"I will go down and put out the lights and see that all is safe. Then I will come up at once. Sleep, my life, sleep!" He passed his fingers caressingly across her forehead, and she fell asleep with a smile on her lips. He stole softly from the room, and went down and made the house safe; then he returned to the bedroom. The smile had left Rachel's lips; her face was paler, and there was a worn look on it. A terrible fear entered his heart. "O God! if she should die! O God! if I should lose her!" He took his silk taleth from its bag, and wrapping it around him, put on his hat, and stood and prayed, with his face to the east:-- "How precious is Thy mercy, O God! The children of men take refuge under the shadow of Thy wing. They are satisfied with the richness of Thy house, and Thou causest them to drink of the stream of Thy delight. For with Thee is the fountain of life; by Thy light only do we see light. O continue Thy mercy unto them who know Thee, and Thy righteousness to the upright of heart!" One line in the prayer he repeated again and again-- "For with Thee is the fountain of life; by Thy light only do we see light." And so he prayed till midnight, and the one supplication into which all else was merged was sent forth with touching pathos from his very heart of hearts-- "O Lord of the universe, Giver of all good, humbly I beseech Thee to spare my beloved! Take her not from me! Let her live, let her live, to bless my days! Let not darkness overwhelm me. It is Thy hand that directs the fountain of life." His prayers ended, he sat by the bedside watching his wife's face, and listening to her breathing. And Rachel slept on, and dreamt of the child whose face she was never to see on earth. BOOK THE THIRD. _THE TEMPTATION AND THE FALL_. CHAPTER XVIII. UNTO THEM A CHILD IS BORN. Three weeks of great anxiety followed. Despite the courage with which Rachel had borne the sudden visitation of blindness, her physical strength did not hold out, and, by the doctor's orders, she kept her bed. During these weeks Aaron had enough to do to put his affairs in order, and he had the additional trouble that matters turned out worse than he had anticipated. For security's sake, and to set the borrowers at ease, he transferred all the pledges that had been saved to another pawnbroker; those which were destroyed he considered himself bound in honour and common honesty to make good. He made no demur to the claims that were brought against him, but settled them promptly, and settled, also, all his trade debts. What with all this harassing business and his domestic sorrows, he was occupied day and night; but he was careful that Rachel should not suspect how bad things were with him.