was concealed under the goats' hair stripes.

"How your cheek changes colour, child!" exclaimed Abishai, surveying
with surprise his young niece, who could not disguise her terror, nor
prevent her knees from trembling beneath her as she stood in the
doorway. "You have no cause to fear; Maccabeus is not even wounded.
Apollonius met him in fight, and fell by his hand. Henceforth Judas,
it is said, declares that he will always use as his own the sword which
he took from the vanquished Syrian. As David said when he grasped that
of Goliath, "There is no weapon like that."

Zarah scarcely heard the words addressed to her. One thought possessed
her mind to the exclusion of every other--the peril of the wounded
Athenian. Should any sound or movement betray his presence to her
fanatic uncle, she knew that the doom of Lycidas would be sealed, for
he was yet by far too weak to defend himself with the faintest chance
of success, and his recumbent position rendered him utterly helpless.

Hadassah anxiously watched the countenance of Zarah, and read the
thoughts passing within. Fearing that the maiden would faint where she
stood, Hadassah motioned to her to come closer to her and take her seat
at her feet. Zarah obeyed, taking care to be near enough to Abishai to
catch him by the knees, and with what little strength she possessed at
least to impede his movements should he discover the presence of the
Greek.

"Judas has brought great honour to our race," exclaimed Abishai, who
attributed the emotion of his niece to a cause very different from the
real one; "in his acts he is like a lion, and like a lion's whelp
roaring for his prey. He has pursued the wicked, and sought them out;
he has destroyed the ungodly, thrown down their altars, and turned away
wrath from Israel."

"He is a mighty instrument in the hands of the Lord," said Hadassah.

"Is he not something more?" exclaimed Abishai, his manner becoming yet
more excited; "may not the time for the great deliverance be come, and
the great Deliverer be amongst us, of whom it is written, _Mine own arm
brought salvation unto Me; and My fury, it upheld Me. And I will tread
down the people in Mine anger, and make them drunk in My fury, and I
will bring down their strength to the earth_" (Isa. lxiii. 5, 6). Wild
hope gleamed in the Hebrew's fierce eyes as he spoke, and he started
upright on his feet.

"Shame to you, son of Nathan," said Hadassah with dignity, "you speak
l