登陆注册
5147700000038

第38章

Let but the child die with the Kelmah on her lips, and we are all three blest for ever--otherwise we will burn everlastingly in the fires of Jehinnum." "But, alack! how can the poor girl say the Kelmah, being as dumb as the grave?" "Then how can she say the Shemang either?"Having heard the verdict of the doctor, Ali returned in hot haste and silenced both the bondwomen: "The Imam is a villain, and the Chacham is a thief." There was only one good man left in Tetuan, and that was his own Taleb, his schoolmaster, the same that had taught him the harp in the days of the Governor's marriage.This person was an old negro, bewrinkled by years, becrippled by ague, once stone deaf, and still partially so, half blind, and reputed to be only half wise, a liberated slave from the Sahara, just able to read the Koran and the Torah, and willing to teach either impartially, according to his knowledge, for he was neither a Jew nor a Muslim, but a little of both, as he used to say, and not too much of either.

For such a hybrid in a land of intolerance there must have been no place save the dungeons of the Kasbah, but that this good nondescript was a privileged pet of everbody.In his dark cellar, down an alley by the side of the Grand Mosque in the Metamar, he had sat from early morning until sunset, year in year out, through thirty years on his rush-covered floor, among successive generations of his boys; and as often as night fell he had gone hither and thither among the sick and dying, carrying comfort of kind words, and often meat and drink of his meagre substance.

Such was Ali's hero after Israel, and now, in Israel's absence and his own great trouble, he tried away for him.

"Father," cried the lad," does it not say in the good book that the prayer of a righteous man availeth much?""It does, my son," said the Taleb "You have truth.What then?""Then if you will pray for Naomi she will recover," said Ali.

It was a sweet instance of simple faith.The old black Taleb dismissed his scholars, closed down his shutter, locked it with a padlock, hobbled to Naomi's bedside in his tattered white selham, looked down at her through the big spectacles that sprawled over his broad black nose, and then, while a dim mist floated between the spectacles and his eyes, and a great lump rose at his throat to choke him, he fell to the floor and prayed, and Ali and the black women knelt beside him.

The negro's prayer was simple to childishness.It told God everything;it recited the facts to the heavenly Father as to one who was far away and might not know.The maiden was sick unto death.She had been three days and nights knowing no one, and eating and drinking nothing.

She was blind and dumb and deaf.Her father loved her and was wrapped up in her.She was his only child, and his wife was dead, and he was a lonely man.He was away from his home now, and if, when he returned, the girl were gone and lost--if she were dead and buried--his strong heart would be broken and his very soul in peril.

Such was the Taleb's prayer, and such was the scene of it--the dumb angel of white and crimson turning and tossing on the bed in an aureole of her streaming yellow hair, and the four black faces about her, eager and hot and aflame, with closed eyelids and open lips, calling down mercy out of heaven from the God that might be seen by the soul alone.

And so it was, but whether by chance or Providence let no man dare to tell, that even while the four black people were yet on their knees by the bed, the turning and tossing of the white face stopped suddenly and Naomi lay still on her pillow.The hot flush faded from her cheeks;her features, which had twitched, were quiet; and her hands, which had been restless, lay at peace on the counterpane.

The good old Taleb took this for an answer to his prayer, and he shouted "El hamdu l'Illah!" (Praise be to God), while the big drops coursed down the deep furrows of his streaming face.And then, as if to complete the miracle, and to establish the old man's faith in it, a strange and wondrous thing befell.First, a thin watery humour flowed from one of Naomi's ears, and after that she raised herself on her elbow.Her eyes were open as if they saw; her lips were parted as though they were breaking into a smile; she made a long sigh like one who has slept softly through the night and has just awakened in the morning.

Then, while the black people held their breath in their first moment of surprise and gladness, her parted lips gave forth a sound.

It was a laugh--a faint, broken, bankrupt echo of her old happy laughter.

And then instantly, almost before the others had heard the sound, and while the notes of it were yet coming from her tongue, she lifted her idle hand and covered her ear, and over her face there passed a look of dread.

So swift had this change been that the bondwomen had not seen it, and they were shouting "Hallelujah!" with one voice, thinking only that she who had been dead to them was alive again.But the old Taleb cried eagerly, "Hush! my children, hush! What is coming is a marvellous thing! I know what it is--who knows so well as I?

Once I was deaf, my children, but now I hear.Listen!

The maiden has had fever--fever of the brain.Listen!

A watery humour had gathered in her head.It has gone, it has flowed away.Now she will hear.Listen, for it is Ithat know it--who knows it so well as I? Yes; she will be no longer deaf.

Her ears will be opened.She will hear.Once she was living in a land of silence; now she is coming into the land of sound.

Blessed be God, for He has wrought this wondrous work.God is great!

同类推荐
  • 悔过自新说

    悔过自新说

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 补续高僧传

    补续高僧传

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 发史

    发史

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 吕祖全书

    吕祖全书

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 手杖论

    手杖论

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 天上掉下个鬼老公

    天上掉下个鬼老公

    惊鸿一瞥的男神在她眼前死去,还缠着她不放,要她做他的老婆......呵呵,听过人鬼殊途么!男主:没听过,不管是人,是鬼,你都是我的。我:妈妈,地球好可怕啊!!!
  • 中国航空工业人物传·领导篇2

    中国航空工业人物传·领导篇2

    《中国航空工业人物传:领导篇2》介绍了中国航空工业创建时期的各企事业单位的创始人(共计76名)的生平、工作业绩和突出贡献,真实地记录了他们为中国航空工业发展而呕心沥 血、殚精竭虑,有的甚至献出生命的光辉历程,他们是“航空报国”精神的开创者和传承者。《中国航空工业人物传:领导篇2》史料翔实、内容丰富,适合广大航空工业从业人员和关心中国航空工业发展的相关人员阅读。
  • 要账千金收账记

