gypt may be broken, her branches torn away, her fruit
scattered, the boar out of the wood may waste it, and the wild beast of
the field devour, but yet _Israel shall blossom and bud, and fill the
face of the world with fruit_ (Isa. xxvii. 6). Were but one man left
of God's chosen people, yet from that one man should spring the
Deliverer who shall yet speak peace to the nations, and reign for ever
and ever!"

"Could I but hope--" faltered the widow.

"Can you not _believe_?" exclaimed the Asmonean. "See yonder--look to
the east--there is Gibeon, over which the sun stayed at the voice of
Joshua; over this valley of Ajalon hung the moon arrested in her course
in the day when the Amorites fled before Israel. He who raised up
Moses, Joshua, and Gideon, can by human instruments, or without them,
repeat the miracles wrought of old, and again deliver His people."

As he concluded the last sentence, the Asmonean rose to continue his
journey; he could give his weary limbs but little time for rest, for
long was the distance which he yet had to traverse.

"My home is but a furlong further on," said the widow, also rising,
"and I have again strength to go forward."

She was about to lift up her boy, but Judas prevented her. "I can
relieve you of that burden," he said, and raised the child on his
shoulders.

They had proceeded for some way in silence, the widow pondering over
the speech of the wayfaring man, when from behind was heard the clatter
of hoofs and the jingle of steel. The child, whom the Asmonean was
carrying, turned to gaze, and exclaimed in fear as he grasped the locks
of his protector, "See--horsemen in bright armour, with banners and
spears! fly, fly!--the Syrians are coming!"

Judas did not turn nor alter his pace, he merely went closer to the
side of the cactus-bordered road, to give more space to the horsemen to
pass him. On rode the Syrians in goodly array, their steel glittering
in the sunlight, the dust rising like a cloud around the hoofs of their
horses. In the centre of the line was a gorgeous arabah, or covered
cart with curtains, to which the troop of soldiers appeared to form an
escort. There was an opening in the roof of this arabah, evidently for
the convenience of accommodating within it a figure too high to be
otherwise carried in the conveyance, for out of the opening appeared a
white marble head of Grecian statuary. Judas and his companion
regarded it with the aversion and horror wit