Caleb quickly dismounted, knelt down and cupped his hands. He brought the cool water to his lips, drank, then splashed it on his face. "This is a tranquil place," he said, drying his face on his sleeve.

"Indeed it is, I come here quite often." Uriah dismounted and let the horses drink their fill. He tied them to a tree and started down a narrow path until he found a large, flat rock and sat down. He leaned back against the tree trunk and crossed his legs. Soon, Caleb had done the same. "The time has come to speak the truth."

"At last." Caleb reached beneath him, recovered a small rock and tossed it in the water. "Will I be allowed to ask questions?"

"Am I that intolerable?"

"Well, becoming a husband and father makes you a bit less tiresome. But I will be pleased to hear your confession at long last."

"What confession?"

Caleb rolled his eyes, "You know very well what confession. Why is it Mary hated you one day and married you the next?"

"Oh, that confession. Some of us are not inclined to wait as long as you to take a wife. Did you not fancy Elizabeth from the beginning?"

Caleb raised an eyebrow, "Brother, I am not fooled by your attempt to answer my question with one of your own." He picked up a pebble, skipped it across the water and watched the rings disap­pear. "Did you not just say it was time to speak the truth?"