The Brook Kerith: A Syrian story

  CHAP. XVIII.

  Nicodemus invited Joseph to follow Jesus, saying that at a safe distancehe would like to see him ride through the gates into the city; butJoseph, sorely troubled in his mind, could not answer him, and an hourlater was hastening along the Jericho road, praying all the while thathe might be given strength to keep the promise he had given to hisfather. But no sooner was he in Jericho than he began to feel ashamed ofhimself, and after resisting the impulse to return to Jesus for twodays he yielded to it, and returned obediently the way he had come,uncertain whether shame of his cowardice or love was bringing him back.One or the other it must be, he said, as he came round the bend in theroad into Bethany; and it was soon after passing through that village,somewhere about three o'clock, that he met his masons coming from MountScropas. Coming from my tomb, he said to himself, and, reining up hishorse and speaking to them, he heard that his tomb was finished. We'vechiselled a great stone to be rolled into the doorway, he heard one ofthe masons say; another uttered vauntingly that the stone closed thetomb perfectly, and Joseph was about to press his horse forward when themen called after him, and, gathering about his stirrup, they relatedthat Jesus of Nazareth had been tried and condemned by Pilate thatmorning, and was now hanging on a cross, a-top of Golgotha, one of themasons said: you can see him yourself, Master, if you be going that way,and between two thieves. One of them was to have been Jesus Bar-Abba,but the people cried out that he was to be released instead of Jesus. AsJoseph repeated the words, Bar-Abba instead of Jesus, as if he only halfunderstood them, the masons reminded him that it was the custom todeliver up a prisoner to the people at the time of the Passover. At thetime of the Passover, he repeated.... At last, realising what hadhappened, his face became overwrought; his eyes and mouth testified tothe grief he was suffering; and he pressed his spurs to his horse'sside, and would have been away beyond call if two of his workmen had notseized the bridle and almost forced the horse on his haunches. Loose mybridle, Joseph cried, astonished and beside himself. A moment with you,Master. Be careful to speak no word in his favour, and make no show ofsympathy, else a Zealot's knife will be in your back before evening, forthey be seeking the Galileans everywhere, at the priests' bidding.Before Joseph could break away he heard that the priests stirred up thepeople against Jesus, giving it forth against him that he had come toJerusalem to burn down the Temple, and would set up another--builtwithout the help of hands, of what materials he did not know, but notof stones nor wood, yet a Temple that will last for ever, the masonshouted after Joseph, who had stuck his spurs again into his horse andwas riding full tilt towards a hill about half-a-mile from the citywalls. On his way thither he met some of the populace--the remnantreturning from the crucifixion--and he rode up the ascent at a gallop inthe hope that he might be in time to save Jesus' life.

  He knew Pilate would grant him almost any favour he might ask; butwithin fifty yards of the crosses his heart began to fail him, for,whereas the thieves were straining their heads high in the air above thecrossbar, Jesus' head was sunk on to his chest. He died a while ago, thecenturion said, and as soon as he was dead the multitude began todisperse, the Sabbath being at hand; and guessing Joseph to be a man ofimportance, he added: if you like I'll make certain that he is dead,and, taking his spear from one of the soldiers, he would have plunged itinto Jesus' side, but Joseph, forgetful of the warning he had received,on no account to show sympathy with Jesus, laid his hand on thespear-head, saying: respect the dead. As you will, the centurionreplied, and gave the spear back to the soldier, who returned to hiscomrades, it being his turn to cast the dice. They have cast dice, thecenturion continued, and will divide the clothes of these men amongstthem; and, hearing the words, one of the soldiers held up the rags thathad come to him, while another spread upon the ground Jesus' fine cloak,the one that Peter had bought for Jesus with money that Joseph gave tohim. That he should see the cloak again, and on such an occasion,touched his heart. It was a humble incident in a cruel murder committedby a priest; and the thought crossed Joseph's mind that he mightpurchase the cloak from the soldier, but, remembering the warning he hadreceived, he did not ask for the cloak, nor did he once lift his eyes toJesus' face, lest the sight of it should wring his heart, and beingovercome and helpless with grief, the priests and their hirelings mightbegin to suspect him.

