front of them but an old man walking alone, likewise in the direction of the rock; and overtaking him they asked if he could point out the seer’s house to them, to which he answered sharply:  I am the seer, and fell at once to gazing on Saul as if he saw in him the one that had been revealed to him.  For you see, Son, seers have foresight, and the seer had been warned overnight that the Lord would send a young man to him, so the moment he saw Saul he knew him to be the one the Lord had promised, and he said:  thou art he whom the Lord has promised to send me for anointment, but more than that I cannot tell thee, being on my way to offer sacrifice, but afterwards we will eat together, and all that has been revealed to me I will tell.  You understand me, Son, the old woman crooned, the Lord had been with Samuel beforetimes and had promised to send the King of Israel to him for anointment, and the moment he laid eyes on Saul he knew him to be the king; and that was why he asked him to eat with him after sacrifice.  Yes, Granny, I understand:  but did the Lord set the asses astray that Saul might follow them and come to Samuel to be made a King?  I daresay there was something like that at the bottom of it, the old woman answered, and continued her story till her knees ached under the boy’s weight.

The child’s asleep, she said, and on the instant he awoke crying:  no, Granny, I wasn’t asleep.  I heard all you said and would like to be a prophet.  A prophet, Joseph, and to anoint a king?  But there are no more prophets or kings in Israel.  And now, Joseph, my little prophet, ’tis bedtime and past it.  Come.  I didn’t say I wanted to anoint kings, he answered, and refused to go to bed, though manifestly he could hardly keep awake.  I’ll wait up for Father.

Now what can the child want his father for at this hour? she muttered as she went about the room, not guessing that he was angry and resentful, that her words had wounded him deeply and that he was asking himself, in his corner, if she thought him too stupid to be a prophet.

I’ll tell thee no more stories, she said to him, but he answered that he did not want to hear her stories, and betwixt feelings of anger and shame his head drooped, and he slept in his chair till the door opened and his father’s footsteps crossed the threshold.

Now, he said to himself, Granny will tell Father that I said I’d like to be a prophet.  And feigning sleep he listened, determined to hear the worst that could be said of him.  But they did not speak about him but of the barrels of salt fish that were to go to Beth-Shemish on the morrow; which was their usual talk.  So he slipped from his chair and bade his father good-night.  A resentful good-night it was; and his good-night to his grandmother was still more resentful.  But she found an excuse for his rudeness, saying that his head was full of sleep—­a remark that annoyed him considerably and sent him upstairs wishing that women would not talk about things