Eliezer knelt back up and opened the bag at his waist. He brought forth more jewelry and laid it upon the rug before him. The pieces were of the purest gold Rebekah had ever seen, their luster deep and rich in the evening light that slanted into the tent, or of a silver that showed no sign of tarnish. The gems set in the rings and necklaces were polished perfectly and seemed to glow with inner light. All the workmanship was extraordinarily delicate and even. Rebekah had never imagined that such things could exist, let alone be offered as a gift for her. And not the bride-gift, either, for these were clearly intended to adorn her body, not remain behind with Father and Mother when she left.

Eliezer dipped again into his bag, taking out yet another necklace, which seemed every bit as fine as the gifts he brought for her, and laid it before Mother. Then a cup covered with hammered gold, crazed with an intricate pattern of inlaid silver, and inset with precious stones, which he set before Laban, who picked it up with awe.

Nothing for Father, of course. The bride-gift, when it was offered, would be for him.

Then Eliezer reached out his hand toward Rebekah. “It is not my hand that I offer you, mistress, but the hand of my master’s son Isaac. Will you take it?”

“Even if he had come without gold and jewels,” said Rebekah, “but adorned only with the simple faith in God that you have shown today, I would take the hand that is offered to me.” And she reached out and took his hand in both of hers, and bent over it, and kissed it. “It is not your hand I kiss,” she said, “but the hand of your master’s son Isaac, who will be my husband, and I will be his wife.”

Eliezer looked her in the eyes, and she could see how he focused on first her left, then her right eye, back and forth, as if he were searching for something in her face. Whether he found it or not she could not tell, but after a long while, he took back his hand and rose to his feet. “I have done the errand my master sent me on. Now, I will accept your generous offer of food and drink for me and my men.”

There was a feast that night, with singing and celebrating. Rebekah knew it was all in her honor, but it began to seem to her that the women were far too happy for her comfort. Were they celebrating the happiness of her wedding, or the fact that they would no longer be taking instructions from this child?

She knew that this was an absurd idea, but somewhere in the evening’s festivities she wanted someone to say some small thing about how much Rebekah would be missed.