V 

 
 TALES 
 
 JEWISH HISTORY, 
 
 THE MISSES C. & M. MOSS, 
 
 AUTHORESSES OF "EARLY EFFORTS," "THE ROMANCE OF JEWISH 
 HISTORY," ETC. 
 
 Thine is a chequerd story ; 
 Much of good, and much of ill ; 
 Tales of shame and glory, 
 By turns thy records fill. 
 
 She hath seen her proud temples enveloped in flames, 
 
 Her palaces made into graves, 
 And her children, deprived of their homes and their names, 
 
 Exposed in the market for slaves ! MS. 
 
 IN THREE VOLUMES. 
 VOL. I. 
 
 L O N D O N : 
 MILLER & FIELD, G, BRIDGE ROAD, LAMBETH. 
 
 1843.
 
 TO 
 
 SAMUEL ROGERS, ESQ., 
 
 AUTHOR OK 
 
 "THE PLEASURES OF MEMORY, 
 
 ETC., ETC., 
 
 IS BY PERMISSION DEDICATED, 
 
 AS A SLIGHT TRIBUTE TO HIS GENIUS, 
 
 FROM HIS SINCERE ADMIRERS, 
 
 THE AUTHORESSES. 
 
 2094251
 
 ADVERTISEMENT. 
 
 IN the following pages, the Authoresses have 
 endeavoured to delineate, as correctly as pos- 
 sible at this distant period, a faithful picture of 
 the Century in which Judea fell. 
 
 The circumstance which suggested the inci- 
 dent of " Benoni," is the well known story of 
 the son of Croasus, king of Lydia. 
 
 Flattered by the indulgent reception which 
 the public gave to " The Romance of Jewish 
 History," the Authoresses trust the same pa- 
 tronage will be extended toward their present 
 production. 
 
 3, Queen Street, Port sea.
 
 CONTENTS OF VOL, I, 
 
 Page 
 THE FORTUNES OF HEROD AGRIPPA ... 1 
 
 (CELIA MOSS.) 
 
 THE TWIN BROTHERS OF NEARDA ... 75 
 
 (MARION MOSS.)
 
 HEROD AGRIPPA,
 
 INTRODUCTION, 
 
 HEROD AGRIPPA was at Cesarea, celebrating 
 games and spectacles in honour of the Emperor 
 Claudius. It was the second day of the festi- 
 val, and Agrippa, as soon as the first beam of 
 light appeared in the sky, arrayed himself with 
 extraordinary splendour. His robe of cloth of 
 silver, glittered in the rays of the morning sun, 
 throwing a halo of light around the magnificent 
 form of the monarch, and filling the spectators 
 with awe and admiration. The Greeks rnd 
 Romans who crowded round Agrippa, willing 
 to flatter the king, whose ruling passion was 
 love of splendour, shouted aloud, "A present 
 god ! a present god !" 
 
 Instead of reproaching them for their impiety, 
 Agrippa smiled, and was about to pass on to 
 
 VOL. i. B
 
 g INTRODUCTION. 
 
 his seat, when raising his eyes, he beheld an 
 owl perched upon a rope above his head. The 
 vision of glory vanished at once, and with a 
 faint cry the Hebrew fell into the arms of his 
 attendants. Agonizing pains seized him, the 
 cold dew of anguish stood on his brow, and 
 the glow of pride faded from his cheek, while 
 he addressed those who stood near. 
 
 " Behold !" he said, speaking slowly, yet so 
 as to be distinctly heard by every one in the 
 theatre, " your god is about to die ! and by 
 this fatal necessity, must convict ye all of pre- 
 sumptuous flattery and falsehood; thus con- 
 vincing the world, that I am not immortal. In 
 the course of my life, God has been very mer- 
 ciful to me. I have had no reason to envy any 
 prince under heaven. Yet not content with 
 this, I strove to rise higher, and the all-just 
 Creator punishes me for my sinful folly by 
 untimely death." 
 
 In a vast and magnificent chamber, through- 
 out which reigned the gloom and stillness of 
 death, lay Agrippa, the great King of Judea. 
 His livid features were distorted by strong 
 agony, and his limbs were convulsed with violent
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 pain. A beautiful young woman stood by the 
 side of the couch, holding the monarch's hands 
 in her's, and bathing them with tears, while two 
 little girls of extreme loveliness sat at the foot 
 of the couch. 
 
 Agrippa held in his hand a roll of papyrus 
 neatly written, which he was extending towards 
 his eldest daughter. " Thou wilt deliver it 
 with my blessing to thy brother, beloved," he 
 aid, speaking with difficulty ; " therein is penned 
 all that has occurred to thy father, in a life full 
 of vicissitude ; it may serve as a warning and a 
 lesson to my son in good or evil fortune. Tell 
 him, Berenice, that I have done this, that when 
 my heart is still, my tongue mute, enemies and 
 the fortunate have always many such shall 
 not speak falsely of Agrippa. When he reads 
 in this scroll the tale of my weakness and folly, 
 let him consider, that his father was a man, sub- 
 ject to human passions, human foibles." 
 
 That night, amid the tears of all who knew 
 his virtues, the last monarch of Judea paid the 
 debt of nature ; and with him died the last faint 
 ray of independence in Palestine. 
 
 As soon as the month of mourning was over, 
 Berenice wrote to her brother, detailing the 
 account of their father's death, and with it 
 B 2
 
 4, INTRODUCTION. 
 
 transmitted the papers he had intrusted to her 
 charge. Agrippa hastened to peruse the detail 
 of his beloved parent's fortunes, and with 
 alternate feelings of joy and sorrow, read as 
 follows.
 
 THE FORTUNES 
 
 HEROD AGRIPPA. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 " THE PAST !" how much of gladness and gloom 
 these two short words convey to the human 
 breast ! Who can look upon the history of his 
 youth, without feeling that he has thrown away 
 the golden moments of existence, and wasted 
 precious opportunities that can never be re- 
 called ? The past ! how many a tale it tells, of 
 broken resolutions, vows never kept, and hopes 
 scathed and blighted ; of pride, passion, vanity, 
 and love ; of the good thrown from us, the evil 
 cherished, until the goodly seed of virtue is 
 choked up, and the poison of vice is all that 
 remains ! In the record of my chequered exist- 
 ence, thou, my son, mayest learn to note how one 
 vain desire gratified, begets another ; and how
 
 g THE FORTUNES OF 
 
 in the pursuit of earthly fortune, we too easily 
 lose sight of the one great truth, that all sub- 
 lunary things are fleeting. What avails man's 
 glory, power, riches, in the grave, or before 
 the judgment seat of God ? 
 
 My earliest recollections are of sorrow ; a dim 
 and shadowy remembrance of a prison, in which 
 were confined my unhappy father and his noble 
 brother, even now flits before me. I yet seem 
 to feel the pressure of my father's lips to mine, 
 to hear the tones of his voice as he faltered 
 forth a blessing on his children, and prayed God 
 to protect his orphans. But I will not dwell 
 on my early youth. My grandfather, Herod, 
 after the murder of my unfortunate father and 
 uncle, took my mother and her children under 
 his protection, and brought us up at his court. 
 Shortly before Herod's death, I went to Rome, 
 and contracted a friendship with young Drusus, 
 son of the Emperor Tiberius. I had likewise a 
 kind and generous friend in Antonia, the widow 
 of Drusus the elder, who loved my mother 
 Berenice as a sister, I was naturally fond of 
 magnificence, and careless of expense ; I loved 
 to outvie all my companions in splendour, and 
 while my mother lived, (Peace to her soul !) she 
 amply supplied my wants, and my thoughtless
 
 HEROD AGRIPPA. 7 
 
 extravagance was unchecked by her. At length 
 she died, and my prosperity died with her. She 
 was a kind and gentle being, but wanting in 
 that firmness of character, necessary to restrain 
 my follies. 
 
 Soon after my mother's burial, young Drusus 
 died, and, inconsolable at his untimely fate, Ti- 
 berius forbade any of the companions of the 
 young prince to approach his presence, as they 
 reminded him of his loss. 
 
 Banished from the Emperor's presence, I in- 
 dulged for a time- in uncontrolled dissipation, 
 until overwhelmed with debt, I was obliged to 
 fly from the imperial city, and retire to an obscure 
 refuge in my native land, at Malatha, on the 
 borders of Idumea. A tried and gentle being 
 accompanied me thither one whose heart ever 
 beat in unison with mine, whose tenderness 
 cheered me, even in the darkest hour of despair. 
 This was thy mother, the beautiful Cypros : 
 with less firmness and pride than myself, she 
 possessed greater powers of endurance. Her 
 husband and children were the objects on which 
 she lavished all her affections, and in the midst 
 of affliction no murmur or complaint broke from 
 her lips. 
 
 At Malatha all the bitterness of poverty pressed
 
 8 THE FORTUNES OF 
 
 heavily upon me. Without money or credit, 
 I could barely obtain subsistence for my family. 
 Gloomy thoughts began to press on my mind ; 
 in my selfish impiety I wished for death, and at 
 length determined to put an end to my own 
 existence, rather than endure the burden of life 
 any longer. 
 
 It was winter ; the festival of Hanachu had 
 commenced, but my heart sickened at the sight 
 of revelry. I shut myself up, even from my 
 wife, and refused to assist in the prayers and 
 thanksgivings. I forgot that the blood of the 
 Asmoneans flowed in my veins ; I remembered 
 only that I was poor and miserable. 
 
 It was a calm starlight night, and to my 
 fevered fancy the blessed blue of heaven seemed 
 but mocking my misery. The shouts of the 
 gay revellers in the village almost maddened 
 me. The meanest slave, the poorest wretch on 
 earth, seemed more blessed than I. 
 
 " This will end it," I said, drawing forth a 
 dagger, the gift of Drusus, from my vest. " Par- 
 don me, O God, for the deed I am about to 
 commit, and receive my sinful soul." I raised 
 the dagger, and was about to plunge it in my 
 heart, when the hand of Cypros dashed it aside, 
 and flinging herself at my feet, she exclaimed.
 
 HEROD AGRIPPA. 
 
 " Agrippa, what madness is this ! thy words are 
 rather those of a heathen who deems self-murder 
 virtuous, than of a Hebrew who hath a know- 
 ledge of God. Selfish and unkind ! " she con- 
 tinued in a softer voice, while her eyes filled 
 with tears, " is thy love for thy wife and child- 
 ren so slight that thou wouldst leave them to 
 endure miseries thou thyself couldst not brave ?" 
 
 Her words softened me, for I felt that her 
 reproach was just, and raising her in my arms, 
 I wept on her neck. 
 
 Cypros suffered my emotion to exhaust itself 
 ere she again spoke ; then gently disengaging 
 herself from my embrace, she glided away, but 
 returned instantly with a volume of Scripture, 
 and placing it in my hand she said gently, 
 " Read it ; it will make thee a wiser and a 
 better man." 
 
 Deeply touched by her words, I opened the 
 sacred volume, and when I closed it again that 
 night, I fervently blessed God for preserving 
 me from so great a sin as I had contemplated. 
 The next day I sought the synagogue, and 
 prayed fervently to the Most High for strength 
 to support my lot. 
 
 A week passed away, during which Cypros 
 watched me closely, lest I should attempt a 
 B 3
 
 10 THE FORTUNES OF HEROD AGRIPPA. 
 
 renewal of my desperate purpose, but her fears 
 were vain ; better feelings were aroused within 
 me ; 1 determined to despair no more. 
 
 "Joy, joy, beloved!" exclaimed Cypros, as 
 she bounded to my side one morning with an 
 open letter in her hand; "thy spirit will no 
 longer be bowed down by poverty. God is 
 good, better than we deserve." 
 
 I took, the letter, and read therein an invita- 
 tion from my sister Herodias, to Galilee, 
 assuring me of a cordial reception.
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 I FOUND my uncle Herod at Sephhoras. He 
 received me with kindness, bestowed on me the 
 government of Tiberias, and a yearly income. 
 For a time I was happy; my sister Herodias 
 loved me as well as her haughty nature would 
 permit, and for my wife and children she showed 
 tender affection ; but this state of things did 
 not long endure. Herod removed his court to 
 Tyre, whither we accompanied him. 
 
 " Are we not happy, dearest ? " I said, em- 
 bracing my wife, as, arrayed for a banquet, I 
 entered her apartment. " How different are 
 our present fortunes to the privations we under- 
 went at Malatha." Ere that night was over, I 
 recalled my words in bitterness of heart, for my 
 dream was over. I had been rudely awakened 
 to the real humiliation of my position. We sat 
 at the banquet. Slaves crowded round, eager 
 to perform our bidding, and the board was
 
 THE FORTUNES OP 
 
 spread with rich wines, of which the Tetrarch 
 had freely partaken. We conversed together 
 on different subjects, when, because I dissented 
 from him, Herod dared to upbraid me as a 
 dependant on his bounty. Slaves and strangers 
 were around listening to his words, and yet he 
 dared thus to degrade me. I would have felled 
 him to the earth, but that, even in the midst of 
 my rage, I remembered he was my father's 
 brother. Half maddened, and scarcely conscious 
 of what I did, I rushed from the banquet room, 
 and darting along the passages, found myself 
 at the entrance of my wife's apartment. Here 
 I paused a moment, for my temples throbbed 
 fearfully, and the blood in my veins seemed 
 like liquid fire. A voice sounded from within, 
 low and sweet. My little Berenice was singing 
 a beautiful hymn in praise of God. As I 
 listened to those holy words, my anger softened 
 as my wounded feelings grew calmer ; I could 
 have wept. When the hymn ceased I gently 
 withdrew the curtain ; Cypros sat near the 
 entrance, Berenice was at her feet, the dark 
 curls thrown back from her beaming face, and 
 her large lustrous eyes upraised to the face of 
 her mother. My sister Herodias, stood a little 
 apart from them, turning her eyes from child
 
 HEROD AGRIPPA. \g 
 
 to mother in evident admiration. It would 
 have been difficult for a painter to decide which 
 of the three was loveliest, so beautiful were the 
 forms and features of them all. With an un- 
 steady step I advanced to the side of my wife, 
 and threw my arms around her neck. 
 
 " Agrippa," she said, gazing anxiously into 
 my face, which was deeply flushed ; " what ails 
 thee, beloved?" 
 
 " Why hast thou left the banquet so early ?" 
 added Herodias. " Thou art not always so 
 temperate a reveller." 
 
 " I have left the banquet," I answered, 
 looking sternly at her, " because thy husband's 
 pensioner is unworthy a seat at his board. 
 Herodias, my sister, we both sprang from the 
 same parents, thy husband also is of the blood 
 of Herod. Had he and thou been poor and 
 friendless, Agrippa's house and heart would 
 have been open to receive ye ; and he would 
 have cut off his right hand, before he would 
 have insulted the guest who sojourned beneath 
 his roof. My sister," I continued, as my eyes 
 filled with tears, " the grandson of Mariamne 
 would rather be indebted to the charity of 
 strangers ; or with his wife and children beg 
 his bread from city to city, than again expose 
 himself to what he has this night suffered."
 
 |4 THE FORTUNES OF 
 
 " For which thou mayest thank thine own 
 prodigality," replied Herodias scornfully. " Such 
 words become thee well, but a calmer and hum- 
 bler tone would suit thy present fortunes better, 
 It will be long ere Herod Antipas or his wife 
 seek favour at thy hands." 
 
 Her words again aroused my half-smothered 
 passion, the tumult in my breast was fearful, 
 rage half choked my utterance, convulsive 
 shudderings shook my frame ; my manhood 
 gave way, and a burst of tears relieved my 
 agony. 
 
 Berenice clung to me, and strove by a thou- 
 sand little endearments to soothe my emotion, 
 for the child's heart was troubled by the sight 
 of my tears ; and Cypros, who trembled vio- 
 lently, entreated me to calm myself; even 
 Herodias seem moved, her proud lip quivered 
 and her haughty brow grew less stern, while 
 she bent her eagle eye on the ground, to avoid 
 the sight of my anguish. 
 
 " Woman," I exclaimed, as I shook off my 
 wife's hold, " thou hast exposed me to this 
 humiliation. Oh, why did I not end my miser- 
 able existence in Idumea ?" 
 
 " Because thou wert a husband, a father, 
 and a Hebrew," answered Cypros firmly, yet 
 gently.
 
 HEROD AGRIPPA. 
 
 " Thou canst speak calmly, Cypros, for thou 
 hast not been taunted with thy poverty, be- 
 fore slaves and guests. I could have borne all 
 but that." 
 
 " Agrippa," her voice faltered, " is not the 
 insult offered to thee, offered to me also ? Am 
 I not thy wife, the mother of thy children, and 
 thinkest thou I am a stock or a stone, not to 
 feel when thou art grieved ?" 
 
 " What, wilt thou too join in this folly, fair 
 Cypros ?" said Herodias, scoffingly ; " well," she 
 continued, " since your words are so haughty 
 I will leave ye to cool ; farewell !" and with a 
 stately step she glided from the room. I flung 
 myself on the ground as she departed, and 
 burying my face in my hands I again wept 
 freely. Ah, how bitter were those tears, drawn 
 forth by indignity brought upon me by thought- 
 less prodigality ; and how many a half-formed 
 resolution of wiser conduct flitted through my 
 mind, as I grovelled in the dust, which pros- 
 perity erased from my memory. 
 
 Again I arose, and strode hurriedly up and 
 down the room. At length I paused opposite 
 to where my wife sat, her arms folded around 
 her child. " We must leave the palace, Cypros," 
 I said, " but whither to take refuge, I know
 
 ](5 THE FORTUNES OF 
 
 not; I have not a gold coin in my possession, 
 but here I cannot, v\ill not abide. Go, beloved, 
 prepare for departure, the while I will seek 
 some abode for thee and our little ones." 
 
 An hour afterwards we had taken possession 
 of the abode of an humble adherent of my 
 family, and as I looked at the bare and mean 
 appearance of the dwelling to which poverty 
 had consigned us, I gave vent to renewed mur- 
 murings. " We are now at the lowest ebb," 
 I said; " it is out of the power of events to sink 
 us lower. I am in debt wherever I could bor- 
 row, and have no means of repaying my credi- 
 tors ; we have no prospect but starvation before 
 us, Cypros; I have not even hope for the future. 
 " God is all powerful," she replied solemnly, 
 " he never deserts those who trust in him." 
 
 " Of what righteous pharisee hast thou 
 lately taken lessons, beloved ?" and, despite the 
 heavy burden of care that weighed me down, 
 I smiled. 
 
 " Oh, do not imitate the crime of our race, 
 and scoff at holy things," replied Cypros ear- 
 nestly. " The race of Herod has already suf- 
 fered severely, because they despised the laws 
 of God and persecuted his people. Herod him- 
 self was fearfully punished for his wickedness,
 
 HEROD AGRIPPA. jy 
 
 although the world prospered with him, and 
 men envied his fortune. Mariamne, Alexander, 
 Aristobulus, with hundreds of other innocent 
 victims, perished through his jealous fears, and 
 their deaths embittered his existence. When he 
 died, who said, Peace to his soul? none. But 
 every man rejoiced that the earth was rid of a 
 tyrant."
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 I SHALL pass over this part of life quickly, 
 merely glancing at the events which occurred 
 from the time of leaving the court of Herod 
 Antipas until my return to Rome. A gleam 
 of sunshine shone upon me to be eclipsed by 
 deeper darkness. For a time I sojourned, a 
 honoured guest, in the house of Pomponius 
 Flaccus, the prefect of Syria ; but my brother 
 Aristobulus, who was likewise dwelling with 
 Flaccus, poisoned the ear of the Roman. I 
 was expelled from his house, and retired to 
 Ptolemais in a state of extreme poverty. 
 While there, Marsyas my freedman, borrowed 
 of a freedman of my mother's, 17,500 drachms, 
 on a bond of 20,000 ; with this sum I got 
 as far as Anthedon, on my way to Rome. 
 I was detained by Capito, prefect of Jamnia, 
 for a debt I owed the imperial treasury of 
 300,000 drachms. I was incapable of paying
 
 THE FORTUNES OF HEROD AGRIPPA. \Q 
 
 as I had not as much money, even if I stripped 
 myself of the last drachm, and my situation 
 was far from enviable. I consulted with Cypros, 
 but she could afford me no consolation. From 
 the first mention of my purpose to revisit 
 Rome, she had strongly dissuaded me from 
 such a measure, but in vain, and I now began 
 to reproach myself for rejecting her counsel. 
 While I was yet uncertain what course to pur- 
 sue, a fair breeze sprang up. My freedman 
 Marsyas persuaded me to avail myself of so 
 favourable a circumstance, and I gladly con- 
 sented, for my necessities left me little choice. 
 
 We set sail in the night for Alexandria, and 
 arrived there without accident. At that city, 
 I again borrowed money on my wife's security ; 
 Cypros, at her own request, returned with her 
 children to Palestine, while I proceeded to 
 Italy and landed at Puteoli. On my arrival I 
 wrote to the Emperor, and solicited permission 
 to pay my respects to him at Caprea. Tiberius 
 received my request graciously, and gave me 
 permission to visit him. 
 
 Caprea, in which island the Emperor Tiberius 
 resided, is a delightful island three miles from 
 the continent, opposite Neapolis. It is sur- 
 rounded by rocks, the soil fertile and produc-
 
 90 THE FORTUNES OP 
 
 tive, and art has done her utmost to adorn it 
 with splendid buildings. The villa in which 
 the Emperor abode, was surrounded with every 
 ornament art and luxury could devise to render 
 it enchanting. Tiberius, whose character was 
 infamous and detestable, lived only for pleasure ; 
 the miseries of his subjects he took care should 
 never reach his ears. The virtuous and noble 
 were objects of his especial hate; suspicion, 
 cruelty, and selfishness, his chief characteristics ; 
 and he took pleasure in witnessing the tor- 
 ments of the unhappy wretches who incurred 
 his displeasure. " Let my people hate so long 
 as they obey me," was his motto, and he 
 scrupled not to enforce it by the most savage 
 executions. On being told that a noble Roman 
 had killed himself to avoid torture, " Ah," 
 cried he, " that man has escaped me." It was 
 his constant practice to delay the trial of pri- 
 soners, so that by suspense they might endure 
 a thousand deaths ; such was the monster who 
 then ruled the destinies of the Roman world. 
 
 The Emperor was basking in the sun on a 
 terrace when I was conducted to his presence ; 
 he was arrayed in a long loose robe of white 
 woollen, reaching to his feet, and ungirded. The 
 person of Tiberius, never pleasing, was then
 
 HEROD AGRIPPA. 
 
 frightful to behold. The extreme height of 
 his figure rendered its leanness more visible ; 
 the fore part of his head was bald, and his face 
 covered with patches to hide the ulcers that 
 disfigured it. By his side, as if to render his 
 ugliness more striking, sat a majestic and beau- 
 tiful woman. Her height would have been 
 remarkable, but for the exquisite symmetry 
 and fulness of form, and the proudly arched 
 neck. Her dress of silver gauze floated like a 
 cloud around her, leaving shoulders, arms, and 
 ancles bare. It was confined at the waist by a 
 zone set with precious stones, the clasp of 
 which contained a head of the Emperor. On 
 her wrists and ancles were rings of twisted 
 serpents formed of gold and gems ; round her 
 throat was a collar of emeralds, to which was 
 fastened a small square box of pearl, containing 
 a charm. Her complexion was the darkest 
 shade of olive, relieved by a pale tinge of red, 
 and her features, though almost too large for 
 female loveliness, were perfect as if moulded by 
 the hand of a Phidias ; her large black eyes 
 were full of fire and expression, yet I looked 
 in vain for an indication of love or tenderness; 
 and her smile, though it revealed teeth of pearly 
 whiteness, was full of scorn and bitterness. The
 
 gg THE FORTUNES OF 
 
 long braids of her shining black hair floated 
 unconfined over her shoulders, while in the 
 centre of her queenlike brow was fastened a 
 crescent-shaped jewel. Her small taper fingers 
 were filled with costly rings, and from her ears 
 hung pendants of emerald ; one of her hands 
 hung listlessly over the couch on which she sat, 
 in the other she held a box of perfumes, while 
 her full glistening eyes were fixed on an object 
 at a little distance with a calm, untroubled look ; 
 and she listened without pity to cries of agony 
 which might have moved a heart of adamant. 
 An unfortunate victim was on the rack, and 
 Tiberius was feasting his eyes, and gratifying 
 his cruel mistress, by the sight of human suffer- 
 ing. Oh how I hated that woman ! as I looked 
 on her the very loveliness of her person rendered 
 the deformity of her mind more detestable. 
 
 Knowing that an appearance of sympathy 
 with the sufferer would expose me to danger 
 without aiding him, I commanded my feelings 
 sufficiently to greet the Emperor. He seemed 
 to receive me with pleasure, asked me some 
 questions which I could scarcely answer ; then 
 turning to his attendands bade them bring the 
 wretch who had been tortured before him. He 
 was obeyed, and, O God! how shall I describe
 
 HEROD AGRIPPA. 
 
 my terror when I recognised a female in the 
 mangled and bleeding wretch they laid at the 
 feet of the Emperor. 
 
 Tiberius interrogated the captive on the sub- 
 ject of her guilt, but she heard him not. Her 
 eyes were riveted on the face of the beautiful 
 Egyptian I have attempted to describe, and in 
 a voice whose tones of agony I can never forget, 
 she shrieked, " Nila, Nila, my sister, what hath 
 brought thee here ? Dost thou not know me ? " 
 she continued, as she saw the face of the Egypt- 
 ian turned towards her ; " has misery so changed 
 Cleone, that the child of her mother beholds 
 and knows her not ?" 
 
 I looked at Nila ; never did human face so 
 change in a single instant. Horror, fear, affec- 
 tion, seemed each struggling for mastery in her 
 bosom. The hue of her complexion changed, 
 her limbs trembled, and her lip quivered, as, 
 springing to the side of Cleone, she fixed an 
 intense and agonized glance on her pale, distorted 
 features ; then pressing her lips to her sister's, 
 printed on them a long ardent kiss. Tiberius 
 looked on this scene with wonder ; his attend- 
 ants in silent sympathy waited its termination, 
 while I scarcely drew breath, so deeply did I 
 feel; when suddenly Nila flung herself at the
 
 24 THE FORTUNES OF 
 
 feet of the Emperor, and in a voice scarcely 
 
 articulate, uttered the single word, " Spare ." 
 
 I would have prayed him to show mercy, but I 
 knew his suspicious temper too well, not to feel 
 that such a course would bring ruin on all. In 
 my heart I prayed God to incline him to mercy, 
 but my prayer was vain. Instead of attending 
 to the pleading looks and tones of his mistress, 
 the Emperor ordered Cleone to be executed in 
 his presence. Then I forgot prudence, fear, 
 everything but the doom of that unhappy one, 
 and implored Tiberius to save. 
 
 "Trouble not thyself with that which doth 
 not concern thee," he coolly replied, and re- 
 peated his fatal orders. Nila turned her eyes 
 toward me with a glance that spoke her grati- 
 tude ; then, with the eloquence of despair, 
 again pleaded for her sister's life ; while she 
 was speaking, Tiberius made a signal, and ere 
 she concluded, Cleone had ceased to breathe. 
 
