" he answered stoutly; "no, nor the
throne of the Sultan!"

At that she fell on his neck and kissed him, and they mingled their
tears together. But he comforted her at length, and said, "Look up, my
dearest! look up! I am a proud man among men, but it is even as the Lord
may deal with me. And which of us shall murmur against God?"

At that word Ruth lifted her head from his bosom and her eyes were full
of a sudden thought.

"Then let us ask of the Lord," she whispered hotly, "and surely He will
hear our prayer."

"It is the voice of the Lord Himself!" cried Israel; "and this day it
shall be done!"

At the time of evening prayers Israel and Ruth went up hand in hand
together to the synagogue, in a narrow lane off the Sok el Foki. And
Ruth knelt in her place in the gallery close under the iron grating and
the candles that hung above it, and she prayed: "O Lord, have pity on
this Thy servant, and take away her reproach among women. Give her grace
in Thine eyes, O Lord, that her husband be not ashamed. Grant her a
child of Thy mercy, that his eye may smile upon her. Yet not as
she willeth, but as Thou willest, O Lord, and Thy servant will be
satisfied."

But Israel stood long on the floor with his hand on his heart and his
eyes to the ground, and he called on God as a debtor that will not
be appeased, saying: "How long wilt Thou forget me, O Lord? My enemies
triumph over me and foretell Thy doom upon me. They sit in the
lurking-places of the streets to deride me. Confound my enemies, O Lord,
and rebuke their counsels. Remember Ruth, I beseech Thee, that she is
patient and her heart is humbled. Give her children of Thy servant, and
her first-born shall be sanctified unto Thee. Give her one child, and
it shall be Thine--if it is a son, to be a Rabbi in Thy synagogues. Hear
me, O Lord, and give heed to my cry, for behold, I swear it before Thee.
One child, but one, only one, son or daughter, and all my desire is
before Thee. How long wilt Thou forget me, O Lord?"

The message of the Khaleefa which Israel had not answered in his trouble
was a request from the Shereef of Wazzan that he should come without
delay to that town to count his rent-charges and assess his dues. This
request the Governor had transformed into a command, for the Shereef
was a prince of Islam in his own country, and in many provinces the
believers paid him tribute. So in three days' time Israel was ready
to set out on his journey, with men and mule