nial upon earth.

As soon as the displaced earth had been thrown back into the grave of
Hadassah and her Abner, the night-clouds burst, and down came the long
longed-for, long-desired latter rains. The parched dry sod seemed to
drink in new life; the shrivelled foliage revived, all nature rejoiced
in the gift from heaven. When the sun rose over the hills, water was
again trickling from the stream behind the dwelling of Hadassah; the
oleanders were not yet dead, they would bloom into beauty again.

CHAPTER XXIX.

THE MOURNER'S HOME.

I shall pass lightly over the events of several succeeding months. The
summer passed away, with its intense heat and its fierce simooms. Then
came heavier dews by night, and temperature gradually decreased by day.
The harvest was ended, but few of the inhabitants of Jerusalem had
ventured to observe Pentecostal solemnities. The time for the Feast of
Tabernacles arrived, but none dared raise leafy booths of palm and
willow--to spend therein the week of rejoicing, according to the custom
of happier years.

Early in the summer Antiochus Epiphanes had quitted Judaea for Persia,
to quell an insurrection which his cupidity had provoked in the latter
country. The absence of the tyrant had somewhat mitigated the
fierceness of the persecution against such Hebrews as sought to obey
the law of Moses; but still no one dared openly to practise Jewish
rites in Jerusalem, and the image of Jupiter Olympus still profaned the
temple on Mount Zion.

Judas Maccabeus, in the meantime, still maintained a bold front in
Southern Judaea and the tract of country called Idumea; the power of
his name was felt from the rich pasture-lands surrounding Hebron as far
as the fair plains of Beersheba on the south-west--or on the south-east
the desolate valley of salt. Wherever the Asmonean's influence
extended, fields were sown or their harvests gathered in peace; the
husbandman followed his team, and the shepherd folded his flocks;
mothers rejoiced over the infants whom they could now present to the
Lord without fear.

But again the portentous war-cloud was rolling up from the direction of
Antioch. Lycias, the regent of the western provinces, by the command
of Antiochus had gathered around him a very large army, a force yet
more formidable than that which had been led by Nicanor, and Syria was
again collecting her hordes to crush by overwhelming numbers Judas and
his patriot band.

And how had the la