 One deep-muttered curse broke from the lips 
 of the Egyptian as she learned the fearful truth, 
 while clenching her small hands in agony, 
 and setting her teeth, she darted a glance 
 full of scorn and loathing toward the Emperor* 
 then seated herself at his side in her former 
 attitu.de, and as her face resumed its usual calm
 
 HEROD AGRIPPA. 25 
 
 proud look, none could guess the dark passions 
 that brooded in her woman's heart. 
 
 That night in my dreams the beautiful 
 Egyptian appeared before me as I had seen 
 her at the feet of the Emperor. On the mor- 
 row I learned that Tiberius, prudent as cruel, 
 had not suffered one to live who had such 
 cause to hate him. 
 
 Next day, when I went to the palace, I was 
 denied admission to the Emperor's presence. 
 Herrenius Capito had apprized him of my 
 escape from Anthedon, and iie would not see 
 me until my debt was paid. 
 
 Imagine, my son, the bitterness of my self- 
 reproach, as I returned to my own abode after 
 this repulse. Extravagance had brought debt 
 upon me debt, meanness, and dishonourable 
 evasion. I despised myself, and felt that others 
 must despise me also; added to this, was the 
 remembrance that if I could not find means 
 of repaying Tiberius, my prospects for the 
 future were entirely cut off. In this emer- 
 gency, I resolved on once more applying to 
 Antonia, the widow of Drusus. This noble 
 matron, the purity of whose life commanded 
 respect, even from so jealous a tyrant as Tibe- 
 rius, was the mother of the Prhice Germanicus, 
 VOL. i. c
 
 26 THE FORTUNES OF HEROD AGRIPPA. 
 
 whose memory was still cherished by the Ro- 
 man people, and the grandmother of Caius 
 Caligula, afterwards Emperor, who then resided 
 under her protection. 
 
 I found Antonia in the Atrium, seated among 
 her slaves, and engaged, like them, in spinning. 
 She wore the plain, modest garb of an ancient 
 Roman matron ; neither jewel nor ornament, 
 except a purple fringe, was visible on any part 
 of her attire. She received me with affection, 
 and listened to my history since our parting 
 with much emotion; and, when I concluded, 
 gently chided my imprudence, and exhorted 
 me to be more careful in future, should the 
 Emperor's favour be restored on payment of the 
 debt ; and finally promised to advance sufficient 
 money to free me from my present difficulties. 
 When the bond was discharged, Tiberius re- 
 instated me in his favour, and bestowed on me 
 the charge of his grandson Gemellus, the son 
 of Drusus. 
 
 Months glided away peacefully. Cypros, with 
 our children, rejoined me in Italy, and I was 
 happy. Young Caius distinguished me by pecu- 
 liar favour. He had not then given intimation 
 of that disposition which rendered him so infam- 
 ous after his accession to supreme power.
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 ONE morning I sought the apartment of 
 Cypros, for my mind was sore troubled. Fear- 
 ful visions had disturbed my rest during the 
 preceding night, and I felt I could rely on my 
 gentle wife for counsel. 
 
 Cypros sat in the midst of her children, her 
 youngest child, Mariamne, in her arms ; Dru- 
 sus, Berenice, and thyself, at her feet ; smiling 
 and maternal love lent her countenance an ex- 
 pression of angelic purity, and, for a moment, 
 I hesitated to disturb her serenity by my 
 gloomy forebodings. But selfishness prevailed. 
 Advancing to her side, I bade her dismiss the 
 children, as I wished to speak to her alone. 
 With a foreboding sigh, Cypros sent the elder 
 ones away, retaining only little Mariamne, then 
 but three years old. 
 
 " What new sorrow hath overtaken us, my
 
 28 THE FORTUNES OF 
 
 Agrippa ?" she said, falteringly ; " I had hoped 
 that our cares were ended." 
 
 " It is nothing, dearest," I replied, smiling 
 at my own superstition. " A dream has dis- 
 turbed my peace of mind, listen and interpret 
 it for me. Methought that thou wert wan- 
 dering by my side in the midst of delightful 
 gardens, filled with rare fruits and flowers. 
 As I stooped to gather some of the fairest 
 blossoms for thee, I perceived a serpent 
 amongst them rearing its head to sting me. 
 I started back in terror, while some hand I 
 saw not, threw a stone at the reptile, which 
 wounded but did not kill it. Enraged at the 
 blow, it flew upon me and stung me severely. 
 I might have flown previously, but would 
 not, for I was madly resolved to brave the 
 danger. Then the scene changed; thou wert 
 by my side no longer. I was alone in a dark- 
 some dungeon. The air felt heavy and op- 
 pressive. Life seemed a burden to me. I 
 was about to follow the example of thy brave 
 grandfather, Phasael, and dash my brains out 
 against the bars of my prison, when a soft 
 voice cried, ' Forbear ! God liveth, therefore 
 despair not; for thy station will be exalted 
 amongst the princes of Judea ; and men shall
 
 HEROD AGRIPPA. gQ 
 
 style thee as they did Herod> The Great. Yet 
 thy days shall be cut off, because of thy hard- 
 ness of heart, thy want of faith, and love of 
 the heathen.' " 
 
 Cypros looked sad as I concluded my narra- 
 tion ; but seeing how much my spirits were 
 depressed, she strove to raise them by speaking 
 lightly on the subject ; and proposed an enter- 
 tainment as the best means of dispelling my 
 gloomy prognostics. " Nay," I replied, " it 
 is the sabbath-day. I will pray. Assemble 
 the Hebrews of my household." 
 
 As the day wore away without incident, I 
 grew more cheerful; and, as evening advanced, 
 I arrayed myself for a banquet, to which I was 
 invited, and was preparing to go forth, attended 
 by my slaves, when I was informed a freed- 
 man of Antonia's desired admission to my pre- 
 sence on affairs of importance. I looked at my 
 wife ; she was deadly pale, and trembled vio- 
 lently, as if she was apprehensive of some 
 dreadful calamity. This impression was con- 
 firmed when Evodus delivered his message. I 
 had punished a freedman of my own, named 
 Eutychus, for theft, and, in revenge, he de- 
 nounced me to the Emperor, who encouraged 
 all informations of the kind, as guilty of violating
 
 30 THE FORTUNES OF 
 
 majesty, in wishing his death, that my friend 
 Caius Caligula might succeed him. Antonia 
 entreated me to be prudent, and avoid every 
 thing which might farther increase the jealousy 
 and suspicion of Tiberius ; adding, she would 
 do every thing in her power to protect me. 
 
 Days, weeks, months passed away, and I had 
 not yet received any intimation of the Em- 
 peror's displeasure ; but I knew him too well 
 to believe myself secure on that account. His 
 dark and cruel nature delighted in the thought 
 that those who offended him were condemned 
 to all the horrible tortures of suspense. 
 
 Alas ! how unstable are human hopes and 
 fears. Man's plans and projects are like a 
 foundation of sand. Even whilst the cup of 
 joy is at his lips, it is dashed down untasted, 
 and gloomy disappointment follows in its stead. 
 I grew weary of the constant state of anxiety 
 in which I lived. I was like Damocles, the 
 sword hung suspended over my head, and I 
 dreaded each moment that it would fall. At 
 length, I urged Antonia to use all her influence 
 in hastening on the trial, and with some reluct- 
 ance she consented. The tyrant's answer filled 
 her with alarm. 
 
 " Well," said Tiberius, " if this man has
 
 HEROD AGRIPPA. gj 
 
 offended Agrippa in anything, let him be 
 content with what he has suffered already, 
 and not urge on the prosecution too far, lest 
 the mischief he designs Eutychus fall on 
 himself." 
 
 Convinced that the object of Tiberius was to 
 increase my fear of a trial, I again entreated 
 Antonia to hasten it, and she succeeded in ob- 
 taining my request, as the true reason of his 
 delay was to render my punishment greater. 
 
 The Emperor was then at Tusculanem, and 
 by his command I repaired thither to learn my 
 fate. The parting with my wife and children 
 on the day of trial was painful and bitter. 
 Cypros clung to me as if she feared it was a 
 last embrace, for she knew the vengeance of 
 the Emperor was sure, though slow. " O God ! 
 avert from thee this peril," she said. " It is 
 ever thus, Agrippa, when my spirits begin to 
 rise, and fortune seems to smile on us, a darker 
 storm obscures our gleam of sunshine, and 
 plunges us once more in despair." 
 
 " Nay, fear not, dearest," I replied, as I 
 clasped her to my heart. " The serpent has 
 stung, but not destroyed me. Dost thou re- 
 member my dream?" 
 
 " I do, I do. But, ah ! Agrippa, when our
 
 J2 THE FORTUNES OF 
 
 children cling round me and ask for their father, 
 how shall I answer them?" 
 
 " Thou art anticipating calamity, my Cypros. 
 If it is written in the page of destiny that thy 
 husband is to perish, God will be the father of 
 the fatherless. He will comfort the widow, and 
 to his protecting care I confide thy lot and 
 mine." 
 
 Tiberius was seated on the tribunal when I 
 was conducted to his presence. He was sur- 
 rounded by lictors, and part of the Praetorian 
 guards, with Macro, their captain, were drawn 
 up in the circus. He received me with his 
 usual dark and sullen look, and turning to 
 Macro, bade him bring Eutychus to his tri- 
 bunal. 
 
 The Praetor left the circus, and in a few 
 moments returned with my freedman in chains. 
 A glance of malignant hatred lighted up the 
 eyes of Eutychus as he perceived me; then 
 saluting the Emperor, he prepared to answer 
 his interrogations. 
 
 " What hast thou to urge against thy master 
 Agrippa, who gave thee thy freedom?" said 
 Tiberius. He spoke in his usual calm, unim- 
 passioned tone, but his eye was fixed on my 
 accuser, as if encouraging him to proceed. Re-
 
 HEROD AGRIPPA. 33 
 
 assured by his manner, Eutychus proceeded in 
 plain terms to accuse me of wishing the Em- 
 peror's death. 
 
 "As I was driving Caius and Agrippa in 
 my chariot," he said, " Agrippa addressed 
 Caius thus : ' If the old man were dead, and 
 you master of the world, his grandson would 
 be nothing in your hands, and independent of 
 the universal joy of mankind, I myself might 
 hope to come in for a share of your good for- 
 tune.'" 
 
 " It is enough," said the Emperor, rising, 
 and turning to Macro, added, " Put that man 
 in chains." 
 
 Thus, though wholly innocent, I was condemn- 
 ed on the evidence of a worthless man, who in 
 revenge for the infliction of a just punishment, 
 had planned my ruin. 
 
 Macro, who was a friend of Caligula, hesi- 
 tated as if unconscious to whom the Emperor 
 alluded, until Tiberius paused in his hasty walk 
 round the circus, and said sternly, " Did I not 
 order thee to put that man in chains?" 
 
 " What man ?" asked Macro. 
 
 " That man, Agrippa," was the reply. 
 
 I attempted to speak to declare my innocence, 
 but the tyrant would not hear me, and dressed 
 as I was in my purple robe of honour, I was 
 c 3
 
 34 THE FORTUNES OF 
 
 hurried away and loaded with heavy fetters like 
 a common criminal. It is impossible to describe 
 the chaos of my feelings, as leaning against a 
 tree near the palace gate a little apart from the 
 other prisoners, I strove to think on the future 
 with calmness. I thought on Germanicus, 
 Agrippina, Nero, Drusus, with other noble vic- 
 tims of the Emperor's unrelenting vengeance, 
 and I felt I had nothing to look forward to but 
 a disgraceful death. My musing was disturbed 
 by a slight commotion amongst the captives 
 near me. A German of noble mien, likewise 
 in chains, advanced towards me accompanied 
 by a legionary who acted as interpreter. 
 
 " Young man," he said, addressing me and 
 directing my attention to an owl perched on a 
 branch of the tree above my head, " I have 
 obtained permission to speak with thee under 
 pretence of gaining some information respecting 
 thy country, but I have a higher duty to per- 
 form. This sudden and surprising change of 
 fortune makes thee sad, I perceive ; and thou 
 wilt not easily believe how near thou art to 
 deliverance, under the favour and protection 
 of the Divine Providence that watches over thy 
 safety. I call all the gods to witness, both 
 thine and mine, by whose permission we are 
 here in bonds, that I do not say this to amuse
 
 HEROD AGRIPPA. 35 
 
 and flatter thee with vain words. For I know 
 well that predictions of this kind, if not fulfilled, 
 work more evil than good. Yet I consider it 
 my duty, at what hazard soever, to tell that 
 thou shalt soon behold a change from thy pre- 
 sent calamitous state to one of such glory and 
 power, that those who now despise or pity thee, 
 shall envy thy greatness. The remainder of 
 thy days shall be happy, and thou shalt leave 
 behind thee children to inherit thy good for- 
 tune. But now, remember what I tell thee 
 further. Whenever thou shalt behold that bird 
 again, thy career is at an end ; for within five 
 days thou shalt surely die." The German 
 spoke earnestly, like one who believes what 
 he is imparting ; and, trained up as I was to 
 despise the augury of the heathen, and to 
 consider their seeking knowledge of the future 
 as a sin, I had lived too long at Rome entirely to 
 escape superstition. I wondered, doubted, and, 
 such is man's weakness, I pondered on the 
 prediction I had heard, until we received orders 
 to march, and then bodily pain absorbed every 
 other feeling. The day was intensely hot, and 
 the rays of the sun pouring down on my unde- 
 fended head, rendered me faint and almost in- 
 capable of walking ; added to which a burning
 
 gg THE FORTUNES OF 
 
 thirst oppressed me, and I vainly strove to 
 obtain a little drink. The people, as we pass- 
 ed, looked at my rich robes, contrasted as they 
 were with the heavy iron fetters, and reviled 
 me. Those among the better order, who had 
 been jealous of my favour with the princes, 
 sarcastically asked me how I liked my new 
 ornaments. Those who had even shared in my 
 prosperity, avoided the disgraced Agrippa. In 
 the midst of my distress, and just as I was 
 about to resign myself to despair, I espied a 
 slave of Caius, named Thaumastus, approaching 
 with a pitcher of water on his head, and earnestly 
 implored him for a draught to cool my parched 
 lips ; the slave readily complied, and as he put 
 the pitcher in my hand, murmured a prayer to 
 his gods for my escape from danger. O God ! 
 never did the costliest wine produce a sensa- 
 tion more delightful. I could have wept in 
 thankfulness, for my heart was full ; and as I 
 returned the pitcher to Thaumastus, I said, 
 " Since thou hast been kind to Agrippa in 
 bonds and adversity, should fortune ever smile 
 on him again, thou shalt not find him un- 
 grateful." 
 
 We reached the prison without further inci- 
 dent, and I was conducted to one of the cells
 
 HEROD AGRIPPA. 37 
 
 appropriated to the lowest criminals. When the 
 door closed upon me, and I found myself alone, 
 I threw myself on the damp stones and strove 
 to calm my troubled feelings, but the effort 
 was vain ; the image of my wife and children, 
 despairing and wretched, mocked every attempt 
 at fortitude. Their destitute situation, if I 
 was cut off, forced itself on my mind. I knew 
 that my position was one of great danger. 
 Caius dared not interpose in my behalf; the 
 fate of his own family was yet recent enough 
 to act as a warning to him ; and I knew, too, 
 that many noble Romans had lately perished 
 on slighter charges than the one against me. 
 Yet, even in the midst of my darkest fore- 
 bodings, the German's words occurred to my 
 memory, bringing with them a shadow of hope. 
 Some hours passed, and I was again suffering 
 all the agonies of thirst, when a slave entered, 
 bearing some coarse viands, and a pitcher of 
 water. He set them down without a word, 
 and left me again alone. The water was a 
 welcome relief, but the food I dared not touch ; 
 it consisted of forbidden meats, and I doubted 
 not this was a purposed insult. 
 
 Again I sat down to brood over rny wretched 
 lot. "My poor Cypros," I exclaimed, "how
 
 38 THE FORTUNES Of 
 
 will her tender loving heart bear this additional 
 sorrow ! This is a strange garb for a captive," 
 I continued, looking down on my rich robes, 
 " and so sudden does the change appear, that I 
 could close my eyes and fancy all a dream, but 
 for these." I shook my chains as I spoke, and 
 uttered a hollow laugh. 
 
 " This is a strange life," I added, as the echo 
 of my unnatural laughter died away; "one day, 
 all is joy and gladness, the rest all grief and des- 
 pair, until the scene closes with the prison house 
 and the judgment seat. Last night my lodging 
 was in a palace, my couch of down ; to-night it 
 is the dungeon and the stone; to-morrow earth 
 may cover my head. But God's will be done ! 
 He setteth up and he pulleth down, according 
 to his own good pleasure." 
 
 In thoughts like these passed my first night 
 in a prison. The morrow brought with it no 
 relief; my food was bread, my drink water, and 
 I was in a state of dreadful uncertainty as to 
 my fate. Shall I ever behold my wife and 
 children again ? was a question I often asked 
 myself; but imagination could suggest no fa- 
 vourable reply. The next day was the sab- 
 bath; I passed it in prayer, more fervent than 
 I had ever uttered, save on the night when my
 
 HEROD AGRIPPA. 39 
 
 wife saved me from self-destruction. Another, 
 and another day passed away in that dreary 
 solitude. Mankind seemed to have forgotten 
 me. Nothing broke the silence that reigned 
 around, save the entrance of the slave who 
 brought my food at stated hours, but never 
 uttered a word. O God, how light all my 
 former sufferings appeared to my present 
 misery ! Then, a gentle, loving heart adminis- 
 tered comfort and consolation ; but now, I was 
 alone ; alone, with none to cheer me, to sup- 
 port my fainting spirit, oppressed as it was by 
 dread of the future. 
 
 For the first time since my captivity, I fell 
 asleep, and dreamt I was in the midst of those 
 I loved. I strove to embrace them, but armed 
 men furiously withheld me, and the stern, 
 frowning image of Tiberius was between them 
 and me ; Cypros held her children by the hand, 
 and her despairing sobs thrilled my heart. The 
 sound of her lamentations awakened me, when, 
 oh joy ! I was clasped in the arms of my wife, 
 and my little ones clung around me. 
 
 " My husband! my father!" Blessed, blessed 
 words, words I had never hoped to hear again. 
 With a cry of joy I embraced, first one, and 
 then the other, in a transport of happiness, nor
 
 40 THE FORTUNES OF 
 
 was it until the first emotion was past, that I 
 missed one dear face from the circle, my 
 eldest boy, Drusus. I looked at my wife, but she 
 averted her head, as I exclaimed, " Why is my 
 eldest born absent? Why comes he not to 
 receive his father's blessing ?" Cypros answered 
 only with tears, and little Mariamne as she 
 seated herself on my knee and began to play 
 with my chains, said, "My brother is ill; Bere- 
 nice says, she fears he will die." 
 
 The child's words pierced my heart ; this was 
 indeed an unlooked-for misfortune. Grief de- 
 prived me of utterance, and burying my face 
 on my wife's bosom, we wept together. 
 
 Mariamne gazed on us with childish wonder ; 
 Berenice and thyself, who were old enough to un- 
 derstand our feelings, stood silent, tears chasing 
 each other silently down thy cheeks. Cypros 
 was the first to recover firmness. " Agrippa," 
 she said, " for our children's sake, we must be 
 resigned ; grieve not their young hearts by the 
 sight of thy suffering." I pressed her hand, but 
 could not speak, the scene recalled to me my 
 father's parting words, my mother's agony. The 
 retrospect was painful. 
 
 " Tell me in mercy, Cypros," I at length 
 found voice to utter, " is my child indeed at
 
 HEROD AGRIPPA. ^,J 
 
 the point of death ? Do not hide the truth 
 from me. I can, I will hear all, without mur- 
 muring, but deny me not the poor consolation 
 of knowing the worst that can occur." 
 
 " He is ill, very ill," she replied, in a tone 
 of such hopeless despair that I felt all hope at 
 once annihilated, " but we must trust in God ; 
 prayers have been offered in the synagogue for 
 his recovery, let us hope they will prevail." 
 
 " He will die !" I exclaimed, clasping my hands 
 together ; " he will die, and I shall not be near. 
 He will not receive my blessing, this is indeed 
 fearful." 
 
 " My dear husband !" and Cypros threw her 
 arms around my neck, " my heart is breaking 
 to behold thee thus." 
 
 I cannot dwell further on this scene ; when, 
 my wife and children left me, I lay down on the 
 stones and for many hours lost all consciousness. 
 When I awoke from my trance I was in a cool, 
 airy room, stretched on a couch, .and my own 
 freedman, Marsyas, was attending me. 
 
 Antonia had interested herself in my favour, 
 and I was no longer to be treated so harshly, 
 though my confinement was strict as before. I 
 shall pass over the next six months ; suffice 
 it they were full of suffering ; my child died,
 
 4$ THE FORTUNES OF 
 
 and I saw him not ere the breath departed. 
 In the prison, I kept the Shiva for my eldest 
 born. Marsyas was my constant attendant, and 
 he frequently brought me messages from An- 
 tonia ; she it was who afforded consolation to 
 my poor Cypros, by her unwearied kindness. 
 The noble matron had herself suffered severely 
 by loss of kindred, and more than all, by the 
 shame of her daughter Livia, the guilty wife of 
 Sejanus. Tiberius still lived, pursuing a career 
 of cruelty then unparalleled in the annals of 
 Rome, and my fate was yet undetermined. 
 
 Caius was at Caprea, attending on Tiberius, 
 who was sick, some said dying. Cypros was by 
 a new order forbidden to visit me, and Marsyas 
 was the only one through whom I could gain 
 intelligence of my kindred. I was preparing 
 one evening for the bath ; rumours were afloat 
 that Tiberius was very ill, and my mind was 
 busy with hopes and fears for the future, 
 when my freedman entered, with joy depicted 
 on his countenance, and whispered in Hebrew, 
 " The lion is dead." What a tide of delicious 
 feelings rushed into my soul ! A perspective 
 of future happiness spread before me, liberty 
 of which I had so long been deprived, appear- 
 ed certain ; and I could not conceal my lightness
 
 HEHOD AGRIPPA. 43 
 
 of heart. The Centurion on duty remarking 
 the change in my countenance, asked the 
 reason, and on learning my tidings, willing 
 to pay court to the friend of Caius, invited me 
 to partake of a splendid banquet. 
 
 We reclined around the table ; the seat of 
 honour in the centre couch was assigned to me, 
 and all was gaiety ; when suddenly a slave 
 entered, horror depicted on his face, with the 
 terrible tidings that the Emperor lived, and 
 was out of danger. The cheek of the Cen- 
 turion grew pale ; if the slave spoke truly, his 
 life was forfeited, by rejoicing with a captive 
 at the Emperor's death, and of course his rage 
 fell on me. 
 
 I sat motionless, the wine I had been in the 
 act of raising to my lips, untasted. A cold 
 dew stood on my brow, and the pulsation of 
 my heart was almost stilled. "Wretch!" said 
 the Centurion, "vile wretch! thy falsehood shall 
 cost thee dear ; couldst thou find no other with 
 whom to jest ? put him in chains again." He 
 was obeyed, my limbs were loaded with heavier 
 chains than I had yet worn. I was hurried 
 back with every indignity, to the cell where I 
 had spent the first week of my captivity. But 
 what was dungeon or chains to me ? I heeded
 
 44 THE FORTUNES OF HEROD AGRIPPA. 
 
 not them ; the sickness of heart overcame all 
 sense of bodily anguish, I noted not that my 
 cell was damp and dark, with nothing but the 
 bare stones for a pillow. A vision of my wife 
 and children rose up before me. The thought 
 that I might behold them no more, pierced me 
 to the soul. How intensely I longed to embrace 
 them. O God ! what misery crowded into that 
 one night ! it seemed as if day would never 
 come. 
 
 It must have wanted about an hour to morn- 
 ing, when the bars of my cell were gently 
 withdrawn, and a man, bearing a torch, entered. 
 A glance served to convince me, that it was the 
 favourite freedrnan of Caius. "Joy to thee !" 
 he said, " the Tyrant is dead, thy peril is over. 
 Caius, whose slave I am, sent me hither to in- 
 form thee thou wouldst soon be free ; my errand 
 is said. Even now thou wouldst be at liberty, 
 but for the prudence of Antonia, who will not 
 offer outrage to the Emperor's memory. I have 
 seen thy wife and children they are in health 
 farewell." The Centurion humbly asked pardon 
 for the outrage offered, and I was in no mood 
 to be implacable.
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 MY trials were over. My wife and children 
 were restored to me, and Caius heaped favours 
 on my head. The Emperor bestowed on me 
 a chain of gold, equal in weight to the iron one 
 that I had borne in prison. He also created 
 me king, giving me the vacant tetrarchy of 
 my uncle, and adding that of Lysonania. 
 
 The first two years of Caligula's reign were 
 calm and peaceful. On me he bestowed un- 
 numbered benefits, yet sometimes displayed his 
 innate cruelty. 
 
 Before I proceed in my narrative, it is ne- 
 cessary to give some detail of the situation of 
 the Hebrews, scattered at that time through 
 the vast dominions of the empire. The Jews, 
 whose laws and religion separate them from the 
 heathen nations around, were looked upon with 
 universal contempt and suspicion. The Greeks 
 and Romans admitted the gods of other nations
 
 46 THE FORTUNES OF 
 
 into their national worship. The Jews alone 
 kept sternly aloof from all communion with 
 others, and worshipped a God who had no 
 visible emblem. Beside this, although all men 
 might partake of food at the table of the He- 
 brew, he dared not eat of the bread, or partake 
 of the heathen's meal ; consequently, our people 
 were considered in the light of an unsocial, 
 bigoted, and barbarous race, who stood aloof 
 from all mankind. This, combined with their 
 natural jealousy of character, rendered the 
 Greeks of Alexandria bitter enemies of the 
 Hebrews of that city ; the latter, a powerful, 
 intellectual, and wealthy race, enjoyed equal 
 privileges of citizenship with the former. This 
 occasioned constant struggles for supremacy. 
 The city was divided into two portions, one 
 called the Jewish, the other the Greek. The 
 Roman prefect, at that time, was Flaccus Aqui- 
 lius. This man, during the life of Tiberius, 
 was a rigid and upright judge; but, on the 
 death of that Emperor, and the accession of 
 Caligula, Flaccus, who had espoused the cause 
 of his rival, young Gemellus, dreading the new 
 Emperor's displeasure, changed his whole cha- 
 racter. He became careless of his duties ; and, 
 as the death of his friend Macro deprived him
 
 HEROD AGRIPPA. 47 
 
 of the hope of regaining Caius's favour, he 
 sought to make himself popular amongst the 
 Greek party at Alexandria. For this purpose 
 he grew less stern in the execution of his du- 
 ties, suffering the Greek party to commit with 
 impunity the most brutal outrages against the 
 Jewish inhabitants. Affairs were in this state 
 when I, with my wife and family, arrived at 
 Alexandria, on my way to Palestine, to take 
 possession of the dominions bestowed on me by 
 the Emperor. I arrived unexpectedly in the 
 evening, and landed in the night to avoid all 
 unnecessary display. 
 
