"Was it a fault of foolish pride in me, Did I aspire audaciously, to hope That I, by doing and by daring much, Beyond my equals, might beyond them share Fulfilments such as these? I heard a voice Saying, 'Prepare the Lord His way.' I thought The Lord was near, and what I could, I would Do to make wide and smooth and straight His way Before Him, ere He came. I trusted Him That, when He came, He in His hands would bring Large recompense for servants faithful found, And not forget even Saul, should haply Saul Not utterly in vain prove to have striven, Removing from the path of His approach The stone of stumbling. "Sister, these are thoughts Such as men have, but cherish secretly, Even from themselves, and never speak aloud To any; I have now not spoken these To thee; thou hast but heard a few heart-beats Rendered articulate breath by grace of right Thine own to know the truth, who hast the truth Revealed to me. "O other conscience mine, Wherein have I gone wrong? I felt the power, Asleep within me, stirring half awake, To take possession of the minds of men And sway their wills; the world was not too wide To be the empire I could rule aright, As chiefest minister, were such His will, Of God's Messiah. Some one needs must sit At His right hand to hear and execute His pleasure--why not Saul? Who worthier? But now, alas! less worthy who, or who Less likely? I am fallen, am shamed--past hope, Past hope! I who aspired to greatest things Am to least things by proof unequal found! How shall I _not_ hate Stephen, who has wrought On me this great despite--besides what he Wrought on the suffering cause of truth divine?" Rachel's heart heaved, but in what words to speak She did not find. Saul into his dark mood Retired, and sat in silence for a while. Returning, then, for torture of himself, To that which Rachel brokenly began To say, and left unsaid, Saul asked of her: "What was it, sister, thou beganst to tell, When, not thy brother, but thy brother's spleen, Broke thy words off with interruption rude? Something it seemed of how, at Stephen's words, A change fell on thee, from thy first applause Of me--" "O Saul! A chasm of difference," So to her brother, Rachel sad burst forth, "Yawns betwixt thee and me this day, how wide, How wide! I feel the bond of sisterhood, Stretching across, not strained to break--for that Shall never, never be, in any world, O brother, truest, noblest, best beloved!-- But strained to draw thee to me where I am From where thou art, far off, albeit so near!" "A tragic riddle which I fail to read, Rachel," said Saul, perplexed; "solve thou it me."