1 “I knew how long it should take Tobias to travel to the town of Rages and back, and I counted each day. But when the time had gone by,
2-3 I became so worried, that at last I wondered out loud, ‘What could be keeping Tobias? Maybe Gabael is dead, and there is no one else to give him the money.’ ”
4 Anna replied, “I'm sure it's my son who is dead!” Then she started weeping and cried out,
5 “I've never known such sorrow! My son made my eyes sparkle. Why did I ever let him go?”
6 “But I kept trying to encourage her by saying, ‘Now my darling, don't cry. There's no need to worry—I'm sure Tobias is all right. After all, the man who went with him is a relative of ours, and he can be trusted. Something unexpected must have delayed them. Tobias will be home soon, so you don't need to worry or even talk about it anymore.’ ”