the bell which hung beside the porter's lodge jangled sharply, and the porter, after first peering out to see who stood before the door, promptly opened. "my master is within," he said, making his obeisance. "i pray thee enter, reverend sir, thou wilt find my lord annas upon the terrace. he is expecting thee."

without a word the newcomer strode past and disappeared within. the porter stared after his retreating figure for a moment in silence, then he shook his head slowly. "his look is dark and threatening," he muttered, "it bodes no good for them that believe, when at night and at morning and also at midday those that hate us gather themselves in secret conclave. there be mischiefs brewing, i fear me; a dark cloud which will break ere long and bring swift destruction upon the church--unless the lord send help, and that right speedily."

"and what hast thou found to grumble about now, simon?" said a cheery voice at his elbow.

the old man looked up sharply. "ah, iddo, didst thou hear me? i am indeed falling into indiscreet habits in my solitude when i prate aloud of my fears. had it been aaron now, in thy stead--but why do i say so? i am not ashamed to own that i believe on the nazarene."

"thou art in good company, assuredly," said the young man, "though an open avowal of thy faith would doubtless cost thee thy snug quarters. the lord of this house is not likely to be of them which are daily being added to the church. hast thou heard that of the priests themselves we are continually gaining in great numbers? 'tis wonderful; all jerusalem will be with us in another year; as for these worldly old hypocrites, let them be; they will die in their sins and the world will be better without them. even the master had no good word for such. whited sepulchres called he them, and pronounced against them the woes which they assuredly have merited. nothing can stand against us now, for the lord is with us!"

but simon shook his head. "thou art young, iddo," he said querulously, "and hast much to learn. there is a storm at hand and it will blow no good to the church; i have said it, and thou wilt see. do i not stand at this gate and see them that go in and out? i hear also many things--for the lord hath preserved my ears, and they that enter mind me no more than yonder stone bench--listen!" and the old man held up a shaking hand. "yesterday i admitted two--four--five of them that be rich and mighty--i will not name them. they remained within, three whole hours by the shadow on yonder dial, then they came out together.

"''tis a goodly thought of annas to first put out of the way the pestilential greek,' quoth one, 'the witnesses will not be hard to find.'

"'i trow not,' said another with a laugh, 'words are cheap both for the buying and selling; as for the fellow stephen, he doeth more mischief among the common people in a week than the slow-witted hinds whom they call apostles could accomplish in a month.'"

"stephen," cried iddo, aghast.

"hist, boy! now thou seest that though i am old--and as thou hast said, given to over-much foreboding--there is a deadly mischief on foot."

"the lord will smite them if they lay but a finger on stephen," exclaimed the young man indignantly. "'tis such as he that the lord's flock hath need of; daily doth he work great miracles of healing, and his voice is heard in every synagogue persuading men to believe on jesus the christ. men listen gladly; and to listen is to be convinced of the truth."

"ah, boy! 'tis because of these very things that they hate him; were he less than he is, they would not lay a finger on him."

"but surely god will protect him!"

"god spared not his own son," said the old man solemnly. "he suffered him to be tortured and to be slain at the hands of these very men; and the servant is not greater than his lord."

the other was silent for a time; all the brightness had faded out from his face. "who is within now?" he said, at length.

"saul of tarsus," replied simon, briefly.

"i shall warn them of the household of john of this thou hast told me?"

"assuredly, but let it not be bruited abroad; there is nothing to be gained by it, and perhaps much to be lost. if the young man stephen--" but the clang of the bell interrupted him, and he hastened to open. "enter, my lord, i pray thee. it is so, my lord annas is within, and with him the rabbi saul."

iddo bowed with instinctive respect as the tall, gaunt figure swept by him and disappeared adown the passageway. "he is no longer high priest," he said, in a half whisper, "and it perchance hath irked him to resign the office."

"there are other reasons for his haggard look," said the old man sagely; "but it is not for such as i to prate concerning the affairs of caiaphas. the lord hath dealt with him, as he doth also deal with all men; perchance that he may draw them to himself at the last."

"nay; dost thou think then that it is possible for such as the murderers of our lord to be forgiven?"

"'tis assuredly not for us to set limits upon the compassion and love of the father of our lord jesus--who also prayed for them in his agony. if he can save me, he is able to save any one; for i know my own heart how that it is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked."

"that is a true word, my simon," said the young man, humbly. "no one knoweth it better than i, who was ever prone to do evil as the sparks fly upward.--i must away; if stephen could but be persuaded to leave jerusalem----"

"'twas what i would have said," broke in simon, eagerly. "let him go--and at once. there is no need that he remain to fall into the net which these are making ready for him. it may be that it was by the good providence of god that i chanced to hear what i did." then as he opened the door that the young man might pass out, he whispered, "let them all beware of the pharisee from tarsus."

