Page:Lazarus, a tale of the world's great miracle.djvu/239

Rh want none at all,' said Judas, 'only to be freed from this my promise. I cannot betray the Lord.' 'Fool!' roared Caiaphas, beyond himself with rage. Then, seizing Iscariot by the sleeve, he took him to the window and pointed to the pale mists of dawn that hovered in tenuous masses above the earth. 'Seest thou that sun just showing above yon mountain?' he asked the wretched man, whose despairing eyes were barely lifted and whose head was bent painfully beneath the iron grasp of Caiaphas. 'Before that sun shall rise again thou wilt be lying with thy eyes glazed in death, unless thou keep thy promise to betray this Jesus.'"

"Oh, poor Judas!" exclaimed the tender-hearted Mary. "Could we not help him to escape this man?"

"He hath the Lord," said Martha sternly.

But Lazarus continued: "And even while Caiaphas was speaking, methought I saw the frame of Judas shrink into an image half its own size; yet still I hoped that he would say: 'I will die, I will die gladly rather than betray my Lord.' But instead, as though greatly fearing Caiaphas, he turned and fled; and as he fled, Caiaphas laughed a laugh so full of scorn and hate that 't would have more fitly issued from the lips of devils. 'Ha, ha,' he scoffed, 'thou who wouldst betray thy friend for thirty pieces of silver, dost think to cozen Caiaphas? Like all traitors, thou fearest death, and 't is death I will hold over thee, thou red-haired poltroon!' And I wept to think that I could not go to Jesus and warn Him of His foe; but the Spirit of Truth had read my thoughts. He smiled and said: 'Poor