Of course he, too, ought to have spoken to her; it was the natural
thing to do, and it was extraordinary that he did not. But he let
her go; she knelt down by her bed, prayed her prayer to her God, and
in five minutes was asleep. Zachariah ten minutes afterwards prayed
his prayer to HIS God, and lay down, but not to sleep. No sooner was
his head on his pillow than the play was before his eyes, and
Othello, Desdemona, and Iago moved and spoke again for hours. Then
came the thoughts with which he had left the theatre and the
revulsion on reaching home. Burning with excitement at what was a
discovery to him, he had entered his house with even an enthusiasm
for his wife, and an impatient desire to try upon her the experiment
which he thought would reveal so much to him and make him wealthy for
ever. But when she met him he was struck dumb. He was shut up again
in his old prison, and what was so hopeful three hours before was all
vanity. So he struggled through the short night, and, as soon as he
could, rose and went out. This was a frequent practice, and his wife
was not surprised when she woke to find he had gone. She was in the
best of spirits again, and when he returned, after offering him the
usual morning greeting, she inquired at once in what part of the
theatre he was, and why he had not used the ticket.
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