s George Bertram's
outspoken enthusiasm.

"Moulded wives never answer well," said Sir Lionel.

"I think he would prefer one that had been dipped," whispered Miss
Todd to the colonel; but her allusion to Miss Waddington's little
accident on the water, and to the chandler's wares, was not
thoroughly appreciated.

It has been said that the hampers were to be sent to the tomb of
Zachariah; but they agreed to dine immediately opposite to that of
St. James the Less. This is situated in the middle of the valley of
Jehoshaphat, in the centre of myriads of Jewish tombs, directly
opposite to the wall built with those huge temple stones, not many
feet over the then dry water-course of the brook Cedron. Such was the
spot chosen by Miss Todd for her cold chickens and champagne.

Of course they wandered about a little in pairs and trios while these
dainties were being prepared for them. This St. James's tomb is a
little temple built on the side of the rock, singularly graceful. The
front towards the city is adorned with two or three Roman pillars,
bearing, if I remember rightly, plain capitals. There is, I think,
no pediment above them, or any other adjunct of architectural
pretension; but the pillars themselves, so unlike anything else
there, so unlike any other sepulchral monument that I, at least, have
seen, make the tomb very remarkable. That it was built for a tomb is,
I suppose, not to be doubted; though for whose ashes it was in fact
erected may perhaps be questioned. I am not aware that any claimant
has been named as a rival to St. James.

The most conspicuous of these monuments is that which tradition
allots to Absalom, close to this other which we have just described.
It consists of a solid square erection, bearing what, for want of
a better name, I must call a spire, with curved sides, the sides
curving inwards as they fall from the apex to the base. This spiral
roof, too low and dumpy to be properly called a spire, is very
strong, built with stones laid in circles flat on each other, the
circles becoming smaller as they rise towards the top. Why Absalom
should have had such a tomb, who can say? That his bones were buried
there, the Jews at least believe; for Jewish fathers, as they walk by
with their children, bid their boys each cast a stone there to mark
their displeasure at the child who rebelled against his parent. It is
now nearly full of such stones.

While Miss Waddington was arranging her toilet within the