Renounce them, and, pure, stand up in the desert before the face of God. Let the rock be your bed, let the howling jackal become your friend, let only the sky and the sand hear the penitent moans of David--not a single stain of another's sin shall come upon the pure snow of his soul. He who remains with lepers becomes a leper himself--only in solitude will you see God. To the desert, David, to the desert! DAVID. I shall pray. ANATHEMA. You will pray. DAVID. I shall exhaust my body with fasting. ANATHEMA. You will exhaust your body with fasting. DAVID. I shall cover my head with ashes. ANATHEMA. What for? Unfortunate people do that. But you will be happy, David, in your sinlessness. To the desert, David, to the desert! DAVID. To the desert, Nullius, to the desert! ANATHEMA. _Quickly._ Let us run. There is a cellar here of which no one knows. There are old barrels there, and there is the smell of wine. I shall hide you. And when they fall asleep-- DAVID. To the desert! To the desert! _They rush out quickly. Disorder and silence in the room.. Through the open window soon comes in the noise of voices and of brass trumpets, moans and sobs of the mob,--"Da-a-a-vid!"_ _And with its pages bent under it, like a house that is falling apart, lies the Bible, with its back upward._ SLOW CURTAIN. ACT FIVE. _On the right, upon the slope of a mountain, a dilapidated stone fence. On the left, the sea is seen. Beyond the fence, a deserted garden; among the trees two tall cypress trees stand out prominently. The sea is dark. It is before a storm. The sky is overcast with heavy clouds, which are driven rapidly by the wind._ _As the curtain goes up no one is on the stage; then Anathema climbs over the fence and assists David over the fence. David is very weak and moves with difficulty. Their dark clothes are covered with mud and torn in places. Both have lost their hats on the way._ ANATHEMA. Quicker, quicker, David! They are pursuing us. In this dark garden, where it is so quiet, I heard a roaring in the distance, on that side,--as though there were another sea there. Quicker, David! DAVID. I can't, Nullius. Put me down here that I may die. ANATHEMA. Put your foot here, on this rock. Take care. DAVID. Before my eyes are paths which turn and turn and lead to the wall. Then there are more walls, Nullius, and this dark ditch where a bloated dead horse is lying. Where are we, Nullius? ANATHEMA. We are at the sea. We shall take a boat from the fishermen and trust ourselves to the waves--You will sooner find mercy with the senseless waves, David, than with the maddened people. DAVID. Yes, it is better to die. _He lies down by the fence._