"'tis a word of wisdom," said iddo to himself, as he strode rapidly away. "yet would he dare molest us who walk orderly after the law? if now we kept not the fasts, nor observed the solemn feasts, nor prayed at the times of the morning and evening sacrifice--but all of these things we observe and do. yet have i heard stephen proclaim in the synagogues that there was now no further need for the priestly slaughter of flocks and herds, because that christ had given himself a sacrifice for the sins--not only of the jews--but for the sins of the whole world. even the apostles say not such things, it must be that he is over-bold--being a greek. some one should speak to him of the matter."

revolving these thoughts in his mind, the young man came at length into the street where was the house of john the apostle. it was narrow, and still, and hot; the feet of the few passers-by--mostly women passing to and from the public fountains with their water-jars--making no noise in the yellow dust. iddo paused a moment with bent head; he smiled, and his eyes sparkled with joy. "she is singing," he said aloud. and he hurried forward faster than before--almost stumbling indeed in his haste over some small brown object, which squatted silently in the hot sunshine before the door which he sought.

"what is this?" he cried, looking down, and discovering that the obstacle was none other than a small brown child; that there were, in fact, three of them, a boy and a girl--and betwixt the two a baby, smaller and browner than either.

"we be listening," said the girl solemnly, shaking the dark curls out of her eyes and looking up at her questioner. "the baby hath gone to sleep because he likes it; we come every day. wilt thou sit down here? the dust is soft, and the music is like angels singing."

iddo smiled. "thou art right, little one," he said; "'tis like the voice of an angel."

"i lift up mine eyes to the hills.

whence cometh my help?

my help is from jehovah,

maker of heaven and earth,"

chanted the melodious voice within, then it dropped to a pleading cadence,

"may he not suffer thy foot to be moved!

may he not slumber that keepeth thee!

behold, the keeper of israel

shall neither slumber nor sleep.

jehovah keep thee from all evil!

he will keep thy life.

jehovah keep thy coming and going

henceforth and for ever!"

the listener sighed involuntarily; then he stretched forth his hand and laid it upon the bell--paying no heed to the solemn little voice at his feet, "if thou dost pull the rope the singing will stop."

almost immediately the door opened, and a sweet voice cried, "ah, 'tis thou, iddo ben obed! enter, i pray thee," then observing the young man's serious face, she added, "what hath befallen thee, friend? thou art as solemn as that great image in the desert which men call the sphinx."

"i have reason," answered ben obed, "as thou must hear presently."

"i must first speak to the little ones.--enter, friend, thou wilt find my brother within. why didst thou not knock, little one?" she continued, stooping to raise the sleeping child, "the sun is too hot for the babe; it breedeth mischief at this season. stay--i will give thee some pomegranates, then must thou go home where it is cool. to-night if thou wilt come and knock on the door thou shalt enter, then i will sing to thee, and also tell thee a story of how the babe jesus came through the wilderness to the land of egypt." and having kissed the smooth brown cheeks in token of dismissal, she watched the two as they trudged away down the street, the sleepy baby toddling between.

ben obed was already seated upon the stone bench in the cool shadow of the house, talking in low tones to a young man of about his own age, who with bent brows and serious air was paying him diligent heed.

"i can scarce believe that such talk is more than idle threatening," he was saying. "since the day that gamaliel gave counsel in the sanhedrim that we be left in peace, there hath been no active persecution. they must see by this time that the lord is with us, therefore is the good counsel of gamaliel proven; surely there can be none amongst them bold enough to fight against god. and this said i to simon--or words of like import. i reminded him also that we are well looked upon by all the people, and how--being in all points disposed to keep the law--even the priests are daily joining themselves to our numbers. but he hath a different opinion; moreover, he bade me tell all of this household to beware saul of tarsus."

"what danger is threatened?" asked anat, anxiously.

iddo ben obed raised his eyes to her face, and there was that in their fiery gaze that brought the warm color to the maiden's cheek.

"danger is threatened to stephen," he said slowly, "though how great is that danger we cannot tell."

the face of anat grew deathly pale. "tell me--" she said, breathlessly, "all that thou hast heard."

iddo dropped his eyes to the ground. "they will imprison him if he continues to preach that the christ is mightier than the law," he said coldly. "what more i know not. 'twill be best for him to leave jerusalem."

anat turned swiftly and went away into the house.

that evening she told the three children the story which she had promised them; and sang to them wild songs of the desert--vaguely remembered from the days when she dwelt in egypt; and afterward the psalm of the watchful love, which she had sung in the morning. then she gave the little ones into the hand of their mother, and went softly up to the housetop. a lonely figure stood by the parapet, looking away toward the afterglow which burned in solemn splendor behind the mountains. she hesitated for a moment, then went lightly forward.

"hast thou heard," she said softly, "the evil tidings which the son of obed brought to this house to-day?"

"i have talked with john concerning it."

"and what said he? surely he urged thee to flee the peril?" and the girl's voice thrilled with passionate entreaty.

the young man turned. "anat--beloved," he said softly, "i know all that thou wouldst say; and there is much in my heart that i would fain say to thee--only that the time is short. already for me the daylight fades and the night cometh when i can no more work for the master, while for thee there yet remaineth many years wherein to glorify his name; and this shalt thou do, and in the doing find peace--the peace that passeth understanding."

the girl had sunken to her knees beside him, her slender frame shaken with a tempest of weeping; but a great calm fell upon her soul as stephen rested his hands upon her bowed head--his voice tremulous in that sweetest of all benedictions: "the lord bless thee, and keep thee: the lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: the lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace."