encompassed Jerusalem took on a coat green as emerald and thick as civet-fur. Above it the leaning cedars, newly-tipped with verdure, spread their peculiar flat crowns like ancient hands extended

h clear cold water. The winds whimpered and had the snows of Lebanon yet in mind; the days we

e sun had to be made tenantable by braziers. Loiterers, wayfarers and outcasts betook thems

hsemane, where the ancient green wall cut off the stream

sbandman from Bethesda squatted awkwardly, the length of his coarse smock troubling him, while his hide sandals had been put off his hard

aring, in spite of the disfigurement of degradation, solitary eviden

ight, for the neat pile of sesterces beside the Roman was g

hrew them. The Roman glanced at the number

rches on the standards of Rome even in a g

esterces in a wallet and hu

, Thermopyl? and Plat?a-in my philosophy you can af

reast, and the Roman, getting upon his feet,

ature or a master, as the inclination of its manipulators is or as the call of the situation may be. Individually, it has a mind; collectively, it has not; at all times it is a thing of great potentialities overworked, and of great needs habitually ignored. That t

ned against a great radiance, he calculated on the hour of remaining daylight and the di

ls or vagrants that would walk the night. With a motion of his hand he saluted the defeated Greek an

smooth-shaven, and displayed idolatrous images on his belt, and, in disregard of Judean custom, uncovered his head. B

ness of complexion. He was strikingly handsome and tall; not imposing but elegant, modeled for symmetry of his type, not for ideality, for refinement, n

ace, and one gazed trying to decide and gazing was undone. Never did he reveal the perspective of a single avenue in his intricate and indirect dispos

he only undisputed evidence that he was past middle-age was not in his person but behind

yfarers on Olivet besides the man in white and the man in scarlet. There were rustics and traveling Sadducees, in chairs borne by liveried servants, Pharisees with staff and scrip, marketers, shepherds, soldiers on leave and slave

im from under their wimples, and down again, quickly; some of the children lagged and gazed wistfully at his face as if they wanted his notice. Even the man

Gate of Hanaleel from this spot?" he asked. His m

tranger in the city of thy fath

e visitors to Jerusa

ed craven of En-Gadi. Dost thou come from th

Essene answered patient

so that a finger lay along the lips. "Now, may thy haste deaden thy powers of recogni

rm and pointed toward

es will lead thee

t the one I seek, I am more lost t

ts above the wall toward the north. "There," he said. "Go hence over the Bridg

ed hastily. The two looked, to see the Greek who had been defeated at dice make off up th

man in scarlet crie

acks of coin of various sizes from the little denarius to the large drachma; a handful of loose gold and several

he said. "He was d

," the older man urged, "get it there to-nig

watchful; peace to thee,"-and th

t treasure goes into the common fund of the order. Now, what a shame that the unsated maw of the Essenic treasu

e young Essene and id

t of an ass, or he would not have let that knave of a Greek make off with so much as a

eifer, unslung his wallet and resettled the strap over his shoulder, but t

ust be several thousand drachm? in that wallet-enough to take me to Alexandria. I wonder if he sped so all the way from-Hercle!

on tiptoe to watch the young man, who seemed suddenly pre

d the rubbish heaps there yielded up clambering, running people. The hurry was directed along the brook

lf-confessed interest in the man he had seen di

ape of Hanaleel was discharging a struggling mass that instantly expanded in the open into a great party-colored ring, dozen

atched him defeat the Greek. Focalizing at the Bridge of the Red Heifer which spanned Kedron at a leap, the mob caught and precipitated him i

isurely drew near the huge compact circle and stood on its outs

n in front of him. The man shook his

g path of daylight between many kerchiefed heads, a glimpse of a segment of the center. A young man stood there. About his fore

ey shook arms and clenched hands above their heads and forward over their neighbors' shoulders; they cursed in Greek and Aramic; they twisted their faces into furious gri

dy, had waived restraint. Therefore the wolves of Perea could have come down from the bone-w

rdial savagery. Their quiet fellow stood on the outskirts and listened to the yelp of the jackal in man. Before him was a wall of variously clad backs and upstretched heads, beside him

e-but because he was disinclined to stand till he had learned the particulars of the uproar. A gnarly hummock, white, harsh and dry, as if it were a heap of disintegrated ashes, rose several rods away on the brink

e forward ranks. Movement which had been general throughout the int

purpling with night. Only the glory on the summit of Moriah blazed with u

a column, which broke suddenly and flung itself upon the great raving circle. The flash of armor and the glitter of swords were suddenly interjected into a demoralized eddy of stampeded

e or a niche or a crevice it received fugitives who appeared no more. Dust arose and obscured everything but the flash of arms and armor which rived through it like lightning in a cloud. The uproar began to subside, and presently the laughter and jests of the

sh-heap and smiled throughout the dispersing of the mob, a royal creature enthroned and entertained by the discomfiture of the mass, suddenly reali

nearer the wall passed him, wa

fiting by experience, he waited in safety somewhere until this light-fingered rabb

est forgot the late riot. Suddenly the young Essene stopped as i

he saw several huddled shapes, in attitudes of suffering and sorrow, knee

y about his lips crawled the gray pallor of one physically sick from shock to the senses. His eyes flared wide and the next instant he

his face in the dust. A murmur of compassion arose from the little group around him, and the man in s

Hanaleel, into the lights and noise of the City of David. Soldier

to one, "what did

arene named Stephe

a Nazarene