st, be very happy as husband and wife--subjects will occur upon
which you will differ; and then, as you know, the wisest plan is
for the wife to be silent. It is the wife's duty always to give way
to the husband."

Mary gave a little shrug of her shoulders, as if to intimate that
she did not regard altogether favorably this view of a wife's
duties; however, she said no more, but kissed Martha, and retired
to bed.

The next morning they started early, and journeyed to Capitolias,
where they stayed at the house of some friends. In the evening, the
talk again turned upon the new leader, who had burned the Roman
camp. When they did so, John at once made some excuse, and went
out. He regretted, now, that he had not at once told his mother
what he had been doing. He had intended, in the first place, to
give her a little surprise; but had no idea of the exaggerated
reports that had been spread about and, when Mary broke out into
praise of the unknown leader, it seemed to him that it would have
been absurd to say that he, himself, was the person of whom she had
formed so fantastically exalted an opinion. Not having said so at
first, he did not see how he could say so, afterwards; and so left
the matter as it stood, until they should return home.

While John was out, he heard news which caused him some uneasiness.
It was said that parties of Roman horse, from Scythopolis, had been
scouring the country; burning many villages--under the pretext that
some Roman soldiers, who had straggled away marauding on their own
account, had been killed by the peasants--slaughtering the people,
and carrying off as slaves such young women and men as were likely
to fetch good prices.

He told his mother what he had heard; and asked her whether she did
not think that it would be better to stay where they were, for a
time, or return to Neve. But Martha was anxious to be at home,
again; and the friend with whom they were stopping said that these
reports were a week old, and that doubtless the Romans had returned
to their camp. She determined, therefore, that she and Mary would
continue their journey; but that the maids should remain with their
friend, at Capitolias, until the Roman excursions ceased.

They accordingly set out in the morning, as before--the two women
riding, and John and Jonas walking by the side of the donkeys.
Following the road by the side of the Hieromax they kept on,
without meeting anything to cause alarm, until they rea