登陆注册
5147700000039

第39章

God is mighty! Praise the merciful God for ever! El hamdu l'Illah!"And marvellous and passing belief as the old Taleb's story seemed to be, it appeared to be coming to pass, for even while he spoke, beginning in a slow whisper and going on with quicker and louder breath, Naomi turned her face full upon him; and when the black women in their ready faith, joined in his shouts of praise, she turned her face towards them also; and wherever a voice sounded in the room she inclined her head towards it as one who knew the direction of the sounds, and also as one who was in fear of them.

But, seeing nothing of her look of pain, and knowing nothing but one thing only, and that was the wondrous and mighty change that she who had been deaf could now hear, that she who had never before heard speech now heard their voices as they spoke around her, Ali, in his frantic delight laughing and crying together, his white teeth aglitter, and his round black face shining with tears, began to shout and to sing, and to dance around the bed in wild joy at the miracle which God had wrought in answer to his old Taleb's prayer.

No heed did he pay to the Taleb's cries of warning, but danced on and on, and neither did the bondwomen see the old man's uplifted arms or his big lips pursed out in hushes, so overpowered were they with their delight, so startled and so joy drunken.But over their tumult there came a wild outburst of piercing shrieks.They were the cries of Naomi in her blind and sudden terror at the first sounds that had reached her of human voices.Her face was blanched, her eyelids were trembling, her lips were restless, her nostrils quivered, her whole being seemed to be overcome by a vertigo of dread, and, in the horrible disarray of all her sensations her brain, on its wakening from its dolorous sleep of three delirious days, was tottering and reeling at its welcome in this world of noise.

Then Ali ended suddenly his frantic dance, the bondwomen held their peace in an instant, and blank silence in the chamber followed the clamour of tongues.

It was at this great moment that Israel, returning from his journey in the jellab of a Moor, knocked like a stranger at his outer door.

When he entered the chamber, still clad as a torn and ragged man, too eager to remove the sorry garments which had been given to him on the way, Naomi was resting against the pillar of the bed.

He saw that her countenance was changed, and that every feature of her face seemed to listen.No longer was it as the face of a lamb that is simple and content, neither was it as the face of a child that is peaceful and happy; but it was hot and perplexed.Fear sat on her face, and wonder and questioning; and as Fatimah stood by her side, speaking tender words to comfort her, no cheer did she seem to get from them, but only dread, for she drew away from her when she spoke, as though the sound of the voice smote her ears with terror of trouble.All this Israel saw on the instant, and then his sight grew dim, his heart beat as if it would kill him, a thick mist seemed to cover everything, and through the dense waves of semi-consciousness he heard the dull hum of Fatimah's muffled voice coming to him as from far away.

"My pretty Naomi! My little heart! My sweet jewel of gold and silver!

It is nothing! Nothing! Look! See! Her father has come back!

Her dear father has come back to her!"

Presently the room ceased to go round and round, and Israel knew that Naomi's arms surrounded him, that his own arms enlaced her, and that her head was pressed hard against his bosom.Yes, it was she!

It was Naomi! Ali had told him truth.She lived! She was well!

She could hear! The old hope that had chirped in his soul was justified, and the dear delicious dream was come true.Oh! God was great, God was good, God had given him more than he had asked or deserved!

Thus for some minutes he stood motionless, blessing the God of Jacob, yet uttering no words, for his heart was too full for speech, only holding Naomi closely to him, while his tears fell on her blind face.

And the black people in the chamber wept to see it, that not more dumb in that great hour of gladness was she who was born so than he to whose house had come the wonderful work that God had wrought.

No heed had Israel given yet to the bodeful signs in Naomi's face, in joy over such as were joyful.When he had taken her in his arms she had known him, and she had clung to him in her glad surprise.

But when she continued to lie on his bosom it was not only because he was her father and she loved him, and because he had been lost to her and was found, it was also because he alone was silent of all that were about her.

When he saw this his heart was humbled; but he understood her fears, that, coming out of a land of great silence, where the voice of man was never heard, where the air was songless as the air of dreams and darkling as the air of a tomb, her soul misgave her, and her spirit trembled in a new world of strange sounds.

For what was the ear but a little dark chamber, a vault, a dungeon in a castle, wherein the soul was ever passing to and fro, asking for news of the world without? Through seventeen dark and silent years the soul of Naomi had been passing and repassing within its beautiful tabernacle of flesh, crying daily and hourly, "Watchman, what of the world?" At length it had found an answer, and it was terrified.The world had spoken to her soul and its voice was like the reverberations of a subterranean cavern, strange and deep and awful.

In that first moment of Israel's consciousness after he entered the room, all four black folks seemed to be speaking together.

Ali was saying, "Father, those dogs and thieves of tentmen and muleteers returned yesterday, and said--"And the bondwomen were crying, "Sidi, you were right when you went away!""Yes, the dear child was ill!" "Oh, how she missed you when you were gone." "She has been delirious, and the doctor, the son of Tetuan--"And the old Taleb was muttering, "Master, it is all by God's mercy.