  He strove instead to call reason to his aid: Jesus' life being spent,his duty was to obtain the body and bury it: far worse than the death heendured would be for his sacred body to be thrown into the common ditchwith these malefactors. I know not how you can abide here, he said tothe centurion; their groans make the heart faint. We shall break theirbones presently; the Jews asked us to do this, for at six o'clock theirSabbath begins. And in this the thieves are lucky, for were it not fortheir Sabbath they would last on for three or four days: the first dayis the worst day; afterwards the crucified sinks into unconsciousness,and I doubt if he suffers at all on the third day, and on the fourth dayhe dies. But, Sir, what may I do for you? I've come for the body of thisman, Joseph answered; for, however erring, he was not a thief, anddeserves decent burial. You can come with me to testify that I've buriedit in a rock sepulchre, the stone of which yourself shall roll into thedoor. To which the centurion answered that he did not dare to deliver upthe body of Jesus without an order from Pilate, though he was dead. Deadan hour or more, truly dead, he added. Pilate will not refuse his bodyto me, Joseph replied. Pilate and I are well acquainted; we are asfriends are; you must have seen me at the Praetorium before now, comingto talk with the procurator about the transport of wheat from Moab, andother things.

  These words filled the centurion with admiration, and, afraid to seemignorant, he said he remembered having seen Joseph and knew him to be afriend of Pilate. Well then, come with me at once to Jerusalem, Josephsaid coaxingly, and you'll see that Pilate will order thee to deliverthe dead unto me. But the centurion demurred, saying that his orderswere not to leave the gibbets. Upon my own word, Pilate will not deliverup the body unless I bring you with me; I shall require you to testifyof the death. So come with me. The unwillingness of the centurion wasreduced to naught at the mention of a sum of money, and, giving ordersto his soldiers that nothing was to be done during his absence, hewalked beside Joseph's horse into Jerusalem, telling to Joseph as theywent the story of the arrest in the garden, the haling of Jesus beforethe High Priest, and the sending of him on to Pilate, who, thoughunwilling to confirm the sentence of death, was afraid of a riot, andhad yielded to the people's wish. The account of the scourging of Jesusin the hall of the palace, and the bribing of the soldiers by the Jewsto make a mocking-stock of Jesus, was not finished when Joseph, who hadbeen listening without hearing, said: here is the door.

  And while they waited for the door to be opened, and after thedoorkeeper had opened it, the centurion continued to tell his tale: howa purple cloak was thrown upon the shoulders of Jesus, a reed put intohis hand, and a crown of thorns pressed upon his forehead. We wonderedhow it was that he said nothing. We have come to see his worship, Josephinterrupted; and the doorkeeper, who knew Joseph to be a friend ofPilate, was embarrassed, for Pilate had sent down an order that he wouldsee no one again that day; but, like the centurion, he was amenable tomoney, and consented to take in Joseph's name. There was no need to givehim money, he would not have dared to refuse Pilate's friend, thecenturion said as they waited.

  Word came back quickly that Joseph was to be admitted, and afterbegging Pilate to forgive him for intruding upon his privacy so late inthe day, he put his request into words, saying straight away: I havecome to ask for the body of Jesus, who was condemned to the cross atnoon. At these words Pilate's face became overcast, and he said that heregretted that Joseph had come to ask him for something he could notgrant. It would have been pleasant to leave Jerusalem knowing that Inever refused you anything, Joseph, for you are the one Jew for whom Ihave any respect, and, I may add, some affection. But why, Pilate,cannot you give me Jesus' body? His body, is that what you ask for,Joseph? It seeme
d to me that you had come to ask me to undo the sentencethat I pronounced to-day at noon. The body! Is Jesus dead then? Thecenturion answered for Joseph: yes, sir; he died to-day at the ninthhour. I put a lance into him to make sure, and blood and water came fromhis side. At which statement Joseph trembled, for he was acquiescing ina lie; but he did not dare to contradict the centurion, who was speakingin his favour for the sake of the money he had received, and in the hopeof receiving more for the lie that he told. On the cross at noon anddead before the ninth hour! Pilate muttered: he could but bear the crossfor three hours! After the scourging we gave him, Sir, the centurionanswered, he was so weak and feeble that we had to pass on his cross tothe shoulders of a Jew named Simon of Cyrene, who carried it to the topof the mount for him. If he be dead there is no reason for my not givingup the body, Pilate answered. Which I shall bury, Joseph replied, in myown sepulchre. What, Joseph, have you already ordered your sepulchre? Tomy eyes you do not look more than five or six and twenty years, and tomy eyes you look as if you would live for sixty more years at least; butyou Jews never lose sight of death, as if it were the only good. WeRomans think so too sometimes, but not so frequently as you.

