"The Lord hath seen our tears at last," she cried.

"He has put our sin beneath His feet.

We are forgiven.

It will be well with the child yet." Israel did not try to gainsay her, and at sight and sound of her joy, seeing it so beautiful, yet thinking it so vain, he could not help at last but weep.

Presently she became quiet again, and then again, after a little while, she woke as from a sleep.
"I am ready now," she said in a whisper, "quite ready, sweet Heaven, quite, quite ready now." Then with her one free hand she felt in the darkness for Israel, where he sat beside her, and touching his forehead she smoothed it, and said very softly, "Farewell, my husband!" And Israel answered her, "Farewell!" "Good-night!" she whispered.
And Israel drew down her hand from his forehead to his lips and sobbed, and said, "Good-night, beloved!" Then she put her white lips to the child's blind eyes, and at that moment the spirit of the Lord came to her, and the Lord took her, and she died.
When lamps had been brought into the room, and Fatimah saw that the end had come, she would have lifted Naomi from Ruth's bosom, but the child awoke as she was being moved, and clasped her little fingers about the dead mother's neck and covered the mouth with kisses.