up from the fire over which he had been warming his hands
and stammered out, "I? No, I am not. Woman, I know him not, neither
know I what thou sayest."

When Hagar thus spoke all the soldiers looked at Peter, who fearing his
attack on Malchus might be resented, tried to slip through the band and
escape unobserved. Passing the fire, he came close to the other
waiting maid, Sarah, who, looking him full in the face, said in a
shrill voice, "See, this man was also with Jesus of Nazareth."

The attention of the whole band being aroused, they all clustered
around Peter, asking, "Art thou also one of the disciples?"

Levi said, "Thou art one of them, quite certainly."

Peter in the midst of armed and violent men, looked confusedly from
side to side and declared, "Upon my soul--I am not--I do not know the
man."

Even as he spoke the cock crew, but the rattle of the weapons of the
soldiers and imminent menace of a violent death left him no leisure to
attend to anything but his own safety, for a soldier at the same moment
exclaimed, "Look at this man. Of a truth he was also with him."

Then said Peter stoutly, "I know not what ye have to do with me. What
does this man matter to me?"

But the soldiers crowding round him said, "Yes, yes, thou art one of
them. Thou art also a Galilean; thy speech betrayeth thee."

Then Peter, raising his hands on high, said with a troubled voice, "God
be my witness that I do not know the man of whom ye speak;" and the
cock crew a second time.

Then Melchi, pressing forward, looked Peter full in the face and said,
"Did I not see thee in the garden with him, when my cousin Malchus had
his ear cut off?"

At this moment, when the situation was getting very serious for Peter,
attention was called off from him by a cry from the soldiers round the
fire. "Make ready, they are bringing in the prisoner." Selpha then
brought in Jesus bound between Malchus and Balbus.

"Now, how have things gone?" eagerly inquired Arphaxad.

"He is condemned to death," said Selpha.

The soldiers mocking, cried, "Poor king!"

At this moment Jesus met Peter, and looked upon him with a gaze full of
sorrow. Peter smote his head with his hand and went out into the night.

"Come," said Arphaxad, "he will help us to pass the time."

"Forward, comrades," said Selpha, "we must guard him till morning."
Thereupon they all went out.

Peter, when he had left the hall of the high priest, went out into the
street