on;' and into vast forests I plunged, and mighty
plains I traversed; onward, onward, onward I went, with the nameless
horror in my bosom, and--that cry, that awful cry! The rains beat upon
me; the sun wrought pitilessly with me; the thickets tore my flesh; and
the inhospitable shores bruised my weary feet,--yet onward I went,
plucking what food I might from thorny bushes to stay my hunger, and
allaying my feverish thirst at pools where reptiles crawled. Sometimes
a monster beast stood in my pathway and threatened to devour me; then
would I spread my two arms thus, and welcome death, crying: 'Rend thou
this Jew in twain, O beast! strike thy kindly fangs deep into this
heart,--be not afeard, for I shall make no battle with thee, nor any
outcry whatsoever!' But, lo, the beast would cower before me and skulk
away. So there is no death for me; the judgment spoken is irrevocable;
my sin is unpardonable, and the voice will not be hushed!"

Thus and so much spake the Jew, bowing his hoary head upon his hands.
Then was the Father Miguel vastly troubled; yet he recoiled not from
the Jew,--nay, he took the old man by the hand and sought to soothe him.

"Thy sin was most heinous, O Jew!" quoth the Father; "but it falleth in
our blessed faith to know that whoso repenteth of his sin, what it
soever may be, the same shall surely be forgiven. Thy punishment hath
already been severe, and God is merciful, for even as we are all his
children, even so his tenderness to us is like unto the tenderness of a
father unto his child--yea, and infinitely tenderer and sweeter, for
who can estimate the love of our heavenly Father? Thou didst deny thy
succor to the Nazarene when he besought it, yet so great compassion
hath he that if thou but callest upon him he will forget thy
wrong,--leastwise will pardon it. Therefore be thou persuaded by me,
and tarry here this night, that in the presence of yonder symbol and
the holy relics our prayers may go up with thine unto our blessed
Mother and to the saints who haply shall intercede for thee in
Paradise. Rest here, O sufferer,--rest thou here, and we shall
presently give thee great comfort." The Jew, well-nigh fainting with
fatigue, being persuaded by the holy Father's gentle words, gave
finally his consent unto this thing, and went anon unto the cave beyond
the shrine, and entered thereinto, and lay upon a bed of skins and
furs, and made as if to sleep. And when he slept his sleep was
seemingl