tone and the words speeding up:
"... Then said David to the Philistine, Thou contest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but 1 come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, who thou hast defied.
"This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.
"And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hands."
Henry's face had not changed.
"And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew nigh to meet David, that David hasted, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine.
"And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth.
"So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling, and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David.
"Therefore David ran, and stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled."
Bleys was openly watching Henry now, but Henry's face was as unchanged as the cart around them.
"... And the men of Israel and of Judah arose, and shouted, and pursued the Philistines, until thou come to the valley, and to the gates of Ekron. And the wounded of the Philistines fell down by the way to Shaaraim, even unto Gath, and unto Ekron.
"And the children of Israel returned from chasing after the Philistines, and they spoiled their tents ..."
Bleys stopped reciting. He turned and looked directly at Henry. For a long moment the other merely stared back at him. Then, as if suddenly waking up, he jerked his head, gathered up the goat reins and turned his attention to the road before them, chucking the reins to urge the goats temporarily to a trot, which gradually dwindled as they went on, until they were back in their walking pace again.
Meanwhile he continued to stare straight ahead and say nothing.
"Was that the way it actually was, Uncle?" asked Bleys at last, out of a desperate need to break the silence.
For a moment it seemed that Henry had not heard him. Then he drew a deep breath.
"There are no miracles nowadays!" he said violently to the windscreen, as if Bleys was not even there. "No! No miracles!"
But then he turned and looked at Bleys.
"Yes, boy, ' he said, "that's how it was. As it is written, in the First Book of Samuel in the seventeenth chapter."
"I thought so," said Bleys softly, for now the time for histrionics was past. He had had some success, after all. All this, and all that was yet to come from him, was simply a basis upon which perhaps he could build a better relationship. "I knew you'd be able to tell me for certain."
But Henry said nothing, driving the goat cart ahead.
Bleys let the silence continue again for a good time. Finally, he ventured another timid feeler.
"Would you like me to tell you what I know about Moses and the Ten Commandments?" he asked.
"No!" Henry stared unchanged of face through the windscreen. "No more! No more of that, for now!"
They drove on in silence. The skies had lowered and darkened; and Bleys was beginning to feel weary. He had been doing his best to use his trick of sitting unnaturally still. But his natural fund of eleven-year-old energy was threatening to explode inside him. He wondered how much further they would go before they got to their destination.
Desperately, he went on waiting. Sometimes that was the only way, to let the other person lead the talking. Then you could answer with some certainty; and with a
"... Then said David to the Philistine, Thou contest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but 1 come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, who thou hast defied.
"This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.
"And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hands."
Henry's face had not changed.
"And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew nigh to meet David, that David hasted, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine.
"And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth.
"So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling, and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David.
"Therefore David ran, and stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled."
Bleys was openly watching Henry now, but Henry's face was as unchanged as the cart around them.
"... And the men of Israel and of Judah arose, and shouted, and pursued the Philistines, until thou come to the valley, and to the gates of Ekron. And the wounded of the Philistines fell down by the way to Shaaraim, even unto Gath, and unto Ekron.
"And the children of Israel returned from chasing after the Philistines, and they spoiled their tents ..."
Bleys stopped reciting. He turned and looked directly at Henry. For a long moment the other merely stared back at him. Then, as if suddenly waking up, he jerked his head, gathered up the goat reins and turned his attention to the road before them, chucking the reins to urge the goats temporarily to a trot, which gradually dwindled as they went on, until they were back in their walking pace again.
Meanwhile he continued to stare straight ahead and say nothing.
"Was that the way it actually was, Uncle?" asked Bleys at last, out of a desperate need to break the silence.
For a moment it seemed that Henry had not heard him. Then he drew a deep breath.
"There are no miracles nowadays!" he said violently to the windscreen, as if Bleys was not even there. "No! No miracles!"
But then he turned and looked at Bleys.
"Yes, boy, ' he said, "that's how it was. As it is written, in the First Book of Samuel in the seventeenth chapter."
"I thought so," said Bleys softly, for now the time for histrionics was past. He had had some success, after all. All this, and all that was yet to come from him, was simply a basis upon which perhaps he could build a better relationship. "I knew you'd be able to tell me for certain."
But Henry said nothing, driving the goat cart ahead.
Bleys let the silence continue again for a good time. Finally, he ventured another timid feeler.
"Would you like me to tell you what I know about Moses and the Ten Commandments?" he asked.
"No!" Henry stared unchanged of face through the windscreen. "No more! No more of that, for now!"
They drove on in silence. The skies had lowered and darkened; and Bleys was beginning to feel weary. He had been doing his best to use his trick of sitting unnaturally still. But his natural fund of eleven-year-old energy was threatening to explode inside him. He wondered how much further they would go before they got to their destination.
Desperately, he went on waiting. Sometimes that was the only way, to let the other person lead the talking. Then you could answer with some certainty; and with a
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