    要账千金收账记

    莫夕夕是一个二十一世纪某医学院在的学生,因为一本捡到的账本和一个蝴蝶玉佩而莫名其妙的穿越到古代变成了一个杀手头头的女儿,在给儿时礼部尚书的儿子苏听风玩伴送酒的路上遇到了本书男主凤凌奕,莫夕夕被迫签下契约书并且许诺随叫随到。从此以后凤凌奕对莫夕夕展开一系列的折腾,女主开始为凤凌奕去各种奇葩的人家要各种陈年旧账。在折腾的过程中莫夕夕认识了好友肃然,男女主一阵相处之后,凤凌奕觉得莫夕夕很有趣,可爱。而苏听风从小便喜欢--情节虚构,请勿模仿
  • 礼仪常识悦读

    礼仪常识悦读

    严谨务实的原则,总结了人们日常生活中最为常见的礼仪常识和礼仪规范。从个人修养的角度来看,礼仪可以说是一个人内在修养和素质的外在表现。从交际的角度来看,礼仪可以说是人际交往中适用的一种艺术。从传播的角度来看,礼仪可以说是在人际交往中进行相互沟通的技巧。礼仪是人们进行社会交往活动的行为规范与准则。快来看看这些礼仪常识吧!
  • 冷帝的刁蛮妃

    冷帝的刁蛮妃

    本文视频地址:?pstyle=1(话说梦第一次做视频,都不许给我说不好,谁说......谁说不好,我就把她配给龙御彦那个花心大萝卜!哼哼)“龙御彦,你这混蛋,把我害惨了!”她喊着,一盆脏水泼了过去。......“苏如墨,难道我没有告诉你,我有一个孪生哥哥吗?”“所以说......”“你认错人了!”......第一次认错,呃,情有可原。★☆★☆★“龙御彦,你这混蛋,居然敢当众轻薄我!”她上前,一顿拳打脚踢。“你发什么疯?”淡淡的语调,却有着说不出的冷肃和威严。完蛋了,是皇帝!第二次认错,呜呜,理无可恕。★☆★☆★“民女苏如墨叩见皇上,之前屡次冒犯,皆属无心,请皇上恕罪!”“哈哈哈!”,那人先是一怔,随即爆笑出声。该死,是龙御彦!第三......呃,有人故意混淆视听,这次不算......★☆★☆★“喂,龙御彦,有什么不开心的事情,说出来大家开心一下!”他转头,淡淡的,似笑非笑:“朕跟龙御彦,真的就那么难以分辨吗?”......哇啊啊啊,他们两个到底谁是谁啊?★☆★☆★“五弟,朕看你和如墨甚是情投意合,不如朕为你们赐婚,如何?”“这个......”龙御彦顿时满头大汗,他还没想要成亲呢!“呃,四哥,以后再慢慢说吧,不急,真的,一点都不急!”“好。”刺探敌情成功!紫星的帝王低头,继续埋首奏折,在别人看不见的地方,嘴角逸出一丝淡淡的笑意。★☆★☆★其他情节,呃,敬请投票、收藏、推荐,然后,看本书作者慢慢道来......ps:本文慢热....非常慢.....新文《妖孽皇帝替身妃》推荐好友的文文:妖灵灵《娇娘子拐冷相公》鈕鈷祿姒兒《冷清阿哥俏舞娘夜嫏嬛《妖郎君的狐狸精》师蓝天咖啡《吸血蛇君》本文的群新鲜出炉,嘎嘎,江山如墨:13203895敲门砖,呃,就梦的名字吧!抱抱亲爱的娃娃,这是她贡献的群号,呵呵
  • 2014语录

    2014语录

    这是新周刊唯一一个不以杂志形式发行的内容读物,国内外时事政治,文化生活,娱乐体育,包罗万象,有趣有种,好看好玩。在最热辣最过瘾的语录中,感受2014嘴上风暴。
  • 南迁录

    南迁录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 异域镇魂曲

    异域镇魂曲

    当他从太平间醒来,他不知道自己是谁?寻找到了曾经的爱人,可惜,带来的却是更多的未知和迷惑,还有朦胧的将来。这是一个城市,被称为诸界的中心——众门之城。过去的记忆渐渐浮现,而现在的威胁也渐渐靠近了。行走在路上,找不到方向。当无名氏真正看到了解谜者。却带来了更多的谜团。没有了后路,最后的征程。不朽,即将腐朽。永恒,即将破碎。终结,也是开始。
  • 战妃惊世

    战妃惊世

    她是21世纪顶级特工,为国捐躯,魂穿异世,本想潇洒爱一回,却被最信赖的人背叛。再次重生,她是世人唾弃的废材六指废物。心碎命危,得高人指点,寻神奇八阵图。修炼永生之道。人活两世,现代特种兵凰北乐都知道做独特的自己,爱该爱之人,杀应杀之人!乱世角逐,有女带恨而来,带煞逆世!六国之中,东有北乐出世,南有魅璃横空。当女强碰上男强,是强强联合,还是你死我活!是猎手,还是猎物!八阵图中风云变,七绝琴音惊世声!一代女狂凰北乐势必崛起!再造盛世王朝!
  • 万灵教

    万灵教

    摩域,一个奇妙的地域,一个修炼者的梦想天堂。万灵教是摩域一个很小的宗教,由于摩域四派联盟认为万灵教扰乱了摩域的修炼界,故而进行了围剿。万灵教教主率领教徒抵御失败,驻地沦陷,极少数教徒逃生,竭尽全力的奋力搏战摆脱追杀……