They have come together again and I am astonished at the
change. He was strong, but his strength had not found a worthy purpose.
It has found it here."

Amy was beginning to take an active interest in the conversation.

"Yes, when we first came here, the people laughed at us. Now, Elijah has
got more than ten thousand orange trees growing where no one thought of
their growing. People are after him all the time now. He is going to
bring water to thousands of acres of desert land."

Mrs. MacGregor listened impatiently to a recital of Elijah's labors, as
dreary as Homer's catalogue of ships.

"Yes, I know. Elijah has told me something of this and I have seen more.
His strength has found a purpose. He has done a great work; but it is
only a beginning, a preparation for a greater." Mrs. MacGregor began to
launch forth into generalities. "At rare intervals in the progress of
the world, great opportunities arise and only one man who is equal to
the grasping and working out of the opportunity. Such a man, we call a
genius. A genius transcends the limitations of his fellows and he also
transcends their laws. It is his right; he cannot work without it. He
must not be hindered or obstructed. At whatever cost of pain to those
who are near and dear to him, his work must go on. It is for the good of
unknown and unnumbered humanity; humanity is everything, individuals do
not count. You doubtless have thought of all this; possibly have decided
upon your course of action. The question is, are you ready to sacrifice
yourself even, for the sake of Elijah's work?"

Amy caught eagerly at the last sentence of Mrs. MacGregor's words. The
more eagerly, because they were the only words that had to her the
slightest meaning.

"I _have_ sacrificed myself and I have never complained once. Not even
when we were traveling around from place to place in a covered wagon,
and sleeping on the ground, and when we had only oatmeal to eat day in
and day out; not even when our babies were sick and we had no money to
pay a doctor. I was afraid they were going to die, but Elijah did not
know; he was busy with his work. That was after we came here, and I
never told him." Amy did not look up, but Mrs. MacGregor was watching
her. From under the veiling lids, she saw the tears gather, roll across
the pink cheeks and fall on the work in her lap. Mrs. MacGregor did not
know, perhaps Amy did not, whether the tears were for the past she was
reciting, or for the