‘And when he knocked at the door of the gate, a maid came to answer, named Rhoda, and when she knew Peter's voice, she did not open the gate for joy, but ran in, and told that Peter stood before the gate.'
The prison gate had swung open of its own accord. It would be a little more difficult getting into this house. That was barred to him. For when the maid, Rhoda, recognised Peter's voice she was so overjoyed that she raced off to tell all the gathered people that Peter was at the gate, and simply forgot to let him in. The story is so natural that it has to be the record of someone who was there.