Eglah turned to the old man a grateful look. “O sir,” she said, “you do not know how kind and good my Glaucus was. I never had an angry word from him. Nor did he ever hinder me from my prayers. Rather he would say when I went three times to my chamber to pray, ‘Speak a word for me, wife, if you will.’ And he would oftentimes speak to me about my God, and say that he liked Him better than the gods in whom _he_ had been taught to believe. And I used to tell him stories out of the Book, and how the Lord had delivered his people out of the land of Egypt, and had brought them into the land which He sware to Abraham to give him. And he never mocked or laughed, but listened with all his heart. And, sir, I do sometimes think that if he had been spared to live longer, he would have become one of us. But he is dead, and I shall never, never see him any more.” And the poor desolate widow burst out into a passion of tears, and threw herself prostrate on the couch, Huldah trying to comfort her, not with words—which, indeed, she could not command, and which, in any case, would have been of small avail—but with great demonstrations of love. After a while Eglah looked up, and turning to Shemaiah, in whose sympathy and charity she trusted, said, “O, sir, do you think that there is any hope for him? Must he go into that dreadful Gehenna? For indeed he was kind and good, and never thought of any woman but his wife, and never injured one of our people, but would help them and defend them when his fellows were rough with them. He was better than many Jews that I know. Is it not possible that God may have mercy upon him?” Joel was about to speak, but Shemaiah beckoned to him to hold his peace. “My daughter,” he said, “these things are too deep for us; but I would say, be of good hope for him that is gone, seeing that he was such as you say. Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? To some He giveth much light, and to some but little; and He judgeth each according to that which He has given. Therefore I bid you be of good cheer.” “And may I pray for him?” asked Eglah. “Surely you may, for no prayer, so that it come out of an honest heart and pure lips, but finds some fulfilment.”(17) He rose and, giving her his blessing, departed, followed by Joel, whose narrow intelligence was not a little startled by what his old companion had said. CHAPTER XXI. THE DEDICATION OF THE TEMPLE.