Early upon the morning following a servant came to Leah and said:

"There be a lad outside the gates of the palace who desires speech with thee."

"A lad desires speech with me," said the little maid, wonderingly. "But I know no lad in Damascus."

"He inquired for the Israelite maiden who is a slave in the house of Naaman," replied the servant. "'Tis only a ragged beggar lad," and the servant turned scornfully away.

Leah passed out of the palace and ran down to the great gates.

Beyond the gates, for the servant had not permitted him to enter, stood a lad. His coarse garments were soiled and torn, his bare feet were cut and bleeding. The golden light from the rising sun fell upon his dark curly head.

Uttering a cry of joy, he ran, with outstretched hands, towards the little maid.

"Leah! sister! I have found thee at last!" he cried.

She stood motionless, gazing at him with wide, bewildered eyes.

"Isaac! my brother! is it indeed thou?" she cried.

"Yes, 'tis indeed thy Isaac!" he answered. "But, as thou dost see, no longer a cripple for Elisha has made me whole."

"Elisha has made thee whole," she repeated.

"Yes; listen, and I will tell thee all," said Isaac. "I will speak but briefly of the sorrow which did fill our hearts when thou wert captured by the Syrians. Had I not been a helpless cripple I would have gone forth to seek thee. Then one day our mother called our father to her and said, 'Unless thou seeketh help we shall soon have no child, for Isaac will die of his grief for his sister.' 'Where and of whom shall I seek help?' asked our father. 'Journey to Samaria and seek the prophet, Elisha,' answered our mother. 'Tell to him how heavily the hand of misfortune has fallen upon our home. Beg of him to return with thee and heal our son.'

"So upon the morrow our father did borrow the ass of our neighbor and set forth upon his journey to Samaria. In the evening he returned, bringing Elisha with him. That night, sister, while our parents slept, Elisha came and stood beside my couch. I felt the touch of his hand upon my limbs and I heard his voice saying, 'With the sun thou shalt rise from thy couch and walk.' Then he was gone and it seemed to me I had but dreamed. When the morning had come and the sun had risen, Elisha was gone, but I did arise from my couch and walk, for I was strong and made whole.

"Then did I set forth to seek thee. I was many days in reaching Damascus. I was often hungry and footsore, but I was happy for I was no longer a cripple. But yesterday I did pass through the gates of Damascus. There was great excitement upon the streets. The people were shouting and uttering cries of joy. I learned that they were rejoicing because Naaman, a great Syrian general and favorite of the king, Benhadad, had returned from Samaria healed of his leprosy.

"I asked a woman in the crowd who had healed Naaman. 'A great man called Elisha,' she replied. 'Tis said that Naaman did hear of this Elisha through a little Israelite maid who is a slave in Naaman's household.' Oh, dear sister, how I did rejoice at her words for I knew then that I had found thee. I am come to offer myself as Naaman's slave that I may ransom thee."

Leah put her arms tenderly about his neck.

"Brother," she said, "I am no more a slave; neither shalt thou nor our parents labor, for Naaman has made me rich. Oh! dear brother! our hearts should indeed be filled with gratitude to Jehovah, Israel's God."