同类推荐
  • 明神宗宝训

    明神宗宝训

    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。
  • 云蕉馆纪谈

    云蕉馆纪谈

    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。
  • 正易心法

    正易心法

    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。
  • 佛说阿难同学经

    佛说阿难同学经

    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。
  • The Ballad of the White Horse

    The Ballad of the White Horse

    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
  • 嫡女无双,腹黑世子妃

    嫡女无双,腹黑世子妃

    穆祁然,上一世全心全意为所爱之人宁愿沾染鲜血。却遭遇惨死。即便她曾甘愿与所有人为敌。好在上天待她不薄,12岁重生,被襄王府世子爷御君倾所救,这一次,她要一个个解决上辈子背叛对付穆府的人!
  • 琴洛天下:鱼妃,不许玩暧昧

    琴洛天下:鱼妃,不许玩暧昧

    【本故事纯属虚构,如有雷同纯属巧合】她,倾国倾城,清冷深情他,君临天下,铁血无情他等待她千年前世未能相守,今生绝不相离美男们,别玩暧昧!我家男人不好惹~他最大的情敌是谁?这个么……你猜?伊琴仰望碧海蓝天,眼神深情款款,坚定的道:“洛,没有人能阻挡我们相爱,你一定要等我!”洛,我的夫,我用七魄换你我同生同死,我用三千银丝换你我一生一世,我用痴傻一回换你我缱绻千年
  • 异世称霸:呆萌王爷妖娆妃

    异世称霸:呆萌王爷妖娆妃

    一朝穿越,从对异世界的一无所知,到称霸异世界的商业王国。此间,再顺带拐个呆萌王爷玩玩,那感觉,一定不错!虾米?你这家伙想干什么?帮我穿衣服?啥?碰了下嘴就脸红成了苹果样?原来是个纸老虎呀!没关系,我来教你亲亲~~虾米?要姐负责?好吧,我不介意多个王爷做压寨相公。乖,别不好意思。我会好好疼你的哦。虾米?stop!站住!不准逃~~
  • 尘埃喧嚣

    尘埃喧嚣

    从在大厅里登记的那一刻起,杨浦就隐约预感到这可能是一次错误的赴约。杨浦看到,登记簿上在他之前,已经有了龙飞凤舞的签名:刘大鸣、史建平、汪一露、柳眉等;在单位和职务栏里,同样是龙飞凤舞地签着:公羊山矿业有限公司董事长、伟达实业有限公司总经理、美国远东斯菲里商务有限公司执行董事、东方艺术文达有限公司总裁……这些公司和头衔,透着财富和实力;而对杨浦来说,仿佛还透着咄咄逼人的“人身攻击”。杨浦在单位栏里写下“马山矿业有限公司”,而在后面职务栏里他什么也没有写。
  • 梦杀

    梦杀

    闵林妃,古代太子,但却总用种自己不属于自己所处的时代的感觉,忽然有一天他的梦成为真的了,他来到了现代,伴随她的又会是怎样的生活呢?
  • 消费心理学

    消费心理学

    本书强调理论与实际相结合、科学性与实用性相结合的原则,注重对现实的市场营销活动中所发生的各种心理现象进行总结和理论概括,反映消费心理学理论在营销实践中的运用,从而体现消费心理学的应用性特征。本书在介绍西方消费心理学理论的同时,注重突出我国消费者心理与行为的特殊性,尽量引用我国研究者的研究与营销案例,注重使教材内容“中国化”。并努力结合21世纪以来我国消费环境的变化,反映消费心理的时代特色和发展趋势,尤其反映网络时代新的消费现象,尽量体现消费心理的地域特征与时间特征。在教材结构和写作风格上,力求体系完整、论证严谨、资料翔实、雅俗共赏,比较全面、系统和准确地阐述消费心理学的基本内容及其应用。
  • 害羞的小蜜蜂

    害羞的小蜜蜂

    《害羞的小蜜蜂》讲述了:有一只小蜜蜂,太害羞了。不论见了谁,她的脸都羞得像苹果一般红,而飞起来也是东躲西~藏的。小蜜蜂妈妈很着急,想让她到人多的地方去,多和大家接触接触。但小蜜蜂总是不肯,这可把蜜蜂妈妈愁坏了。蜜蜂妈妈终于说服小蜜蜂跟着自己一起去采蜜了。后,小蜜蜂变得开朗了。
  • 歌德谈话录

    歌德谈话录

    《歌德谈话录》是一部由艾克曼辑录和整理的,有关德国近代最伟大的文学家歌德晚年最成熟的思想和实践经验的总结,其中涉及哲学、美学、文艺理论、创作实践以及日常生活和处世态度,是一座“集聚歌德思想和智慧的宝库”;它曾被挑剔的尼采誉为用德文写出的最重要的散文,是一部体味智者之言、走近世界著名文学大师歌德的世界文学经典。总之,艾克曼的《歌德谈话录》确乎是一座宝库,能够帮助我们更全面地认识歌德,也发现另一个歌德。
  • 星海剑神

    星海剑神

    天元大陆,苍穹之上,亿万星辰,修炼武道者,可沟通九天星辰,觉炼化星辰之力,成为炼星者。纪墨携带格斗进化系统,重生在天元大陆,越级杀人可得技能点,越阶杀人可得属性点,一人一剑,纵横诸天万界!
  • 半岛电台

    半岛电台

    半岛电台(BDTV)是一家坐落于南朝鲜的有线电视台,电台收看率极低,收视群也仅仅只辐射在市中心当中,更因为前台长的意外去世而濒临破产边缘。然而,就是这样一家要人没人要钱没钱的电视台,突然有一天开始爆发出强大的人气,各种大牌频频出现在这家电视台之中,凭借各种吸人眼球的新颖综艺和电视剧一举成为当下最受年轻人所青睐的有线电视台。《拜托了冰箱》《新西游记》《请回答系列》……记者:沈正源,请问你是如何想出这些经典综艺节目和电视剧的?沈正源:没什么,只要你用心。面对记者的采访时,沈正源一边偷偷看了一眼系统,一边义正言辞的回答道。