" she replied anxiously.

When they came out upon the housetop, Lazarus said in a voice of
emotion, "Alas--woe be upon us. Yea, misery hath fallen to our lot.
Ah, that my soul should have lived to see this evil hour!"

"What hath happened?" Mary asked, resting the fingers that had been
lightly touching the harp strings. "Hath evil tidings?"

"Alas that this should have fallen upon this household. Canst thou,
Mary, sustain the grief of thy sister while I do break the evil
tidings?"

"Thou dost distress my soul!" Martha exclaimed. "Speak."

"A new skin bottle is missing," Lazarus solemnly declared.

After the laughter which followed, Martha said, "Thou, Lazarus, and thy
sister Mary would both starve had not our father saved his mites. Doth
not our own Solomon teach of the saving ways of the ant?"

"The words of the Galilean Rabbi mean more to Mary than the wisdom of
Solomon," Joel observed.

"The son of David," Mary answered, "was not his heart led of strange
women?"

"Cast not blame on him," Joel said. "Snared he was by the daughters of
Baal as was our father Adam tempted of Eve."

"Man is queer. Ever he doth boast of being strong, yet doth he ever
likewise boast of being led astray," reflected Mary.

"Joel," Lazarus asked, "how camest thou in the net of Martha? Didst
thou walk in, or wert thou dragged?"

"I did walk," Joel answered, laughing. "But Martha is not like other
women."

"And I did prepare the way for his walking, for much did my heart
desire a man with such beard," Martha confessed.

"Martha's heart hath been drawn out by a man's beard. What drew thy
heart when first thou set eyes on the Master?" and Lazarus turned to
Mary. "Thou shouldst have seen her, Joel," he continued. "Long had we
waited in the Temple for a sight of him and we had turned on to the
porch when Mary did look back. Then her feet stopped as if turned to
salt and in my ear she did whisper, with undue excitement, 'Look!
Look! Is that Jesus?' And I did look. And behold, the Master stood
with a small child in his arms. Then did Mary refuse to move forward,
but established her feet on the stones of the portico and with her
hands on my shoulders did she lean that she might see the man. And
while she did thus lean, he raised his eyes from the face of the child
in his arms and looked straight at Mary. Dost thou remember, Mary?"

"Some things the heart can not forget," Mary answered, resting her head
against her