  And then this tall, grave, handsome man, whose face reflected a friendlybut somewhat formal soul, took Joseph by the arm and walked with him upand down the tessellated pavement, talking in his ear, showing himselfso well disposed towards him that the centurion congratulated himselfthat he had accepted Joseph's bribe. If I had only known that you were aclose friend, Pilate said to Joseph--but if I had known as much it wouldonly have made things more difficult for me. A remarkable man. And now,on thinking it over, it must have been that I was well disposed to himfor that reason, for there could have been no other; for what concern ofmine is it that you Jews quarrel and would tear each other to pieces foryour various beliefs in God and his angels? So Jesus was your friend?Tell me about him; I would know more about him than I could learn from abrief interview with him in the Praetorium, where I took him and talkedto him alone. A brief account I pray you give me. And Joseph, who wasthinking all the while that the Sabbath was approaching, gave to Pilatesome brief account of Jesus in Galilee.

  So you too, Joseph, are susceptible to this belief that the bodies ofmen are raised out of the earth into heaven? I would ask you if the bodyis ridded of its worms before it is carried away by angels. But I seethat you are pressed for time; the Sabbath approaches; I must not detainyou, and yet I would not let you go without telling you that it pleasesme to give his body for burial. A body deserves burial that has beenpossessed by a lofty soul, for how many years, thirty? I would havesaved him if it had been possible to do so; but he gave me no chance;his answers were brief and evasive; and he seemed to desire death;seemingly he looked upon his death as necessary for the accomplishmentof his mission. Have I divined him right? Joseph answered that Pilateread Jesus' soul truly, which flattered Pilate and persuaded him intofurther complaint that if he had not saved Jesus it was because Jesuswould not answer him. He seemed to me like a man only conscious of hisown thoughts, Pilate said; even while speaking he seemed to rouse hardlyat all out of his dream, a delirious dream, if I may so speak, of theworld redeemed from the powers of evil and given over to the love ofGod. This, however, he did say: that any power which I might have overhim came to me from above, from his Father which is in heaven, else Icould do nothing; and there was bitterness in his voice as he spokethese words, which seemed to suggest that he was of opinion that hisFather had gone a little too far in allowing the Jews to send him to meto condemn to death.

  His Father in heaven and himself are one, and yet they differ in this.So he was your friend, Joseph? If I had known it there would have beenan additional reason for my trying to save him from the hatred of theJews; for I hate the Jews, and would willingly leave them to-morrow. Butthey cried out: you are not Caesar's friend; this man would set up a newkingdom and overthrow the Romans; and, as I have already told you,Joseph, I asked Jesus if he claimed to be King of the Jews, but heanswered me: you have said it, adding, however, that his kingdom was notof this world. Evasive answers of that kind are worthless when a mob issurging round the Praetorium. A hateful crowd they looked to me; a cruel,rapacious, vindictive crowd, with nothing in their minds but hatred. Isuspect they hated him for religious reasons. You Jews are--forgive me,Joseph, you are an exception among your people--a bitter, intolerantrace. You would not allow me to bring the Roman eagles to Jerusalem, foryou cannot look upon graven things. All the arts you have abolished, andyour love of God resolves itself into hatred of men; so it seems to me.It would have pleased me very well indeed to have thwarted the Jews intheir desire for this man's life, but I was threatened by a revolt, andthe soldiers at my command are but auxiliaries, and not in sufficientnumbers to quell a substantial riot. I will tell you more: if the legionthat I was promised had arrived from Caesarea the lust of the Jews forthe blood of those that disagree with them would not have beensatisfied. I went so far as to send messengers to inquire for thelegion. But the man is dead now, and further talking will not raise himinto life again. You have come to ask me for his body, and you wouldbury it in your own tomb. It is like you, Joseph, to wish to honour yourdead friend. Methinks you are more Roman than Jew. Say not so in thehearing of my countrymen, Joseph replied, or I may meet my death foryour good opinion.