 The sight of a Jew honoured with a royal 
 title, and surrounded by guards in rich armour, 
 aroused the envious spirit of the Alexandrians. 
 They insulted me, wrote satires, alluding to 
 my former poverty, and finally put in execution 
 a more offensive jest. There was a poor idiot, 
 named Carabas, who was used to wander about 
 the streets, a butt for the idle and mischievous. 
 Him they placed on a lofty seat, near the 
 Gymnasium, dressed him in an old mat for a 
 robe, put a paper crown on his head, and a 
 cane in his hand for a sceptre. Boys, with 
 sticks in their hands, went before him for 
 guards, and to complete the mockery on my
 
 THE FORTUNES OF 
 
 royal state, some did him homage, some pre- 
 sented petitions, others addressed him on affairs 
 of state, calling him Lord. The Prefect, though 
 outwardly he treated me with all respect, 
 secretly encouraged these insulting proceed- 
 ings. I saw through his treachery, but deferred 
 taking notice of it until after my return from 
 Judea. 
 
 I left Alexandria shortly after, bearing with 
 me a decree of my brethren, offering to the 
 Emperor all honours compatible with the He- 
 brew law. This decree Aquilas had promised 
 to forward, but with his usual baseness with- 
 held from the knowledge of the Emperor. 
 
 My departure from Egypt was the signal for 
 persecution to commence against our unhappy 
 brethren. 
 
 Encouraged by the connivance of the Prefect, 
 the Greek portion assembled in the theatre, 
 and demanded with loud cries that the statue 
 of the Emperor should be placed in the syna- 
 gogues. They then proceeded to carry their 
 own demands into execution. They surrounded 
 the Hebrew places of worship, cut down the 
 trees that shaded them, burnt some, and pro- 
 faned the others by placing statues within them. 
 In the largest they determined to put a statue,
 
 HEROD AGRIPPA. .JA) 
 
 in a chariot drawn by four horses. Not having 
 a chariot near, they seized on an old one be- 
 longing to Cleopatra, an Egyptian queen, and 
 fulfilled their profane purpose. 
 
 A few days after all their most sacred feelings 
 had been thus outraged, Flaccus published an 
 edict, in which the Hebrews were called strangers; 
 thus depriving them of their right of citizen- 
 ship. 
 
 The Israelites at that time dwelt principally 
 in two of the districts into which Alexandria 
 was divided, although some of their number 
 were scattered in the other three quarters. 
 They were now ordered to remove into the 
 Delta, a narrow inconvenient quarter, insuffi- 
 cient to contain their numbers. Some were 
 obliged to spread about on the seashore, others 
 to take refuge in the cemetery. The magazines 
 and shops, shut on account of the general mourn- 
 ing for Drusilla, sister to the Emperor, were 
 broken open, and the goods seized, and sold 
 openly in the public market-place. But that was 
 not all; the heat and unwholesomeness of the air 
 in the crowded streets produced pestilence; and, 
 though the year was plentiful, the Hebrews 
 who were almost besieged in their quarters, 
 suffered all the horror and misery of famine. 
 
 VOL. I. D
 
 50 THE FORTUNES OF 
 
 Some, who beheld their wives and children starv- 
 ing before their eyes, with plenty near, ventured 
 into the market; they were insulted and beaten 
 with sticks. The bravest amongst them re- 
 sisted, but vainly. Many were stabbed, others 
 trampled to death, whilst some were dragged, 
 yet living, through the streets, and when dead, 
 their bodies so disfigured that mothers could 
 not recognise their sons, or children their pa- 
 rents. Those whose humanity induced them 
 to relieve the miserable victims, were beaten to 
 death with clubs. The quays were surrounded, 
 so that when a Jewish vessel arrived it might 
 be plundered. Many of these were burnt with 
 their owners. Houses were also fired, and 
 whole families perished in the flames ; but even 
 that was mercy compared to what followed. 
 Sometimes, when wood was scarce or difficult 
 to procure, the cruel Greeks would collect a 
 few wet sticks, place their wretched victims 
 over them, and, setting them on fire, leave the 
 objects of their hate half consumed and half 
 stifled, to die in torture. Those who mourned 
 their relatives were seized, scourged, and after 
 crucified. Yet Flaccus, who by the slightest 
 effort might have checked these wanton bru- 
 talities, looked on with indifference, and at
 
 HEROD AGRIPPA. 51 
 
 length took part with the persecutors. He 
 sent for the principal Hebrews, apparently to 
 mediate, but in reality to commit fresh deeds 
 of remorseless cruelty. By his command, thirty- 
 eight of the chief men, renowned for their piety 
 and learning, were seized, bound like common 
 criminals, and, although it was the Emperor's 
 birthday, and consequently a festival, brought 
 into the theatre. Age and rank were no pro- 
 tection ; they were scourged with such violence 
 that many of them died under a punishment 
 inflicted only on the basest offenders. Those 
 who survived were sent to prison to linger on 
 in agony. 
 
 Frequently the morning entertainments at 
 the theatre were to witness the tortures in- 
 flicted on the Hebrews ; and this horrid spec- 
 tacle was succeeded by farces, dancing, and 
 buffoonery. Even the females did not escape 
 insult and indignity. 
 
 Flaccus attempted to justify his cruelty by 
 dread of insurrection. Castus, a centurion, 
 was sent to search the houses of the Hebrews 
 for concealed arms. Even the privacy of the 
 women's apartments was invaded ; yet no wea- 
 pons were found, except the knives used to cut 
 food.
 
 52 THE FORTUNES OF 
 
 But the "Watchman of Israel neither slum- 
 bered nor slept. God, at length, avenged his 
 people. Caligula despatched Bassus, a centu- 
 rion, to arrest Flaccus, and carry him to Rome. 
 He was at a banquet when the imperial mes- 
 senger arrived, and was taken captive without 
 resistance. 
 
 It was the feast of tabernacles, and the heart- 
 stricken and persecuted Israelites contrasted 
 their own situation with that of their ancestors 
 amongst the Egyptians. How could they re- 
 joice at their deliverance, when a doom so 
 fearful impended over themselves? fasting, not 
 feasting, was fitter for their own lot ; suddenly 
 in the midst of their despondency a rumour 
 reached their quarter of the Prefect's arrest; at 
 first the Hebrews believed it a stratagem of 
 their enemies to allure them into rejoicings; 
 but when the glad tidings were confirmed, 
 they began to praise the Lord, and throughout 
 that night grateful thousands sang hallelujahs 
 to the Eternal, the God of Abraham, Isaac, 
 and Jacob, who delivered his people out of the 
 land of Egypt, and out of the house of bond- 
 age. On the arrival of Aquilius at Rome, 
 after a stormy voyage, his property was con- 
 fiscated, and himself banished first to Gyaca,
 
 HEROD AGRIPPA. 
 
 53 
 
 afterwards to Andros, where he shortly after 
 perished by order of Caius. While the pre- 
 ceding events took place, I had settled my 
 affairs in Judea, and was again at Rome in 
 undiminished favour with the Emperor.
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 A FEW days after my return from Palestine, a 
 deputation arrived from the people of Alex- 
 andria, to lay an account of the late disturb- 
 ances before the Emperor. At the head of 
 the Greek party, which consisted of six of the 
 most eminent men, was Apion, a man whose 
 eloquence was greatly celebrated, and who was 
 a determined enemy of the Jews. The Hebrew 
 deputation, which consisted of the same number, 
 was headed by Philo, brother of the Alabarch, 
 a learned and profound scholar, well skilled in 
 the law, and fully aware of all the circumstances 
 attending the late horrible events. 
 
 The Emperor's reception of the Hebrews 
 was at first kind and flattering. They followed 
 the court to Puteoli, and I, as well as the rest 
 of the Hebrews, with the exception of Philo, 
 looked forward to a favourable result. Mean- 
 time, in Palestine, and throughout the vast
 
 THE FORTUNES OF HEROD AGRIPPA. 55 
 
 empire of Rome, wherever the Jews had a set- 
 tlement, horror and dread filled every heart. 
 The mad vanity of Caius, heightened by the 
 evil counsels of Helicon, an Egyptian slave, 
 who was his chief buffoon, andApelles, a tragic 
 actor, induced him to demand worship as 
 a god. And by the instigation of the vile 
 wretches I have named, an order was trans- 
 mitted to Petronius, prefect of Syria, for a 
 colossal statue of the Emperor to be erected 
 in the temple at Jerusalem at all hazards. 
 
 I was sitting with Cypros by my side, con- 
 versing of the varied events of my past life, 
 the German's prediction and its partial fulfil- 
 ment, the prosperous change in my fortunes, 
 and our hopes for the future, when my freed- 
 man Thaumastus, the same who had formerly 
 relieved my thirst when in bondage, entered. 
 He had just returned from Palestine, and his 
 face wore a sad expression which filled me with 
 alarm. He was the messenger of evil tidings. 
 At Jerusalem, he told me, all was dismay, the 
 land was one universal scene of mourning. A 
 letter from my brother explained the awful 
 cause, and afforded me a knowledge of the state 
 of affairs. 
 
 " The orders of the Prefect," he said, " are
 
 56 THE FORTUNES OF 
 
 peremptory. A statue is to be placed in the 
 holy of holies, and the temple is to be dedi- 
 cated to Caius, the present and younger Jupi- 
 ter. He is to withdraw, if necessary, the two 
 legions on the Euphrates, to enforce his com- 
 mand. But it has pleased God to soften the 
 heart of Petronius. On the receipt of the 
 Emperor's mandate he called a council. The 
 attachment of our people to their faith and 
 their temple, was represented, as well as their 
 formidable numbers in Judea and other coun- 
 tries, but all agreed that the imperial will 
 must be obeyed ; and Petronius issued or- 
 ders for the men of Sidon to make a statue. 
 He then collected his soldiers and went into 
 winter quarters at Ptolemais. From thence he 
 sent letters to the high priest, the elders, and 
 principal men throughout Judea, acquainting 
 them with the Emperor's decree. A solemn 
 general fast was proclaimed in every district; 
 gloom and desolation filled every heart ; busi- 
 ness of every kind was suspended; we all kept 
 mourning as for some near relation ; aged men 
 might be seen in every street, bewailing the 
 impending destruction of our holy religion, 
 and the profanation of the sacred temple. No 
 sooner were the fatal tidings generally known,
 
 HEROD AGRIPPA. 57 
 
 than thousands of people, without distinction 
 of age, sex, or rank, repaired to Ptolemais ; all 
 were unarmed and defenceless, with robes of 
 sackcloth, and their heads strewn with ashes, 
 and one universal cry echoed from every lip, 
 ' Hear, O Israel ! the Lord thy God is one.' 
 
 " When Petronius went out to them, the peo- 
 ple with one voice declared their unalterable 
 resolution to die rather than allow the temple 
 to be profaned. The Roman sternly reproached 
 the Israelites for their obstinacy. ' I must,' he 
 said, ' obey the Emperor. I have no choice.' 
 The firm and glorious reply was, ' The com- 
 mands of God are to us more sacred, and no- 
 thing shall induce us to violate them. Fear 
 of death cannot deter us, for the wrath of 
 Jehovah is more terrible than that of Csesar.' 
 
 " Petronius was moved by their noble reso- 
 lution. Irresolute how to act, he removed to 
 Tiberias, in order to make himself better ac- 
 quainted with the manners, customs, and dis- 
 position of the people with whom he was to 
 struggle. His approach filled us with dread, 
 lest he should meditate massacre; and I de- 
 termined to proceed, with Helcias and other 
 Hebrews of high rank, as well as the wisest 
 and most virtuous of the priesthood, to the 
 
 D 3
 
 58 THE FORTUNES OF 
 
 residence of Petronius. Thousands of the He- 
 brews had preceded us to him. The noble 
 Roman again urged the edict of the Emperor, 
 and the uniform obedience of other nations. 
 Our brethren replied as before, with passionate 
 supplications, that he would not pollute the 
 sanctuary of the Most High with the images 
 of man. 
 
 "'Are ye resolved, then,' said Petronius, 
 ' to wage war against your Emperor ?' 
 
 " ' We have no thought of war,' replied the 
 heart-stricken people, ' but we will submit to 
 be massacred, rather than infringe our law;' 
 and at once they fell on the earth, and declared 
 they were ready to offer their throats to the 
 swords of the legionaries. For forty days 
 during the season for sowing, the ground was 
 left untilled ; no man thought of himself or his 
 kin, the general danger occupied every mind. 
 
 " Affairs were in this state when we were 
 admitted to the governor's presence. We ear- 
 nestly besought him to write to the Emperor, 
 stating the misery of the Hebrew people, as 
 well as their firm determination to let all their 
 lands remain uncultivated, which must prevent 
 their paying tribute, and expose the country to 
 rapine and violence. This we hoped might
 
 HEROD AGRIPPA. 
 
 59 
 
 make Caesar relent, and consequently remove 
 all motive for rebellion. Or, if nothing could 
 make him abandon his purpose, it could be 
 done at last as well as at first. The humanity of 
 Petronius prevailed ; he assembled the people, 
 who were in immense numbers, and addressed 
 them thus: 
 
 " ' Thou knowest, men of Palestine,' he said, 
 * that I have not willingly, or for my own plea- 
 sure, sought to enforce the Emperor's decree. 
 I have only obeyed the command of Caesar. 
 I need not point out the danger I incur in de- 
 ferring the execution of my orders. Ye all 
 know the temper of Caius. But I heed not 
 my personal welfare, when the religion and 
 happiness of a conscientious people is at stake ; 
 neither do I approve profaning God's holy house 
 at the pleasure of lawless princes. Wherefore 
 I will send to Caius an account of what has 
 occurred, and let him know your final resolution 
 about the statue. Meantime, disperse every 
 man to your homes, betake yourselves to the 
 tillage of the land, and leave the rest to me.' 
 
 " There had been a long and parching drought, 
 and the day was bright and clear, with little 
 prospect of a change ; when suddenly, as Petro- 
 nius ceased speaking, the sky became overcast,
 
 (JO THE FORTUNES OF 
 
 and a heavy shower fell. This raised our 
 drooping spirits, for we looked upon it as an 
 omen of good success. God grant that it may 
 so prove. By the time you receive this, the 
 Emperor will be acquainted with the resist- 
 ance to his will. Prayers are offered night 
 and day for the success of the Prefect's inter- 
 ference, and the safety of this noble and ge- 
 nerous man." 
 
 It is impossible to describe my anguish of 
 mind on the perusal of this letter. Cypros, 
 whose pure heart was full of religious fervour, 
 shared in my feelings. We both keenly felt 
 the horrors that would succeed, should the 
 wounded pride of the Emperor induce him to 
 adhere to his first resolution ; and in the midst of 
 our sorrow a messenger entered with intelligence 
 that created fresh alarm. He came from the 
 deputation of Israelites from Alexandria, with 
 an account of their reception by the Emperor. 
 
 " After a long and wearisome attendance," 
 wrote Philo, " we were summoned to a final 
 audience. To judge of so grave a cause, the 
 Emperor did not appear in a public tribunal, 
 surrounded by his wisest senators, but received 
 us in the atrium of the contiguous villas, Lamia 
 and Maecenas. The atriensis was at the same
 
 HEROD AGRIPPA. gj 
 
 time ordered to throw open all the rooms for 
 the Emperor's inspection. We entered, made 
 a profound obeisance, and saluted Caligula as 
 Augustus and Emperor ; but the sarcastic smile 
 on the face of Caius gave us little hope of 
 success. 
 
 " ' You are, then,' he said, displaying his teeth 
 as he spoke, ' those enemies of the gods, who 
 alone dare refuse to acknowledge my divinity, but 
 worship a Deity whose name you dare not pro- 
 nounce,' and he profanely uttered the awful 
 name 'of God. Apion and the Greeks who 
 were present, deeming themselves sure of 
 triumph, began to insult us by gestures ; while 
 Isidore, one of their party, came forward to 
 aggravate the charge against us. He accused 
 us of being the only nation who would not 
 sacrifice for the Emperor. With one voice we 
 disclaimed the calumny, and proved that we had 
 three times offered sacrifice for his safety, and 
 had been the first to do so on his accession. 
 ' Be it so,' replied the tyrant, ' ye sacrificed 
 for me, but not to me.' This reply filled our 
 hearts with dismay, we knew not what would 
 follow, when suddenly the Emperor began to 
 run all over, up and down stairs, inspecting the 
 men and women's apartments, finding fault, and
 
 gg THE FORTUNES OF 
 
 giving orders. We followed him from room 
 to room, amid the mockery of his attendants. 
 Yet we heeded not that, our souls were too full of 
 bitterness ; at length, when he had finished giving 
 orders, the Emperor again turned to us, and 
 abruptly said, ' Why is it you do not eat pork?' 
 
 " We concealed our anguish of spirit, and 
 answered mildly, ' Different nations have dif- 
 ferent customs ; some persons will not eat lamb.' 
 
 " ' They are right,' resumed the Emperor, ' it 
 is an insipid meat.' Again he left us for a 
 space, but soon returned, and demanded on what 
 we grounded our right of citizenship. I began 
 to explain to him, but had scarcely commenced, 
 when Caius began to run up and down the 
 atrium, and ordered some blinds of transparent 
 tone to be put up, in order that the light might 
 be admitted, and the heat and air excluded. 
 As he left the atrium, he demanded, in a gentle 
 manner, if we had any thing to say to him ; we 
 began again, when in the midst of our recita- 
 tion, he rushed into the tablinum to examine 
 some old paintings. We were at length wearied 
 out, and glad to escape with our lives. The 
 tyrant dismissed us with these words : ' Well, 
 after all, they do not seem so bad, but rather a 
 poor, foolish people, who cannot believe I am
 
 HEROD AGRIPPA. 
 
 a god.' My companions were dismayed and 
 hopeless, but I comforted them by these words : 
 * Well, since the Emperor is against us, God is 
 for us.' " The letter concluded with urgent 
 entreaties, that I would be true to my religion 
 and people. 
 
 Cypros raised her dark eyes, filled with tears, 
 to mine, as she said, " What course wilt thou 
 pursue, Agrippa?" 
 
 " I will live or die with the faith of my 
 fathers ; the descendant of Mattathias will not 
 disgrace the blood of the Asmoneans." 
 
 " There spake the spirit of the Maccabees," 
 and Cypros flung her arms^around ray neck, and 
 tenderly embraced me. 
 
 I knew the Emperor's character too well, not 
 to feel that the noble and humane conduct of 
 Petronius, would only serve to render his resent- 
 ment more deep and enduring, and I determined 
 to visit him, to watch the effect of the first 
 burst of wrath, and see what shape Caligula's 
 vengeance would take, ere I ventured to interpose. 
 For this purpose, I dressed myself in my richest 
 robes, anointed my head and beard with perfumes, 
 and, taking with me some costly presents for 
 the Emperor, proceeded to the palace. I found 
 Caligula in one of his most violent paroxysms
 
 64- THE FORTUNES OF 
 
 of fury; his fiery eyes and disordered countenance 
 at once revealed the truth ; he had received 
 Petronius's letter. I attempted to calm him, 
 but he broke out into bitter reproaches against 
 my countrymen, for their obstinate resistance 
 to his will, and threatened Petronius with fatal 
 vengeance. Finding, in his present mood, my 
 presence only irritated the Emperor, I left 
 him, and returned to my own dwelling in a state 
 of mind it is impossible to describe. For three 
 days 1 employed myself in fasting and prayer, 
 entreating aid of the Almighty in this awful 
 crisis. On the fourth, I issued orders for a 
 splendid banquet, to which I invited Caligula, 
 and to my joy the invitation was accepted. Of 
 my former friendship and affection for the son 
 of Germanicus, few traces remained ; his mon- 
 strous vices, and the cruelty practised upon my 
 people, had chilled the ardour of attachment. 
 But I still felt gratitude to one, who raised me 
 from the depths of despair to splendour and 
 power, and who was daily lavishing on me fresh 
 proofs of his bounty. I determined therefore 
 to strive by stratagem to win from him the 
 repeal of his fatal edict. I knew that my situ- 
 ation was one of great peril ; my life hung on 
 the game I was playing, and not alone that, but
 
 HEROD AGRIPPA. Q$ 
 
 more important interests. On my skill de- 
 pended what was dearer, oh ! far dearer to 
 every descendant of Abraham, the preservation 
 of my religion, the lives, the happiness of 
 thousands. 
 
 The morning preceding the banquet, I again 
 fasted, and went to the synagogue to pray ; 
 then, with an anxious heart, prepared for the 
 evening's entertainment. I spared no effort to 
 render it more costly than Rome had ever wit- 
 nessed. All that was most beautiful and rare 
 from every province of her vast dominions, was 
 procured to grace the festal board. The tri- 
 clinium in which we were to sup, was hung with 
 draperies of embroidered purple, tastefully 
 arranged around the marble pillars, and reach- 
 ing from the mosaic floor, to about the height 
 of a man. The top of each pillar sloped off to 
 a point, on the extreme pinnacle of which was a 
 gilded bird, with a basket full of natural flowers 
 in its beak. Beyond the hangings, the walls 
 were painted by the first masters, with groups 
 of figures, representing various scenes from 
 Roman history. The ceiling was also richly 
 painted to resemble a summer sky, suddenly 
 obscured by a storm. The triclinia were of 
 rare beauty, and over the seat of honour in the
 
 6(3 THE FORTUNES OP 
 
 centre couch, with its wings outstretched, was 
 the Roman eagle, holding in its beak a crown 
 of laurel, ready to fall on the head of the Em- 
 peror. The table was spread with every dainty 
 art or luxury could devise, while ^the youngest 
 and fairest of my slaves held in their hands 
 censers of gold, filled with perfumed waters, 
 and splendid mappas for the guests ; my own 
 beautiful Mariamne, then five years old, dressed 
 in the garb of her country, her long flowing 
 hair adorned with flowers, was to perform the 
 office of cup-bearer to Caligula. Thou mayest 
 imagine, my son, the anxious feelings with 
 which I saw the Emperor cast off his slippers, 
 and take his place on the couch, while with a 
 pleased smile he commended the simple loveli- 
 ness of the child, who brought him water to wash 
 his hands, and expressed his fear that her task 
 was too heavy for so delicate a creature. 
 
 I arrayed myself with care, my face was 
 painted with vermilion to hide its paleness, and 
 my garb was rich with gold and gems, but never 
 did I feel so truly wretched. There is perhaps 
 no feeling so sad, no mockery so bitter, as the 
 festal garb, and the attempt at mirth, when the 
 heart is desolated by previous sorrow. 
 
 During supper, sweet and thrilling strains of
 
 HEROD AGRIPPA. gy 
 
 music filled up the intervals, left by the dancers 
 and theatrical performers. Caius was delighted ; 
 but his admiration was unbounded when the 
 ceiling of the triclinium was gradually raised 
 from above, and a table of ivory and gold, 
 covered with exquisite fruits and wines, slowly 
 descended, and was borne by four slaves of 
 extreme beauty to his couch ; at the same mo- 
 ment a triumphal chariot, drawn by four milk- 
 white swans, hovered above the head of Caligula. 
 An infant child of dazzling loveliness, guided 
 the reins with one hand, while with the other, 
 she showered laurel leaves, flowers, and com- 
 plimentary verses, at the feet of the Emperor, 
 and with an audible prayer for his health and 
 prosperity, the car and its little guide disap- 
 peared, and the ceiling was restored to its 
 proper place, while Caius sat gazing in mute 
 astonishment. Knowing the Emperor's taste 
 for novelty, I had, with my wife's assistance, de- 
 vised this little scheme to aid me in awakening 
 the generous feelings of rivalry, which I knew 
 would prompt him to bestow favours upon me, 
 in return for my prodigal expense to entertain 
 him: the result did not disappoint my hopes 
 and expectations. 
 
 We had prolonged the festival beyond mid-
 
 68 , THE FORTUNES OF 
 
 night, the spirit of the Emperor was elated with 
 joy, but mine was depressed, and I knew how 
 much was at stake ; but I fortified my mind with 
 instances of God's former mercies to his people, 
 and I trusted that although we were sunk in 
 iniquities, the Most High would vindicate his 
 power, and protect his people. I thought, too, 
 on the deeds of my glorious ancestors, and I 
 determined, should my present hope fail, to 
 return to Judea, and imitate their noble deeds 
 by living or dying for the law of God. 
 
 The crisis drew nigh. So absorbed was I in 
 anxious reflection, that Caius noted my abstrac- 
 tion. 
 
 " Agrippa," he said, turning his face beaming 
 with smiles towards me, " this is not the first 
 proof I have had of thy affection. It would be 
 base in me to suffer myself to be outdone in 
 benefits, and therefore I am resolved to recom- 
 pense thee for what thou didst formerly suffer, 
 and for every thing in which I have been defi- 
 cient. In addition to my former bounty, I will 
 greatly advance thy fortune and condition in fu- 
 ture ; name, therefore, what thou desirest, and, 
 by the ashes of my father, I swear to grant it." 
 
 His words thrilled to my heart ; a thousand 
 emotions struggled in my breast, but joy and
 
 HEROD AGRIPPA. QQ 
 
 gratitude preponderated. I would not pause, 
 I would not think; but, without a moment's 
 hesitation, flung myself at the feet of the Em- 
 peror, and asked the repeal of the fatal man- 
 date which threatened to involve my country 
 in ruin. 
 
 The brow of the Emperor grew black as 
 night, he dashed from his hand the wine cup 
 he held, and the frail vessel shivered to atoms 
 on the marble floor. The crash chilled my 
 blood; it seemed an evil omen. Caius rose 
 from his seat, and strode once or twice across 
 the triclinium, while pride, wounded vanity, 
 and anger, clouded his features. A sickening 
 feeling of despair crept into my soul. I strove 
 to speak, but could not utter a word. At length 
 Caligula paused, and raising me in his arms, 
 said, " Agrippa, thou hast conquered. My 
 word must not be broken. Yet 1 would thou 
 hadst asked any other favour." 
 
 I passed the remainder of that night, after the 
 Emperor's departure, in prayer and thanks- 
 giving to the Lord of hosts ; and determined, 
 henceforth, to observe more strictly his holy 
 law and the customs of my people. 
 
 The next day Caius wrote to Petronius, ap- 
 proving what he had done towards obeying his
 
 70 THE FORTUNES OF 
 
 order; and bidding him, if the statue was al- 
 ready set up, to let it stand ; if otherwise, not 
 to trouble himself about it, but dismiss his 
 troops and return to Syria. " 1 am content," 
 the letter went on to say, " to acquit your dis- 
 obedience, for Agrippa's sake, as I have so 
 great an honour and respect for him, that I can 
 deny him nothing." 
 
 Too soon, however, the calm aspect of affairs, 
 which I had fondly imagined permanent, was 
 again overcast. The enemies of our people 
 maliciously coloured the late disturbances in 
 Judea, so as to make them appear an act of 
 deliberate rebellion ; and the Emperor, at their 
 instigation, wrote a second letter to Petronius, 
 accusing him of preferring the Jews' bribes to 
 his duty, and threatening to make him an ex- 
 ample to the world, of the Emperor's vengeance 
 on those who abused his trust. But before the 
 epistle reached its destination, the Emperor 
 was ashes, and his memory treated with dis- 
 honour, his name accursed. 
 
