[Illustration: The empty tomb.]

But Mary Magdalene after all had been the first to see Jesus. She had
run off to tell Peter and John that the stone was rolled away. As soon
as Peter and John knew that, they ran off to the grave as fast as they
could, and Mary Magdalene went after them. John could run the fastest,
so he got there first, and just peeped in through the little door in
the rock. The angels had gone away, but he could see the linen
bandages. They were not thrown about here and there, but they were
lying neatly together. But when Peter came up he wanted to see more
than that, and he went straight into the tomb, and John followed him.
When Peter and John saw that the body of Jesus had really gone, they
went away back to the city and told the other disciples.

But Mary Magdalene did not go back. As she turned away from the grave
she saw that somebody was standing near the grave. It was really
Jesus, but she did not know that. She was too sad to look up.

And Jesus said to her, 'Woman, why weepest thou? Whom seekest thou?'

Mary thought, 'It is the gardener,' and she said, 'Sir, if you have
carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him
away.'

Then Jesus said, 'Mary.' And Mary turned round quickly, and said,
'Master.' Then she saw that it was Jesus, and He sent her with a
message to His disciples. So Mary hurried back again into the city
with her good news. She found the disciples, and when she said, 'I
have seen the Lord,' they would not believe it. And when some other