inwardly, and reread it again and again.
When the sun was rising on a brilliant new morning, he went back to
the ship.

"They had a man here once," he said to Wyatt, "who was as good a
writer as there ever was. He wrote a book which these people use as
their Bible. It's like our Bible sometimes, but mostly it's just the
opposite. It preaches that a man shouldn't worship anything. Would you
like to hear some of it?"

Wyatt had been pinned down and he had to listen, feeling sorry for
Beauclaire, who had such a long way to go. His thoughts were on Donna,
who had gone out alone to walk in the woods and say goodbye to her
world. Soon he would go out and bring her back to the ship, and she
would probably cry a little, but she would come. She would come with
him always, wherever he went.

"I have translated this the best way I could," Beauclaire said
thickly, "but remember this. This man could write. He was Shakespeare
and Voltaire and all the rest all at once. He could make you _feel_. I
couldn't do a decent translation if I tried forever, but please listen
and try to get what he means. I've put it in the style of Ecclesiastes
because it's something like that."

"All right," Wyatt said.

* * * * *

Beauclaire waited for a long moment, feeling this deeply. When he
read, his voice was warm and strong, and something of his emotion came
through. As Wyatt listened, he found his attention attracted, and then
he felt the last traces of his sadness and weariness fall away.

He nodded, smiling.

These are the words Beauclaire had gathered from the Book:

Rise up smiling, and walk with me. Rise up in the armor of
thy body and what shall pass shall make thee unafraid. Walk
among the yellow hills, for they belong to thee. Walk upon
grass and let thy feet descend into soft soil; in the end
when all has failed thee the soil shall comfort thee, the
soil shall receive thee and in thy dark bed thou shalt find
such peace as is thy portion.

In thine armor, hear my voice. In thine armor, hear.
Whatsoever thou doest, thy friend and thy brother and thy
woman shall betray thee. Whatsoever thou dost plant, the
weeds and the seasons shall spite thee. Wheresoever thou
goest, the heavens shall fall upon thee. Though the nations
shall come unto thee in friendship thou art curst. Know that
the Gods ignore thee. Know that thou art Life, and