He went away more slowly than he had come, with reluctant
step and averted face.
When night and profound silence were restored in the crypt, Kenkenes
regained his feet and, examining the irritated knee, found the
offending object clinging to the impression it had made in the flesh.
The shape of the trifle sent a wild hope through his brain. Groping
through the dark, he found his lamp and lighted it with trembling hands.
He held the lapis-lazuli signet!
He did not move. He only grasped the scarab tightly and panted. The
sudden change from intense suspense to intense relief had deprived him
of the power of expression. Only his physical make-up manifested its
rebellion against the shock.
As the tumult in his heart subsided, his mind began to confront him
with happy fancies. Rachel was already free. In that moment of
exuberance he thrust aside, as monstrous, the bar of different faith.
He believed he could overcome it by the very compelling power of his
love and the righteousness of his cause. He spent no time picturing
the method of his triumph over it. Beyond that obstacle were tender
pictures of home-making, love and life, which so filled him with
emotion that, in a sudden ebullition of boyish gratitude, he pressed
the all-potent signet to his lips.
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