 It is unnecessary here to detail the circum- 
 stances of Caligula's death; they belong to 
 Roman history. Amid the tumult that fol- 
 lowed, and the general hatred against Caius, 
 I could not forget that whatever his faults and
 
 HEROD AGRIPPA. 7J 
 
 vices had been, I had experienced from him un- 
 bounded generosity and kindness. I received 
 the body of my friend, bestowed on it funeral 
 honours, and assisted his uncle, the present 
 Emperor, by firm counsels during the season of 
 anarchy. Claudius was grateful for my service, 
 and, to reward it, bestowed on me the whole of 
 the dominions which had belonged to my grand- 
 father. Herod, my brother, of the same name, 
 received the kingdom of Chalcis. Claudius 
 gave publicity to the gift he had so generously 
 bestowed. The edict that secured to me my 
 new domain, contained a high and flattering 
 eulogium, engraved on a brass tablet in the 
 capitol. A treaty of peace was then concluded 
 between the Emperor and myself in the forum. 
 I now determined to leave the land of the 
 idolater, and return to Judea, my native land, 
 there to live in conformity to the holy law. 
 Accordingly, with my wife and family, I left 
 Rome and returned to Jerusalem in great state, 
 and hung up the golden chain bestowed on me 
 by Caligula, in the blessed temple, as a memo- 
 rial of my thanks to the all-wise Creator, who 
 had preserved me from so many dangers, and 
 raised me to the highest station in my native 
 country. Resolved by every means in my power
 
 72 THE FORTUNES OF 
 
 to atone for former omissions, I now kept the 
 law strictly; but even this would not satisfy 
 the sterner zealots. While absent at Cesarea, 
 one Simon, a scribe, assembled a multitude of 
 people, and demanded my exclusion from the 
 temple, as unworthy, alleging my fondness for 
 heathen games and shows as the reason. Those 
 who brought me tidings of this man's insolence 
 urged me to punish him, but I took a milder 
 and a wiser plan. I sent for him to Cesarea, 
 placed him next to me in the theatre, and asked 
 him if he saw in the entertainment anything 
 contrary to law. He did not reply. I dis- 
 missed him without injury. 
 
 The conduct of Silas, general of my forces, 
 grieved me more deeply, and is still painful to 
 dwell on. This man had been my friend through 
 every reverse of fortune, although I had never 
 received from him more than the interchange 
 of mutual kindness. When I was made king 
 of Judea I bestowed on him the command of 
 my army, and distinguished him by other marks 
 of favour. But Silas is one of those men who, 
 deeming sincerity and the absence of flattery 
 the greatest of virtues, fall into the extreme of 
 rudeness. He was perpetually reminding me 
 of my former indigence, and upbraiding me
 
 HEROD AGRIPPA. 73 
 
 with ingratitude to him. At length, wearied 
 out by his insolence, I dismissed him from his 
 employment, and imprisoned him. But the 
 memory of former friendship could not be 
 easily banished. I sent for him on my birth- 
 day, to make one at the festival, intending to 
 release him, and restore him to my favour. 
 Silas answered my messages by bitter reproaches 
 on me; and, finding that he would not be 
 calmed, I suffered him to remain in prison. 
 
 My history is now drawing to a close. My 
 earthly career is on the point of terminating, 
 and when thine eye glances over this tale of 
 my life, thy father's will be closed in death. 
 My son, dost thou remember the German's 
 prediction ? The first part of it was strangely 
 fulfilled ; the fulfilment of the last is at hand. 
 Agrippa, I have seen an owl for the second 
 time in my life, and I feel, even as I write, 
 the hand of death is on me. Therefore have I 
 given thee a detail of thy father's conduct, that 
 thou mayest avoid his errors. May the good 
 fortune of his latter years be thine. Through 
 the blessing of Providence I have escaped many 
 dangers; but my own folly and imprudence 
 brought misfortune first upon me, and but for 
 the counsel of thy gentle mother, I had rushed 
 
 VOL. I. E
 
 74 THE FORTUNES OF HEROD AGRIPPA. 
 
 unbidden into the presence of my Maker, and 
 through cowardly despair have committed a 
 fearful crime. Her death, which, as thou 
 knowest, occurred soon after my accession to 
 supreme power, was a source of severe affliction 
 to me. To her counsels I imputed much of 
 the success which has attended the latter part 
 of my life. Farewell, may God's blessing rest 
 on thee, my child, and mayest thou live to be 
 a shining light in Israel, and a wiser and a 
 better man than thy father AGRIPPA. 
 
 CELIA MOSS.
 
 THE 
 
 TWIN BEOTHERS OF NEAKDA, 
 
 A TALE OF THE 
 
 BABYLONIAN JEWS. 
 
 BY MARION MOSS. 
 
 ' Spirits of fire that brood not long ; 
 But flash resentment back from wrong. 
 And hearts were slow, but deep the seeds, 
 Of vengeance ripen into deeds. 
 Till in some treacherous hour of calm, 
 They burst like Leilon's giant palm. 
 Whose buds fly open with a sound, 
 That shakes the pigmy forests round." 
 
 Moore.
 
 THE 
 
 TWIN BROTHERS OF NEARDA, 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 "THE lash again! God of heaven, must this 
 be endured ? My brother, there is no hope 
 for us but in the grave ;" and with contracted 
 brow and quivering lip, Asinai paced the nar- 
 row limits of his little chamber, ever and anon 
 pausing to look around him. 
 
 The rays of the setting sun threw a red and 
 angry glare through the latticed casement, ren- 
 dering every object distinctly visible. The 
 room was about fourteen feet square ; the fur- 
 niture, which was of the simplest form and 
 rudest material, consisted of two standing bed - 
 places, a table, two seats, and a clay lamp. On
 
 78 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 one of the two bedplaces lay a youth, his face 
 concealed in the bedclothes. His back was 
 bare to the waist, and the wealed and livid 
 flesh, spotted here and there with gouts of 
 blood, bore evident marks of the scourging 
 rod. 
 
 The other occupant of the chamber was also 
 a youth, the same who had given utterance to 
 the words with which this tale opens. His age 
 did not exceed sixteen, but his figure possessed 
 none of the graceful lightness of boyhood. It 
 was strong and muscular, with great breadth 
 of chest. His brow was broad and heavy, but 
 the thick black curls that clustered round it, 
 gave it an air of peculiar whiteness ; and the 
 delicately chiselled mouth, and flashing dark 
 eyes, redeemed the countenance from the charge 
 of stolidity. The other youth was not older. 
 They were brothers and twins, but as different 
 in person, as it is possible to conceive. Anilai 
 was considerably taller than his brother, with a 
 slight compact figure, graceful and well made. 
 His features were small, and delicately beautiful. 
 His forehead high, broad and white ; the brows 
 clear and well defined, with eyes of a dark 
 grey, shaded by lashes so long, black, and 
 sweeping, that they would have added another
 
 OF NEARDA. 79 
 
 charm, even to female loveliness. His mouth 
 was small and beautiful, and his chin as smooth 
 and rounded as a girl's, but possessing a cha- 
 racter of indecision strongly at variance with 
 the firm and decided expression of his brother's 
 countenance. 
 
 Anilai and Asinai were orphans. They had 
 lost both parents, while yet too young to appre- 
 ciate the value of what they had lost. Their 
 mother's brother, and their only relative, took 
 charge of his sister's orphans, and brought them 
 up with the tender care of a father; but ere 
 the boys had attained their twelfth year, the 
 hand of death deprived them of their kind 
 protector, leaving them destitute and alone in 
 the world. 
 
 Abner had been employed by a wealthy 
 merchant of his own tribe, as a weaver in one 
 of those large establishments, where the splendid 
 brocades, for which Babylon was so long famous, 
 were manufactured ; and the name of his em- 
 ployer, Moses of Nearda, was well known in 
 the mercantile world. 
 
 On the weekly pittance gained by his labour 
 at the loom, Abner, who had neither wife nor 
 children of his own, managed to support him- 
 self and orphan nephews. But though they
 
 80 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 lived in such plenty as their frugal wishes 
 required, he had been unable, from his small 
 income, to lay any portion aside for their future 
 provision ; and consequently, at his death, he 
 possessed no means of providing for them. It 
 was a terrible thought to the dying uncle ; and 
 the idea of their utter helplessness gave death 
 a more bitter sting. 
 
 " Go, Asinai," he said, addressing the elder 
 of the two weeping boys, " hasten into the 
 city, and tell Ben Yussuf that thine uncle is 
 dying, and would fain speak with him ; for there 
 is that upon his heart, which will neither let 
 him live nor die, until he has spoken with him." 
 
 With a quick step but a heavy heart, the boy 
 hastened to fulfil his mission. It was the first 
 time Asinai had seen Ben Yussuf's dwelling, 
 and he was struck with the magnificence of all 
 he saw, so unlike his uncle's pretty cottage; 
 yet he tarried not to look upon the strange 
 sights by which he was surrounded, for his 
 heart was too full of grief to admit of curiosity. 
 
 He delivered Abner's message to a slave, 
 and receiving for reply that Ben Yussuf would 
 certainly see his uncle before noon, to which it 
 wanted but the third of an hour, he retraced 
 his way homeward.
 
 OP NEARDA. 
 
 Noon came, and, punctual to the moment, 
 the expected visitor arrived. The dying man 
 was engaged in prayer when he came, but 
 instantly dismissed those who were praying with 
 him, expressing a desire to see Ben Yussuf 
 alone. The heart of Abner misgave him, how- 
 ever, as he looked upon the hard, stern coun- 
 tenance of the worldly-minded man, whose 
 protection he was about to seek for his sister's 
 children. But the memory of their utter des- 
 titution nerved his heart, and he told the mer- 
 chant of their situation, and besought him to 
 protect them, and not to leave them to die in 
 helpless poverty. 
 
 Moses Ben Yussuf was what his countenance 
 indicated him to be, a hard, stern man, devoid 
 of all those soft feelings, fine sensibilities, and 
 social affections, which make the heart of man 
 a pleasant and refreshing thing to contemplate. 
 His cold proud heart was a stranger to the 
 sweet charities of life, and he listened with a 
 bent brow and compressed lips to the trembling 
 words of Abner, and when he had concluded, 
 he demanded in a cold, dry tone, "And for 
 what should I burthen myself with the care of 
 those two youths, who, by thine own account, 
 have been more tenderly educated than befits 
 E 3
 
 gg THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 their station ? I am not wealthy, good Abner, 
 and have a child of mine own to educate and 
 provide for, till she is of age to become a wife, 
 and then she must receive a portion befitting 
 her birth and station." 
 
 Abner clasped his thin emaciated hands over 
 his eyes, as if the faint light that found its way 
 into the darkened chamber pained him, but in 
 reality to conceal the tears that sprang to them ; 
 several minutes elapsed ere he spoke again, and 
 when at last he broke the painful stillness, it 
 was with an effort, and his words, uttered with 
 difficulty, were scarcely audible as he said, " I 
 will sell them to thee for seven years." 
 
 " And the price ?" demanded Ben Yussuf. 
 
 Again Abner was silent for a time, and 
 painful thoughts were busy in his breast; but 
 after a little while he said, " I vowed a vow 
 unto God that I would erect a marble tomb to 
 the memory of their departed parents. Do 
 this, and they are thine." 
 
 " Be it so," said the merchant, in the same 
 calm tone with which he would have concluded 
 a bargain for some domestic animal ; and, rising, 
 he called for witnesses. It chanced there was 
 a scribe among the men who had been called 
 in to pray with the dying Abner. Ben Yussuf
 
 OF NEARDA. 83 
 
 bade him draw up the agreement which was to 
 consign two human beings to slavery, and having 
 obtained Abner's signature, backed by two wit- 
 nesses, he signed his own name, with the most 
 perfect indifference, and departed from the house. 
 
 It was not without many tears that Abner 
 informed the unhappy boys of their destiny. 
 They shuddered as they listened to the feeble 
 tones of that beloved voice, that was as sweet 
 as music to them, pronouncing their doom of 
 slavery. But their hearts were too full of 
 sorrow for him to permit them to dwell upon 
 their own dark future. 
 
 When the sun went down on the broad 
 waves of the Euphrates, the immortal spirit 
 had departed from the clogging clay, and the 
 doubly-orphaned were alone. 
 
 The watchers by the dead were the only 
 living things in that dwelling beside themselves, 
 and, excluded from the still chamber of death, 
 they wept the night away. 
 
 We will not describe the funeral the con- 
 signment of the body to its native clay; nor 
 could we, if we would, paint the overwhelming 
 agony of the orphan brothers, when they were 
 removed, for the first time, from the home of 
 their early years.
 
 4 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 It was not alone the sense of loneliness and 
 desolation that came upon their young, untried 
 hearts, when the earth covered from their sight 
 the only being who had ever loved them, that 
 weighed so heavily upon their spirits when 
 they quitted the cherished home, endeared to 
 them by every memory of childhood's happy 
 days, to remove to the house of Moses Ben 
 Yussuf ; it was the shame, the degradation of 
 entering it as slaves, that flushed their pale 
 faces, and ate into their very souls; nor had 
 four years of almost unalloyed bitterness served 
 to ameliorate those feelings, or soften their 
 sorrow. 
 
 Harshness and ill usage had served but to 
 endear them the more to each other, and when 
 the scourge had torn their quivering flesh with 
 an agony almost unendurable, it was in each 
 other's love alone they could seek consolation. 
 
 " Must we endure this ? " said Asinai, ap- 
 proaching his younger brother, and tenderly 
 raising his head, he looked into his wan face 
 with such an earnestness of affection, such a 
 look of deep, unquenchable, pitying love, as 
 made his heart ache. " What, art thou weeping, 
 my brother ? " he exclaimed, as he marked the 
 big tears stealing down Anilai's cheek ; " Oh,
 
 OF NEARDA. 85 
 
 had my uncle dreamed of this, he had never 
 bound this hateful yoke upon our necks. Why, 
 why did he not rather leave us to win our own 
 way through the world ; to starve, to die," he 
 continued passionately, "rather than to be- 
 come the dependants on the bounty of this 
 marble-hearted man? His bondsmen! his 
 slaves ! " 
 
 Anilai could not reply further than by say- 
 ing, " Let us not even in thought reproach the 
 benefactor of our childhood;" and throwing his 
 arms round his brother's neck, he hid his face 
 on his shoulder, and wept bitterly. 
 
 Asinai's heart had been full almost to suffo- 
 cation, before, and when he heard the uncon- 
 trolable sobs of his beloved companion, he too 
 wept. 
 
 Long did the brothers remain thus. The 
 last red sunbeam had faded from the sky, and 
 the night closed in dark and stormy. The 
 thunder pealed awfully through the riven dome 
 of heaven. The rain fell pattering heavily 
 among the leaves of the cedars, cypresses, and 
 myrtles ; while at short intervals, the lightning 
 flashed vividly through the black arches of the 
 sky, but so absorbed were those unhappy youths, 
 that they heeded not the storm. Clasped in
 
 86 THE TWIN BROTHERS OF NEARDA. 
 
 each other's embrace, they were unconscious of 
 every external object, and probably would have 
 continued so for a considerably longer period, 
 had not a voice thundered in Asinai's ear, " Is 
 it thus my commands are obeyed ? "
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 BOTH started at the sound of that voice, and 
 the blood mounted to Asinai's temples, as 
 gently releasing himself from his brother's em- 
 brace, he turned and encountered the lowering 
 look of Ben Yussuf, scowling upon him from 
 beneath his bent brows. 
 
 For a moment, master and slave stood gazing 
 on each other in silence, which the former was 
 the first to break. " Boy," he angrily exclaim- 
 ed, " boy, hast thou done my bidding?" The 
 youth bent his eyes upon the ground, and in 
 an unsteady voice, answered, " No." 
 
 " No ! and wherefore not ?" questioned his 
 master yet more sternly than before. Asinai 
 pointed to his brother with an appealing look ; 
 for his heart was full, and he dared not trust 
 himself to speak. " What of him ?" asked 
 Ben Yussuf, harshly, " I bid him do mine
 
 88 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 errand, he disobeyed ; and I punished him as I 
 would thee, or any other refractory slave." 
 
 " Slave !'' repeated Asinai, with a look and 
 tone of much bitterness, yet rather thinking 
 aloud, than addressing his irritated and angry 
 master. 
 
 " Why dost thou repeat my words ?" de- 
 manded the merchant fiercely : "get thee gone, 
 and do my bidding ; or beware." 
 
 " I cannot leave my brother thus," said the 
 almost spirit-broken youth, pointing as he spoke 
 to the pale, worn countenance of Anilai, who, 
 exhausted by pain, and contending emotions, 
 had fainted. 
 
 " Thou canst not ! how darest thou tell me 
 so? Boy, slave, begone ! begone, I say, this in- 
 stant, or I will have thee taught such a les- 
 son of obedience as thou shalt not soon forget." 
 " I cannot out, on a night like this," Asinai 
 replied ; his naturally fiery spirit stirred by the 
 harsh and threatening words of Ben Yussuf. 
 And he was conscious, too, that the trifling 
 errand was only devised as a pretext to divide 
 him from his brother ; for the merchant, with 
 the quick-sighted tyranny of a petty despot, 
 had discovered it was the greatest pain he 
 could inflict on either; and with a refine-
 
 OF NEARDA. 9 
 
 ment on cruelty, he separated them but too 
 often. 
 
 " Thou shouldst out, though heaven and 
 earth were coming together ; though the whole 
 land were deluged, and there was not so much 
 dry ground as could rest the sole of thy foot, 
 I tell thee thou shouldst go to-night," exclaimed 
 the almost furious merchant. 
 
 " And I tell thee, I will not," said Asinai, 
 forgetting his habitual reverence ; for his spirit 
 was now completely roused, and the hot blood 
 mounted to his face and brow as he spoke. 
 
 "Wilt thou not? we will see," calmly re- 
 plied Ben Yussuf : and he clapped his hands 
 together. Asinai knew the signal but too well. 
 He had heard it but too often ; and the blood 
 curdled at his heart ; but his pride could not 
 brook submission, and he stood with as calm 
 a look as he could command, awaiting the 
 issue. 
 
 Meanwhile four slaves entered the chamber, 
 and stood awaiting their master's command. 
 He glanced from them to the youth with a sig- 
 nificant look, and then calmly demanded, "Wilt 
 thou do my bidding ?" Asinai's face was deadly 
 pale, and there was a burning fever in his veins ; 
 but he stood with erected head, and his voice
 
 90 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 though low, was unfaltering, as he uttered the 
 single monosyllable, " No." There was a mo- 
 mentary pause, only broken by the warring 
 of the elements without. It seemed as if the 
 storm of human passions had for the moment 
 exhausted themselves, and had lulled for an 
 instant to gather renewed strength from the 
 temporary pause. Each looked in the other's 
 face, as if each feared to be the first to break 
 the gloomy silence. The wind had extinguished 
 the lamp the merchant had brought, and there 
 was no light in the chamber, save the momen- 
 tary flashings of lightning that illuminated it ; 
 revealing each to the other for a single instant, 
 and then leaving all in utter darkness. 
 
 The silence was broken at last by the mer- 
 chant's voice exclaiming in a tone of concen- 
 trated passion, low, and yet so thrilling as to 
 be heard above the storm, " Scourge him ; 
 scourge him." Asinai started at the words, but 
 instantly recovering himself he resumed his 
 lofty bearing. He had gone too far to retract. 
 One of the slaves brought a light, and ere he 
 could make the slightest resistance, two of the 
 others seized and stripped him, while the fourth, 
 armed with a scourge of green rods, approached 
 to perform the horrible task assigned him.
 
 OF NEARDA. 91 
 
 It was a fearful moment. Anilai had re- 
 covered from his swoon, and raising himself 
 on the bed, he sat with straining eyes and 
 almost pulseless heart, gazing on the scene en- 
 acting before him. The features of Ben Yus- 
 suf were dark as night, and his frame shook 
 with passion. But Asinai's face, though pale 
 as death, was firm and rigid, and his lips were 
 tightly compressed to prevent a scream from 
 escaping them, as the blows fell fast upon his 
 bare back. " Wilt thou go now, slave ? " said 
 the merchant in a husky voice, as the blood 
 began to flow. 
 
 " Not though thou shouldest flay me," was the 
 reply. Again the blows descended on the naked 
 flesh, till the rods were dyed red with gore. 
 
 Again Ben Yussuf asked, " Wilt thou obey 
 me ? " Asinai shook his head negatively. The 
 excess of his agony was too great for speech. 
 " I will find a way to break thy spirit, thou 
 vile slave. Scourge the other boy," he added, 
 turning to the slave who held the rod, the 
 perspiration pouring from his brow with the 
 violence of his exertions. 
 
 " Touch him not ; Oh touch him not ! I 
 conjure thee by the love thou bearest thy child ; 
 by all thy hopes of peace on earth, and joy in
 
 92 THE TWIN BROTHERS OF NEARDA. 
 
 heaven, Oh touch him not," exclaimed the elder 
 brother in a voice of such piercing anguish that 
 it reached even the flinty heart of his hard 
 task-master. But he threw off the feeling, 
 which he called folly, and made a signal to the 
 slaves to drag the bleeding boy from his bro- 
 ther; for he had thrown himself before him. 
 They obeyed the signal. As they dragged 
 him back, a thrill as of fire shot through his 
 brain. A thousand lights seemed dancing be- 
 fore his eyes, for he saw the scourge descending 
 on the already lacerated back of his brother. 
 
 His spirit was crushed with an overwhelming 
 anguish, and faintly murmuring, " I will do thy 
 bidding," he fainted.
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 " RETIRE," said Ben Yussuf, addressing the 
 slaves; and kicking aside the inanimate form 
 of the orphan, he passed from the chamber. 
 " I have taught the slave his duty," muttered 
 the merchant through his closed teeth. And 
 threading several passages, he stopped at the 
 door of a room at the furthest extremity of 
 the building, and tapped lightly. 
 
 " Come in," said a low sweet voice, gentle as 
 soft music ; and unclosing the door, he entered. 
 The room was in every respect different to the 
 one he had just quitted. There was an air of 
 voluptuous grandeur over the whole, and a 
 sweet and fragrant perfume breathing in the 
 atmosphere, that was almost overpowering. 
 The upper end of the room, which was hung 
 with rich hangings of crimson damask, was 
 raised about a foot and a half above the level, 
 and carpeted with one of the richest productions
 
 94 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 of the Persian loom. There were couches and 
 tables in many a curious shape, and formed of 
 mother of pearl, inlaid with jet. A crystal 
 chandelier of seven branches, reflecting the light 
 in beautiful prismatic lines, was suspended from 
 the fretted roof by a chain of pure gold. A 
 canopy of the same gorgeous material as the 
 hangings, festooned with variegated crystals, 
 hung over the raised platform, beneath which 
 stood a mother-of-pearl couch worked in the 
 shape of a shell, and cushioned with down, and 
 on it, in an attitude of graceful listlessness, lay 
 a young girl, seemingly not more than fourteen. 
 Her attire was simply elegant, evincing the 
 purity of her taste, and utterly at variance with 
 the almost ostentatious splendour that sur- 
 rounded her. The storehouses of east and 
 west, seemed to have been ransacked to pro- 
 cure the costly ornaments that were strewed 
 around with such profuse liberality. Mirrors 
 of silver and polished steel hung against the 
 walls. There were vases of agate, jasper, por- 
 phyry, and crystal on stands of massive gold, 
 filled with perfumed flowers of every hue. 
 Marble urns, and fountains sweet with odorous 
 waters, golden cages of radiant plumaged sing- 
 ing birds, and that rarest of all modern in-
 
 OF NEARDA. 95 
 
 ventions, glass from Italy. All that wealth 
 could purchase, or taste and luxury demand, 
 contributed to make that chamber an earthly 
 paradise. And it was refreshing to turn the 
 dazzled eye, fatigued with the splendour that 
 surrounded it, to the placid face of that young 
 girl. 
 
 Her fair features, just tinged with the faintest 
 rose hue, and the magnificent black eyes, the 
 long lashes of which fringed the eyelids, soften- 
 ing without subduing their light, were beau- 
 tiful to look upon. She wore a dress of plain 
 white silk, girded round the waist by a broad 
 blue ribbon, and fastened loosely round the 
 ivory throat by a band of the same material as 
 the dress. The loose sleeves were gathered in 
 at the wrist, in a similar manner, and displayed 
 to advantage, the delicate little hand of the 
 wearer. Her dark silky hair unrestrained, 
 save by a band of blue ribbon, that, encircling 
 the graceful head, was fastened in front by a 
 small beryl brooch, the only ornament she 
 wore, hung in the wild luxuriance of nature 
 over her shoulders, and descended almost to 
 her feet. 
 
 The merchant cast a glance of gratified pride 
 and exultation around, as he approached the
 
 96 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 couch ; but when he reached it, the expression 
 of his countenance changed to boundless love 
 and admiration. There lay the object of all 
 his hopes and affections, his only, his beautiful 
 child ! the sole thing he cared for beyond his 
 gold. 
 
 He idolized, he almost worshipped her with 
 an ardour, only the more intensely passionate, 
 from all of love in his nature having exhausted 
 itself on her ; and though there was selfishness 
 mingling with his love, even as there is alloy 
 with the purest gold, its depth, its earnestness, 
 invested it with a holy sanctity, borrowed from 
 the purity of its object. " Thou art pale to- 
 night, dearest," said the father, anxiously bend- 
 ing over her, and pressing his lips to her white 
 brow ; " tell me, my Paula, has ought occurred 
 to vex thee ? hath thy handmaiden displeased 
 thee ? or art thou in need of aught that wealth 
 may purchase ? say, and thy wishes shall not 
 remain long ungratified, even to the expending 
 of my last shekel." 
 
 " Nay," said the beautiful girl, smiling sweet- 
 ly; as she glanced her eye round the gor- 
 geous apartment. " Nay, indeed, my father, 
 there is sufficient of luxury here to gratify a 
 more ambitious mind than thy Paula's ; believe
 
 OF NEARDA. 97 
 
 me, I take no pleasure in these things, save 
 as being thy gifts, and would rather, oh ! how 
 much rather, dwell in some sweet vine-covered 
 cottage, so that thou wert always there, than 
 live almost isolated as I am, in these stately 
 chambers." 
 
 " Paula !" and there was much of reproach in 
 the tone, with which the word was pronounced. 
 
 She saw she had displeased him, so she threw 
 her beautiful arms about his neck, and, as she 
 said, " Wherever thou art, my father, be it in 
 palace or hovel, the lonely wilderness, or the 
 crowded city, there will ever be the home of 
 thy daughter's choice," the gathering cloud dis- 
 persed ; there was a tremulous quaver in his 
 voice, very unusual with one who seldom gave 
 way to, or experienced emotion of any kind, 
 as he replied, 
 
 " And couldst thou, my peerless child, in- 
 deed content thyself with such companion- 
 ship? Is there none, with whom my daughter 
 would not rather dream away the sunny morn- 
 ing of her young existence, than the harsh old 
 man, her father ?" 
 
 If the cheek of the maiden had been pale as 
 the white rose before, Ben Yussuf had no right 
 to complain now, for it flushed to the hue of its 
 
 VOL. i. F
 
 98 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 damask sister, and the tears sprang into her eyes. 
 But the flush died away, as she said in a low agi- 
 tated voice, 
 
 " Ben Yussuf was never harsh to his child, and 
 had any but thyself dared to have coupled that 
 word with thy name, in thy daughter's presence, 
 she had known how to resent such injurious 
 expressions. But thou lookest vexed, and 
 grieved," she added ; " has any word of mine 
 given my father's brow that troubled look ?" 
 
 " Nay, my child, thou couldst not offend : 
 yet ask me not the cause of mine anger ; 
 it would but wound thy gentle heart ; and be- 
 lieve me, it importeth thee not to know." 
 
