Last of all, old Abraham Pigman handed over the people's heads a huge green Spanish umbrella to a negro farrier that walked within; and the black fellow, showing his white teeth in a wide grim, held it over Israel's head.
Then from fifty rasping throats came mocking cries.
"God bless our Lord!" "Saviour of his people!" "Benefactor! King of men!" And over and between these cries came shrieks and yells of laughter.
All this time Israel had sat motionless on his ass, neither showing humiliation nor fear.

His face was worn and ashy, but his eyes burned with a piteous fire.

He looked up and saw everything; saw himself mocked by the soldier and the crier, insulted by the Muslimeen, derided by the Jews, spat upon and smitten by the people whose hungry mouths he had fed with bread.

Above all, he saw Naomi going before him in her shame, and at that sight his heart bled and his spirit burred.

And, thinking that it was he who had brought her to this ignominy, he sometimes yearned to reach her side and whisper in her ear, and say, "Forgive me, my child, forgive me." But again he conquered the desire, for he remembered what God had that day done for her; and taking it for a sign of God's pleasure, and a warranty that he had done well, he raised his eyes on her with tears of bitter joy, and thought, in the wild fever of his soul, "She is sharing the triumph of my humiliation.