Visions stood up before him of endless retribution for the soul that knew not God.  These were the most awful terrors of his sleepless nights, but at length peace came to him, for he saw his path of duty.  It was his duty to Naomi that he should tell her of God and reveal the word of the Lord to her!  What matter if she could not hear?  Though she had senses as the sands of the seashore, yet in the way of light the Lord alone could lead her.  What matter though she could not see?  The soul was the eye that saw God, and with bodily eyes had no man seen Him.

So every day thereafter at sunset Israel took Naomi by the hand and led her to an upper room, the same wherein her mother died, and, fetching from a cupboard of the wall the Book of the Law, he read to her of the commandments of the Lord by Moses, and of the Prophets, and of the Kings.  And while he read Naomi sat in silence at his feet, with his one free hand in both of her hands, clasped close against her cheek.

What the little maid in her darkness thought of this custom, what mystery it was to her and wherefore, only the eye that looks into darkness could see; but it was so at length that as soon as the sun had set—­for she knew when the sun was gone—­Naomi herself would take her father by the hand, and lead him to the upper room, and fetch the book to his knees.

And sometimes, as Israel read, an evil spirit would seem to come to him, and make a mock at him, and say, “The child is deaf and hears not—­go read your book in the tombs!” But he only hardened his neck and laughed proudly.  And, again, sometimes the evil spirit seemed to say, “Why waste yourself in this misspent desire?  The child is buried while she is still alive, and who shall roll away the stone?” But Israel only answered, “It is for the Lord to do miracles, and the Lord is mighty.”

So, great in his faith, Israel read to Naomi night after night, and when his spirit was sore of many taunts in the day his voice would be hoarse, and he would read the law which says, “Thou shalt not curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling-block before the blind.” But when his heart was at peace his voice would be soft, and he would read of the child Samuel sanctified to the Lord in the temple, and how the Lord called him and he answered—­

“And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see; and ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the Lord, where the Ark of God was, and Samuel was laid down to sleep, that the Lord called Samuel, and he answered, Here am I. And he ran unto Eli and said, Here am I, for thou calledst me.  And he said, I called not; lie down again.  And he went and lay down.  And the Lord called yet again, Samuel.  And Samuel rose and went to Eli and said, Here am I for thou didst call me.  And he answered, I called not my son; lie down again.  Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, neither was the word of the Lord yet revealed to him.”