spacious and lofty hall lighted at either end by a
large window glazed with what, from the cursory glance which they
obtained of it, they judged to be talc, or some similar substance. A
number of passages led out of this hall, and down one of them the party
plunged, finally passing through a doorway into a spacious chamber,
lighted, like the hall, by large windows glazed with the talc-like
material already mentioned. There was a peculiarity about this chamber
that at once attracted the attention of the two young Englishmen, and it
was this: the wall opposite the door by which they had entered was
divided horizontally into two unequal parts, the lower and smaller of
the two being occupied by a grille of exquisitely fine carved work
executed in a kind of Greek pattern, while the upper compartment was
filled in with a window reaching right across from side to side of the
chamber, that threw a strong light right down upon the precise spot
where they were halted. As the two prisoners came to a standstill at
the word of command of the officer in charge of the party, the soldiers
formed themselves into a semicircle between their charges and the door,
and grounded their spears with a clank upon the black marble pavement,
while, although the room was apparently empty, save for themselves, the
officer advanced and, raising his spear in salute, exclaimed in a loud
voice, in the quasihebrew tongue which appeared to be the common
language of the people:

"Lords! the prisoners from afar are present."

"It is well," replied a deep, solemn voice from behind the grille, and
the two friends suddenly realised that they were about to be put upon
their trial for the offence of intruding where they were not wanted.
They both directed their gaze upon the grille with greatly enhanced
interest, striving to obtain a glimpse of the person or persons behind
it; but a space of at least twenty feet divided them from it, and at
that distance the interstices were too small to afford the faintest
glimpse of anyone on the other side. There was a pause of perhaps half
a minute, then the voice that had last spoken said:

"Let Benoni, the officer who arrested the strangers upon their arrival
in Izreel, be summoned to give his evidence."

The officer in charge of the prisoners stepped to the door, opened it,
spoke a few words to someone on the other side, apparently giving an
order, then closed the door again and returned to his former position in