iration. "Thou hast well spoken," he
said. "Hast thou heard the words of this young Rabbi whose wisdom is
old?"

"Nay, Father Joseph. Yet would I."

"Thou wouldst learn much at his feet."

"But knowest thou not it is forbidden by the Law that a woman be taught
that which the Rabbis would withhold?"

"I forget not. Yet will the Galilean teach thee."

"And glad of a chance, methinks, will he be to break the Law," said
Joel, "for doth he not think himself better than the Law?"

"Say rather 'greater' than the Law," Joseph replied. "As a prop to a
vine, so is the Law to the weak. But as the vine doth grow greater
than the prop, because of what the prop hath been to it, is it able to
stand in its own strength. So there are prophets who have outgrown the
Law. For such, to live within the Law would be putting new wine in old
bottles."

"Much hath been said of this man," Martha observed, "but none hath yet
told of his garments. What sort are they?"

"Ha! ha!" laughed Lazarus. "Martha doth think perchance she may help
Joel sell a new garment."

"Thou dost make merry over a straight question. Doth not the Law teach
that man is the glory of God, and the glory of man is his dress?"

"And methinks thou knoweth also the saying, 'The dress of the wife of a
learned man is of more importance than the life of one ignorant.'
Hear, Joel, thou learned man?"

"Affright not Joel," Martha replied to her brother, "but tell me
whether the _kittuna_ of this Rabbi is wool or flax, or his _tallith_
handsomely embroidered."

"What weareth this man?" Lazarus asked of Joseph.

"Save for the phylacteries, the plain raiment of a Rabbi with the white
and lavender fringes on his _tallith_ as the Law doth command. Yet it
is said he hath appeared in the white of the Essenes."

"What matter the color of his fringes?" Mary asked. "His words would I
hear. Perhaps I should love him even as Lazarus loveth him."

"And thy gentleness, and strange wisdom for a woman, will win for thee
his love, methinks," Joseph answered.

"Mary is not so gentle as thou thinkest," and Martha laughed.
"Elizabeth did visit in the home of Jesus when he was a little lad. Of
all she did tell concerning him, that which did most delight the heart
of Mary was the tale of a bloody nose he did give another lad."

"How went the tale?" and rubbing the beard around a mouth shaped for
laughter, Lazarus awaited a reply.

"He did act," promptly answered Mary, "