. Simon and
his wife felt convinced the decision they had made was a wise one
and, although they were not ambitious, they yet felt that the offer
of Josephus was a most advantageous one, and opened a career of
honor to their son.

John, himself, was in a state of the highest delight. To be about
the person of Josephus seemed, to him, the greatest honor and
happiness. It opened the way to the performance of great actions,
which would bring honor to his father's name; and although he had
been, hitherto, prepared to settle down to the life of a cultivator
of the soil, he had had his yearnings for one of more excitement
and adventure; and these were now likely to be gratified, to the
fullest.

Mary, however, felt the approaching loss of her friend and playmate
greatly, though even she was not insensible to the honor which the
offer of Josephus conferred upon him.

"You don't seem glad of my good fortune, Mary," John said as, after
they returned home, they strolled together, as usual, down to the
edge of the lake.

"It may be your good fortune, but it's not mine," the girl said,
pettishly. "It will be very dull here, without you. I know what it
will be. Your mother will always be full of anxiety, and will be
fretting whenever we get news of any disturbances; and that is
often enough, for there seem to be disturbances, continually. Your
father will go about silently, Miriam will be sharper than usual
with the maids, and everything will go wrong. I can't see why you
couldn't have said that, in a year or two, you would go with the
governor; but that, at present, you thought you had better stop
with your own people."

"A nice milksop he would have thought me!" John laughed. "No, if he
thought I was man enough to do him service, it would have been a
nice thing for me to say that I thought I was too young.

"Besides, Mary, after all it is your good fortune, as well as mine;
for is it not settled that you are to share it? Josephus is all
powerful and, if I please him and do my duty, he can, in time,
raise me to a position of great honor I may even come to be the
governor of a town, or a captain over troops, or a councilor."

"No, no!" Mary laughed, "not a councilor, John. A governor,
perhaps; and a captain, perhaps; but never, I should say, a
councilor."

John laughed good temperedly.

"Well, Mary, then you shall look forward to be the wife of a
governor, or captain; but you see, I might even fill the place of a
coun