My dear Mary Hunter. It appears that youwished to give me a book for Christmas, butwere in doubt what book to give me as Iseemed to have little taste for reading, soin your embarrassment you gave me a Bible.It lies on my table now with the date 1898on the fly-leaf—my constant companion andchief literary interest for the last eighteenyears. Itself a literature, it has led me intomany various literatures and into the societyof scholars.
I owe so much to your Bible that I cannotlet pass the publication of "The BrookKerith" without thanking you for it again.Yours always, George Moore.
It was at the end of a summer evening, long after hisusual bedtime, that Joseph, sitting on his grandmother'sknee, heard her tell that Kish having lost his asses sentSaul, his son, to seek them in the land of the Benjamitesand the land of Shalisha, whither they might havestrayed. But they were not in these lands, Son, she continued,nor in Zulp, whither Saul went afterwards, andbeing then tired out with looking for them he said tothe servant: we shall do well to forget the asses, lestmy father should ask what has become of us. But theservant, being of a mind that Kish would not care tosee them without the asses, said to young Saul: let usgo up into yon city, for a great seer lives there and hewill be able to put us in the right way to come upon theasses. But we have little in our wallet to recompensehim, Saul answered, only half a loaf and a little wine atthe end of the bottle. We have more than that, theservant replied, and opening his hand he showed aquarter of a shekel of silver to Saul, who said: he willtake that in payment. Whereupon they walked intoArimathea, casting their eyes about for somebody todirect them to the seer's house. And seeing somemaidens at the well, come to draw water, they askedthem if the seer had been in the city that day, and wereanswered that he had been seen and would offer sacrificethat morning, as had been announced. He must be onhis way now to the high rock, one of the maidens criedafter them, and they pressed through the people till nonewas in front of them but an old man walking alone,likewise in the direction of the rock; and overtakinghim they asked if he could point out the seer's houseto them, to which he answered sharply: I am the seer,and fell at once to gazing on Saul as if he saw in himthe one that had been revealed to him. For you see, Son,seers have foresight, and the seer had been warned overnightthat the Lord would send a young man to him, so themoment he saw Saul he knew him to be the one the Lordhad promised, and he said: thou art he whom the Lord haspromised to send me for anointment, but more than thatI cannot tell thee, being on my way to offer sacrifice, butafterwards we will eat together, and all that has beenrevealed to me I will tell. You understand me, Son, theold woman crooned, the Lord had been with Samuelbeforetimes and had promised to send the King of Israelto him for anointment, and the moment he laid eyeson Saul he knew him to be the king; and that was whyhe asked him to eat with him after sacrifice. Yes,Granny, I understand: but did the Lord set the assesastray that Saul might follow them and come to Samuelto be made a King? I daresay there was something likethat at the bottom of it, the old woman answered, and continuedher story till her knees ached under the boy's weight.
The child's asleep, she said, and on the instant heawoke crying: no, Granny, I wasn't asleep. I heard allyou said and would like to be a prophet. A prophet,Joseph, and to anoint a king? But there are