vinced of the
justice of his reproaches, exclaimed: "No treaty, no covenant with the
Egyptians! I am grateful to you, Nun, for opening my eyes. To me, also,
the hour will doubtless come in which you, or some one who stands nearer
to Him than I, will teach me to know your God, who is also mine."

As he ceased speaking, he went away with Nun, who put his arm around his
shoulders; but Miriam had listened breathlessly to Uri's last words,
and as he expressed a desire to know the God of his people, her eyes had
sparkled with the light of enthusiasm. She felt that her soul was filled
with the greatness of the Most High and that she had the gift of speech
to make another familiar with the knowledge she herself possessed. But
this time also custom required her to keep silence. Her heart ached, and
as she again moved among the multitude and convinced herself that Hosea
had not yet come, she went home, as twilight was beginning to gather,
and joined the others on the roof.

No one there appeared to have missed her, not even poor melancholy
Milcah, and she felt unutterably lonely in this house.

If Hosea would only come, if she might have a strong breast on which to
lean, if this sense of being a stranger in her own home, this useless
life beneath the roof she was obliged to call hers, though she never
felt thoroughly at home under it, would but cease. Moses and Aaron, too,
had gone away, taking Hur's grandson with them; but no one had deemed
her, who lived and breathed solely for her people and their welfare,
worthy to learn whither their journey led or what was its purpose.

Why had the God to whom she devoted her whole life and being made her a
woman, yet given her the mind and soul of a man?

She waited, as if to test whether any of the circle of kindly-natured
people to which she belonged really loved her, for some one of the
elders or the children to accost her; but Eleasar's little ones were
pressing around their grandparents, and she had never understood how to
make herself agreeable to children. Elisheba was directing the slaves
who were putting the finishing touches to the packing; Milcah sat with
her cat in her lap, gazing into vacancy. No one heeded or spoke to her.

Bitter pain overpowered Miriam, and after she had shared the evening
meal with the others, and forced herself not to disturb by her own
sorrowful mood, the joyous excitement of the children, who looked
forward to the pilgrimage as a great pleasure, sh