wn will. Or if you fear, tell the story
to the Court of the Essenes, and--to Nehushta, who will right your
wrongs."

"Caleb," she gasped, stamping her foot upon the ground in anger, "Caleb,
you are more wicked than I dreamed, and," she added, as though to
herself--"and greater!"

"Yes," he answered, as he turned to go, "I think that you are right. I
am more wicked than you dreamed and--greater. Also, Miriam, I love you
as you will never be loved again. Farewell!"

CHAPTER VII

MARCUS

That night those of the curators who were engaged in prayer and fasting
were disturbed by the return of an officer of those Jews that had
robbed them, who complained violently that a man of his company had been
murdered by one of the Essenes. They asked how and when, and were told
that the man had been shot down with an arrow, in a gully upon the road
to Jericho, by a person unknown. They replied that robbers sometimes met
with robbers, and asked to see the arrow, which proved to be of a Roman
make, such as these men carried in their own quivers. This the Essenes
pointed out, and at length, growing angry at the unreasonableness of
a complaint made by persons of the worst character, drove him and his
escort from their doors, bidding them take their story to the high
priest Ananos, with the goods which they had stolen, or, if they
preferred it, to that still greater thief, the Roman procurator,
Albinus.

This they did not neglect to do, with the result that presently the
Essenes were commanded to send some of their head men to appear before
Albinus to answer the charges laid against them. Accordingly they
dispatched Ithiel and two others, who were kept waiting three months at
Jerusalem before they could even obtain a hearing. At length the cause
came on, and after some few minutes of talk was adjourned, being but a
petty matter. That same evening Ithiel was informed by an intermediary
that if his Order would pay a certain large sum of money to Albinus,
nothing more would be heard of the question. This the Essenes refused
to do, as it was against their principles, saying that they demanded
nothing but justice, which they were not prepared to buy. So they spoke,
being ignorant that one of their neophytes, Caleb, had in fact aimed the
fatal arrow.

Then Albinus, wearying of the business and finding that there was no
profit to be made out of the Essenes, commanded them to be gone, saying
that he would send an officer to make inquir