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Laodice, the Christian and that white-haired tree,

saw the Maccabee raise hi his

sword confront in one grand effort at command a mob of six hundred

e and strength, which the

crazy lot so

upon him they turned away from the scene of the last vain effort for

their own salvation and rushed, tra one another, into the mad

city of Jerusalem

From without, the hoarse uproar of their desertion was heard to reat tumult over the Holy City Tense silence fell in the

crypt

The light of the torch wavered up and down the tall figure of the

Maccabee as he stood transfixed in the attitude of co It seemed the final inclination beyond the

perpendicular that precedes the fall The Christian started froure in the torch-light Laodice,

unconscious of what she did, approached hiony of distress

for him written in her face The white-haired apparition crept out a

little way on his knees and putting aside his tangled locks gazed with

burning eyes at the defeated e of the Maccabee's

vision The next instant he had throay his sword and had caught

her in a crushing embrace to hi had hi her ear

"And thou!" he was saying "What froratitude! Hast thou poison for me, or a knife? Or worse, yet,