thy sorrow weighs upon thy life.
To-morrow? No, to-day! The crown of love
Is sacrifice; I have not given thee
Enough! Ah, fold me in thine arms,--take all!

[_She takes his hands and puts them around her neck; he holds her from
him, with one hand on her shoulder, the other behind her head._]

NAAMAN:
Thou art too dear to injure with a kiss,--
Too dear for me to stain thy purity,
Or leave one touch upon thee to regret!
How should I take a gift may bankrupt thee,
Or drain the fragrant chalice of thy love
With lips that may be fatal? Tempt me not
To sweet dishonour; strengthen me to wait
Until thy prophecy is all fulfilled,
And I can claim thee with a joyful heart.

RUAHMAH: [_Turning away._]
Thou wilt not need me then,--and I shall be
No more than the faint echo of a song
Heard half asleep. We shall go back to where
We stood before this journey.

NAAMAN:
Never again!
For thou art changed by some deep miracle.
The flower of womanhood hath bloomed in thee,--
Art thou not changed?

RUAHMAH:
Yea, I am changed,--and changed
Again,--bewildered,--till there's nothing clear
To me but this: I am the instrument
In an Almighty hand to rescue thee
From death. This will I do,--and afterward--

[_A trumpet is blown, without._]

Hearken, the trumpet sounds, the chariot waits.
Away, dear lord, follow the road to light!

SCENE II. [*]

[*] Note that this scene is not intended to be put upon the stage, the
effect of the action upon the drama being given at the beginning of Act
IV.

_The house of Elisha, upon a terraced hillside. A low stone cottage
with vine-trellises and flowers; a flight of steps, at the foot of
which is NAAMAN'S chariot. He is standing in it; SABALLIDIN beside it.
Two soldiers come down the steps._

FIRST SOLDIER:
We have delivered my lord's greeting and his message.

SECOND SOLDIER:
Yes, and near lost our noses in the doing of it! For the servant
slammed the door in our faces. A most unmannerly reception!

FIRST SOLDIER:
But I take that as a good omen. It is mark of holy men to keep
ill-conditioned servants. Look, the door opens, the prophet is
coming.

SECOND SOLDIER:
No, by my head, it's that notable mark of his master's holiness,
that same lantern-jawed lout of a servant.

[_GEHAZI loiters down the steps and comes to NAAMAN with a slight
obeisance._]

GEHAZI:
My master, the pro