Ruth mentioned several citizens, but could recall none who had more than one wife.
"If one," said Cyrus, "is enough for men around here, why should your Solomon need seven hundred?"
"I don't know. Perhaps the Bible tells."
"P'r'aps," said Cyrus, "he was homely or mean or something like that, and instead of one good one he had to take seven hundred bad ones."
"No, I don't believe it was that."
Cyrus reflected a moment. "P'r'aps they were all mighty good and there being so many of 'em was what made Solomon so wise."
"I shouldn't wonder."
There came a silence. Then Cyrus straightened up and spoke with emphasis. "I just don't believe he or anybody else had seven hundred wives. It's too many. It isn't likely, somehow. No feller would want that much."
"Why, Cyrus Alton! Don't you believe what the Bible says?"
"Yes—I—I—'course I believe it if you and the Bible both say so, but seven hundred does seem a mighty big lot." Then, as he looked away, over the common, his eyes rested on two persons who stood talking together across the way, and he asked: