“But now,” continued Shaphat, while his voice once more was near to breaking, “I found all the demons of the Chaldees rising up within me; for it seemed impossible that I should refuse life riches, and yet a voice spoke ever goading, warning, torturing, ‘Better a life of beggary and rags, than do this deed which will cry out to God.’ But then I answered myself, saying: ‘God is already angered past all atoning. He can never forgive. Let me make joy to-day, for to-morrow is only endless gloom.’ And so I continued debating long and bitterly, while we measured the long road. But when we drew near to Babylon, the Lady Ruth spoke to me, after her gentle way, ‘Good Shaphat, what are you fearing, and why does your face become so sad?’ Whereupon I answered her: ‘You know I have promised to deliver you to some friend who will keep you safely. Do you put trust in me, seeing that I have done great wrong to my lord, your father?’ And she looked up at me, and said, in her innocency, little knowing all the evil that was passing in my breast, ‘You have truly done great ill, and on this account I will put trust in you yet more, for I know you will not wish to anger the good Lord God for yet a second time.’—‘Alas!’ cried I, ‘have I not so angered Him that I can never be forgiven, though I had all the riches of the Egibi bankers, and spent them in alms-deeds on the poor?’ But she said, and her voice was like a cool hand laid upon my brow, ‘And wherefore should the good God not forgive? for I know that I, since I see you truly sorry, have forgiven, and so, surely, has my father; and have we more of pity than Jehovah the All-Merciful?’ Then,” but here the apostate must needs stop and weep hot tears indeed, “as I looked down upon her, and saw how fair she was, how her face was pure as a summer’s cloud, and her heart guileless as a bursting flower, and when I told myself how selling her to Belshazzar would be selling her to worse than death, I said within my soul, ‘I cannot do this evil deed in sight of God; no, though I die this hour, and descend to Sheol forever, I shall yet have this to comfort me, that I am free from this great sin.’ For I felt as if ten thousand talents from the king would turn to fire in my hands. All the rest of the way to Babylon the fiends pressed close to tempt me, but they had lost their power. I fought them all away. I scarce knew where to take the Lady Ruth, but I remembered that Dagan-Milki was your friend, and unsuspected among the Babylonians. I little thought to place her in your keeping. When I gave her to Dagan, for a moment my soul had peace. Nevertheless, when I saw how even he, a Chaldee, turned the back on me, and I thought on my great sins, my sorrows all returned, and I have been fearfully tormented. But as Jehovah is my judge, I have told all truly.” He was weeping once more, but Isaiah stepped beside him, and took him by the hand.