Page:Lazarus, a tale of the world's great miracle.djvu/338

326 Then, before dawn, Lazarus had gone to learn the result of the Saviour's interview with Caiaphas, and where He was.

"Thy face doth tell me, thy face doth tell me," cried Mary, stretching out her hands in deep distress when Lazarus returned. "He is condemned! He is condemned!"

"Condemned by Caiaphas," assented Lazarus; "but to-day He is to be taken before Pilate, and the Romans condemn men not so readily."

"Yet He must surely die," said Mary; "and now, for His dear sake, I would that all were over and He once more with the Father."

"Yea, indeed," said Lazarus, a deep depression in his voice. "God grant it may be soon, for I do hear horrors of this night in the prison, how they did taunt and sneer and strike and oh!—I cannot speak of it." He shuddered, while the two women moaned in sympathy at the sufferings of their Lord.

Then rapidly the three made their plans, which required much thought, for their presence at Jerusalem might excite the populace and effect more harm than good; might result even in the death of Lazarus. Yet they would not stay away. So it was settled that the two sisters should go to the house of the Magdalene, while Lazarus remained in the outskirts of the city, ready to be sent for should they need him, though he knew well that he could do but little, either to give solace to his Lord or to protect his sisters. The last act of the tragedy, that had begun with the creation of the world, was about to be performed. Divine power would not, human could not, bid the actors stay their actions. Each horrible