"Then John sickened and said: 'Bring me into the room of silence.' So they brought him to the place where they sat each day to converse¹ with God in the holy stillness and hear His voice.  
"Then John said: 'I am about to depart from among you, and before my going I put this command on you that you find in the world a male infant too young to know its father or mother, or without father and mother living. Rear that child to manhood in the valley, for even as I depart so will you all do, and the Garden of Eden will be left tenantless².'
 
"So when John was dead Matthew went forth³ and found a male child and brought him to the valley and the two said: 'Where was the child found and what is its name?' And Matthew said: 'It was found in the place to which God led me and its name hereafter shall be David.'
 
"So peace was on the valley, and David grew tall and strong. Then Luke died, and Paul died in a drift of snow and Matthew grew very old and wrote these words for the eye of David."
 
The smooth running, finely made letters come to an end, the narrative⁴ was taken up in fresher ink and in a bold, heavy hand of large characters.
 
"One day Matthew called for David and said: 'My hands are cold, whereby I know I am about to die. As I lay last night with death for a bedfellow thoughts came to me, which are these: We have been brother and father and son to one another. But do not grieve that I am gone. I inherit a place of peace, but you shall come to torment⁵ unless you find a woman in the world and bring her here to bear children to you and be your wife.'
 
"Then David groaned⁶ in his heart and he said: 'How shall I know her when I find her?'
 
"And Matthew said: 'By her simplicity⁷.'
 
"And David said: 'There may be many who are simple.'
 
"And Matthew said: 'I have never known such a woman. But when you see her your heart will rise up and claim her. Therefore, within five years, before you are grown too old, go out and find this woman and wed⁸ her.'
 
"And on that day Matthew died, and a great anguish⁹ came to David. The days passed heavily. And for five years he has waited."
 
There was another interval¹⁰ of blank paper, and then the pen had been taken up anew, hurriedly, and driven with such force and haste that it tore the paper-surface.
 
"The woman is here!"
 
Her fingers stiffened¹¹ about the edges of the book. Raising her head, she looked out through the little window and saw the tree tops down the hillside brightening against the red of the dawn. But Connor could not see her face. He only noted¹² the place at which she had stopped, and now he began to laugh.
 
"Can you beat that? That poor dub¹³!"
 
She turned to him, slowly, a face so full of mute anguish that the gambler stopped his laughter to gape¹⁴ at her. Was she taking this seriously? Was this the Bluebeard's chamber¹⁵ which was to ruin all his work?
 
Not that he perceived what was going on in her mind, but her expression made him aware, all at once, of the morning-quiet. Far down the valley a horse neighed and a bird swooping¹⁶ past the window cast in on them one thrilling phrase of music. And Connor saw the girl change under his very eye. She was looking straight at him without seeing his face and into whatever distance her glance went he felt that he could not follow her. Here at the very threshold of success the old ledger¹⁷ was proving a more dangerous enemy than David himself. Connor fumbled¹⁸ for words, the Open Sesame which would let in the common sense of the everyday world upon the girl. But the very fear of that crisis kept him dumb. He glanced from the pale hand on the ledger to her face, and it seemed to him that beauty had fallen upon her out of the book.
 
"The woman is here! God has sent her!"
 
At that she cried out faintly, her voice trembling with self-scorn: "God has sent me—me!"
 
"The heart of David stood up and beat in his throat when he saw her," went on the rough, strong writing. "She passed the gate. Every step she took was into the soul of David. As I went beside her the trees grew taller and the sky was more blue.
 
"She has passed the gate. She is here. She is mine!
 
"What am I that she should be mine? God has sent her to show me that my strength is clumsy. I have no words to fit her. When I look into her eyes I see her soul; my vision leaps from star to star, a great distance, and I am filled with humility¹⁹. O Father in Heaven, having led her to my hand, teach me to give her happiness, to pour her spirit full of content."
 
She closed the book reverently²⁰ and pressed her hands against her face. He heard her murmuring: "What have I done? God forgive me!"
 
Connor grew angry. It was no time for trifling²¹.
 
He touched her arm: "Come on out of this, Ruth. If you're going to get religion, try it later."
 
At that she flung away and faced him, and what he saw was a revelation of angry scorn.
 
"Don't touch me," she stammered²² at him. "You cheat! Is that the barbarian²³ you were telling me about? Is that the cruel, selfish fool you tried to make me think was David of Eden?"
 
His own weapons were turning against him, but he retained his self-control.
 
"I won't listen to you, Ruth. It's this hush-stuff that's got you. It's this infernal room. It makes you feel that the fathead has actually got the dope from God."
 
"How do you know that God hasn't come to him here? At least, he's had the courage and the faith to believe it. What faith have we? I know your heaven, Ben Connor. It's paved with dollar bills. And mine, too. We've come sneaking²⁴ in here like cowardly thieves. Oh, I hate myself, I loathe²⁵ myself. I've stolen his heart, and what have I to give him in exchange? I'm not even worthy²⁶ to love him! Barbarian? He's so far greater and finer than we are that we aren't worthy to look in his face!"
 
"By the Lord!" groaned Connor. "Are you double-crossing me?"
 
"Could I do anything better? Who tempted²⁷ me like a devil and brought me here? Who taught me to play the miserable²⁸ game with David? You, you, you!"
 
Perspiration²⁹ was streaming ............