red for calamity. But when
the carriage drove up to the door, and I raised his helpless and
ashy-coloured daughter in my arms, he gazed for an instant on her, and
with a howl like that of a wild animal pierced by bullet or steel, fell
on his face on the ground. He evidently thought that she was dead.

Even when she opened her feeble eyelids, smiled, and took his hand, he
could scarcely be persuaded that she was still alive. He raved, he tore
his hair, he vowed deathless vengeance, and the vengeance of all his
race, against the murderer of his child, "his beloved, the child of his
soul, the last scion of his name, his angel Mariamne." Rage and tears
followed each other in all the tempest of oriental fury. No explanation
of mine would be listened to for a moment, and I at length gave up the
attempt. The grooms had given the outline of the story; and Mordecai
charged me with all kinds of rashness and folly. At one time rushing
forward to the couch where she lay, faintly attempting to soothe him, he
would fling himself on his knees beside her, kiss her forehead, and
upbraid himself for all his fancied harshness to her in the course of
his life. Then suddenly starting on his feet, with the spring of a
tiger, he would bound towards me, his powerful features distended with
rage, his deep eye flashing, and his bony hand clenched as if it grasped
a dagger, cursing the hour "when I had first set my foot under his
unhappy roof," or cast my "evil eye upon the only child of the undone
Mordecai." Ever in all the scene, the thought struck me, of what would
be the effect of a hundred thousand such men, sweeping with scymetar and
lance over the fields of Palestine? The servants fled in terror, or
lurked in different directions until the storm should be gone down. At
length Mariamne, dreading an actual collision between us, rose with an
effort, tottered across the room, and threw her arms around her father's
neck. The old man was conquered at once; his countenance grew calm; he
sat down upon the floor, and with his daughter hiding her face in his
bosom, wept silently and long. When I saw him thus quieted, I left them
together, and retired to my chamber, determined to leave the discovery
of his error to his returning judgment; and reinforced in my intention
to depart for London even at the earliest dawn.

I employed myself for a while in packing up my few equipments for the
journey, but this was soon done, and the question was, how to get