  The Sabbath is now approaching, and you'll forgive me if I indulge in nofurther words of thanks, Pilate. I may not delay, lest the hour shouldcome upon me after which no work can be done. Not that I hold with suchstrict observances. A good work done upon the Sabbath must be viewedmore favourably by God than a bad work done on another day of the week.But I would not have it said that I violated the Sabbath to bury Jesus.As you will, my good Joseph, Pilate said, and stood looking after Josephand the centurion, who, as they drew near to the gate of the city,remembered that a sheet would be wanted to wrap the body in. Josephanswered the centurion that there was no time for delay, but thecenturion replied: in yon shop sheets are sold. Moreover, you will wanta lantern, Sir, for the lifting of the body from the cross will takesome time, and the carrying of it to the tomb will be a slow journey foryou though you get help, and the day will be gone when you arrive. Youhad better buy a lantern, Sir. Joseph did as he was bidden, and theyhurried on to Golgotha.

  Nothing has been done in my absence? the centurion asked the soldiers,who answered: nothing, Sir; and none has been here but these women, whomwe did not drive away, but told that you were gone with one Joseph ofArimathea to get an order from Pilate for the body. That was well, thecenturion answered. And now do you loose the cords that bind the hands,and get the dead man down. Which was easy to accomplish, the feet of thecrucified being no more than a few inches from the ground; and whilethis was being done Joseph told the centurion that the women were thesisters of Lazarus, whom Jesus had raised from the dead; a story thatset the Roman soldiers laughing. Can a man be raised from the dead? theyasked; and if this man could do such a thing how is it that he did notraise himself out of death into life? To which neither Joseph nor thetwo women made any answer, but stood, their eyes fixed on theirthoughts, asking themselves how they were to carry Jesus to thesepulchre, distant about a mile and a half. And it not seeming to themthat they could carry the body, the centurion offered Joseph the help ofone of his soldiers, which they would have accepted, but at that momentan ox-cart was perceived hastening home in the dusk. Joseph, going afterthe carrier, offered him money if he would bring the body of one of thecrucified to the sepulchre in Mount Scropas for him. To which thecarrier consented, though he was not certain that the job might notprevent him from getting home before the Sabbath began. But he would seewhat could be done.

  Jesus was laid on the ox-cart, and Mary, Martha and Joseph following itreached Mount Scropas, in which was the tomb, before sunset. As I toldthee with half-an-hour for thee to get home before the Sabbath, Josephsaid to the carrier, his eyes fixed on the descending sun. Now take thisman by the feet and I'll take him by the head. But will you
not lightthe lantern, Sir? the carrier said; for though there be light on thehillside, it will be night in the tomb, and we shall be jostling ourheads against the stone and perhaps falling over the dead man.... I havesteel and tinder. Wherefrom the lantern was lit and given to Martha, wholighted them into the tomb, Joseph and the carrier bearing the body,with Mary following.

  Jesus was laid on the couch beneath the arch, and when Mary and Marthahad drawn the sheet over his face Joseph turned to the women, saying:now do you go hence to Bethany and prepare spices and cloths for theembalmment, and come hither with them in the early morning the day afterthe Sabbath. The carrier, who was standing by waiting for his wage,received it thankfully. Now, Master, if you want another shoulder tohelp with that sealing stone, I can give it you. But Joseph, looking atthe stone, said it would offer no trouble to him, for he believed in hisstrength to do it, though the carrier said: it looks as if two men, ormore like three, would be needed. But it is as you like, Master. On thishe went to his oxen, thinking of the Sabbath, and whether Joseph hadforgotten how near it was to them. He hasn't blown out his lantern yet.My word, he be going back into the tomb, the carrier said; maybe he'sforgotten something, or maybe to have a last look at his friend. Hetalks like one in a dream, or one that hadn't half recovered his wits.

