy of your own?" she asked, looking from one girl to the other.

So Faithful explained that they had given it to Want, an answer which evidently pleased Wisdom well.

"And yet," she said, "it will not do for you to go without."

Stepping toward the nearest shelf, she thought a moment before taking two books. Then looking them over carefully, she marked a few pages here and there before handing them to the girls.

"I know they will not be quite the same," she said, "for these books tend to collect memories between their pages, which will not be easily replaced. But I hope they will serve you well all the same."

With that, she took her leave, and after a moment, the girls also went their separate ways to explore the library.