eing it so beautiful, yet thinking it so vain, he could not help at
last but weep. Presently she became quiet again, and then again, after a
little while, she woke as from a sleep.

"I am ready now," she said in a whisper, "quite ready, sweet Heaven,
quite, quite ready now."

Then with her one free hand she felt in the darkness for Israel, where
he sat beside her, and touching his forehead she smoothed it, and said
very softly, "Farewell, my husband!"

And Israel answered her, "Farewell!"

"Good-night!" she whispered.

And Israel drew down her hand from his forehead to his lips and sobbed,
and said, "Good-night, beloved!"

Then she put her white lips to the child's blind eyes, and at that
moment the spirit of the Lord came to her, and the Lord took her, and
she died.

When lamps had been brought into the room, and Fatimah saw that the end
had come, she would have lifted Naomi from Ruth's bosom, but the child
awoke as she was being moved, and clasped her little fingers about the
dead mother's neck and covered the mouth with kisses. And when she felt
that the lips did not answer to her lips, and that the arms which had
held her did not hold her any longer, but fell away useless, she clung
the closer, and tears started to her eyes.

CHAPTER V

RUTH'S BURIAL

The people of Tetuan were not melted towards Israel by the depth of his
sorrow and the breadth of shadow that lay upon him. By noon of the day
following the night of Ruth's death, Israel knew that he was to be left
alone. It was a rule of the Mellah that on notice being given of a death
in their quarter, the clerk of the synagogue should publish it at the
first service thereafter, in order that a body of men, called the Hebra
Kadisha of Kabranim, the Holy Society of Buriers, might straightway make
arrangements for burial. Early prayers had been held in the synagogue
at eight o'clock that morning, and no one had yet come near to Israel's
house. The men of the Hebra were going about their ordinary occupations.
They knew nothing of Ruth's death by official announcement. The clerk
had not published it. Israel remembered with bitterness that notice
of it had not been sent. Nevertheless, the fact was known throughout
Tetuan. There was not a water-carrier in the market-place but had taken
it to each house he called at, and passed it to every man he met. Little
groups of idle Jewish women had been many hours congregated in the
streets outside, talking of it