  And it was just in the mood which the carrier divined that Josephentered the tomb: life had been coming and going like a dream ever sincehe met the masons; and asking himself if he were truly awake and in hisseven senses, he returned to bid Jesus a last farewell, though he wouldnot have been astonished if he sought him in vain through the darknessfilled with the dust of freshly cut stones and the smell thereof. ButJesus was where they had laid him; and Joseph sate himself by the deadMaster's side, so that he might meditate and come to see better into themeanings of things, for all meaning seemed to have gone out of life forhim since he had come up from Jericho. The flickering shadows and lightsdistracted his meditation, and set him thinking of the masons and theirpride in their work; he looked round the sepulchre and perceived it tobe a small chamber with a couch at the farther end.... Martha and Maryhave gone, he said to himself, and he remembered he had bidden them gohence to prepare spices, and to return after the Sabbath. Which theywill do as soon as the Sabbath is over, he repeated to himself, as if toconvince himself that he was not dreaming.... God did not save him inthe end as he expected he would, he continued: he'd have done better tohave given Pilate answers whereby Pilate would have been able to savehim from the cross. Pilate was anxious to save him, but, as Nicodemussaid, Jesus had come to think that it had been decreed in heaven thathis blood must be spilt, so that he might rise again, as it were, out ofhis own blood, to return in a chariot with his Father in three days....But will he return to inhabit again this beautiful mould? Joseph asked,and striving against the doubt that the sight of the dead put into hismind, he left the tomb with the intention of rolling the stone into thedoor. Better not to see him than to doubt him, he said. But who will, heasked himself, roll away the stone for Martha and Mary when they comewith spices and fine linen for the embalming? His mind was dividedwhether he should close the tomb and go his way, or watch through theSabbath, and while seeking to come upon a resolve he was overcome bydesire to see his dead friend once more, and he entered the tomb,holding high the lantern so that he might better see him. But as heapproached the couch on which the body lay he stopped, and the colourwent out of his face; he trembled all over; for the sheet with whichMartha and Mary covered over the face had fallen away, and a long tressof hair had dropped across the cheek. He must have moved, or angels musthave moved him, and, uncertain whether Jesus was alive or dead, Josephremembered Lazarus, and stood watching, cold and frightened, waiting forsome movement.

  He is not dead, he is not dead, he cried, and his joy died, for on theinstant Jesus passed again into the darkness of swoon. Joseph had nowater to bathe his forehead with, nor even a drop to wet his lips with.There is none nearer than my house, he said. I shall have to carry himthither. But if a wayfarer meets us the news that a man newly risen fromthe tomb was seen on the hillside with another will soon reachJerusalem; and the Pharisees will send soldiers.... The tomb will beviolated; the houses in the neighbourhood will be searched. Why then didhe awaken only to be taken again? Jesus lay as still as the dead, andhope came again to Joseph. On a Sabbath evening, he said, I shall beable to carry him to my house secretly. The distance is abouthalf-a-mile. But to carry a swooning man half-a-mile up a crooked andsteep path among rocks will take all my strength.

  He took cognisance of his thews and sinews, and feeling them to bestrong and like iron, he said: I can do it, and fell to thinking of hisservants loitering in the passages, talking as they ascended the stairs,stopping half-way and talking again, and getting to bed slowly, moreslowly than ever on this night, the night of all others that he wishedthem sound asleep in their beds. Half-a-mile up a zigzagging path Ishall have to carry him; he may die in my arms; and he entertained thethought for a moment that he might go for his servants, who would bringwith them oil and wine; but dismissing the thought as unwise, he leftthe tomb to see if the darkness were thick enough to shelter himself andhis burden.

  But Jesus might pass away in his swoon. If he had some water to givehim. But he had none, and he sat by the couch waiting for Jesus to openhis eyes. At last he opened them.

