But when she continued to lie on his bosom it was not only because he was her father and she loved him, and because he had been lost to her and was found, it was also because he alone was silent of all that were about her.
When he saw this his heart was humbled; but he understood her fears, that, coming out of a land of great silence, where the voice of man was never heard, where the air was songless as the air of dreams and darkling as the air of a tomb, her soul misgave her, and her spirit trembled in a new world of strange sounds.

For what was the ear but a little dark chamber, a vault, a dungeon in a castle, wherein the soul was ever passing to and fro, asking for news of the world without?
Through seventeen dark and silent years the soul of Naomi had been passing and repassing within its beautiful tabernacle of flesh, crying daily and hourly, "Watchman, what of the world ?" At length it had found an answer, and it was terrified.

The world had spoken to her soul and its voice was like the reverberations of a subterranean cavern, strange and deep and awful.
In that first moment of Israel's consciousness after he entered the room, all four black folks seemed to be speaking together.
Ali was saying, "Father, those dogs and thieves of tentmen and muleteers returned yesterday, and said--" And the bondwomen were crying, "Sidi, you were right when you went away!" "Yes, the dear child was ill!" "Oh, how she missed you when you were gone." "She has been delirious, and the doctor, the son of Tetuan--" And the old Taleb was muttering, "Master, it is all by God's mercy.

We prayed for the life of the maiden, and lo! He has given us this gateway to her spirit as well." Then Israel saw that as their voices entered the dark vault of Naomi's ears they startled and distressed her.

So, to pacify her, he motioned them out of the chamber.