not grieve and wound him to remain in her memory a
clumsy peasant shepherd? Nay, it would be positively dishonest not to
return the costly raiment she had lent him. Gratitude was reckoned among
the Hebrews also as the first duty of noble hearts. He would be worthy of
hate his whole life long, if he did not seek her once more!

But there was need of haste. When Hosea returned, he must find him ready
for departure.

He at once began to bind his sandals on his feet, but he did it slowly,
and could not understand why the task seemed so hard to-day.

He passed through the camp unmolested. The pylons and obelisks before the
temples, which appeared to quiver in the heated air, marked the direction
he was to pursue, and he soon reached the broad road which led to the
market-place--a panting merchant whose ass was bearing skins of wine to
the troops, told him the way.

Dense clouds of dust lay on the road and whirled around him, the sun beat
fiercely down on his bare head, his wound began to ache again, the fine
sand which filled the air entered his eyes and mouth and stung his face
and bare limbs like burning needles. He was tortured by thirst and was
often compelled to stop, his feet grew so heavy. At last he reached a
well dug for travelers by a pious Egyptian, and though it was adorned
with the image of a god and Miriam had taught him that this was an
abomination from which he should turn aside, he drank again and again,
thinking he had never tasted aught so refreshing.

The fear of losing consciousness, as he had done the day before, passed
away and, though his feet were still heavy, he walked rapidly toward the
alluring goal. But soon his strength again deserted him, the sweat poured
from his brow, his wound began to throb and beat, and he felt as though
his skull was compressed by an iron circle. His keen eyes, too, failed,
for the objects he tried to see blended with the dust of the road, the
horizon reeled up and down before his eyes, and he felt as though the
hard pavement had turned to a yielding bog under his feet.

Yet he took little heed of all these things, for never before had such
bright visions filled his mind. His thoughts grew marvellously vivid, and
image after image rose before the wide eyes of his soul, not at his own
behest, but as if summoned by a secret will outside of his consciousness.
Now he fancied that he was lying at Kasana's feet, resting his head on
her lap while he gazed upward into her lo