  The twilight had vanished and the stars were coming out, and Joseph saidto himself: there will be no moon, only a soft starlight, and he stoodgazing at the desert showing through a great tide of blue shadow, theshape of the hills emerging, like the hulls of great ships afloat in ashadowy sea. A dark, close, dusty night, he said, and moonless, desertedby every man and woman; a Sabbath night. On none other would it bepossible. But thinking that some hours would have to pass before hedared to enter his gates with Jesus on his shoulder, he seated himselfon the great stone. Though Jesus were to die for lack of succour he mustwait till his servants were in bed asleep. And then? The stone on whichhe was sitting must be rolled into the entrance of the tomb beforeleaving. He had told the carrier that he would have no trouble with it,and to discover that he had not boasted he slid down the rock, and,putting his shoulder to it, found he could move it, for the ground wasaslant, and if he were to remove some rubble the stone would itself rollinto the entrance of the tomb. But he hadn't known this when he refusedthe carrier's help. Then why?... To pass away the time he fell tothinking that he had refused the carrier's aid because of some thoughtof which he wasn't very conscious at the time; that he had beenappointed watcher, and that his watch extended through the night, andthrough the next day and night, until Mary and Martha came with spicesand linen cloths.

  The cycle of his thoughts was brought to a close and with a sudden jerkby some memory of his maybe dying friend; and in his grief he found nobetter solace than to gaze at the stars, now thickly sown in the sky,and to attempt to decipher their conjunctions and oppositions, trying topick out a prophecy in heaven of what was happening on earth.

  His star-gazing was interrupted suddenly by a bark. A jackal, he said.Other jackals answered the first bark; the hillside seemed to be filledwith them; but, however numerous, he could scare them away; a wanderinghyena scenting a dead body would be more dangerous, for he wasweaponless. But it was seldom that one ventured into the environs ofthe city; and he listened to the jackals, and they kept him awake tillsomething in the air told him the hour had come for him to go into thetomb and carry Jesus out of it ... if he were not dead. He slid downfrom the rock again, and no sooner did he reach the ground than heremembered having left Galilee to keep his promise to his father; but,despite his obedience to his father's will, had not escaped his fate. Invain he avoided the Temple and refused to enter the house of Simon theLeper.... If he were to take Jesus to his house and hide him he wouldbecome a party to Jesus' crime, and were Jesus discovered in his housethe angry Pharisees would demand their death from Pilate. If he wouldescape the doom of the cross he must roll the stone up into the entranceof the sepul
chre.... A dying man perceives no difference between asepulchre and a dwelling-house. He would be dead before morning; beforethe Sabbath was done for certain; and Mary and Martha would begin theembalmment on Sunday. He would be dead certainly on Sunday morning, anddead men tell no tales, so they say. But do they say truly? The dead arevoiceless, but they speak, and are closer to us than the living; and forever the spectre of that man would be by him, making frightful everyhour of his life. Yet by closing up the sepulchre and leaving Jesus todie in it he would be serving him better than by carrying him to hishouse and bringing him back to life. To what life was he bringing him?He could not be kept hidden for long; he could not remain in Jerusalem,and whither Jesus went Joseph would follow, and his bond to his fatherwould be broken then in spirit as well as in fact. A cold sweat brokeout on his forehead and for a long time his mind seemed like a brokenthing and the pieces scattered; and as much exhausted as if he hadcarried Jesus a mile on his shoulders, he stooped forward and enteredthe tomb, without certain knowledge whether he was going to kiss Jesusand close the tomb upon him or carry him to his house about ahalf-an-hour distant.

  As he drew the cere-cloths from the body, a vision of his house rose upin his mind--a large two-storeyed house with a domed roof, situated on alarge vineyard on the eastern slopes of the Mount of Olives, screenedfrom the highway by hedges of carob, olive garths and cedars. And thishouse seemed to Joseph as if designed by Providence for the concealmentof Jesus. The only way, he muttered, will be to lift him upon myshoulders, getting the weight as far as I can from off my arms. If hecould walk a little supported on my arm. He questioned Jesus, but Jesuscould not answer him; and there seemed to be no other way but to carryhim in his arms out of the tomb, place him on the rock, and from thencehoist him on to his shoulders.

