, despite the desire he had, perhaps, to save the young
man, appeared more and more annoyed at these reproaches coming from the
crowd, reproaches which placed in doubt his fidelity to the Emperor
Tiberius. He went towards the pharisees, and conversed with them in an
undertone, whilst the soldiers guarded Jesus, bound, in the midst of
them. Then Caiphus, the high priest, said aloud, addressing Pilate, that
he might be heard by the crowd, and pointing to Jesus:

'We have found that this man perverts our nation; that he prevents
tribute being paid to Caesar, and that he calls himself King of the Jews,
as being the son of God.'

Then Pontius Pilate, turning towards the young man of Nazareth, said to
him,

'Are you King of the Jews?'

'Do you say this of yourself?' inquired Jesus, in a voice weakened by
suffering; 'or do you ask it of me because others have said it to you
before me?'

'The high priests and senators have delivered you up to me,' said
Pilate. 'What have you done? Do you pretend to be King of the Jews?'

Jesus gently shook his head, and said:

'My kingdom is not of this world; if my kingdom had been of this world,
my friends would have combated to prevent my being delivered to you; but
I repeat, my kingdom is not of this world.'

Pontius Pilate again turned to the pharisees, as if to take them as
witnesses of Jesus' reply, which would absolve him, since he proclaimed
that his kingdom was not of this world.

'His kingdom,' thought Genevieve, 'is no doubt, in unknown worlds,
where, according to our druidical faith, we shall rejoin those we have
loved here. How will they dare condemn Jesus as a rebel against the
Emperor? He who has so often repeated:

"Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's, and unto God that which is
God's!"

But, alas! Genevieve forgot that the hatred of the pharisees was
implacable.

The Seigneurs Baruch, Jonas, and Caiphus, having again spoken in an
under tone with Pilate, the latter said to Jesus:

'Are you, yes or no, the son of God?'

'Yes,' replied Jesus, in his mild but firm voice; 'yes, I am.'

At these words, the priests, doctors and senators uttered exclamations
which were repeated by the crowd.

'He has blasphemed! he has said he is the son of God!'

'And he who says he is the son of God also calls himself King of the
Jews!'

'He is an enemy of the Emperor!'

'To death; to death with the Nazarene; crucify him!'

Pontius Pilate, a strange compound of cowar