“Yes,” said Eliezer. “He’s even more devoted to the holy writings than my master is. I think that if he didn’t have duties that forced him out into the fields and pastures, he’d spend all day reading. It’s the great joy of his life.” Then Eliezer smiled. “Or was, until now.”

“What’s different now?” And then she realized how stupid she was—of course he was referring to her arrival. “Oh. We’ll see how long it takes before I drive him even deeper into the writings.”

Eliezer just laughed. “No one is that attuned to God.”

They came out of a particularly rough passage on paths that seemed invisible, they were so stony, though Eliezer and his men gave no sign of having to search for the way through—they walked it as surely as she walked the path from Father’s camp to the well of Haran. Before them was an oasis, a green place with orchards and bean fields and vineyards, as well as pens for animals and several tents. Still, the tents seemed few for the camp of a great lord, and so she asked doubtfully, “Is this the camp of Abraham?”

“Oh, no,” said Eliezer with a laugh. “You’ll know my master’s camp when you see it. This is the well of Lahai-roi. These fields belong to my master, of course. But any land given over to tents is land you can’t farm, and so we keep this place empty of people except for those actually working the soil and tending the trees and vines.”

“Who is that man walking through the fields? He seems to be coming to greet us.”

Eliezer looked where she was pointing, and then gave a grunt of surprise. “It is the son of my master.”

“My husband?” she asked, suddenly breathless.

“I didn’t know he’d be at Lahai-roi.” Eliezer looked at her as she tried to arrange her hair. “It’s no use,” he said. “No matter what you do, you still look beautiful.”

“I do not,” said Rebekah. “His first sight of me should not be like this, filthy from traveling.”

“Too late, don’t you think?” said Eliezer.

“Make my camel kneel, please,” said Rebekah.

At Eliezer’s command the caravan came to a halt and Rebekah’s camel went to its knees. Eliezer reached to help her down, but she had done this often enough to know how to alight from a camel on her own. Lightly she sprang to the ground, and, keeping the camel between her and Isaac, she quickly found what she needed. She pulled the veil from the sack where she had packed it, and put it over her head.

“What are you doing?” asked Eliezer.

“My husband’s first sight of me is not going to be looking like this.”

“So it’s better he sees you with a sack over your head?”

“A veil.”