re we not exiles? Is He not punishing us? Our holy
and beautiful house is a desolation; our land is overthrown by
strangers. Yet we are no idolaters; we are no Sabbath-breakers; we do
not profane the name of the Blessed. Do you think I never ask myself
for what sin it is that we are thus cast away from the presence of our
King? In old days it was always for such sins as I have named: it
cannot be that now. Is it--O Abraham our father! can it be?--that He
has come, the King of Israel, and we have not known Him? Damsel, there
are thousands of the sons of Israel that have asked that question! And
then--"

Belasez stopped suddenly.

"Go on!" urged Margaret. "What then?"

"I shall say what my damsel will not wish to hear, if I do go on."

"But I wish very much to hear it."

"And then we look around on you, who call yourselves servants of Him
whom ye say is come. We ask you to tell us what you have learned of
Him. And ye answer us with the very things which the King of Israel
solemnly forbade. Ye point us to images of dead men, and ye hold up
before us a goddess, a fair dead woman, and ye say, These are they whom
ye shall serve! And we answer, If these things be what ye have learned
from him that is come, then he never can be the Sent of God. God
forbade all idolatry, and all image-making: if he taught it, can he be
Messiah? This is why in all the ages we have stood aloof. We might
have received him, we might have believed him,--but for this."

"But I do not know," said Margaret, thoughtfully, "that holy Church lays
much stress on images. I should think, if ye prefer to pray without
them, she would allow you to do so. I cannot understand how ye can pray
without them; for what is there to pray to? It is your infirmity, I
suppose."

"Ah, Damsel," said Belasez with a sad smile, "this seems to you a very,
very little matter! How shall a Jew and a Christian ever understand
each other? For it is life or death to us. It is a question of
obeying, or of disobeying--not of doing something we fancy, or do not
fancy."

"Yes, but holy Church would decide it for you," urged Margaret,
earnestly.

"Damsel, your words are strange to my ears. The Holy One (to whom be
praise!) has decided it long ago. `Ye shall _not_ make unto you any
graven image: ye shall _not_ bow down to them, nor worship them.' The
command is given. What difference can it make to us, that the thing you
call the Church dares to disregar