I saw in Jerusalem this day. The city is packed with
odd peoples from every land. Indian princes saw I from beyond the
Ganges. African lion hunters, their black bodies bare save for strings
of golden nuggets; Arabians swinging on crimson decked camels;
chieftains from Assyria whose purple cloth was gay with blue and yellow
stones; Scythian savages whose garments were no more than suns and
moons and fishes marked upon their knees, all these I saw. Aye,
strange peoples making a strange show and a strange babel."

"Yea, and strange tales are about," Zenobe half whispered.

"What tales hast thou heard?"

"No more than that the dead are turned to life."

"A strange tale indeed--too strange, my little maid."

"It doth come from a Roman centurion."

"Hath a centurion died?"

"Nay, but his servant, sick unto death, was restored by a wonder
worker."

"Whence came this wonder worker?"

"He is a Jew. I know not more, but the centurion telleth it broadly."

"Whence got thou the story?"

"From thy scarred eunuch, my mistress."

"From my scarred eunuch? And where got he the story?"

"I know not save he hath it."

"Call thou my eunuch to me."

With flying feet Zenobe hastened to obey. Meantime Margara finished
her work of hair dressing, exclaiming, "Thy hair is most beautiful!"

Claudia arose, arranged the folds of her luxurious train and twisted
several strings of jewels over her bare arms. She had started across
the shining mosaic floor when Zenobe returned followed by a large and
finely shaped slave with a scarred face. His swarthy body was scantily
attired. Claudia gave him recognition, and stopping in front of her he
made low obeisance and then stood straight and rigid as a statue.

"To-day," Claudia said, "I stood in the portico of the Tower of Antonio
from which watch is kept over the Temple of the Jews, and gazed upon
the surging crowds. Saw I all manner of mankind from infants to
giants, black, brown, red and Roman, and of every kind methought. Yet
doth my maiden tell me there is one I have not seen--a wonder worker
that is a Jew. Hast thou heard aught of this?"

"Yea. A wonder worker is Jesus of Nazareth."

"Never did I hear his name. Whence came the Jew?"

"From Galilee. There liveth the centurion who told of him."

"Galilee? Galilee? It is somewhere I know not of. Whence got thou
the story?"

"A slave of the centurion chanced to be in thy palace garden. He did
tell much."