Page:Lazarus, a tale of the world's great miracle.djvu/130

118 the ministry of Christ on earth. He had felt sure that Jesus would be with those He loved at the news that sorrow and death had overtaken them; and down in his heart he felt that the answer to his question would be bold and true: "I am the Son of God." Oh, then, what delight to condemn the Nazarene out of His own mouth, and what a refinement of revenge to make Nicodemus a party to the condemnation!

Perhaps far down in his own breast had lain a doubt whether, after all, the Christ could restore Lazarus to life. If He did, it would be useless to resist the populace or to try to persuade them either that the Nazarene was but a man like other men, or that He had a devil. But nothing had turned out as he had expected. Caiaphas the great lawgiver had made a mistake, as even the greatest do sometimes. Why had he not, he asked himself, sent messengers first to Bethany to find out whether the Nazarene was there?

"The wily Galilean, some spirit doth assist Him surely. It seemeth as if He had known that I would come." He went to his window, musing while murmuring these words, and looked out on to the white walls of Jerusalem, just beginning to glow in the light of morning.

He had found Mary alone, praying by the body of Lazarus. Martha even was not there. She had barely raised herself at the great priest's entrance.

"Hast thou come to bless him ere he die? It is too late," she had said.

Her question had seemed for one moment to show Caiaphas the vileness of his own intent; but, quick