e in the kingdom of heaven. Peter and John were disputing
together, hotly contending each for his own place nearest to Jesus. They
reckoned up their services, they measured the degrees of their love
for Jesus, they became heated and noisy, and even reviled one another
without restraint. Peter roared, all red with anger. John was quiet and
pale, with trembling hands and biting speech. Their quarrel had already
passed the bounds of decency, and the Master had begun to frown, when
Peter looked up by chance on Judas, and laughed self-complacently: John,
too, looked at Judas, and also smiled. Each of them recalled what the
cunning Judas had said to him. And foretasting the joy of approaching
triumph, they, with silent consent, invited Judas to decide the matter.

Peter called out, "Come now, Judas the wise, tell us who will be first,
nearest to Jesus, he or I?"

But Judas remained silent, breathing heavily, his eyes eagerly
questioning the quiet, deep eyes of Jesus.

"Yes," John condescendingly repeated, "tell us who will be first,
nearest to Jesus."

Without taking his eyes off Christ, Judas slowly rose, and answered
quietly and gravely:

"I."

Jesus let His gaze fall slowly. And quietly striking himself on the
breast with a bony finger, Iscariot repeated solemnly and sternly: "I,
I shall be nearest to Jesus!" And he went out. Struck by his insolent
freak, the disciples remained silent; but Peter suddenly recalling
something, whispered to Thomas in an unexpectedly gentle voice:

"So that is what he is always thinking about! See?"

CHAPTER V

Just at this time Judas Iscariot took the first definite step towards
the Betrayal. He visited the chief priest Annas secretly. He was very
roughly received, but that did not disturb him in the least, and he
demanded a long private interview. When he found himself alone with the
dry, harsh old man, who looked at him with contempt from beneath his
heavy overhanging eyelids, he stated that he was an honourable man
who had become one of the disciples of Jesus of Nazareth with the sole
purpose of exposing the impostor, and handing Him over to the arm of the
law.

"But who is this Nazarene?" asked Annas contemptuously, making as though
he heard the name of Jesus for the first time.

Judas on his part pretended to believe in the extraordinary ignorance of
the chief priest, and spoke in detail of the preaching of Jesus, of
His miracles, of His hatred for the Pharisees and t