that Christian to take revenge for the torment, the blood, and the
death of the Saviour?"

"Who is there who would not take revenge, father?"

"Peace be with thee, faithful servant of the Lamb! True, it is permitted
to forgive wrongs done ourselves; but who has the right to forgive
a wrong done to God? But as a serpent engenders a serpent, as malice
breeds malice, and treason breeds treason, so from the poison of Judas
another traitor has come; and as that one delivered to Jews and Roman
soldiers the Saviour, so this man who lives among us intends to give
Christ's sheep to the wolves; and if no one will anticipate the treason,
if no one will crush the head of the serpent in time, destruction is
waiting for us all, and with us will perish the honor of the Lamb."

The laborer looked at Chilo with immense alarm, as if not understanding
what he had heard. But the Greek, covering his head with a corner of
his mantle, began to repeat, with a voice coming as if from beneath the
earth,--"Woe to you, servants of the true God! woe to you, Christian men
and Christian women!"

And again came silence, again were heard only the roar of the
millstones, the deep song of the millers, and the sound of the river.

"Father," asked the laborer at last, "what kind of traitor is that?"

Chilo dropped his head. "What kind of traitor? A son of Judas, a son of
his poison, a man who pretends to be a Christian, and goes to houses
of prayer only to complain of the brotherhood to Caesar,--declaring that
they will not recognize Caesar as a god; that they poison fountains,
murder children, and wish to destroy the city, so that one stone may not
remain on another. Behold! in a few days a command will be given to the
pretorians to cast old men, women, and children into prison, and
lead them to death, just as they led to death the slaves of Pedanius
Secundus. All this has been done by that second Judas. But if no one
punished the first Judas, if no one took vengeance on him, if no one
defended Christ in the hour of torment, who will punish this one, who
will destroy the serpent before Caesar hears him, who will destroy him,
who will defend from destruction our brothers in the faith of Christ?"

Urban, who had been sitting thus far on a stone, stood up on a sudden,
and said,--"I will, father."

Chilo rose also; he looked for a while on the face of the laborer,
lighted up by the shining of the moon, then, stretching his arm, he put
his hand slowly