ce rolling out of his bed, for in a dream the ungainly
animal had jolted him from off his hump.

And the old woman's patience was nigh exhausted when he cried: Granny,
it is day, and bade her leave her bed and come to the window to tell him
if day were not breaking; but she answered: get thee back to thy bed,
for 'tis the moon shining down the sky, simpleton. The sun won't give
way an hour to the moon nor the moon an hour to the sun because thou'rt
going to Arimathea. And methinks, Joseph, that to some the morrow is
always better than to-day, and yesterday better than either,--a remark
that puzzled Joseph and kept him from his rest. Didst never hear,
Joseph, that it is a clever chicken that crows in the egg? the old woman
continued, and who knows but Azariah will forget to come for thee! He
won't forget, Granny, Joseph uttered in so doleful a tone that Rachel
repented and promised Joseph she would wake him in time; and as she had
never failed to keep her promise to him he allowed sleep to close his
eyelids. And once asleep he was hard to awaken. At six in the morning
sleep seemed to him better than Arimathea, but once awake Rachel could
not hand him his clothes fast enough; he escaped from her hands,
dressing himself as he ran into the lanes, and while tying his sandals
at the gate he forgot them and stood at gaze, wondering whether Azariah
would come to fetch him on a horse or an ass or a mule or a camel.

At last the sound of hooves came through the dusk, and a moment after
some three or four camels led the way; and there were horses too and
asses and mules, and the mules were caparisoned gaily, the one reserved
for Joseph's riding more richly than the others--a tall fine animal by
which he was proud to stand, asking questions of the muleteer, while
admiring the dark docile eyes shaded with black lashes. Now why do we
delay? he asked Azariah, who reminded him--and somewhat tritely--that he
had not yet said good-bye to his parents. But they know I'm going with
you, Sir, he answered. Azariah would not, however, allow Joseph to mount
his mule till he had bidden good-bye to his father and grandmother, and
he brought the boy back to the house, but without earning Dan's
approval, who was ashamed before Azariah of his son's eagerness to leave
home; a subtlety that escaped Rachel who chided Dan saying: try to
remember if it wasn't the same with thee, for I can remember thine eyes
sparkling at the sight of a horse and thy knee