‘Abdu’l-Bahá arrives in Montreal and goes directly to Maxwell home with Sutherland Maxwell

‘Abdu’l-Bahá left today for Montreal. The only servants He took with Him were Mirza Ahmad Sohrab and myself. Because He had decided to travel to the Western part of America at the pressing invitation of the friends in California, He said, ‘We have a long distance to go and must therefore leave as soon as possible.’ For this reason, He instructed Mirza Valiyu’llah Khan-i-Varqa, Áqa Mirza ‘Ali-Akbar Nakhjavani, Áqa Sa’id Asad’u’llah and Dr. Getsinger to remain until His return.

As soon as the friends and a group of Arabs saw ‘Abdu’l-Bahá at the railway station in Boston, they surrounded Him, their faces beaming with joy and enthusiasm. At 9:00 a.m. the train left Boston and reached Montreal at 8:00 p.m. On the way, a Canadian was privileged to speak with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. The Master pointed out to him the straight path of truth, and even though this individual had known nothing about ‘Abdu’l-Bahá before this encounter, he was attracted to Him.

When we arrived at the station, we saw Mr. [Sutherland] Maxwell hurrying forward to greet the Master. He had two carriages to convey the Master and His companions to his home. There a group of friends and a newspaper publisher were waiting to see the Master. At the table, Mrs. [May] Maxwell said, ‘So many people have telephoned and sent letters about your arrival and I have replied to all. I have become very tired but I consider this fatigue the greatest comfort of my life.’ A pastor had telephoned to ask the Master to address his congregation the day after tomorrow. The editor of the newspaper said that he would publish the announcement the next day. When Mrs. Maxwell informed ‘Abdu’l-Bahá of this, He said, ‘Very well. You were tired, having undergone such trouble today. You must rest for the time being.’