he High-Priest
accompanying him. By that time wonders--infernal wonders--had been
wrought.

From the packing case there had been taken a gigantic image of Lucien
Apleon, and it had been reared upon a plinth of dark green marble, upon
the tessellated platform _within_ the Temple.

The statue was of gold, and upon the green marble plinth was engraved:
"I AM THAT I AM!"

In amazed, frightened horror, the High-Priest gazed for one moment upon
the idolatrous abomination, then, as his blood boiled with a holy,
righteous indignation, he thundered forth the words:

"Thou shalt have no other God before me.

"Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, . . . . Thou shalt
not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am
a jealous God--."

"Take that foul, idolatrous thing hence!" he cried, with passionate
warmth. His eyes were fixed upon Apleon's chaplain, (the false
Prophet) whose mocking smile, as he stood by the gang of workmen,
angered him beyond measure.

Not a man moved at the order of the High-Priest, and he thundered forth
his command again:

"Take that abomination down, and hence, or I will call upon Jehovah to
send His judgment fire down and consume you all, and the idol as well."

With a blasphemous oath, the false Prophet, spat in the forehead of the
fulminating Priest, and hissed:

"Silence, fool, idiot, driveller!"

As the foul spittle touched the face of the Priest, he fell prone upon
his back on the pavement of the Temple. A dead hush fell upon everyone
present, for as they gazed upon the face of the dead Priest they saw
that the whole forehead became filled with the "Mark of the Beast."

The silence of this awesome hush was suddenly, startlingly broken by a
peal of mocking laughter. It came from Lucien Apleon's deputy, the
false Prophet.

Then, more startling still, the lips of the golden image parted, and in
deep, solemn tones the idol cried:

"So perish all who shall dare to oppose the Emperor Lucien's will."

This was no trick. It was not a mechanical device within the image.
It was not a clever piece of ventriloquism. Of this we are
assured--the image actually spoke. God's word cannot lie, and John,
under the command of God, wrote it down: "_It was given the false
Prophet to give spirit to the image of the Beast, that the image of the
Beast should even speak_."

"_To give SPIRIT to the image_!" What does that mean? Does it mean
that life was given to i