The quaint speech
of the Hebrews had always fascinated him, but now it had become melody
in his ears. In this, the first moment of mental idleness since
midday, he had time to think on Deborah. He knew that he had seen her
before, and now he remembered that it was she who had transfixed him
with a look on an occasion when Israel had first come to Masaarah.
But he did not remind her of the incident. Instead, he set about
counteracting any effect that might follow should her memory, unaided,
recall the occurrence. He had put her down on the matting, and the
running spiders and slower insects worried her.
"A murrain on the bugs," he said. "We shall have a creepy night of it.
Let us bottle this treasure and lay the mattress out of their reach on
the sarcophagus. Endure them a while, Deborah, till we make thee a
refuge."
He set the lamp in the opening from the outer into the inner crypt and
entered the second chamber. Rachel followed him, and the old Israelite
watched them with brilliant eyes.
Kenkenes swept the jewels as if they had been almonds into an empty
amphora and returned it to the rack. The mattress he laid upon the
broad top of the sarcophagus.
"A line of oil run around the coffin will keep the insects away,"
Rachel ventured.
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