The City of Delight

He gazed at her, apparently unconscious of the desperation in the face

lifted to him. The slow smile that presently grew again in his eyes

was none the less unthoughted. He slipped his hand under a strand of

her rich hair that had fallen and drew it out, slowly, at full length.

Slowly his eyes followed it as inch by inch it slipped through his

fingers. Old memories seemed to struggle to the surface; old

tendernesses; recollection of pure hours and holy things; paganism

dropped from him like a husk and the spiritual hauteur of a Jew

brought the expression of the unhumbled house of Judah into his face.

Through a notch in the hills a golden beam shot from the sun and

penetrating this inwalled valley lay like an illuminating fire on the

man's face and glorified it. Laodice's breath stopped.

Slowly his fingers slipped along the fine silken length of that

shining strand until his arm extended to the full; and the end of the

lock yet rested on her breast. Thus might have been the hair of that

Rahab, who was no less a patriot because she was frail; thus, the hair

of Bathsheba, who was the mother of the wisest Israelite though she

sinned; thus the hair of that mother of Samson, who slew armies

single-handed! Badge of Judah, mark of the haughty strength of the

oldest enlightenment in the world! He would not initiate his succor of

Israel with violence against its purest type.

He smiled slowly; slowly let the strand fall through his fingers. He

looked into her eyes and she saw a sudden light immeasurably

compassionate and tender grow there. A weakness swept over her; she

felt that she had been longing for that light. Then he rose quickly

and moved away.

Old Momus, the mute, with his head on his knees slept on.

Julian, who had been halted involuntarily by the attitude of his

companion and had been an amazed witness of this extraordinary end of

the incident, looked at Philadelphus' face in frank stupefaction. But

Philadelphus laid a hand so forceful and compelling on his companion's

shoulder that it left the pink print of his fingers on the flesh,

turned him toward the horses and led him away.

"We will breakfast farther on," he said.

A moment and they were swinging down the stony side of the hill toward

the east, and Laodice, with her hand clutching her excited heart, had

not thought of flinging herself upon Momus. She raised herself

gradually to watch them as far as she could see, and her fixed and

stunned gaze rested with immense homesickness and longing on the

taller man radiant against the background of a risen sun.