Ben Hur by Lew Wallace (best romance ebooks TXT) 📕

She turned away.

“Amrah,” said one of the lepers.

The Egyptian dropped the jar, and looked back, trembling.

“Who called me?” she asked.

“Amrah.”

The servant’s wondering eyes settled upon the speaker’s face.

“Who are you?” she cried.

“We are they you are seeking.”

Amrah fell upon her knees.

“O my mistress, my mistress! As I have made your God my God, be he praised that he has led me to you!”

And upon her knees the poor overwhelmed creature began moving forward.

“Stay, Amrah! Come not nearer. Unclean, unclean!”

The words sufficed. Amrah fell upon her face, sobbing so loud the people at the well heard her. Suddenly she arose upon her knees again.

“O my mistress, where is Tirzah?”

“Here I am, Amrah, here! Will you not bring me a little water?”

The habit of the servant renewed itself. Putting back the coarse hair fallen over her face, Amrah arose and went to the basket and uncovered it.

“See,” she said, “here are bread and meat.”

She would have spread the napkin upon the ground, but the mistress spoke again,

“Do not so, Amrah. Those yonder may stone you, and refuse us drink. Leave the basket with me. Take up the jar and fill it, and bring it here. We will carry them to the tomb with us. For this day you will then have rendered all the service that is lawful. Haste, Amrah.”

The people under whose eyes all this had passed made way for the servant, and even helped her fill the jar, so piteous was the grief her countenance showed.

“Who are they?” a woman asked.

Amrah meekly answered, “They used to be good to me.”

Raising the jar upon her shoulder, she hurried back. In forgetfulness, she would have gone to them, but the cry “Unclean, unclean! Beware!” arrested her. Placing the water by the basket, she stepped back, and stood off a little way.

“Thank you, Amrah,” said the mistress, taking the articles into possession. “This is very good of you.”

“Is there nothing more I can do?” asked Amrah.

The mother’s hand was upon the jar, and she was fevered with thirst; yet she paused, and rising, said firmly, “Yes, I know that Judah has come home. I saw him at the gate night before last asleep on the step. I saw you wake him.”

Amrah clasped her hands.

“O my mistress! You saw it, and did not come!”

“That would have been to kill him. I can never take him in my arms again. I can never kiss him more. O Amrah, Amrah, you love him, I know!”

“Yes,” said the true heart, bursting into tears again, and kneeling. “I would die for him.”

“Prove to me what you say, Amrah.”

“I am ready.”

“Then you shall not tell him where we are or that you have seen us⁠—only that, Amrah.”

“But he is looking for you. He has come from afar to find you.”

“He must not find us. He shall not become what we are. Hear, Amrah. You shall serve us as you have this day. You shall bring us the little we need⁠—not long now⁠—not long. You shall come every morning and evening thus, and⁠—and”⁠—the voice trembled, the strong will almost broke down⁠—“and you shall tell us of him, Amrah; but to him you shall say nothing of us. Hear you?”

“Oh, it will be so hard to hear him speak of you, and see him going about looking for you⁠—to see all his love, and not tell him so much as that you are alive!”

“Can you tell him we are well, Amrah?”

The servant bowed her head in her arms.

“No,” the mistress continued; “wherefore to be silent altogether. Go now, and come this evening. We will look for you. Till then, farewell.”

“The burden will be heavy, O my mistress, and hard to bear,” said Amrah, falling upon her face.

“How much harder would it be to see him as we are,” the mother answered as she gave the basket to Tirzah. “Come again this evening,” she repeated, taking up the water, and starting for the tomb.

Amrah waited kneeling until they had disappeared; then she took the road sorrowfully home.

In the evening she returned; and thereafter it became her custom to serve them in the morning and evening, so that they wanted for nothing needful. The tomb, though ever so stony and desolate, was less cheerless than the cell in the Tower had been. Daylight gilded its door, and it was in the beautiful world. Then, one can wait death with so much more faith out under the open sky.

The morning of the first day of the seventh month⁠—Tishri in the Hebrew, October in English⁠—Ben-Hur arose from his couch in the khan ill satisfied with the whole world.

Little time had been lost in consultation upon the arrival of Malluch. The latter began the search at the Tower of Antonia, and began it boldly, by a direct inquiry of the tribune commanding. He gave the officer a history of the Hurs, and all the particulars of the accident to Gratus, describing the affair as wholly without criminality. The object of the quest now, he said, was if any of the unhappy family were discovered alive to carry a petition to the feet of Caesar, praying restitution of the estate and return to their civil rights. Such a petition, he had no doubt, would result in an investigation by the imperial order, a proceeding of which the friends of the family had no fear.

In reply the tribune stated circumstantially the discovery of the women in the Tower, and permitted a reading of the memorandum he had taken of their account of themselves; when leave to copy it was prayed, he even permitted that.

Malluch thereupon hurried to Ben-Hur.

It were useless to attempt description of the effect the terrible story had upon the young man. The pain was not relieved by tears or passionate outcries; it was too deep for any expression. He sat still a long time, with pallid face and laboring heart. Now and then, as if to show the thoughts which were