 " But I must know," she said, in a tone of 
 playful command ; " thou knowest there are to 
 be no secrets between us two. At least," she 
 added, colouring as she spoke, " at least thou 
 must not conceal aught from me, that vexes or 
 grieves thee ; for am not I thy comforter ? and 
 how am I to heal the wound, if I know not 
 how, or where inflicted ?" 
 
 There was a mixture of archness and gravity in 
 her look and tone, that heightened the charm of 
 her sweet face, and as if by an irresistible impulse, 
 the words, " How beautiful thou art !" burst 
 from the father's lips.
 
 OF NEARDA. 
 
 99 
 
 She blushed, and laying her hand carelessly on 
 his arm, said, with a look of laughing reproach, 
 
 " Thou hast not yet told me, what has vexed 
 thee." 
 
 " The slaves, Asinai and Anilai, disobeyed 
 me, and I had them scourged." 
 
 " Scourged !" she repeated, shuddering and 
 withdrawing her hand from the merchant's 
 shoulder, while her face and lips grew white 
 as death. 
 
 " She is dying, my child is dying ; mer- 
 ciful God, preserve her !" he exclaimed, as with 
 a bewildered look, he marked the startling 
 effect his words had produced, and clasped the 
 almost fainting girl in his arms. 
 
 His touch seemed to revive her, for she 
 started from his embrace, and passing her hand 
 once or twice rapidly across her brow, she said, 
 
 " It was but a momentary spasm, I am better 
 now ; leave me alone for a few moments, and I 
 shall soon be quite, quite well." 
 
 " I fear thou art not fit to be alone," said 
 Ben Yussuf anxiously ; " shall I not summon 
 thine handmaidens ?" 
 
 "No, no," was the eager reply, "indeed I 
 shall be much, very much better, if left to my- 
 self."
 
 |00 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 " Be it so then," replied the doting father, 
 kissing her pale but burning cheek. " I will 
 see that thou art not disturbed." 
 
 And under the impression that her indis- 
 position was caused from the remains of a 
 long enfeebling sickness, he bade her good 
 night, and retired. 
 
 For a few moments after Ben Yussuf 's de- 
 parture, his daughter remained with her hands 
 clasped upon her brow, and the colour on her 
 cheek, coming and going with the rapidity of a 
 shadow. 
 
 " Scourged !" she said, once or twice, very 
 slowly. Her brow contracted, and her eyes 
 were bent upon the ground as she spoke. 
 " It was wrong not to obey my father. But 
 then" and a cold shiver passed through her 
 frame, " it was a fearful, a most fearful punish- 
 ment. It must have been some terrible fault, 
 to merit such an infliction. A trifle could not 
 so have moved my father, for when he spoke, 
 his brow was very dark, darker than I have 
 ever seen it yet; his teeth were set too: and 
 his eyes flashed with anger. Surely these 
 orphan youths have done some grievous wrong. 
 An jret I fear, I fear, for I have heard Daniel, 
 and he is just and true, say they were ever
 
 OF NEAR DA. ]QJ 
 
 gentle and obedient. And men say, my father 
 is over hot, and hasty, and prone to take 
 offence at trifles. Yet have I often wondered 
 at such tales, and chid the bearers of them. 
 For hath not his face ever worn smiles for me ; 
 and have not his words ever breathed affec- 
 tion ? Did he ever say that which was unkind ? 
 No, no, I never doubted him before, and why, 
 surrounded as I am by the tokens of his love, 
 wh} r should I do so now ?" She hid her face in 
 her hands, as this latter question presented 
 itself to her mind. 
 
 Why indeed had she recoiled so from her 
 father's touch, his kiss unreturned, his parting 
 words of kindness unanswered ? Had Paula 
 never heard till then, of refractory slaves being 
 scourged? Most assuredly she had. But though 
 such things had ever, shocked her gentle spirit, 
 and awakened her sympathy for the sufferer, 
 she had never questioned her father's motives, 
 never for a moment doubted his justice, or 
 suffered such thoughts as she now yielded to, 
 to shake her confidence in his impartial admi- 
 nistration of rewards or punishments. 
 
 " I will know what that frown of terror 
 meant," she exclaimed, as she raised her face ; 
 and blushing at her own eagerness, she hastily
 
 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 arrayed herself in a mantle and veil. Softly 
 opening a casement, she stept out upon a bal- 
 cony planted with scented myrtles and aro- 
 matic shrubs and flowers. The balcony, which 
 was enclosed with trellises of carved wood-work, 
 rendered almost invisible by the luxuriant 
 growth of creepers, skirted the whole building, 
 from her own splendid apartments, leading by 
 broad flights of steps, to the flat roof, or the 
 courts below. She descended one of these mar- 
 ble stair-cases; for in the east, the family oc- 
 cupy the upper apartments, which are, or were, 
 mostly entered from the terraces without ; and 
 the slaves and servants of the household are 
 generally domesticated on the ground floor in 
 small apartments opening into the courts, of 
 which most houses possessed at least two, an 
 outer, and inner one, with a fountain sur- 
 rounded by trees in the centre. The maiden 
 paused not to consider what construction might 
 be put upon the extraordinary step she was 
 taking, nor the consequences to the youths and 
 herself, should the visit, which she would not 
 acknowledge even to herself was meant for one 
 alone, be discovered by her father until she 
 had crossed the court, and gaining the out- 
 buildings over which they slept, ascended by
 
 OP NEARDA. 103 
 
 a narrow flight of steps, and stood on a low 
 wooden balcony, into which the casement of 
 their apartment opened. Then, she would 
 have retraced her way ; for though conscious 
 of the rectitude and purity of her intentions, 
 she remembered how unbecoming it was of a 
 maiden to visit the sleeping chamber of male 
 slaves, even in the open day ; and how far less 
 seeming be her station, when all the household 
 were at rest. What would those very slaves 
 themselves think, and what motive could she 
 assign, save a curiosity that might well be 
 deemed forward and unpardonable ? Her heart 
 misgave her as this by no means agreeable 
 train of ideas crossed her mind, but it was too 
 late for retreat.
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE scene that met the eye of Ben Yussuf 's 
 child was such as to rivet her attention, and 
 chain her to the spot. Her heart swelled with 
 indignation as she gazed ; and indeed it was a 
 sight to shock a firmer one than that which 
 beat so warmly in the breast of the gentle girl. 
 
 The chamber was in disorder ; the bundle of 
 green withes which had served as a scourge, 
 stained red with blood, lay upon the floor; 
 which was also spotted in several places with 
 the same sanguine fluid. 
 
 The single wick in the small clay lamp but 
 feebly illumined the chamber ; but dim though 
 the light was, it perfectly revealed to the fasci- 
 nated glance of Paula, the forms of the bro- 
 thers. They were standing with their faces to 
 the east, and their bare, scarred and bleeding 
 backs towards her. One arm of each was passed 
 around the other's neck, and words that made
 
 THE TWIN BROTHERS OF NEARDA. JQ5 
 
 her blood creep coldly came upon her ear. 
 The storm had passed away ere she quitted 
 her chamber ; and a few masses of grey clouds, 
 beautifully chequering the blue dome of hea- 
 ven, was the only trace of its transitory visi- 
 tation; so that every word was distinctly 
 audible. 
 
 The elder brother held his tephillirn in his 
 hand,* and the yod was pressed to his lips, as 
 he said, " By this holy Name! I swear to-night 
 has broken the chain that held me bondsman to 
 Moses Ben Yacob Ben Yussuf, for he has shed 
 my blood; and if I abide longer beneath his 
 roof, break of his bread, eat of his salt, or in 
 aught obey his will, may my parents' graves be 
 defiled, and, when I die, may my bones be 
 denied the rites of sepulture, and cast forth to 
 the dogs, and my name be blotted out from 
 Israel ! Amen." The other brother repeated 
 the awful adjuration; and the deep, sonorous 
 
 * The tephillim or phylacteries, are two long narrow 
 strips of leather, with the yod, a small leather case, con- 
 tabling the decalogue at the end of each. During the morning 
 prayers, every male above thirteen wears them, one on the 
 left arm, and one round the head ; so that the yod comes on 
 the front of the arm, and the middle of the brow. An oath, 
 sworn on this, is the most solemn and binding a Jew can take ; 
 for it is sworn by the HIGHEST name of the ETERNAL. 
 F3
 
 106 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 voices of both, breathing the solemn Amen, 
 filled the heart of the listener with terror, and, 
 uttering a low scream, she fainted. 
 
 When Paula recovered from her swoon, she 
 was lying on the couch beneath the canopy in 
 that same gorgeous chamber already described. 
 A powerful essence, contained in a small gold 
 scent box, which was held to her nostrils, re- 
 stored her to consciousness. There was an arm 
 round her graceful neck, supporting her droop- 
 ing head. She fancied it was her father, and, for 
 a moment, terror, lest he should have discovered 
 her absence, for she knew not how she had 
 regained her apartment, overcame her, and she 
 nearly fainted again. But words, such as a 
 father's lips could not utter to his child ; words, 
 how passionate and wild ! were breathed in her 
 ear ; and, raising her eyes, she beheld a half- 
 naked figure bending over her, and love, pure, 
 holy, exalted, beamed from the dark eyes bent 
 upon her face. She could not be mistaken the 
 voice, face, and figure, were familiar to her. It 
 was Anilai, the orphan slave ! 
 
 The blood came warmly into the cheek of 
 the high-born maiden, as the events of the last 
 few hours rushed back upon her memory. She 
 released herself from his arms, and rising from
 
 OF NEARDA. 107 
 
 the couch, said, with a look of maidenly pride 
 and dignity, 
 
 " I marvel much, after the words thou hast 
 this night spoken words to which, God knows, 
 I was no willing witness, and which I would 
 most willingly forget that thou darest intrude 
 into the presence of the child of thy much- 
 abused master ! " The blood kindled as warmly 
 on his cheek as on her own, and he would 
 have spoken, but she waved her hand for si- 
 lence, and proceeded. " Go," she said, "go 
 hence, unto thy chamber, and there, in sack- 
 cloth and ashes, repent thee of thy . I 
 
 will not give it the name of which I deem thy 
 conduct deserving, lest I pain thee. But go 
 hence, and rejoice that none but Ben Yussuf's 
 child heard thy rash vow." 
 
 " Lady ! " exclaimed the youth, impetuously. 
 Again she waved her hand for silence, and mo- 
 tioned him to depart. But, like a stream whose 
 sluice is broken, the full heart had found a vent, 
 and it would have way ; Anilai spoke rapidly, 
 passionately, for his heart was with his words, 
 and his looks read an eloquent commentary 
 upon them. There is a bound beyond which 
 human endurance cannot go, and to that bound 
 the heart of the Hebrew boy had been driven, 
 as with an iron goad. He told her of wrongs
 
 108 
 
 endured ; of insults, of blows ; of harsh words, 
 and bitter jibes. Of all those thousand cruelties 
 without a name, which the strong and tyran- 
 nical delight to inflict on the weak and defence- 
 less. 
 
 " And thinkest thou," he said, the fierce flash- 
 ing of his large grey eyes softening into an ex- 
 pression of tenderness as he marked the tears 
 streaming down her beautiful face : " And 
 thinkest thou, lady, I could have borne these 
 things thus long? Thinkest thou I could have 
 borne to see my brother's faded cheek, and 
 altered eye, and withstood his earnest entreaties 
 to break the yoke of my bondage, without a 
 stronger bond than the written one my dying 
 uncle gave to him whom, for thy sake, I will 
 not name ? Canst thou not guess the link that 
 fettered my chain, and bound mind, as well as 
 body, in slavery?" 
 
 Paula averted her head, for her eloquent face 
 bore evident testimony that his words were not 
 misunderstood. Love is a quick teacher of the 
 meaning of ambiguous sentences. Several mi- 
 nutes elapsed, the face of the maiden, all glow- 
 ing and tearful though it was, was no longer 
 averted. The slave, the spurned and degraded 
 slave ! had told his tale of love to the daughter 
 of the proud master, who had made the days of
 
 OF NEARDA. JQ9 
 
 his boyhood as one long troubled night, and it 
 had not been rejected. How would Ben Yussuf 
 have borne this? What would have been the 
 feelings of the proud man's heart, could he have 
 seen his abhorred slave, the slave whom he de- 
 tested, because he had been forced upon him, 
 sitting, side by side, on the same couch with 
 his child, her hand clasped in his, and those 
 superb black eyes which he so loved to look 
 into, gazing on that hated form with such fond 
 looks of confiding tenderness, as he would have 
 grudged any man under the rank of a prince? 
 How long they sat together, their hands clasped 
 in each other's, indulging in that sweet com- 
 munion of soul, reading that language of looks 
 so far more eloquent than words, they them- 
 selves scarcely knew ; for there are periods in 
 almost every one's existence when hours seem 
 but as minutes. Day might have dawned, and 
 found them still unconscious of the lapse of 
 time, had not a step in the corridor aroused 
 them to a recollection of the dangerous situa- 
 tion in which they stood. 
 
 " Fly ! " whispered the startled maiden, " 'tis 
 my father's step." She felt a warm kiss upon 
 her brow, her hand was clasped more tightly 
 than before, the casement was darkened for a
 
 110 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 moment, then softly closed, and the youth was 
 gone. Paula felt incapable of meeting her fa- 
 ther's glance at that moment, she fancied his 
 keen eye would read the revolution that had 
 taken place in her feelings. She knew full 
 well how bitterly he would deprecate the en- 
 gagement she had entered into, and that he 
 would use any means, short of actual violence, 
 even if he abstained from that, to induce her 
 to abjure the unhappy object of her attachment. 
 It would be too terrible to look into those kin- 
 dling eyes, flashing with the fire of his wrath, 
 and read there the death-doom of her new-born 
 hopes. No, she could not endure it ; so, crossing 
 her arms upon the table before her, she leaned 
 her head upon them as if she were sleeping. 
 
 Ben Yussuf, for he it was, cautiously ap- 
 proached, and softly whispered her name, as if 
 fearful of waking her. She shuddered visibly, 
 as he addressed her, but she did not raise her 
 head. 
 
 " Methought I heard voices in low con- 
 verse," said the merchant. " But," he continued, 
 speaking to himself, " the anxiety that has 
 kept me wakeful, must have deceived me : 
 perhaps she spoke in her dreams. My sweet 
 child's slumber is too light to remain un-
 
 OF NEARDA. 
 
 broken, with voices murmuring so near ;" and 
 he stooped and kissed her neck. The face and 
 brow of the maiden burnt with a painful 
 glow. She was not an adept in the art of 
 dissembling ; she had never attempted to prac- 
 tise it till now, and the shame of acting a de- 
 liberate falsehood, made her tremble and sob 
 hysterically, despite her efforts to restrain her 
 emotion. 
 
 " Poor child! she sleeps uneasily, and her 
 dreams are not of pleasant things. Paula, 
 awake ! awake my beloved child !" and he 
 shook her gently. " There is no cause for fear, 
 it is only thy father, best beloved," he con- 
 tinued, as she started up and put her hand to 
 her brow. " Let me see thy face, dearest. 
 Why dost thou shudder at my touch ? Look 
 up and tell me." But Paula could not look in 
 his face, she felt she was deceiving him, and 
 she dared not raise her eyes to meet his; his 
 words of kindness made her doubt the truth of 
 her lover's assertions, but the doubt which she 
 would have given all she possessed to convert 
 into certainty, was only of momentary dura- 
 tion. The dark frown that had gathered on 
 her father's brow when speaking of the orphans 
 recurred to her too retentive memory, and she
 
 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 shrank from his embrace, though she almost 
 loathed herself for the act. 
 
 " I would I could induce thee to retire to 
 thy sleeping chamber, my child ; for thine eyes 
 are too bright for health, and thy cheek is 
 flushed and feverish. It is not well for thee to 
 sit thus late; it is two hours past midnight. 
 "Wilt thou not suffer me to call thine hand- 
 maids now ?" 
 
 " Even as thou wilt, my father," she replied, 
 forced to speak at last, when she found he 
 paused for a reply. But her voice faltered 
 so much, that it alarmed him. And while he 
 clapped his hands together to summon her at- 
 tendants, he tenderly chided her for her want 
 of care, in taking precautions to secure the 
 precious boon of health. She could not find 
 voice to answer his affectionate reproaches, 
 and fearing to tax her spirit too far, he softly 
 whispered, " Pleasant dreams be thine, my 
 darling," and kissing her fondly, he resigned 
 her to the care of her women, murmuring a 
 blessing as he retired. 
 
 While her handmaidens were performing 
 their customary duties, Paula repressed her 
 tears ; though it was with some difficulty that 
 she did so, and as soon as they had retired, she
 
 OF NEARDA. 
 
 flung herself on the bed, and gave free vent to 
 her emotion, till wearied and exhausted, she at 
 last sunk into the arms of forgetfulness. 
 
 The next morning, she was informed that the 
 Hebrew slaves had stolen from the house during 
 the hours of darkness, and were gone, none 
 knew whither. The handmaid who imparted 
 this intelligence, marvelled much at the agita- 
 tion her mistress displayed, while she described 
 the consternation occasioned by the disappear- 
 ance of the slaves, and the fierce anger of her 
 master, who, she said, had offered a hundred 
 pieces of gold to him who should bring them 
 back, if he should be a free man ; and liberty 
 beside, if he were a bondman. " And," she con- 
 tinued, with a shudder, "my lord has vowed 
 if they are brought back, he will have the whole 
 household, men, women, and children, slaves, 
 and free servitors, ay, and even his daughter, 
 assemble in the outer court, where he will have 
 them scourged till the ground is red with their 
 blood, and their flesh laid bare, as an example 
 to all, of the punishment of disobedience." 
 
 " It is false !" said Paula angrily, while her 
 cheek kindled with shame and indignation. 
 "Nuna, thou art uttering a base slander against 
 my father's name. Thou art ever fond of such
 
 THE TWIN BROTHERS OF NEARDA. 
 
 scandalous tales, which are a shame and folly, 
 not to say sin, for a maiden to repeat, and can 
 only lead thee into trouble ; let me hear no more 
 of this, lest I dismiss thee from my presence 
 for ever." 
 
 The poor girl burst into tears, for the severity 
 of' her young mistress's tone and manner 
 grieved her the more deeply for the rarity of 
 the occurrence. " Indeed," she said, sobbing 
 so bitterly as to render her words almost inau- 
 dible, " indeed, I meant not to offend. But I 
 have not spoken falsely, dear mistress ; for I 
 heard my lord say it himself, to Daniel the 
 steward ; and I did not think it wrong to tell 
 this to thee. If it has offended thee, I am 
 grieved, and pray thee to pardon my offence." 
 
 " It is forgiven," said Paula, gently, though 
 it was with some difficulty that she articulated 
 the words. And it was no slight relief to the 
 weight of agony that oppressed her, when Nuna, 
 with warm thanks for her kindness in forgiving 
 her, informed her that though the whole house- 
 hold had been engaged in searching for them 
 since daybreak, the brothers were nowhere to 
 be found, and that no trace of their where-about 
 had yet been discovered.
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 SEVERAL days had elapsed since the departure 
 of the brothers, and the household of Ben 
 Yussuf, which had been thrown into the utmost 
 disorder by an event so wholly unexpected, 
 after an eager but fruitless search, settled once 
 more into a state of quiescence. 
 
 Ben Yussuf s anger had known no bounds 
 since the moment when, ripe for some new act 
 of tyranny, he had ascended to their chamber, 
 and found it denuded of every article the orphans 
 could call their own, and themselves gone. He 
 had given vent to the most extravagant and 
 terrible threats against them, should they be 
 brought back ; and even to his daughter he 
 could not disguise the fits of passionate and 
 sullen anger that alternately swayed him, till 
 matters of business directed his thoughts into 
 another channel.
 
 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 The city of Nearda stood on the borders of 
 Parthia, and not a very great distance from 
 Babylon, then a dependance of the Parthian 
 monarchy. It was situated in a strong defen- 
 sible position; an estuary of the Euphrates 
 washed the east, west, and south walls } and 
 the north, which was built against the declivity 
 of a steep hill, was strongly fortified with ram- 
 parts and towers. 
 
 This city was built and entirely inhabited 
 by Israelites ; and thither the Jews of Parthia, 
 Mesopotamia, and Babylon, sent their yearly 
 tribute to God's Holy Temple, in their own 
 land ; as they still fondly loved to call the coun- 
 try their fathers had abjured, when their brethren 
 returned from out their wearisome captivity ; 
 when the Persians and Medes conquered their 
 conquerors, and made their captors captive. 
 This money was laid up in the synagogue for 
 security, till it could be safely transmitted to 
 Jerusalem. Some dispute had arisen, with 
 regard to a messenger, who could be safely 
 trusted with the tribute, and the merchant being 
 one of the elders of the congregation, was now 
 occupied in attending to an affair of so much 
 importance, and had but little time to devote 
 to his daughter ; she was consequently much
 
 OF NEARDA. H7 
 
 alone, her apartments and the gardens attached 
 being safe from intrusion. 
 
 It was nearly dark, and she was sitting alone 
 in a small arbour, screened by some plane trees 
 and beeches from the wind that blew somewhat 
 keenly from the river. In her hand she held 
 a scroll of vellum, containing the mournful 
 songs of Jeremiah. Her beautiful eyes swam 
 in tears, as her voice poured forth in gushes 
 of melody, like the rise and fall of the waters 
 of a fountain, the last sad lamentation of the 
 prophet bard of the land of her fathers. She 
 sighed to think their descendants had preferred 
 tarrying among strangers, to returning to the 
 daughter of Zion, when she arose from the 
 days of her sorrow and mourning, and putting 
 off the garb of her widowhood, arrayed herself 
 in the white raiment of a bride. Why, when 
 the yoke of the captive had been taken from 
 their necks, and the fetters of their bondage 
 which had pressed so heavily upon them for 
 threescore years and ten were unriveted, had 
 they lingered by the waters of Babylon ; when 
 the laughing streams of Judea uplifted their 
 voices, in songs of rejoicing, and wooed them to 
 their fertile banks ? 
 
 A ray of exalted enthusiasm lighted up her
 
 118 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 large black eyes, as these thoughts filled her 
 mind, and yielding to the spell, she arose, and 
 forgetful of the lateness of the hour, wandered 
 down to the side of that river, upon whose 
 banks her captive people had hung their harps 
 upon the willows, and sat down and wept. 
 
 " How, indeed, could they sing the songs of 
 Zion in a strange land!" exclaimed the fair 
 enthusiast, clasping her hands together, and 
 raising her eyes to heaven : " the tender and 
 sublimely beautiful anthems of David, the 
 warrior minstrel, and king of Israel, were not 
 made to be chanted in captivity, at the bidding 
 of the idolatrous heathen. It would have been 
 profanity to sing the songs composed in honour 
 of the true God, to the worshippers of images. 
 Bitter, indeed, must be the bread of servitude, 
 and the earth must be watered with the tears 
 of the slave, who toileth upon it for another's 
 gain alone, and knoweth though its graceful 
 bosom yieldeth abundance, he hath no portion 
 therein." 
 
 " Alas, thy words are but too true," said a 
 low, soft voice. The depth and earnestness of 
 the speaker's tone startled her almost as much 
 as the words, and looking hurriedly around, 
 she perceived the figure of a man standing
 
 OF NEAR DA. 
 
 119 
 
 beside her. This recalled her wandering thoughts 
 at once, and she bitterly regretted having quitted 
 the protecting boundaries of the garden. She 
 cast a half-terrified look at the darkening sky, 
 and quickened her steps. But the stranger 
 laid his hand upon her arm, and detained 
 her. 
 
 " Let not the knowledge of my presence," 
 he said in the same low sweet voice, " drive thee 
 from the contemplation of God's mighty book, 
 the pages of which are spread open in beauty 
 before us. His voice is speaking to us from 
 the depths of yon queenly river ;" and he pointed 
 to the placid waters. " The language of his 
 power is written on yonder blue vault, in cha- 
 racters of living fire ;" and he raised his eyes to 
 the fair concave above, in which a myriad of 
 starry worlds were now shining. Paula had 
 involuntarily suffered her eyes to follow the 
 direction of his, and had listened with charmed 
 attention to his words. The remembrance of 
 her awkward position, however, rendered her 
 uneasy, and she was about to remonstrate. But 
 without allowing her time to speak, he continued, 
 " When God made this bright world, filling it 
 with all that is good and beautiful, he created 
 man to be its lord, and reign king over all his
 
 120 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 works. But he found there was a void in the 
 fair creation of his hand ; a something wanting, 
 and he called woman into being, and, lo, it 
 was perfect. But when he gave it to man, to 
 rule over all the other works of his hand, he 
 said not that he should tyrannise over his weaker 
 brother, and make him the bond slave of his will. 
 When our first parents were driven from the 
 blessed home they had defiled with the first sin, 
 and God said, ' Thou shalt eat the bread of 
 toil, and earn it with the sweat of thy brow,' 
 he said not, ' Thou shalt take another, and 
 make him toil for thee, giving him bread that 
 is made of bitters and mixed with tears for his 
 portion, whilst thou livest on the fat of the 
 land ;' neither did He who is all benevolence 
 say, ' Thou shalt reward the bondsman with 
 stripes.'" 
 
 " This is strange language," said Paula, in a 
 voice which, in spite of her endeavours to steady 
 it, was low and faltering. 
 
 " Ay, it may be strange to one who has 
 been nurtured in the lap of luxurious ease and 
 comfort," resumed her unwelcome companion. 
 " But it is not the less true for being strange. 
 I have tasted of the bitter bread of slavery. I 
 have drained its cup of tears to the dregs, and
 
 OF NEARDA. \<\ 
 
 received the bondsman's wages of harsh words 
 and stripes, until I could endure no longer; 
 and, breaking from the yoke of my hard task- 
 master, I left thy father's house, and am thence- 
 forth branded as ungrateful. Well, it matters 
 not, so I am free." 
 
 Paula started at his words. " Yes," he con- 
 tinued in an agitated voice, " I am Asinai, thy 
 father's runaway slave. And perhaps thou wilt 
 hate as well as despise, when I have spoken 
 that, to speak which alone, I have lingered in 
 a neighbourhood so dangerous to me. And 
 now the time for which I have watched and 
 prayed is come, my heart faileth me, and I fear 
 to speak." 
 
 "If that which thou hast to say importeth 
 me to know, say on, and fear not ; but use des- 
 patch, for I am in haste," she coldly replied. 
 
 " It does, it does," he passionately exclaimed, 
 throwing himself at her feet as he spoke. 
 " Maiden, I go from thy father's house a brand- 
 ed man. But thou knowest I was no born 
 slave. The guardian of my youth, Abner, my 
 beloved uncle, in the hour of his death sold me 
 and my brother to thy father for a period of 
 seven years, to save us from utter destitution. 
 Oh how far preferable had such a lot been 
 
 VOL. i. G
 
 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 than the one he gave us ! But though my 
 young life has been blighted with many sor- 
 rows, I will not dwell upon them now; for 
 there was one sweet c^rop mingling in my cup 
 of bitters one beautiful flower springing in 
 the wilderness of my sad heart one bright 
 fountain finding way for its sweet waters in 
 the sad desert of my blighted hopes, and vain 
 aspirations. I had looked upon the radiant face 
 of my master's child, and heard her gentle 
 voice giving comfort to the afflicted, and conso- 
 lation to the wounded of heart. I saw and 
 loved ; not with hope and yet I loved, but 
 with such deep, deep reverence, as I would 
 have felt for the rising sun, as the loveliest and 
 best of all God's creations. Was this sin? 
 No, surely not. Maiden, I was then a slave ; 
 now I am a free man, going forth to win mine 
 own fortune in the world; to make myself a 
 name for good or for evil, and all I ask of thee 
 is but to say, that if I win the glorious laurel 
 wreath of renown, I may one day lay it, if 
 untarnished, at thy feet." 
 
