an no harm. Possibly
it did Elisha's soul no injury to be so far complaisant towards
idolatry. But surely there was a germ of evil in the thing, and this
germ found a nidus, found a nest in Gehazi's soul, in which to hatch
its evil brood. It lighted on Gehazi at the psychological moment. He
had seen the gorgeous equipage. He had gazed on the ingots of gold and
the great bars of silver. He had fingered the silks and brocades.
Elisha had waved them away. To him they were as child's trinkets. But
he had other resources than Gehazi, and when the cavalcade drew off,
leaving nothing of its treasures behind, his longing grew into a fever
of desire. It was so mad of the master to let _all_ that gold and
silver go, and he so poor! Gehazi had to bear the brunt of the
poverty, and tax his five wits to make ends meet. And to think that a
gold mine had come to their very door and they had refused to let it in!

But it is too late now--and yet why should it be too late? The company
moves slowly. One could easily catch up with it. But what to say?

Pilgrims sometimes knock at Elisha's door. Sons of the prophets from
the college on Mount Ephraim often come to see the master. There were
two last week, or was it the week before? Without doubt we shall have
others soon, for they like to talk to the master. They are miserably
poor like ourselves, but they have good appetites. Naaman would be
delighted to leave something for them. He would feel easier in his
mind. It would be a kindness to let him give something. True, we have
none of them in the house at this moment. But we have had and we shall
have. If I say we have them _now_--well, that will only be making a
little bow in the temple of Rimmon. Naaman means to do that. Master
allows him to do it. We must not be _too_ strict. "_As the Lord
liveth I will run after him and take somewhat of him_!" Elisha was
hurt, shamed, and angry. The sin was great and terrible. Yet,
perhaps, had Gehazi met Elijah this would not have happened. Had
Elisha sounded the great Elijah-note, "if the Lord is God, follow Him,
but if Rimmon, then follow him," perhaps the germ of temptation would
not have found Gehazi even quite such an easy prey,

Mind, I am not whitewashing him or mitigating his crime. I am trying
to get at the forces that conspired to make him what he was, and among
these I have no doubt at all that his master's complaisant permission
of compromise was a very po