man replied that they had been searching for him all day--sending
messengers hither and thither, and that in the afternoon a boat had
hoisted sail and put out for the fishing fleet, thinking that Simon
Peter might be able to give tidings of Master Joseph. But why all this
fuss? Joseph said, because I come home a little later than usual. Your
father, Master Joseph, is beside himself, and your grandmother--Joseph
left the man with the end of the sentence on his tongue.

So you've returned at last! his father cried on seeing him, and began at
once to tell the anxiety he had suffered. Nor was Rachel without her
word, and between their reproofs it was some time before Joseph began to
apprehend the cause of the tumult: Azariah had laid a long complaint of
truancy! As to that, Joseph answered tartly, he has little to complain
of. And he spoke of the pact between them, relating that seven or eight
months before he had promised Azariah not to be past his time by five
minutes. Look to his tally, Father: it will tell that I have kept my
word for eight months and more and would have kept it for the year
if--Be mindful of what he is saying to thee, Dan. Look well to the tally
before condemning, Rachel cried. Wouldst have it then, woman, Azariah
lied to me? Not lied, but was carried beyond himself in a great heat of
passion at being kept waiting, Rachel answered. He said that he enjoyed
teaching thee, Joseph, God having granted thee a good intelligence and
ways of comprehension. But he couldn't abide seeing thee waste thy time
and his. We're willing and ready to hear about this absence and the
cause of it, Dan interposed. So get on with the story: where hast thou
been? Out with it, boy. Where hast thou been?

The bare question could only be met by the bare answer: watching a
cock-fight in Tiberias; and to save his parents from much
misunderstanding, he said he must begin at the beginning. Dan would have
liked a straight answer, but Rachel said the boy should be suffered to
tell his story his own way; and Joseph told a fine tale, the purport of
which was that he had sought for a by-way to Tiberias, the large lanes
being beset by acrobats, zanies, circus riders and the like, and had
found one through Argob orchard and had followed it daily without
meeting anyone for many months, but this morning as he came through the
trees he had caught sight of an encampment; some cockers on their way to
Tiberias, where a great main was to be fough