 He had spoken so rapidly, and with so much 
 earnestness, that she could not have interrupted 
 him, had she felt so inclined; and she now 
 replied, in a voice scarcely less agitated than 
 his own, " It cannot be."
 
 OF NEARDA. 
 
 " At least let me hope," he recommenced. 
 
 " Hope nothing from the future," she inter- 
 rupted. "Encourage not a feeling that can 
 only end in vanity." 
 
 " Hear me, hear me," pleaded the youth, in 
 a tone of passionate entreaty, and detaining 
 her by her robe. " Is there no way by which 
 I may hope to win that heart which is to me 
 more priceless than rubies ? " 
 
 " None," she replied, with as much firmness 
 as she could command, and speaking so slowly 
 and distinctly that he could not but read the 
 meaning of her words aright, though every 
 sound of that voice, whose tones he loved but 
 too well, sunk into his brain, and made it burn 
 as if molten lead were poured through his ear. 
 " It is useless to plead for that which is no 
 longer mine own to give. All I have to 
 bestow on thee is pity and prayers. My heart 
 is already another's ;" and " that other thy bro- 
 ther," she would have added, had not maidenly 
 pride and reserve prevented her. As she con- 
 cluded, she loosed her robe from his hold, 
 and, casting a look of commiseration upon him, 
 hastily took the path leading to the gar- 
 dens. Asinai wildly called upon her to return, 
 if it were only for a moment ; but she seemed 
 G 2
 
 THE TWIN BROTHERS OF NEARDA. 
 
 not to hear, for she kept on her way without 
 even casting a look behind. When he found 
 his words were unheeded, he arose from his 
 knees as one bewildered, and, fixing his eyes 
 upon her retreating figure till he could not 
 even trace its outline in the hazy distance, 
 smote his hand upon his brow, and muttering, 
 "Farewell, hope; now come what will I am 
 prepared," he turned down a steep pathway, 
 cut through the thick bank, and leading in a 
 contrary direction to the one Paula had taken.
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 NIGHT was descending on the waves of the 
 Euphrates, and the clear bright moon was just 
 rising above the verge of the horizon, as two 
 horsemen, clad in the armour of the age, (A.M. 
 3792,) slowly pursued the road which wound 
 from the city of Nearda, through a marshy 
 moor, bounded on one side by a range of huge 
 rocks, piled one above the other in strange 
 confusion, as if some mighty convulsion of na- 
 ture had displaced them from their natural 
 position ; on the other, by the river's banks, 
 and leading to a tract of rich meadow land that 
 lay beyond, fertile and beautiful, and in a high 
 state of cultivation. The Jewish shepherds 
 had chosen this piece of ground to secure their 
 flocks in during the winter months ; it was 
 likewise used for a granary ; its position, lying 
 as it did between two branches of the river, 
 offering the double advantage of strength and
 
 126 THE TWIX BROTHERS 
 
 fertility; its situation defending it from the 
 incursions of their warlike and not over-scru- 
 pulous neighbours the Parthians ; while the 
 waters of the river enriched and fertilized the 
 soil. 
 
 Within the last two years, however, they had 
 been deprived of their rich possession, by a 
 power which being wholly unlocked for, met 
 with no resistance. On the eminence where 
 once stood the huts and gardens of the watchers 
 of the flocks and herds, now stood a battle- 
 mented fortress, with arched gateways flanked 
 by watch towers, and garrisoned by the bold 
 and lawless men, who had wrested the land 
 from its former peaceful possessors, by the 
 strong arm of might alone. Part of the land 
 had been converted by its new owners into 
 orchards and gardens, which were intersected 
 by streams, adorned with fountains, and sur- 
 rounded by beautiful shrubberies sloping down 
 to the river's bank, from the incursions of which 
 it was protected by a broad raised terrace, ele- 
 gantly paved with white and coloured marble. 
 This terrace commanded a magnificent sweep 
 of the river, gliding majestically away toward 
 the once splendid, but already decaying city of 
 Babylon. While beyond the opposite bank,
 
 OF NEARDA. 
 
 like a faint line of blue light dimly marked on 
 the far verge of the horizon, rose the distant 
 hills of Judea. Turning the eye to the left, the 
 river sparkling and dancing like a thing of life, 
 might still be seen pursuing its never-ceasing 
 course between its sedge and willow-fringed 
 banks, and almost circling Nearda, against 
 whose walls it dashed in sparkling eddies, and 
 then pursued its way to the distant ocean. 
 While the little city, with its beautiful gardens, 
 its public baths, and houses of white marble, 
 and its elegant synagogue standing alone on 
 the brow of the hill, and guarded round with 
 ornamented palisades, looked like a place of 
 enchantment raised by a magic wand. 
 
 Toward the Eyrie of the Black and Grey 
 Eagles such was the name bestowed on the 
 fortress we have endeavoured to describe the 
 two horsemen, of whom we have spoken, pur- 
 sued their way for some time, the one riding 
 forward about twenty yards in advance of the 
 other. 
 
 The foremost rider looked back from time to 
 time with an impatient gesture, and tried to 
 catch the eye of the other ; a motion which the 
 gathering gloom would have prevented him 
 from observing, even had he not been, as he
 
 128 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 evidently was, too much absorbed in his own 
 contemplations to heed, even if he heard, the 
 angry hems, or notice the significant glances, 
 which if they were intended as admonitory by 
 his companion, were entirely thrown away, 
 seeing there was no farther satisfaction gained 
 thereby, than that which the venter of them 
 might have felt as a means of indulging his ill- 
 humour. 
 
 The countenance of the foremost rider was 
 beautiful in the extreme, but indicated a degree 
 of indecision, anything but prepossessing in a 
 man. His forehead was high and broad, and 
 on its white surface, not even concealed by the 
 steel headpiece he wore, wantoned a profusion 
 of black curls. The features seemed capable 
 of almost any expression, the general one was 
 arch playfulness, superseded for the time being 
 by one of pettish anger, though even now 
 the clear grey eyes laughed from beneath the 
 long lashes with a merry glance, indicative of 
 anything rather than the annoyance betrayed 
 by the pouting lip. His figure was slight, but 
 elegantly made, and there was a degree of flexi- 
 bility and strength in the light active form 
 that gave an added grace to the beauty of the 
 horseman.
 
 OF NEARDA. J9 
 
 We have said he was clad in complete ar- 
 mour, over which he wore an outer garment 
 of embroidered cloth, lined with rich fur ; and 
 in his belt beside his sword was stuck a silver- 
 hilted hunting knife, a dagger, and a sheaf of 
 javelins, which his eagle eye told might be 
 hurled with unerring aim. He wore boots 
 fitting rather loosely, and made of yellow tanned 
 leather, an article of apparel only worn in out- 
 door dress. He held his seat in the saddle with 
 a graceful ease, that curbed without seeming to 
 control the motions of the mettled charger he 
 rode, a high bred native of the Arabian deserts, 
 whose sleek, glossy coat, flowing mane, small 
 head, curving pink nostril, and proudly arched 
 neck, bespoke its high descent. For even in 
 those days, the Arabian horses were held in 
 high esteem, and valued by the Arabs according 
 to their descent. 
 
 The other rider, though nearly resembling his 
 companion, and attired after the same fashion, 
 possessed far less personal attractions ; in sta- 
 ture he was not so tall, and the proportions of 
 his figure could lay no claim to the beautiful, 
 and possessed no other pretensions to grace than 
 could be derived from their muscular strength. 
 There was certainly a likeness between them,
 
 JgO THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 which told of the existence of a near tie of 
 blood, though in what particular feature the 
 resemblance lay it would have puzzled a phy- 
 siognomist, had such existed in those days, to 
 tell. Even the characteristics of the counten- 
 ance were different. The massive brow and 
 compressed lips of the latter, indicating a degree 
 of firmness and energy which the former, to 
 judge by the indecision of the countenance, 
 evidently did not possess; there was a depth 
 and tenderness in the large melancholy black 
 eyes, wholly unlike the laughing grey ones of 
 his brother. Such was the degree of relation- 
 ship in which they stood towards each other ; 
 though few would have recognised in the bold 
 demeanour and gallant bearing of these two 
 youths, the orphan twins of Nearda. The spi- 
 rit-broken look they wore of old was gone. 
 They were no longer slaves ! Two years had 
 wrought a change in their minds, as well as 
 their persons, and though they were yet scarcely 
 more than boys in years, they had long ceased 
 to be such in feeling. The freshness and buoy- 
 ancy of boyhood had departed, years ago, even 
 when it should have been in its spring. They 
 were free now, and no longer fearing Ben 
 Yussuf's frown, and shrinking from the fearful
 
 OF NEARDA. \\ 
 
 visitation of the scourge, they had made them- 
 selves a name, that struck terror into the hearts 
 of all whom business compelled to traverse the 
 fertile valleys of the Euphrates. 
 
 They were runaway slaves ! The outlaws of 
 society, they had no means of obtaining the 
 commonest necessaries of life, save by the sword; 
 and to the sword they scrupled not to have 
 recourse. 
 
 They set up what they called the standard of 
 freedom, and to it flocked all the discontented 
 of the towns and villages in the vicinity. They 
 were all, like themselves, amenable for some 
 outrage committed against the rules of society. 
 Bold and fearless men were they, and none 
 more so than the youthful leaders. With them, 
 might was right ; at least, if in principle they 
 disapproved the maxim, they carried it out in 
 practice; for they seized upon the strongest 
 and most defensible position, the pasture lands 
 of the shepherds, and, building a fortress there- 
 on, defied mankind to do their worst. 
 
 Not that they stained their names with the 
 darker crimes that blacken the annals of hu- 
 manity ; lawless and daring were they, and de- 
 pending only upon God and their own good 
 swords, they bore more resemblance to the
 
 132 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 Robin Hood of merry England, or the Rob Roy 
 so long famous in Scottish story, than to the 
 bands of fierce zealots who, disgracing the 
 name of Hebrews, and of men bearing the dis- 
 graceful title of robbers, at a period only a very 
 little later than the one we refer to, ravaged 
 the then distracted country of Judea. 
 
 " Art thou dreaming, brother?" demanded 
 Anilai, as, after staying his horse for some mo- 
 ments, in the vain hope that Asinai would join 
 him, he rode back and laid his hand on his 
 brother's bridle. He started instantly from his 
 reverie ; he had indeed been dreaming, dream- 
 ing of bright and pleasant things, of a cheerful 
 home in another land, the land of his ancestors ; 
 where none would taunt him as a runaway slave, 
 or brand him with the name of robber. And 
 though Paula had forbidden him to hope, and 
 told him her heart was another's, yet as he 
 knew not that other's name, for, with a reserve 
 unusual to them, neither had confided their 
 secret affection to the other, he still cherished 
 hope, which she had forewarned him could only 
 end in vanity ; and he saw amid the visioned 
 things that thronged his brain, a festal board, 
 with her he loved at its head, and sweet young 
 faces smiling round, while joyous voices called
 
 OF NEARDA. 133 
 
 him by the endearing name of father ; and, as 
 in fancy he glanced upon them with a father's 
 pride, he dropt the rein upon his horse's neck, 
 and consigning the past and present to utter 
 forge tfulness, he meditated on the pleasant fu- 
 ture which fancy pictured to his imagination: 
 a picture which, alas ! for his happiness, could 
 never be realized. 
 
 " Art thou dreaming?" repeated Anilai, im- 
 patiently shaking his bridle. 
 
 " I have been," was the calm reply, accom- 
 panied, however, by a sad smile. The waking 
 from a bright dream to the consciousness of the 
 living world, is ever accompanied with a feeling 
 of sadness. To Asinai there was real pain. 
 
 " It is time thou shouldst awake," said Anilai, 
 pettishly; "and remember, brother, that it is 
 not always well to dream, since while thou art 
 indulging in the idealities of a too romantic 
 nature, others may be, to thy woe, playing the 
 real game of life." 
 
 There was a mixture of playfulness and warn- 
 ing in his tone that made the elder brother start 
 and raise his eyes to ascertain if any hidden 
 meaning lurked in his words. But it was too 
 dark to ascertain the expression of his features, 
 and Asinai could not forbear smiling a quiet smile
 
 134 THE TWIN BROTHERS OF NEARDA. 
 
 at receiving such grave counsel from one to 
 whom he was accustomed to act the part of ad- 
 viser, and whom he had had but too often to 
 chide for not giving the check to the curb rein 
 of fancy. He made no remark, however, but 
 affectionately pressing the hand that rested on 
 his bridle, he gaily cried, " Let us forward!" 
 and, putting spurs to his horse, dashed down 
 the bank, and never drew rein or bridle till he 
 reached the gateway of the fortress.
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 THERE was one stately room in the fort, of 
 large dimensions, the ceiling of which was sup- 
 ported by twenty slender columns of white 
 marble. It was furnished with seats and tables 
 only, and distinguished by the name of the 
 banquet room ; for here, such of the band as 
 were in the fort, and not engaged in the duty 
 of guarding it, assembled for the evening meal. 
 It was likewise called the chamber of council, 
 for there all matters of consequence were de- 
 liberated upon and discussed by the chiefs, and 
 such of their followers as they thought fit to 
 admit to their confidence. 
 
 Lights were gleaming through the casements, 
 and slaves were gliding in and out, with the 
 silence and noiselessness of shadows, arranging 
 the tables for a feast ; and between twenty and 
 thirty men had assembled. They were dressed
 
 136 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 in various costumes, some being clad in suits of 
 complete armour, others wearing half military, 
 half civil vestments ; and others again, bearing 
 no other token that their profession was not 
 one of peace, than the sword and dagger in the 
 girdle. The faces of the men, who varied in 
 age from sixteen to sixty, displayed as much 
 variety as their dress. All were sun-browned 
 and weather-worn, but further the resemblance 
 went not. On a couch at the upper end of the 
 room, sat two men, evidently the superiors of 
 the party. They were as unlike in person as 
 it is possible to conceive ; the one was a frank, 
 good-humoured looking youth, just beginning 
 to ascend the hill of life. The other possessed 
 a cautious, calculating countenance, and stood 
 on the very brow of the hill, even if he had 
 not already commenced the descent. They were 
 conversing together in suppressed voices, on a 
 subject, which from the eager gestures of the 
 speakers, would seem to be interesting. The 
 others were engaged, some laughingly re- 
 counting their feats, telling how the frightened 
 shepherds hurried to obtain their tribute, when 
 the Black Eagle's troop laid their marks upon 
 the backs of his flock. Others were wrestling 
 together, and their sinewy limbs and firm
 
 OF NEARDA. 
 
 137 
 
 muscles, would not have shamed the gladiators 
 of Rome. But even in the midst of their oc- 
 cupations they cast anxious and restless glances 
 toward the door, as if in expectation of an 
 addition to the party, for whom they waited, 
 previous to commencing operations on the deli- 
 cate viands so plentifully and temptingly spread 
 before them. 
 
 There was a clatter of horses' feet heard in 
 the court yard ; the wrestlers ceased their game, 
 and resumed their seats. Those who were talk- 
 ing and laughing the loudest, suddenly became 
 silent, and all assumed a mien of decent gravity, 
 as the linen curtain was drawn aside from the 
 entrance, and the brothers entered. 
 
 "We have waited for ye, chiefs," said the 
 elder of the two, whom we have noticed as 
 occupying the seats of honour ; " we have waited 
 for ye, chiefs, and feared some accident had 
 befallen ye, for the sun has long been down, 
 and the night is full two hours old." 
 
 " True, we have tarried longer than we reck- 
 oned for, good Gabriel," said Asinai ; " for 
 the road was beautiful, and the mood upon us. 
 So we, or I should say, I for my brother would 
 willingly have increased his speed lingered to 
 gaze and admire." And with a gay smile, he
 
 138 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 glided quietly into one of the two seats reserved 
 for Anilai and himself. Anilai followed his 
 brother's example, and having pronounced a 
 blessing on the meal, nothing was heard for 
 some time, until the board was cleared with 
 equal good will and celerity. The lamps burned 
 brightly, the wine cup circulated freely, and the 
 mirth of the revellers grew noisy, as the night 
 waxed late. 
 
 At last silence prevailed, and all had retired, 
 except the chiefs ; the one whom we have 
 characterized by the name of Gabriel, and the 
 young man who was called Nathan. 
 
 "What are those matters of importance, which 
 ye said ye wished to discuss previous to retiring ?" 
 said Asinai, throwing himself back in his seat, 
 with an air of weariness and exhaustion. " Does 
 it touch us so nearly, that it brooks not delay 
 till morning ? methinks, good Gabriel, thou 
 art somewhat impatient." 
 
 " Not so, chief," replied Gabriel, haughtily ; 
 " or if it be as thou sayest, it is not only on 
 mine own account that I am anxious ; I can die, 
 if God so will, with as much calmness as I could 
 lie down to slumber. But be it as thou wilt ; 
 I would not willingly intrude on the refreshment 
 of sleep," and with a perceptible sneer on his
 
 OF NEARDA. 
 
 lip, he walked toward the door, muttering as he 
 went, " He that will not be warned in time, 
 and seek shelter from the storm while it is 
 gathering, must abide it when it bursts, as best 
 he may." 
 
 " Stay, Gabriel," interposed Anilai. " Thou 
 art over hasty to-night, brother," he added, 
 addressing Asinai in a lower tone ; " thy usual 
 prudent foresight seems to have deserted thee. 
 It is not well that thou shouldst loosen the 
 bands that bind our adherents to our cause. 
 We are encompassed round with enemies. Dan- 
 ger threatens us at every point, and we hold 
 life and liberty on as frail a tenure as he who 
 builds a house upon sand." 
 
 Asinai's cheek reddened, but he suppressed 
 the angry retort that rose to his lips, merely 
 saying, " Stay, Gabriel ; let us hear what thou 
 hast to communicate." 
 
 " Chief," replied Gabriel coldly, " I am not 
 wont to force my communications on an un- 
 willing listener ;" and again he turned to the 
 door. 
 
 " I have spoken," said the youth sternly, and 
 few would have ventured to meet the frowning 
 glance of those flashing eyes. " I will have 
 no bandying of words. Speak at once, I
 
 14-0 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 command thee, or begone from my presence 
 for ever. Doubtless Nathan will prove as good 
 an informant as thyself. Come," he continued 
 impatiently, " speak, or begone." 
 
 Gabriel knit his brows, and took a step back- 
 ward, but there was that in the gleaming eye 
 and compressed lips of the young chief, that 
 awed him into obedience, though he condensed 
 his information into as few words as possible, 
 merely saying in a constrained tone, " Chief, I 
 have heard from sources on which I may well 
 rely, that the Prince of Babylon intends bringing 
 an armed force against us ; and already he boasts 
 that he will rid the fair valleys of the Euphrates 
 of the ' herd of savage wolves' such were his 
 words that hath infested them too long. And 
 the instigator of this sudden determination to 
 exterminate our * hornets' nest,' he gives us 
 no better names, is Moses of Nearda." 
 
 Asinai smiled bitterly as he said, " Is it so ? 
 Do they dare invade the Eagle's Eyrie ? Let 
 them beware how they tempt us, for by all my 
 hopes on earth and in heaven, they shall rue 
 the hour in which they dare set foot on a spot 
 of ground that calls me lord. We will send 
 them back with such a tale to their women, as 
 shall make them blush to tell for many a day.
 
 OF NEARDA. 
 
 But 'tis fitting we should be prepared to meet 
 this braggart prince, who hath promised the 
 gaping multitude so much;" and he laughed 
 scornfully. " Go, Nathan," he continued, turn- 
 ing to the young man, who had sat a silent, 
 but not an unmoved or unobservant spectator 
 of the passing scene. " See that the ramparts 
 have a double guard; that the posterns are 
 well secured, and the outworks in a state of 
 defence. And then, Gabriel, take a company 
 of ten, and so dispose of them around the 
 terrace that fences the gardens from the river, 
 that our enemy may not steal upon us unaware. 
 We," looking toward his brother, "will see 
 that nothing is neglected to insure our security 
 within. And now, good night. Forget the few 
 unkind words spoken in a moment of hasty 
 feeling, and to thy post." He extended his 
 hand as he ceased speaking, and there was so 
 much real sorrow in his look, and such warmth 
 and candour in his tones, that Gabriel seized 
 the extended hand, and pressed it to his lips ; 
 then passing the rough back of his own across 
 his brow, and muttering a few almost inaudible 
 words, of which " sorrow," and " hot temper," 
 were alone distinguishable, he hastily retreated. 
 A few streaks of crimson, purple, and gold
 
 TH TWIN BROTHERS OF NEARDA. 
 
 were just chequering the pale grey of the east- 
 ern horizon, as the brothers, after making the 
 tour of the fortifications, retired to their sepa- 
 rate chambers. The younger was soon wrapt 
 in forgetfulness ; but Asinai, after a few mo- 
 ments' restless tossing on his pillow, arose and 
 walked forth into the garden. His cheek was 
 burning with a dry, feverish heat, and the cool, 
 balmy air of a summer's morning blew with 
 reviving freshness over his aching brow. The 
 bright dreams of yesterday had faded, leaving 
 a dull aching void behind. There was no 
 joy for him in the memories of the past, no 
 hope in the future, and little happiness in the 
 restless, unquiet present. The birds had not 
 yet commenced their matin song, and as he 
 entered the thick shrubberies the measured 
 tread of the sentinels died away in the dis- 
 tance, and no sound met his ear, save the 
 sighing of the soft breeze through the young 
 green leaves, and the murmur of falling waters 
 from a small cascade, that came on his ear with 
 a sweet lulling sound, soothing every feeling of 
 unrest. He flung himself on the velvet sward, 
 and gave himself up to that dreamy state of 
 reverie which is neither thought nor forgetful- 
 ness, till he gradually sunk to sleep.
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 " WHAT meaneth that sad brow, my child ? 
 Why are thine eyes so dim and heavy, and thy 
 step so slow and weary ? " 
 
 Paula raised her eyes with a languid smile, 
 and shook her head with a vain attempt at 
 mirth. Well might the father ask what meant 
 that altered look she was changed indeed j 
 Distrust had shed its mildew blight on the 
 young girl's soul, and when she felt her father's 
 hand laid on her head to bless her, or his arm 
 passed caressingly round her neck, she no longer 
 raised her eyes to his, with that sweet look of 
 confiding love that is so beautiful between pa- 
 rent and child. She distrusted him, and she 
 felt he ought to distrust her in return ; for she 
 nourished in her heart a secret passion that 
 preyed upon her spirits and undermined her 
 health, and she knew that she could only ob- 
 tain happiness by inflicting a death- wound on
 
 144 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 her father's pride. That father whom she 
 fondly fancied would have sacrificed life itself, 
 for the sake of his ungrateful girl. 
 
 Nor was the dread of his disapprobation her 
 only cause of sorrow ; for even could she hope 
 to remove Ben Yussufs objections to a match 
 that fell so far short of his high hopes and 
 expectations for his only daughter, her lover 
 himself had placed an eternal barrier between 
 them by that awful vow, the bare remembrance 
 of which made her shudder. He dared not 
 break bread or eat salt beneath her father's 
 roof, and how would he, how could she, ask 
 him to accept as a son, one who had bound 
 himself by the dread names of the Eternal, 
 never in aught to obey his will? There was 
 also another cause of vexation, if not of suffer- 
 ing. It was the love of Asinai. The indica- 
 tions of strong, deep feeling and poignant anguish 
 he had evinced at their solitary meeting, was a 
 source of real distress to her sensitive nature. 
 She could not bear to dwell on the idea, grati- 
 fying as it might be to her vanity, that the 
 brother of her future husband loved her with 
 a passion as desperate as it was hopeless. Turn 
 which way she would, there was food for anxious, 
 painful thought, and she felt as one alone, in
 
 OF NEARDA. 145 
 
 the mazes of a labyrinth, without a guide to 
 regain the clue she had lost in her wanderings. 
 Hitherto her beloved parent had been Paula's 
 sole confidant and adviser, and she had neither 
 needed nor wished for another; but now she 
 could not seek counsel from him. Her con- 
 fidence was shaken, and even had it not been 
 so, had her trust in him remained firm, the 
 delicacy of the maiden would have shrunk from 
 exposing every womanly feeling to the keen 
 eye of man, even though that man were a loved 
 and honoured father. 
 
 Mother or female friend she had none ; and 
 she must either stoop to confide in a menial, or 
 confine all the new, strange feelings, that sent 
 the blood coursing so wildly through her veins 
 to her own heart. She chose the more dignified 
 alternative, and thus months passed away, and 
 she heard no tidings of her lover. Ben Yussuf 
 never named his runaway slaves in her pre- 
 sence ; and once, when she ventured to speak 
 of them, her words raised such a fearful storm 
 of passion as she had never before witnessed. 
 Terrified by the ghastly look of her father's face, 
 livid, and distorted by dark and evil thoughts, 
 she had clasped her hands upon her throbbing 
 temples, and shuddered as she thought, "Anilai 
 
 VOL. I. H
 
 146 THE 'TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 is right ; my father is not what I fondly dreamt 
 him to be ; " and she wished she could unweave 
 the web which fate had woven during the last 
 few weeks, and be again the trusting child, 
 even though it were to be again deceived. But 
 it could not be, and thenceforth, with the dis- 
 trust that had already weakened her confidence 
 in, though not her love for, her father, eame a 
 mingling of fear. She never again spoke of the 
 brothers, but she brooded over the past, and 
 often wept in secret over the hidden fire that 
 consumed her. Day by day her cheek became 
 more pale and thin, and though her beautiful 
 eyes still retained their light, they grew wild 
 and restless. Her light step lost its elasticity, 
 and her wasted form bore evidence to the con- 
 flict within. 
 
 A less keen observer than the merchant, 
 could not have failed to mark the change in his 
 gentle daughter. 
 
 Six times had the moon reached her full, 
 since the Hebrew boys had absconded. The 
 vine-dressers had gathered in the vintage. It 
 was the Feast of Tabernacles, and all Israel 
 dwelt in tents. The one in which Ben Yussuf 
 and his daughter sat, was built in a style of 
 costly magnificence. It stood upon a smooth
 
 OF NEARDA. 147 
 
 plot of grass without a single tree upon the 
 level, for the tabernacle may not be built under 
 a growing tree, neither must it be a permanent 
 building, or so roofed as to exclude the light of 
 heaven. It was therefore formed of the boughs 
 of the scented myrtle, cedar, and citron. The 
 walls were decorated with festoons of flowers, 
 and on the side toward the east, hung the 
 prayer to be said on entering, written on 
 vellum, and framed in gold. Above it was 
 suspended a mirror of talc, a clear stone found 
 in Parthia, and of so flexible a nature, as to be 
 easily divided into thin cakes, and moulded by 
 skilful artificers into mirrors, drinking cups, 
 etc., supplying in a great measure the want of 
 glass. The mirror, like the prayer, was framed 
 in gold. The seats were couches of carved 
 chittim wood. The entrance curtained with 
 rich crimson silk, damasked with gold, looked 
 out upon a beautiful flower garden, intersected 
 with a tiny stream of water, glistening like a 
 thread of silver in the sun. The singing birds 
 that built their nests in the tall trees, enclosing 
 the lovely spot, poured forth their unceasing 
 hymns of praise to the living God of all. In 
 the centre of the tent stood a table covered 
 with a cloth of fine white linen, spread with the 
 H 2
 
 148 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 richest products of the season, pomegranates, 
 oranges, grapes, honey wine, and shew bread, 
 covered with an embroidered napkin. There 
 was likewise a silver vessel containing salt, and 
 at each corner stood a candlestick of gold con- 
 taining a wax taper, while from its roof of 
 boughs hung a beautiful crystal lamp of 
 seven branches. Yet amid all this wealth and 
 luxury, Ben Yussuf was not happy; he marked 
 with pain the languid attempt to smile, and the 
 pale cheek of her, for whose sake he poured 
 forth his wealth, that other idol of his soul, 
 with so lavish a hand. Alas! he never imagined, 
 while his own thoughts grovelled in the dust 
 of earth, the ideal and imaginative possessed 
 so strong a share in his daughter's feelings ; and 
 that her hopes of happiness were set on things 
 beyond the power of gold to purchase. 
 
