en he thought he must be dreaming still, and he took a step
forward. But he stopped again and covered both his ears. That was of no
avail, for when he removed his hands the voice was there as before.

A shiver ran over his limbs, yet he could not believe what his soul was
saying. The key dropped out of his hand and rang on the stone. When the
clangour was done the voice continued. Israel bethought him then that
his household must be asleep, and it flashed on his mind that if this
were a human voice the singing ought to awaken them. Just at that moment
the night guard went by and saluted him. "God bless your morning!" the
guard cried; and Israel answered, "Your morning be blessed!" That was
all. The guard seemed to have heard nothing. His footsteps were dying
away, but the voice went on.

Then a strange emotion filled Israel's heart, and he reflected that even
if it were Ruth she could have come on no evil errand. That thought gave
him courage, and he pushed forward to the door. As he fumbled the key
into the lock he saw that a beggar was crouching by the doorway in the
shadow cast by the moonlight. The man was asleep. Israel could hear his
breathing, and smell his rags. Also he could hear the thud of his own
temples like the beating of a drum in his brain.

At length, as he was groping feebly through the crooked passage, a new
thought came to him. "Naomi," he told himself in a whisper of awe. It
was she. By the full flood of the moonlight in the patio he saw her. She
was on the balcony. Her beautiful white-robed figure was half sitting on
the rail, half leaning against the pillar. The whole lustre of the moon
was upon her. A look of joy beamed on her face. She was singing her
mother's song with her mother's voice, and all the air, and the sky, and
the quiet white town seemed to listen:--

Within my heart a voice
Bids earth and heaven rejoice
Sings--"Love, great Love
O come and claim shine own,
O come and take thy throne
Reign ever and alone,
Reign, glorious golden Love."

Then Israel's fear was turned to rapture. Why had he not thought of this
before? Yet how could he have thought of it? He had never once heard
Naomi's voice save in the utterance of single words. But again, why had
he not remembered that before the tongues of children can speak words of
their own they sing the words of others?

The singing ended, and then Israel, struggling with his dry throat,
stepped a pace