Page:Lazarus, a tale of the world's great miracle.djvu/391

Rh thy witchcrafts; thou, who hast united thyself with this prince of darkness that calleth Himself the Christ and is no God at all, who triest by thy foul treacheries to take him from me. I tell thee thou shalt die; or, if thou live and wed Lazarus, then Lazarus shall die a horrible death; and it will be thy pride, thy foul beguilings, that will have caused it."

"I fear thee not," replied the Magdalene, "for the Lord would not permit Lazarus yet to die; or, if He should, He would surely bring him to life another time that he might testify of Him. Thou art mad, most noble maiden, for love of Lazarus. Be calm, be patient, and forget this thing, and turn unto the Lord."

"Ah, thou canst speak like this, who hast thy soul's desire; but I will not have it to be robbed by thee of Lazarus. I tell thee I will not." And she stamped her feet and gazed close into the Magdalene's face.

"I rob thee not, maiden, since he loves thee not," replied the Magdalene; "and this is no place for thee so late. Should any pass, what would they say to see the proud daughter of Caiaphas in the olive groves at night?"

"I care not what they say, so Lazarus loves me not," Rebekah answered waywardly, her voice ending in a sob. "I care not, I know not; only I know that there is no room on earth for thee and me and him; and one must die. Seest thou this?" and she raised a dagger in her hand; in the moon's pale gleam it looked like a flaming needle. "Seest thou this?"