 They sat on a bench in the entrance of the 
 tent, the curtain was drawn aside, and the fresh 
 evening air played amid the masses of jetty 
 hair that hung negligently over the maiden's 
 brow. The fingers of one hand were passed 
 carelessly through the loose ringlets, the other 
 was clasped in her father's, and she looked as 
 she sat there, the gorgeous rays of an autumn 
 sunset steeping all things in their brilliant hues,
 
 OF NEARDA. 149 
 
 and tinging her pale face, like some exquisite 
 piece of statuary, the triumph of the sculp- 
 tor's chisel over the hitherto shapeless mass of 
 marble, with just sufficient of divinity in the 
 expression of that young face, to render it the 
 perfection of womanly beauty. 
 
 " What shall I do ?" exclaimed the father, 
 in a tone of passionate love, and with a look of 
 intense admiration, " what shall I do, to 
 restore the rose to thy cheek, and the light to 
 those dark eyes that resemble a quenched 
 taper, in their downcast sadness ? I would give 
 much to see thee bounding among yon gay 
 garden paths, and chasing the gossamer, or 
 purple-winged butterfly, from flower to flower, 
 as thou wert wont to do ; while thy voice as- 
 cended to heaven, with the songs of the birds, 
 in notes of rejoicing as glad and tuneful as 
 their own. Thy cheek was as fresh and glow- 
 ing as the newly blown rose. Thine eyes re- 
 sembled the stars of heaven, and thy step was 
 like the bounding fawn's. Oh ! would I could 
 purchase happiness for thee at the cost even of 
 mine own." 
 
 " Nay, my father, why wilt thou thus persist 
 in deeming me unhappy ? What hast thou 
 seen to warrant such suspicion ?" she asked, in
 
 150 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 a low sweet tone, but without raising her eyes 
 to his face. 
 
 " I have seen," he replied, in an accent of 
 deep pathos, " a garden once loved, neglected, 
 and suffered to run to waste. A lute unstrung, 
 and thrown aside. Negligent attire. Hair un- 
 braided. Jewels and dress disregarded. A 
 father's gifts all that delights a woman's 
 heart, or pleases her eye, viewed with listless- 
 ness, or marked distaste. I have seen, too, a 
 faded cheek, an altered form, and starry eyes 
 grown dim and heavy, while though tfulness and 
 care sat upon the sunny brow, and tears 
 usurped the place of smiles and dimples ; and 
 well I know, such things happen not in youth, 
 without a deeper cause than mere wayward- 
 ness. My child ! My child ! thou must to 
 Babylon, and perhaps new scenes and new 
 faces may restore thee to thy former self." 
 
 " To Babylon! didst thou say, to Babylon?" 
 demanded Paula in an agitated voice, and 
 raising her eyes with a look of unassumed 
 wonder. The idea of leaving the home which 
 had hitherto been the boundary of her desires, 
 was so new to her, that at first her mind re- 
 fused to entertain it, as within the bounds of 
 probability.
 
 OP NEARDA. 151 
 
 " Aye ! to Babylon, Paula," he replied, 
 *' what cause is there for wonder ? I will send 
 thee to thy mother's brother; surely it is 
 nothing strange that the daughter of Moses of 
 Nearda should visit her uncle. And then 
 wilt not thou be happier?" and there was a 
 mingling of reproach in his proudly tender tone, 
 " with the merry maidens, thy cousins, than 
 with thine harsh and captious father ?" 
 
 " What have I done, that thou shouldst 
 judge me so unkindly ?" she replied ; " I 
 thought this question was for ever laid at rest, 
 between us, my father ; when once before I 
 assured thee," and she blushed and trembled, 
 as she remembered when that once had been, 
 " of my unchangeable love. But thou canst 
 not mean as harshly as thou sayest," and she 
 looked up with one of those sweet confiding 
 looks that were wont to gladden his heart of 
 old. 
 
 He met her gaze with one of tender sadness, 
 and clasping her to his heart, pressed his lips 
 to her brow, and she wept profusely upon his 
 neck, while he sat lost in thought. 
 
 The red disc of the sun had disappeared, 
 and the full harvest moon rode through the 
 spangled dome of heaven, ere either of them
 
 152 THE TWIN BROTHERS OF NEARDA. 
 
 spoke again. Then the sweet voice of Paula 
 broke the stillness, saying, " Thou wilt not 
 again speak of sending thy child from thee;" 
 long and earnest was his reply ; and when at 
 length he left her, to hasten to the synagogue, 
 for which he was already very late, Paula had 
 promised to raise no more objections to the 
 projected visit to Babylon.
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 HENCEFORWARD Paula was so entirely occu- 
 pied in preparations for her first departure 
 from her childhood's home, that she had no 
 time for thought, till the parting kiss was 
 given, the last benediction spoken, and the 
 curtained litter, in which she was to perform 
 her journey, fairly in motion ; and not even 
 then, till it was vain longer to draw aside the 
 curtain, and look for her home. An abrupt 
 declivity hid her native city from her view,- 
 and she fancied, as most young people will, 
 when they leave home for the first time, ill in 
 health, and depressed in spirits, to go among 
 those, who, saving the tie of relationship be- 
 tween them, are utter strangers; that she 
 looked on the familiar scenes of her childhood 
 for the last time ; and throwing herself back 
 in her litter, she wept bitterly. But as the 
 day wore away, the novelty of her position, 
 
 H3
 
 154- THE TW 111 BROTHERS 
 
 forced itself upon her. It was true, she was 
 going from her father's house, and every step 
 the mules that drew her litter made, led her 
 farther from it ; but then she had wept till she 
 was exhausted and could weep no more, and 
 curiosity now began to hold sway. 
 
 Bred up in the strictest seclusion, not even 
 allowed such scanty social intercourse as is 
 usually accorded to oriental women, without a 
 single friend of her own sex, she marvelled 
 greatly, what sort of beings her cousins were ; 
 and occupied her thoughts, in conjecturing 
 whether the pretty Hannah, and Dinah, of whom 
 she had frequently heard her father speak, had 
 any brothers. 
 
 It was long past noon, and the sun was 
 pouring down its rays which, though autumn 
 was far advanced, were still fervid on the heads 
 of the twenty slaves, who, headed by the ste- 
 ward of her father's house, formed her escort. 
 And her handmaidens, who followed in another 
 litter, began to wonder whether their young 
 mistress were asleep or gone mad ; nothing less, 
 in their estimation, could excuse her utter ne- 
 glect of their comforts, evinced by her not 
 ordering a halt for dinner ; and as time passed, 
 and their hunger waxed greater, the steward
 
 OF NEARDA. J55 
 
 began to knit his brow with vexation, and the 
 damsels pouted their pretty lips, from the same 
 cause ; while Billah, the youngest of them, a fair 
 girl with laughing eyes and a sweet gay smile, 
 said she was quite sure Paula would be angry 
 if she were not informed of the necessity of 
 refreshment and repose. 
 
 " Nay," said Nuna, who being the eldest of 
 the party, thought it only becoming to assume 
 an air of gravity, " it would not be seemly of 
 us to disturb our mistress ; when she is ready 
 for a halt, no doubt she will command one." 
 
 " Is it not strange," resumed Billah, " that our 
 mistress is grown so sad of late ? She is not 
 like what she used to be. In days gone by, 
 she would say to me often and often, ' Come, 
 Billah, and sing to me ;' and I would take my 
 lute, and sing for hours together ; and then she 
 would smile a smile, as sweet as the earliest 
 sunbeam, and praise my voice, and say it was 
 sweet as the voices of the sons of Asaph, the 
 singers of old, who sang the songs of David in 
 the temple. Or she would ask me to tell her 
 some tales of the Israelites of old, before the 
 captivity; for I knew many such, which my 
 grandmother used to tell me when I was a 
 child, before I left Jerusalem; and she would
 
 156 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 reward me with a kind word, more sweet and 
 welcome than even the piece of gold with which 
 it was accompanied. But now, if I bring my 
 lute and begin to play, she does not heed me ; 
 or, if she does, it is only to bid me be silent, or 
 sing some strain less gay ; for she cannot bear 
 any air more cheerful than the sad songs of 
 Jeremiah, and the sublime and mournful pro- 
 phecies of Ezekiel. When I have finished, 
 there is neither word nor smile of kindness. 
 She is changed from what she was, and nothing 
 could have wrought so great a change, but that 
 master-passion of the human heart, love." 
 
 "Hush! Billah," said Nuna, reprovingly, 
 " thou speakest too freely of our mistress. It 
 is not proper for one so young to give an opi- 
 nion of her superiors. What shouldst thou 
 know of love ? " 
 
 Billah gave her pretty head an angry toss, 
 but she contented herself by saying, in an au- 
 dible whisper to the damsel who sat next her, 
 " Nuna is only angry because Daniel's son, 
 Philip, said, when we were drawing water, with 
 which to refresh the flowers in the vases, that I 
 was the loveliest of all our lady's handmaidens ;" 
 and the fair favourite of Philip cast a tri- 
 umphant glance at her rival. Nuna, however,
 
 OF NEARDA. 157 
 
 appeared not to have heard her words ; for she 
 seemed to have found sufficient occupation in 
 admiring the road they were traversing, through 
 the curtains of the litter which she had un- 
 drawn. 
 
 They were now in the midst of a wide green 
 wood, and had just arrived in the prettiest place 
 possible for a halt. It seemed as if nature had 
 formed it for the very purpose. And had the 
 party been conversant with such things, they 
 might have fancied it the banquet-hall of the 
 fairies ; but they were an invention of a later 
 period, a fiction invented to supply the place of 
 the more august personages of the heathen my- 
 thology. So, as he did not fear to disturb any 
 invisible inhabitants of the sylvan spot, Daniel 
 took courage, and spurring his mule to the side 
 of Paula's litter, he put aside the curtains, and 
 doffed his riding cap. Paula roused herself 
 from the pleasant reverie in which she had been 
 indulging, to inquire the cause of the inter- 
 ruption. 
 
 " We have travelled far to-day," said the 
 steward, with an obeisance of deep respect, 
 " nearly half our journey. We have tasted no 
 food since sunrise, and now it is well nigh sun- 
 down, and thine handmaids and slaves, and I,
 
 158 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 who am the least of them all, are weary with 
 travel, and faint for lack of food." 
 
 The cheek of the maiden flushed crimson 
 with shame at her want of thought, and it re- 
 quired a moment to steady her voice ere she 
 replied, " Why was I not informed of this be- 
 fore ? See that the tents are pitched ; we will 
 encamp now for the night. I will hear thy rea- 
 sons for delay in speaking another time," she 
 added, waving her hand impatiently, as Daniel 
 commenced an apology. 
 
 The spot where the cavalcade halted was ex- 
 ceeding beautiful. The path they had just tra- 
 versed had been thickly obstructed with brush 
 and underwood, and the trees grew so close on 
 either side the devious path, that the boughs 
 were interlaced overhead, forming a dim arch, 
 like the vaulted aisle of a cathedral. Here, 
 however, the avenue suddenly terminated ; the 
 trees branching off on either side of an open 
 glade, intersected by a brawling stream, the sides 
 of which were clothed with flags, water lilies, 
 and many other beautiful aquatic plants and 
 flowers ; and the banks were lined with willows 
 and weeping birch. A large frankincense tree 
 springing up in the centre, afforded shelter to
 
 OF NEARDA. 
 
 the birds, who built their nests in its incense- 
 dropping branches. 
 
 The autumn sun had variegated the foliage of 
 the trees, changing their green summer vesture, 
 to a mantle of her own gorgeous and many- 
 tinted woof; and the autumn wind had shaken 
 the leaves upon the short crisp grass, mingling 
 them with the many bright and beautiful flowers 
 that yet lingered, as if loth to depart and leave 
 the wind to sigh their dirge through the leaf- 
 less boughs, and the unadorned forest to mourn 
 over the glories of the departed summer.
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 THE tents were pitched, that of Paula and her 
 handmaids beneath the shadow of the tree, with 
 its entrance towards the rising sun ; while those 
 of Daniel and the slaves formed a semicircle 
 round it, the better to protect it from attack. 
 
 Billah had striven to divert her mistress by 
 song and tale, but she was in no mood to listen 
 to either, and had dismissed her with the rest 
 of her attendants. The last hum had died 
 away in the little encampment ; all were 
 hushed in the stillness of repose, save the high- 
 born maiden ; on her eyes alone, sleep refused 
 to shed its balmy influence. She sat within the 
 outer tent ; no sound was stirring, save the never- 
 ceasing voice of the water, and rustling leaves, 
 and the low plaintive voice of the night-bird, 
 pouring forth its sweet notes of tender sadness 
 from the boughs above her head. She sat
 
 THE TWIN BROTHERS OF NEARDA. \Q\ 
 
 with her dark hair unbound, and its sable 
 masses floating over her panting bosom. Her 
 head was bent in an attitude of thought, and 
 her small white hands were clasped upon her 
 brow ; if any had been there to mark the change 
 on her expressive countenance, the eloquent 
 mantling of her cheek would have betrayed the 
 nature of her thoughts, and confirmed the truth 
 of Billah's suspicions. But over the brilliant 
 tissue fancy was weaving, came a shadow like 
 the heavy clouds in a summer's sky, marring its 
 beauty and foretelling the storm that is gather- 
 ing in its depths. Her breath came slow and 
 gaspingly ; the taper fingers were rapidly clasped 
 and unclasped. The hair was thrown back from 
 off her face, and the throbbing temples, and 
 heaving breast, warned her, that despite her 
 late resolution to conquer her feelings, she was 
 suffering them to obtain the mastery over her 
 better judgment. 
 
 " This must not be !" she said, struggling 
 with her emotions : " I owe a duty to my father 
 of too imperative a nature to be lightly broken. 
 What, am I, a girl, a mere girl, to set myself in 
 judgment on his actions, and condemn them on 
 the bare testimony of one interested witness ? 
 And even if he be what men say of him, I
 
 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 have no right to judge him. Because others love 
 him not, is that a reason why I, his child, the 
 treasure house of his affections, should repay 
 the almost idolatrous tenderness he has lavished 
 on me from my birth, with the blackest ingrati- 
 tude ? They say he loves his gold beyond all 
 other things ; that for the yellow dust of earth 
 he would barter health, honour, and life itself. 
 But surely he loves his child above his gold, 
 since for her sake he would barter even that 
 away ; and shall I, to whom he was ever kind, 
 trusting, and generous, shall I embitter his old 
 age, by cherishing a disgraceful love for an 
 outcast, who perhaps merely made my heart 
 the toy to wile away the passing moment ?'' 
 She could pursue the train of thought no 
 longer, she felt almost stifling. " O God ! direct 
 me," she exclaimed, shuddering convulsively, 
 and putting aside the curtain of the tent to 
 admit the fresh air. 
 
 It was a lovely night ; there was a breathing 
 stillness in the mighty forest, and the deep blue 
 heavens were flooded with the rich soft light of 
 the queenly moon. The majesty of nature was 
 around her, and she felt, as she raised her eyes 
 to that lovely sky, the littleness of human 
 feeling. The wild tumult of emotion was
 
 OF HEARD A. 
 
 soothed and tranquillized by the solemn beauty 
 of nature. Her eye followed the wandering of 
 the stream, till the dark boughs of mighty 
 trees, monarchs of the forest for a thousand 
 years, meeting overhead, obscured the silvery 
 light of the moon. She felt awed by the sombre 
 aspect of the scenery beyond the glade, but she 
 was not fearful, for her heart was communing 
 with her God, and a holy calm pervaded her 
 spirit ; for she felt His guardian eyes were 
 over her, and his protecting arm around. 
 
 It was within an hour of midnight, and Paula 
 was about to retire within the tent, when a 
 sound, as of many feet treading cautiously on 
 the dry crisp leaves, struck her ear. She bent 
 eagerly forward to listen, for she thought she 
 might have been deceived by the winds shaking 
 down the leaves. A shrill whistle, the signal 
 agreed on between Daniel and the men, one of 
 whom he had planted at each avenue, to give 
 the alarm in case of attack, convinced her that 
 she had not been mistaken. There was an 
 instant stir in the encampment. Lights were 
 seen gleaming in every tent, as the slaves sud- 
 denly awakened from their sleep, hastily ar- 
 rayed themselves in armour, and came forth 
 with Daniel at their head. But though they
 
 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 had used much expedition, before they were 
 aware from which quarter danger was to be 
 apprehended, the two sentinels simultaneously 
 deserted their posts, and came flying back 
 upon the tents. The glade was instantly filled 
 with armed men, coming from both avenues, 
 and Daniel and his men, who were drawn up 
 in two columns before the tents, felt a chill of 
 fear creep through their veins, as they saw the 
 regular order in which their foes advanced. 
 They were clad in complete armour, their faces 
 being concealed, all but their eyes, by the 
 visors of their helmets ; on their left arms they 
 wore shields of bull's hide, studded with nails, 
 and were armed with swords and javelins ; 
 they, like the escort of Paula, were divided 
 into two columns of ten, so that the numbers 
 of the assailants did not exceed those of the 
 assailed. The leaders of the party were in no 
 wise distinguishable from their followers, save 
 that in the helmet of the superior, drooped a 
 plume of grey eagles' feathers, and in that of 
 the inferior two, while the others only wore a 
 single feather. 
 
 They charged the defensive party, with the 
 skill and prudence of experienced soldiers, while 
 the untried slaves under Daniel, who was him-
 
 OF NEARDA. 
 
 self inexperienced in any kind of warfare, in- 
 stantly gave back. Daniel addressed a few 
 words in a low voice to his panic-stricken men, 
 who instantly turned the points of their swords 
 downward, while he advanced to the front, 
 bearing the white shawl of his turban on his 
 sword, and making gestures expressive of a 
 wish to parley previous to any hostile engage- 
 ment. He of the grey plume, instantly made 
 a sign to his followers to desist, bidding them 
 at the same time to keep a strict eye on their 
 opponents, lest they meditated some act of 
 treachery. 
 
 " In the name of God," said Daniel, " what 
 seek ye of us, that ye come in this guise at 
 midnight, waking us from our sleep, and dis- 
 turbing the quiet of night with the clash of 
 arms ?" 
 
 " Is this all thou hast to say ?" asked the 
 chief, who was evidently a young man, in a 
 tone of carelessness. " Then I will answer 
 thee," he added, as Daniel bowed his head in 
 the affirmative. " We heard from one whom 
 we can trust, that the griping merchant, Moses 
 Ben Yussuf, sent forth much treasure under 
 thy charge, to be conveyed to Babylon ; now, 
 as thou art old and unfit for travel, we would
 
 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 release thee from the necessity of pursuing a 
 journey which must necessarily be fatiguing to 
 one of thy years ; and as thy master has more 
 gold than he can dispose of, and we are needy 
 and in want of it aye, and must have it too 
 we will relieve thee of thy charge, and so as 
 thou givest it up without trouble, thou and thy 
 people shall return home unmolested." 
 
 A look of unfeigned surprise came over the 
 steward's countenance as he replied, " I have 
 no gold save this," and he took a purse from 
 his girdle, and opening it, displayed a few small 
 gold and silver coins of little value. " If thou 
 art in need of it, take it, in God's name ; thou 
 art welcome ; take it, and depart in peace." 
 
 The young man laughed scornfully as he 
 flung the purse upon the ground, while several 
 voices impatiently exclaimed, " Listen not to 
 the old hypocrite ;" " we will have the treasure," 
 said one, " that the wily merchant thought so 
 secure when he sent it forth in litters, as if it 
 were human beings. He thought to deceive us, 
 but we are neither babes nor fools, and one 
 free arm is equal to the twenty coward slaves 
 and yon idiot greybeard, whom he sent to 
 protect it. The grey eagle and his men will 
 share the booty, and the old merchant will fret
 
 OF NEARDA. -iffif 
 
 and fume, that something has been abstracted 
 from the dowry of the puny, sickly girl, his 
 daughter, who if his household speak truly, 
 will never live to inherit the ill-gotten wealth 
 that has been wrung from the vitals of the 
 poor." 
 
 " Say what thou wilt of the merchant, 
 John," said the chief sternly, "but if ever 
 again thou breathest the name of the virgin, 
 his daughter, in tones of disrespect, I swear, 
 the words shall be thy last. For thee," he 
 continued, turning to the steward, " give up 
 the gold peaceably, or the consequences be on 
 thine own head ; thou seest mine are not men 
 to be played with. Come, do my bidding 
 speedily, this parley has already lasted too long, 
 they are growing impatient, and I would fain 
 make this affair as little unpleasant to thee as 
 possible." 
 
 Daniel again protested his entire ignorance 
 of the treasure to which he alluded, and was 
 about to add the true object of his visit to 
 Babylon; but they would hear no more, and 
 with a fierce yell they rushed upon the slaves, 
 who had watched with no slight interest the 
 conference of Daniel with the leader of their
 
 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 assailants, and saw with much alarm its abrupt 
 termination. 
 
 Paula, too, had witnessed the scene with no 
 common interest, as she stood in the shadow 
 of the tent, commanding a view of the whole 
 scene ; while her own person was entirely con- 
 cealed from view ; and her heart throbbed with 
 a fearful ache, as the clashing of swords suc- 
 ceeded the short conference of the chiefs. " On 
 for the grey eagle, and the miser's gold," 
 shouted the assailants, and for a while no sound 
 was heard, save the clashing of swords and the 
 whizzing of javelins, mingled with the shouts 
 of the combatants and the shrieks of the 
 wounded ; and to add to the horrors of the 
 scene, her handmaidens, roused by the clang 
 that disturbed the lately silent glade, came 
 forth in their night dresses, and clung screaming 
 to the form of their young mistress, as if with 
 her alone there was safety. Paula strove to 
 calm their fears, by vague assurances, and tried 
 to inspire them with a hope, she could not 
 feel. Even while she spoke to them, her eye 
 was directed to the scene of conflict. She had 
 feared for the conduct of her escort, but des- 
 peration made them brave, and they fought
 
 OF NEARDA. 
 
 with the fierce courage of despair. There was 
 blood upon the soft grass, and the leaves red- 
 dened by autumn, grew redder yet with gore. 
 For a while the victory was doubtful ; now 
 seeming to incline to Daniel, now to that of the 
 Grey Eagle. " This is child's play," shouted 
 the latter, at length ; " Let there be an end 
 put to the strife, before more blood is spilt 
 and life taken. Nathan, close !" He had scarce 
 ceased speaking, when Nathan wheeled his 
 column round, and by a dexterous movement 
 took them in flank, while Anilai led his own 
 in front. The conflict grew more and more 
 fateful every moment, the trembling females 
 held their breath to look upon the scene, every 
 object of which was rendered perfectly distinct 
 by the clear moonlight playing on the open 
 glade, which lay in strong relief against the 
 dark back-ground of the wood. Hemmed round 
 by the robbers, wearied out with travel, unused 
 to the sword, and not naturally brave, the 
 slaves at last gave way, and the Grey Eagle and 
 his band remained masters of the field. " Bind 
 them all," said the chief, somewhat sternly; 
 and turning to Daniel, he continued, as the 
 men obeyed his orders and bound him, " Thou, 
 old man, couldst have saved this," and he 
 
 VOL. I. I
 
 170 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 pointed to five or six men lying wounded on 
 the ground, " and wouldst not ; this is past, 
 however, and it is useless to deprecate it now. 
 But if thou wouldst spare further strife, tell 
 me where is the treasure thou art charged 
 with ?" 
 
 " All that I know of is there," said Daniel, 
 sullenly pointing to the women's tent. " Philip ! 
 my own son," he exclaimed with much surprise, 
 as the robber who was binding him with no 
 very steady hand, laid aside the helmet from 
 his heated brow. The young man turned away 
 without reply, and followed his leader to the 
 spot indicated by his father. With a scream 
 of terror, the females retreated within the tent, 
 drawing the curtain close, and huddling toge- 
 ther. 
 
 " Oh let us barricade the entrance," said 
 Billah, as, trembling and pale, she seized the 
 table and drew it along. 
 
 " They are here," said Nuna, gasping for 
 breath. " God have mercy upon us ! for they 
 are merciless ;" and she leaned her head upon 
 her mistress's shoulder, and wept bitterly. 
 
 Paula's own face was deadly pale, but she 
 felt that those around her looked to her for 
 support, and the necessity for exertion made
 
 OF NEARDA. 
 
 171 
 
 her exert her energies to control her emotion. 
 The curtain of the tent was raised, as Nuna 
 ceased speaking, and five or six armed men 
 entered. The maidens screamed with terror, 
 and the warriors started back in surprise, when 
 instead of the treasure they had so eagerty 
 coveted, they beheld only six trembling and 
 defenceless females. 
 
 " We have been deceived," said the eagle- 
 plumed chief. " Thou seest," he continued, 
 turning to his followers, " here is no gold, and 
 the old man spoke truly, when he assured us 
 that the litters conveyed not his master's trea- 
 sure to Babylon; fear nothing," he added, in 
 a gentler tone ; and, doffing his helmet with a 
 courteous inclination of the head, as he ad- 
 dressed himself to Paula, " No harm is in- 
 tended thee, we are only grieved for the terror 
 we have unintentionally caused." 
 
 Paula started at the sound of that voice: she 
 had heard it before, when its clear firm tones 
 had been shaken with agitation. And had any 
 other evidence of his identity been required, 
 the open, manly features, distinctly revealed in 
 the moonlight, would have convinced her that 
 it was Anilai who stood before her. Her
 
 172 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 heart swelled with indignant pride, as she 
 thought of the character in which he stood 
 before her. And she replied with haughty 
 sarcasm : 
 
 " My handmaidens and humble self are 
 obliged for thy kind courtesy in sparing our 
 lives. As that is not the object of thy coming, 
 however, I presume that gold is. There is 
 all I have," and she drew the purse from her 
 girdle, and unfastening a pearl clasp from her 
 vest, threw them contemptuously towards him, 
 saying, " Tell me the amount of ransom thou 
 requirest for my attendants, and let it be 
 what it may, thou shalt have it, so as I am 
 immediately ridded of thy presence. For thee, 
 ungrateful servant of my father's house," and 
 she turned her flashing eyes upon Philip, 
 who had found means to soothe the terror of 
 Billah, who appeared to have forgotten all her 
 late fears while listening to the words of the 
 handsome son of Daniel ; " who, like the snake 
 of Grecian fable, hath stung the hand that fed 
 thee, and raised thine arm against thy father's 
 life ; how darest thou venture into my pre- 
 sence ? Return instantly to thy duty, or be- 
 gone. And, thou, Billah, retire immediately, 
 nor dare hold parley with the traitor who
 
 OP NEARDA. 
 
 would have slain the author of his being for 
 gold." 
 
