ich vainly strives to singe and dazzle, and he
feels the sky and the sun under his feet. Infinitely and joyfully alone,
he proudly feels the impotence of all forces which operate in the world,
and has cast them all into the abyss.

He walks farther on, with quiet, masterful steps. And Time goes neither
forward nor back: obediently it marches in step with him in all its
invisible immensity.

It is the end.

CHAPTER IX

As an old cheat, coughing, smiling fawningly, bowing incessantly, Judas
Iscariot the Traitor appeared before the Sanhedrin. It was the day after
the murder of Jesus, about mid-day. There they were all, His judges and
murderers: the aged Annas with his sons, exact and disgusting likenesses
of their father, and his son-in-law Caiaphas, devoured by ambition, and
all the other members of the Sanhedrin, whose names have been snatched
from the memory of mankind--rich and distinguished Sadducees, proud in
their power and knowledge of the Law.

In silence they received the Traitor, their haughty faces remaining
motionless, as though no one had entered. And even the very least, and
most insignificant among them, to whom the others paid no attention,
lifted up his bird-like face and looked as though no one had entered.

Judas bowed and bowed and bowed, and they looked on in silence: as
though it were not a human being that had entered, but only an unclean
insect that had crept in, and which they had not observed. But Judas
Iscariot was not the man to be perturbed: they kept silence, and he kept
on bowing, and thought that if it was necessary to go on bowing till
evening, he could do so.

At length Caiaphas inquired impatiently:

"What do you want?"

Judas bowed once more, and said in a loud voice--

"It is I, Judas Iscariot, who betrayed to you Jesus of Nazareth."

"Well, what of that? You have received your due. Go away!" ordered
Annas; but Judas appeared unconscious of the command, and continued
bowing. Glancing at him, Caiaphas asked Annas:

"How much did you give?"

"Thirty pieces of silver."

Caiaphas laughed, and even the grey-bearded Annas laughed, too, and over
all their proud faces there crept a smile of enjoyment; and even the one
with the bird-like face laughed. Judas, perceptibly blanching, hastily
interrupted with the words:

"That's right! Certainly it was very little; but is Judas discontented,
does Judas call out that he has been robbed? He is satisfied. Has he not
contribut