  Jesus was carried more easily than he thought for, as easily carried asa child for the first hundred yards, nor did he weigh much heavier forthe next, but before three hundred yards were over Joseph began to lookround for a rock against which he might rest his burden.

  One of the hardships of this journey was that howsoever he held Jesus heseemed to cause him great pain, and he guessed by the feel that the bodywas wounded in many places; but the stars did not show sufficient lightfor him to see where not to grasp it, and he sat in the pathway,resting Jesus across his knees, thinking of a large rock within sight ofhis own gates and how he would lean Jesus against it, if he managed tocarry him so far. He stopped at sight of something, something seemed toslink through the pale, diffused shadows in and out of the rocks up thehillside, and Joseph thought of a midnight wolf. The wolves did notventure as near the city, but--Whatever Joseph saw with his eyes, orfancied he saw, did not appear again, and he picked up his load,thinking of the hopeless struggle it would be between him and a greywolf burdened as he was. He could not do else than leave Jesus to beeaten, and his fear of wolf and hyena so exhausted him that he nearlytoppled at the next halt. A fall would be fatal to Jesus, and Josephasked himself how he would lift Jesus on to his shoulder again. He didnot think that he could manage it, but he did, and staggered to thegates; but no sooner had he laid his burden down than he remembered thathe could not ascend the stairs without noise. The gardener's cottage isempty; I will carry him thither. The very place, Joseph said, as hepaused for breath by the gate-post. I must send away the twomen-servants, he continued, one to Galilee and the other to Jericho. Thetruth cannot be kept from Esora. I need her help: I can depend upon herto cure Jesus of his wounds and keep the young girl in the house,forbidding her the garden while Jesus is in the cottage. The danger ofdismissal would be too great, she would carry the story or part of it toJerusalem, it would spread like oil, and in a few days, in a few weekscertainly, the Pharisees would be sending their agents to search thehouse. With Jesus hoisted on to his shoulder he followed the paththrough the trees round the shelving lawn and crossed the terrace at thebottom of the garden. He had then to follow a twisting path through alittle wood, and he feared to bump Jesus against the trees. The path leddown into a dell, and he could hardly bear up so steep was the ascent;his breath and strength were gone when he came to the cottage door.

  Fortune seems to be with us, he said, as he carried Jesus through thedoorway, but he must have a bed, and fortune is still with us, theyhaven't removed the bed; and as soon as Jesus was laid upon it he beganto remember many things. He must go to the house and get a lamp, and inthe house he remembered that he must bring some wine and some water. Henoticed that his hand and his sleeve were stained with blood. He musthave been badly scourged, he said, and continued his search for bottles,and after mixing wine and water he returned to the gardener's cottage,hoping that casual ministrations would relieve Jesus of some of the painhe was suffering till Esora would come with her more serious remedies inthe morning.

  He put the lamp on a chair on the opposite side of the bed and turnedJesus over and began to pick out of the wounds the splinters of the rodshe had been beaten with, and after binding up the back with a linencloth he drew Jesus' head forward and managed to get him to swallow alittle wine and water. I can do no more, he said, and must leave him....It will be better to lock the door; he must bide there till I hear Esoraon the stairs coming down from her room. She is always out of bed first,and if luck is still with us she will rise early this morning.

  He tried to check his thoughts, but they ran on till he remembered thathe must fetch the lantern forgotten among the rocks, and that he shouldfollow the twisting path up and down the hillside seemed more than hecould accomplish. Strength and will seemed to have departed from him;yet he must go back to fetch the lantern. He had left it lighted, andsome curious person might be led by the light ... the open sepulchrewould attract his eye, and he might take up the light and discover thetomb to be empty. It wasn't likely, but some such curious one might beon the prowl. Now was the only safe time to fetch the lantern. Hedaren't leave it.... At the first light Mary and Martha would be at thesepulchre, and the finding of a lantern by the door of the emptysepulchre would give rise to--

  He passed through his gates, locking them after him, too weary to thinkfurther what might and might not befall.