Page:Lazarus, a tale of the world's great miracle.djvu/300

288 "Then if the pain of mine heart be naught, and the sin of crucifying this Man so great, canst thou not give a few years of thy life to save Him? Am I then so unbeautiful, so despised a thing that thou wouldst rather let die the Nazarene than wed me?"

Then, turning upon her the full expression of his earnestness, he spoke once more.

"Noble lady, if thou canst save the Nazarene, thou wilt do it for the love of God. Thou couldst not bear to live if thou hadst helped to crucify the Christ."

"Thou dost not know the daughter of Caiaphas," she answered wildly. "There is naught, naught, naught, I will not do if thou dost spurn me. For thy sake have I come here to-night, for thy sake will I endure my father's wrath and the scorn of all the rulers of the Synagogue, for they will say for love of Lazarus the Nazarene was spared."

"And thinkest thou that, if He would be saved, He could not command legions of angels, and even now slay Caiaphas and all the high priests in the world?"

"Should He do this, perchance we would believe," she answered scoffingly.

"Maiden," said Lazarus impressively, "when I lay dead thou didst come to me and thou saidst: 'If Lazarus do come again to life I will believe.' And every day thou cameest to my sepulchre and didst watch to see they stole me not away. And when thou sawest me rise, didst thou believe?"

"And thou art really that same Lazarus?" said Rebekah musingly.

"Hast given, then, thine heart to two?" asked