in the daytime."

"In no day that dawns from an earthly sun, I fear me, Nou. Oh, Nou! he
has gone, and taken my heart with him, leaving in its place a throbbing
pain which is more than I can bear."

"He will come back; I tell you that he will come back," she answered,
almost fiercely; "for your life and his are intertwined--yes, to the
end--a single cord bearing a double destiny. I know it; ask me not how;
but be comforted, for it is truth. Moreover, though it be sharp, your
pain is not more than you can bear, else it would never be laid upon
you."

"But, Nou, if he does come back, what will it help me, who am built in
by this strict command of them that begat me, to break through which
would be to sin against and earn the curse of God and man?"

"I do not know; I only know this, that in that wall, as in others, a
door will be found. Trouble not for the future, but leave it in the
hand of Him Who shapes all futures. Sufficient to the day is the evil
thereof. So He said. Accept the saying and be grateful. It is something
to have gained the love of such a one as this Roman, for, unless the
wisdom which I have gained through many years is at fault, he is true
and honest; and that man must be good at heart who can be reared in Rome
and in the worship of its gods and yet remain honest. Remember these
things, and I say be grateful, since there are many who go through their
lives knowing no such joy, even for an hour."

"I will try, Nou," said Miriam humbly, still staring at the ridge whence
Marcus had vanished.

"You will try, and you will succeed. Now there is another matter of
which I must speak to you. When the Essenes received us it was solemnly
decreed that if you lived to reach the full age of eighteen years you
must depart from among them. That hour struck for you nearly a year ago,
and, although you heard nothing of it, this decree was debated by the
Court. Now such decrees may not be broken, but it was argued that the
words 'full age of eighteen years,' meant and were intended to mean
until you reached your nineteenth birthday; that is--in a month from
now."

"Then must we go, Nou?" asked Miriam in dismay, for she knew no other
world but this village in the desert, and no other friends than these
venerable men whom she called her uncles.

"It seems so, especially as it is now guessed that Caleb fought the
Captain Marcus upon your account. Oh! that tale is talked of--for one
thing, the young wild-cat left a