 " Thou speakest harshly of the youth," com- 
 menced Billah, extenuatingly ; but Paula would 
 not listen. 
 
 " Let me hear no more," she said, sternly ; 
 " what shouldst thou know of the youth, or his 
 pursuits? retire at once, and," she added, re- 
 lentingly, as Billah burst into tears, " try and 
 forget thy terror in sleep." 
 
 Softened by the latter part of the address, 
 the maiden retired, accompanied by her com- 
 panions, who gladly availed themselves of their 
 mistress's permission to do so. Their fear of 
 the armed and fierce-looking men who filled 
 the tent, overcoming even their curiosity ; and 
 Paula was alone in the midst of the armed in- 
 vaders of the sanctity of her privacy. For a 
 moment, after the. damsels had retired, there 
 was silence in the tent. The two young men 
 whom she had addressed stood with downcast 
 eyes, gnawing their lips with vexation ; while 
 the maiden, overcome by a variety of emotions, 
 burst into tears. Anilai sprung to her side, and 
 supported her. 
 
 " Cruel!" he whispered, as he led her to a 
 seat ; " Cruel as thou art, to taunt me as thou
 
 J74 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 hast ; but now, O Paula ! what have I done to 
 deserve this of thee?" 
 
 " Much, very much," she replied, bitterly, 
 and turning with a shudder from the glances of 
 the dark and eager eyes that were bent inquir- 
 ingly on her face. Marking the direction of 
 her eye, he left her side for a moment, and, ad- 
 dressing a few brief and hurried commands 
 to his followers, they withdrew, leaving them 
 alone. 
 
 It needed many minutes of earnest entreaty 
 on the part of the youth ere the angry maiden 
 would listen to his explanations of the late 
 scene of violence ; and many more it took, com- 
 bined with much sophistry, ere she could be 
 induced to believe that no wrong or outrage 
 was intended; and that the attack upon her 
 escort had originated in mistake. Even then, 
 had she listened to the voice of her own judg- 
 ment, she would have disbelieved. But with 
 that beautiful confidence which renders the love 
 of woman so holy, she would not question the 
 words of him she loved; and, blinding herself 
 to his imperfections, she suffered herself to be 
 deceived. 
 
 " Thou wilt not leave me again, Paula ? " lie 
 resumed, after a moment's pause.
 
 OF NEARDA. ' 175 
 
 "Not leave thee!" she demanded, hesitat- 
 ingly, " what meanest thou?" 
 
 " And dost thou need an interpreter to read 
 the meaning of my words ? " he asked reproach- 
 fully. " Hadst thou said, Leave me not again, 
 I had understood thy meaning better; but since 
 I must explain, Paula, I mean that that " 
 he paused confusedly, and cast his eyes upon 
 the ground. 
 
 " That! what? " she said, speaking slowly, 
 that she might not falter ; for she was resolved 
 he should fully explain himself. 
 
 " That," he proudly replied, " thou shouldst 
 give up this journey to Babylon," for she had 
 spoken of the object of her journey, " return 
 to thy home no more, but become the bride, 
 the loved, the honoured bride, of one who loves 
 thee more than life." 
 
 Paula had never contemplated such a proposal 
 as this ; and, with a bewildered look, she slowly 
 repeated his words, " Thy bride ! return to my 
 home no more ! " 
 
 " Why not?" he impetuously demanded, 
 " surely thou lowest me, or wherefore hast thou 
 led me on with, nope ? But, perhaps," he con- 
 tinued, cha:ig.mg his tone to one of cutting 
 irony, " thou deemest love and honour incom-
 
 176 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 patible with the feelings of an outcast, runaway 
 slave ; and only pretended to return my ardent 
 affection, the better to taunt and break the 
 wounded heart of the friendless orphan who 
 dared aspire to thy hand. Thou hast acted 
 well ; such conduct becoraeth thee ; it is worthy 
 of the daughter of such a sire as Moses Ben 
 Yussuf. Fool that I was," and he stamped 
 his foot fiercely on the ground, " to become the 
 dupe of a girl, the slighted and wronged, of the 
 child of such a man. But thou and he hadst 
 best beware, maiden. He who dallies with the 
 eagle's claws has but a dangerous companion for 
 his playmate. We had better part now, and 
 for ever." 
 
 The indignant blood rushed to Paula's face, 
 and her eyes flashed with the light of wounded 
 feeling, as, withdrawing the hand he still re- 
 tained, she proudly answered, 
 
 " Thou sayest well ; it were best, indeed, that, 
 after this night, we should meet no more. 
 Truly, thy mode of seeking a maiden's favour 
 deserves some praise, if it be but for its novelty. 
 Yet, I had thought the occurrences of to-night 
 gave me most cause for dissatisfaction, unless 
 thou deemest thou hast done me good service, 
 by attacking my escort in the dead of night ;
 
 OP NEARDA. 177 
 
 wounding, if not slaying, the unhappy slaves, 
 who never did thee wrong ; then breaking into 
 my tent, with armed men at thy heels, fright- 
 ening my simple maidens, and paying but little 
 heed to the feelings of their mistress ; and wind- 
 ing up the whole by casting opprobrious epithets 
 on my father and self; yet have I deserved this 
 from thee, for giving thee my whole heart with- 
 out that father's sanction. Shame on me, for 
 encouraging clandestine love; shame on thy 
 manhood, that could thus insult an unprotected 
 girl, who is wholly in thy power; shame on 
 us both ; on thee, for persuading me to desert 
 my father, as if an undutiful daughter could 
 ever make a dutiful wife; and shame on me 
 for listening, even for a moment, to such pro- 
 posals." 
 
 " Forgive me, dearest Paula ! " he exclaimed, 
 throwing himself at her feet, "and though I 
 know my unworthy suspicions should make me 
 despair of forgiveness, yet will I ask it of thee ; 
 for thou art both generous and forgiving;" 
 and, snatching her hand, he pressed it to his 
 lips and prayed forgiveness, so long, and so ear- 
 nestly, that at last she granted it. How could 
 she resist the eloquence of his words, and the 
 yet more eloquent language of those pleading
 
 178 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 eyes, now bent upon the ground, as if in shame ; 
 now raised persuasively to hers. She promised 
 to strive to forget the cause of her anger, and 
 to accept the protection of a youth who, he 
 said, would be a more effectual guardian than 
 all her father's slaves. When he had obtained 
 this promise, though reluctant to leave her, he 
 could not but perceive she was exhausted, and, 
 beseeching her to retire to her couch and seek 
 repose, he withdrew. 
 
 A few minutes more, and the glade was again 
 hushed in silence ; the last steps of the retreat- 
 ing invaders died away ; and Daniel, having 
 seen that the wounds of the sufferers were pro- 
 perly attended to, and the slaves returned to 
 their quarters, retired to his own tent. 
 
 Paula redeemed the promise she had made to 
 Anilai; and though she had refused to allow 
 him to accompany her himself, she accepted of 
 the escort he provided. He had not left any of 
 his band in the valley, fearful of exciting the 
 suspicions of the steward ; but the next morn- 
 ing, just as the cavalcade were about to quit it, 
 a young man, handsomely mounted and accou- 
 tred, rode up, and asked permission to join the 
 party on their road to Babylon. Daniel ob- 
 jected to his doing so, but Paula overruled his
 
 OF NEARDA. J79 
 
 prudent objections, and suffered the stranger, 
 unquestioned, to join them, and even to ride 
 by the side of her litter, and converse with 
 her on indifferent subjects; and, without fur- 
 ther occurrence, they arrived in Babylon by 
 sunset.
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 SHE was in Babylon ! that Babylon, whose mo- 
 narch had carried away her people captive, de- 
 solated the holy city, slain her princes, and left 
 her in ruins. The streets were silent, and 
 thoughts of a bygone age came thronging upon 
 her fancy. Now, more than ever, did she feel 
 herself alone. The vast magnitude of the half- 
 ruined city, which had once boasted itself queen 
 of the East ; the colossal temple of Baal, which 
 had been built to last till the end of time, more 
 than half destroyed ; the dingy appearance of 
 the buildings, nearly all composed of red brick ; 
 and the solitary state of the streets, produced 
 a saddening effect on her spirits. As they came 
 into the quarter of the city where her uncle 
 resided, a sound of music came upon the soft 
 evening breeze, and a gay cavalcade were seen 
 approaching in the direction in which they were 
 advancing. First came a band of musicians,
 
 THE TWIN BROTHERS OF NEARDA. JgJ 
 
 their instruments wreathed with myrtles and 
 flowers, and playing cheerful songs of welcome ; 
 next came six beautiful youths, bearing a small 
 open hand litter, adorned with garlands of 
 flowers and streamers of gay ribbons. At the 
 side of the litter, on a richly caparisoned mule, 
 rode a person, the richness of whose attire dis- 
 tinguished him as the superior of the party. 
 He was a tall man, somewhat advanced in years, 
 but gracefully made : he wore a tunic and vest 
 of dark cloth, with loose white linen trowsers, 
 and a mantle of scarlet cloth, edged with dark fur, 
 and fastened round the neck bj a collar, clasped 
 in front by a ruby. It was thrown back from 
 the right shoulder, to give more freedom to the 
 bridle arm, and at the same time display the 
 jewelled dagger in his girdle. His head was 
 covered by a square fur cap, with a scarlet 
 shawl, in the form of a turban, folded round it. 
 Behind, again, came a band of musicians, and 
 youths and damsels, dressed in white garments, 
 with musical instruments in their hands, dancing 
 to the measure of their own music ; and a long 
 train of domestics, in holiday attire, brought 
 up the rear of the procession. Paula looked 
 forth from her litter upon the train who came 
 to meet and welcome her. But her heart was
 
 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 very heavy, and she was in no mood for re- 
 joicing, though she felt grateful for the kind- 
 ness that dictated it. Simon, for it was her 
 uncle, rode up to her side, and putting his lips 
 to her brow, he laid his hand upon her head, 
 and blessed, and welcomed her to Babylon. She 
 suffered herself to be removed to the litter pre- 
 pared for her, but she shared not in the triumph 
 her damsels experienced at the honour done 
 their mistress. The procession moved with a 
 measured pace, too measured and slow to please 
 Paula. At last they reached the house of Simon. 
 It was a pretty white-fronted building, standing 
 back from the road in a pleasant garden ; and 
 the edifice looked yet more pleasant, from its 
 contrast to the dark material of most of the 
 buildings in the ruined city. 
 
 The inner court into which she ,was borne 
 was planted with shady trees, but it was too 
 late in the year for the family to assemble in 
 the open air. The litter was set down by the 
 side of a fountain, and Simon, who had given 
 his mule to an attendant, assisted her to alight. 
 
 " Welcome to the home of thy mother's bro- 
 ther." Paula could not reply to his kindly 
 greeting with words. Her spirits were too 
 greatly depressed, after the late excitement,
 
 OF NEARDA. 
 
 and she burst into tears. " Why art thou 
 weeping, my dear child ?" he said kindly, as he 
 led her into the house, leaving his steward to 
 attend to the comforts of her weary retinue. 
 Paula could not reply, but drawing the folds 
 of her veil closer round her face, she sobbed 
 violently. 
 
 " What shall I do for thee, my poor girl ?" 
 he continued, with much kindness, as he en- 
 deavoured to remove her veil. " Forgive me, 
 my dear uncle," pleaded Paula. " Indeed, I 
 am not ungrateful for thy kindness, but my 
 head is aching, and I am fatigued with travel, 
 and would fain retire. To-morrow I shall be 
 better able to receive and return the greetings 
 of my aunts, cousins, and thyself." Simon 
 looked distressed, and pressed her to partake 
 of some refreshment ere she retired to repose. 
 But she refused to join the family meal, saying 
 she would rather take a little warm milk, in 
 her own chamber; unable longer to resist, 
 Simon yielded to her entreaties to defer the 
 introduction to his family till the morrow, and 
 summoned a slave to attend her to her cham- 
 ber. And though there was something of mor- 
 tification in his tone, there was also much 
 kindness, as he bade her good night.
 
 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 Paula was too weary even for thought, when 
 she laid her head upon her pillow, and her 
 heavy eyelids soon closed in sleep. Her slum- 
 bers were sweet and pleasant, and she awoke 
 refreshed in body and renovated in spirit. She 
 was surprised, on awaking, to hear voices in 
 her chamber, conversing in suppressed tones. 
 When she raised herself on her pillow, the 
 speakers approached, and introduced themselves 
 as her cousins. 
 
 Hannah, the elder of the two, by a year, 
 was a tall, stately girl, with fair complexion, 
 a pair of calm grey eyes, an intellectual brow, 
 over whici' her hair was smoothly banded, and 
 a sweet placid smile. She waa betrothed, and 
 on the point of marriage with a young man of 
 Judea, and already began to assume the grave 
 and steady demeanor of a matron. Her accents 
 were soft and low ; and her manner indica- 
 tive of her character, calm, thoughtful, and 
 stately. Dinah was the exact reverse of her 
 sister. She was about the age of her cousin. 
 Her form was slight, airy, and graceful. Her 
 skin, of a clear olive brown, and her beautiful 
 cheek tinged with a soft carnation, deepening 
 to a glowing tint while she was speaking. 
 Her sunny hair, unrestrained even by the light
 
 OF NEARDA. Jg5 
 
 bandage of a ribbon, hung in long ringlets 
 below her waist. Her eyes were full of light 
 and witching mirth. Her full ruby lips were 
 ever dimpling into arch smiles, displaying the 
 exquisite enamel of her pearly teeth. Her 
 voice was rich, clear, and birdlike, and none 
 but the sternest and most miserable of God's 
 creatures could have resisted the contagion of 
 her merry ringing laugh. Simon had four 
 wives, but these two children, born of one mo- 
 ther, were the only children he had ever had. 
 
 " Thou shouldst rise with the sun, fair 
 cousin," said Dinah, sportively, as she care- 
 lessly passed her fingers through Paula's silky 
 hair. " Thou wilt never regain thy health in 
 this close chamber. Come, arise, and dress 
 thyself speedily, and I will be thine hand- 
 maiden for this once, for I fear me, thy dam- 
 sels are not over thrifty, and as much inclined 
 to sleep as their mistress." 
 
 " Is it so late, then, my cousin ?" inquired 
 Paula, with one of the winning smiles of other 
 days, as Dinah wound up the long tresses of 
 her hair. " It is within an hour of noon," she 
 replied, finishing her self-imposed task, and 
 holding up her lovely face with the air of a
 
 186 THE TW IN BROTHERS 
 
 petted child. Paula saluted her tenderly, for 
 though they were of one age, there was a wide 
 difference between Dinah and herself. She 
 saw that her cousin was a very child in feeling, 
 as she flitted about the chamber with the art- 
 less gaiety of an infant ; now pausing, and 
 fixing a gaze of admiration on her cousin's face ; 
 now looking forth from the casement, on the 
 faded beauty of the flower garden. 
 
 At length the three cousins descended from 
 the chamber, Hannah leading the way, to the 
 winter eating room of the family. It was a 
 spacious airy room, on the ground floor, open- 
 ing to the south, and furnished with a simpli- 
 city the more apparent to Paula, from its entire 
 contrast to her own gorgeous apartment. But 
 the absence of all ornament was more than 
 recompensed by the air of cheerful comfort that 
 supplied its place. 
 
 Couches were arranged round three sides of 
 a table, spread for the noon-tide meal, with a 
 simple elegance, corresponding with the general 
 style and appointments of Simon's household ; 
 seven persons were assembled in the room, three 
 males, and four females ; in two of the former, 
 she recognised her uncle, and Nathan, the
 
 OF NEARDA. 
 
 young man who had accompanied her in the 
 latter part of her journey. The third was pre- 
 sented to her as Onias, the betrothed of her 
 cousin Hannah. Although the number of slaves 
 who attended her father's table outnumbered 
 those of Simon, and wore more costly attire, 
 and it was furnished with every delicacy of the 
 season, at an expenditure that would have sup- 
 ported a moderate household ; yet Paula had 
 never so mnch enjoyed a meal as that first one 
 in her uncle's house, enlivened, as it was, by the 
 cheerful conversation of the happy family and 
 their guests. 
 
 Simon was not rich, at least, not in compari- 
 son with his wealthy brother-in-law. But he 
 possessed a sufficiency for the bounded desires 
 of himself and family, and to assist the poor 
 and needy. To their wants he administered, 
 wtih no sparing hand, and the blessing of many 
 a fellow creature, who, but for his timely aid, 
 might have perished for want, followed the be- 
 nevolent and often times unknown reliever of 
 their necessities ; and God had largely reward- 
 ed the good man, in the blessings of his home. 
 There was but one thing wanting to render 
 Simon perfectly happy, too happy for mortal 
 man. And even for the one blessing withheld,
 
 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 he repined not. And if, for a moment, a pang 
 of regret crossed his mind, because he had no 
 son to transmit his name to posterity, he would 
 turn unto his blooming girls, and with deep 
 thankfulness for that which the Lord had given, 
 pray for the momentary ingratitude to be for- 
 given; and fervent were the supplications put 
 up to Mercy's throne, for the preservation of 
 those two beloved ones, lest the Almighty, in 
 his anger, should punish the vain repining for a 
 son, by depriving him of the treasures he had 
 bestowed. 
 
 The peace and harmony of his domestic circle 
 was never broken or rendered unquiet by the 
 petty jealousies of his wives. They had no 
 jarring interests ; there were no separate fa- 
 milies to create division between them. They 
 looked upon each other as sisters, vieing in 
 offices of love to his children, and regarding 
 Zillah as their mother, with a feeling allied to 
 reverence. Simon fully appreciated their gen- 
 tle, unobtrusive affection, and if, in the depths 
 of his heart, he cherished a fonder feeling for 
 the mother of his offspring, his sense of justice 
 to the others restrained any outward display 
 from betraying the feeling. 
 
 " Sing to me, Dinah," said the proud father,
 
 OF NEARDA. 
 
 gazing into the upturned eyes of his youngest 
 born, as she sat on a low cushion at his feet, 
 her graceful head thrown back upon his knee, 
 and her large liquid orbs upraised to meet his 
 glance of mingled love and pride. 
 
 "Not now," she replied, pouting her beauti- 
 ful lip, while her cheek tinged with a deeper 
 carnation : " not now, father, I cannot sing to- 
 day," and she glanced her eye from her cousin 
 to Nathan, the young man before alluded to, 
 whom Simon, with genuine hospitality, had in- 
 vited to sojourn beneath his roof, during his 
 stay in Babylon. 
 
 Simon smiled at her objections, saying, as he 
 stooped to kiss her polished brow, " Thou art 
 wayward to-day, Dinah. Nevertheless, I know 
 thou wilt not refuse thy father, and Hannah 
 shall accompany thee on her psaltery. Wilt 
 thou not?" and he turned toward the elder 
 sister, who, with an embroidery frame in her 
 hand, sat listening to the words of Onias, with 
 downcast eyes and flushing cheek. She laid 
 aside her work at once, and taking the instru- 
 ment from the hand of her attentive lover, who 
 had hastened to procure it, she passed her taper 
 fingers over the strings, and looked towards her 
 sister, as if waiting to hear whether the air were
 
 190 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 to be grave, or gay. Dinah returned her glance 
 with one of mingled mirth and sadness, and 
 burst into song. 
 
 DINAH'S SONG. 
 
 " A white rose grew in a woodland glade, 
 
 A graceful queenlike flower; 
 And a violet sprung beneath the shade, 
 Like to a simple village maid, 
 Within a regal bower. 
 
 The rose was stately and very fair, 
 
 Yet it looked with a loving eye 
 On the humbler flower that sheltered there, 
 Bending o'er it with a fostering care, 
 
 As if it feared 'twould die. 
 
 A youth passed through the wood one day, 
 
 And he marked the sister flowers ; 
 He left the violet where it lay, 
 But he bore the pure white rose away, 
 
 To plant it in fairer bowers. 
 
 Tears dewed each loving blossom's face, 
 As the youth bore his prize from the shade, 
 
 But the violet knew it was formed to grace 
 
 A higher, and a nobler place, 
 Than a lowly woodland glade. 
 
 So, though she wept, it was not in despair, 
 
 For she said, in her secret mind, 
 When the rose is afar, she will not forget 
 Her companion, the simple violet, 
 
 That she hath left behind."
 
 OF NEARDA. J9J 
 
 " That I am sure she will not," said Onias, 
 with much feeling, as he gazed tenderly upon 
 Hannah, who had been unable to accompany 
 her sister after the first verse ; but, dropping 
 the instrument at her feet, she sat with her 
 beautiful head bowed on her mother's bosom, 
 weeping silently, for well she understood her 
 sister's simple allegory. Dinah's voice, too, had 
 faltered during the progress of the song. The 
 tears had trembled on the long lashes that swept 
 her cheek, and the colour went and came, as the 
 cadences of her sweet voice now rose in the rich 
 full tones of admiration, as she spoke of the 
 beauty of the statelier flower ; now fell, as she 
 dwelt on the sorrow of the sad parting between 
 the companion flowers. And when she had 
 concluded, she sprang forward with a wild 
 grace, all her own, and raising her sister's wet 
 face, she covered it with kisses. 
 
 " Beloved sharer of my childhood's home and 
 happiness, must we part?" murmured Hannah, 
 for once giving way to the natural emotions of 
 her heart ; and suffering her feelings to triumph 
 over her acquired calmness, she entwined her 
 arms about Dinah's neck, and kissing her beau- 
 tiful lips, she wept with uncontrolled violence. 
 Alarmed at a scene so unexpected and distress-
 
 192 THE TWIN BROTHERS OF NEARDA. 
 
 ing, all watched for the subsiding of the out- 
 burst, with much interest. They had not to 
 wait long, for Dinah had caught a glance bent 
 on her, from beneath the handsome brows of 
 the stranger, whom both, in their agitation, 
 had forgotten, that made her disengage herself 
 from her sister's embrace, and bound from the 
 room with the speed of a startled antelope.
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 NATHAN had named a week, as the utmost 
 limit of his stay in Babylon. But when his 
 host, pleased with the frank fearlessness of his 
 character, pressed him to remain till the con- 
 summation of Hannah's nuptials, he made but 
 slight show of opposition to the kindly expressed 
 wishes of Simon, seconded as they were by 
 Onias, for whom he had formed a strong attach- 
 ment. A similarity of disposition, and having 
 been much thrown together, had created a feel- 
 ing of liking on either side, which promised, if 
 cultivated, to knit into a firm and lasting friend- 
 ship. Neither had inquired into the profession 
 of the other. Onias had forborne to question 
 his new associate from motives of honour, and 
 Nathan, because he knew it was dangerous' 
 ground, and that the knowledge of his pro- 
 fession would most probably, even if the bene- 
 volence of Simon prevented him from delivering 
 VOL. i. K
 
 194 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 him up to justice, occasion his expulsion from 
 the house. Once, or twice, in the course of 
 conversation, some member of the family had 
 sent the blood back to his heart, by a casual 
 allusion to the circumstance of the attack in the 
 glade. And once Dinah had almost petrified 
 him by directly questioning Paula as to the 
 facts of the adventure. He had feared that 
 some girlish love of importance would produce 
 an explanation fatal to his footing in Simon's 
 house ; but Paula's answer had set his heart at 
 rest, and made the question drop for ever. And 
 with a bound of gratitude for freeing him from 
 the danger he had apprehended, mingled with 
 admiration for the firmness which could, when 
 exercised even by one so young, lay the demon 
 of curiosity, ungratified, at rest, without the 
 smallest sacrifice of truth, he vowed in his heart 
 to serve the child of a man whom he detested, 
 should it ever be in his power to do so. For 
 Simon, he felt an almost filial reverence and 
 affection, partly based on esteem, for the noble 
 simplicity of his character and his amiable dis- 
 position ; but it must be confessed he loved him 
 yet more, as the father of the humble " Violet," 
 as Dinah had prettily styled herself, though, if 
 truth must be spoken, the young man considered
 
 OF NEARDA. 195 
 
 her far more beautiful than the " White Rose," 
 as she now playfully persisted in calling her 
 sister. From the first moment he had beheld 
 her, Nathan had gazed with an admiring eye 
 on Simon's youngest daughter. The sparkling 
 beauty of her sunny face, the tenderness that 
 filled her laughing eyes, and the gentle pathos 
 of her voice, as she poured forth that flood of 
 melody, had awakened a deeper feeling in his 
 heart, which seven days' constant intercourse 
 had ripened into love. 
 
 Seven days may seem but a little while when 
 the heart has grown cold, and years have brought 
 wisdom and white hairs in their train. But 
 seven days is an age, in the history of feeling, 
 when the heart first learns its own capabilities of 
 love, and the blood courses as wildly through 
 the veins as a young war-horse on the battle 
 plain. 'Tis then that minutes seem winged 
 or lengthened into years, and the heart endued 
 with a new and holy passion, that steeps every 
 sense in the intoxicating hues of fancy, -and 
 exalts the heart above itself, or sinks it in the 
 leaden gulf of despair. As yet, Nathan had 
 scarcely acknowledged to himself the new-born 
 passion ; and the graceful " Violet," unconscious 
 that she possessed the power of awakening such 
 K 2
 
 190 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 devotion, as Hannah had inspired in the heart 
 of Onias, flitted hither and thither, as was her 
 wont, pouring forth the sweet effusions of her 
 rich imagination in wild hursts of song; and, 
 like sunshine, creating happiness in the hearts 
 of all on whom fell the light of her joyous 
 smile. 
 
 Thus a month glided by, and the day of the 
 bridal dawned at length. The last sad smile of 
 autumn had faded from the face of nature, but 
 the wintry sky was deeply blue, and the sun 
 looked down with a cold, bright smile, upon the 
 glittering icicles that hung like diamonds on the 
 bare boughs of the leafless trees. It was a day 
 of many mingled feelings. Love, pride, joy, 
 and sorrow, were struggling in the hearts, and 
 smiles and tears on the faces of all. 
 
 Ben Yussuf had arrived the preceding even- 
 ing. He had brought splendid presents for the 
 fair bride and her sister; and his eyes lighted 
 up with gladness, as he marked the favourable 
 alteration a few weeks had made in his own 
 child. The rose had returned with a richer 
 glow to her mantling cheek, and the light of 
 hope had renewed the lustre of her magnificent 
 eyes. There was a lightness in her bounding 
 step, and a gentle gaiety in her look and tone
 
 OF NEARDA. 
 
 that reminded him of the days of her childhood; 
 and the pride of his heart, as he surveyed her, 
 was pardonable, for, of those three beautiful 
 flowers, she was certainly the most lovely. 
 
 Many guests had been bidden to witness the 
 solemnity, and partake in the festival ; but deep 
 silence prevailed as the veiled bride, crowned 
 with a garland of winter flowers, was led beneath 
 the nuptial canopy by her mother and cousin ; 
 for the joy of the occasion was damped by the 
 remembrance of the parting which must so soon 
 follow. But if sorrow found a resting place in 
 the hearts of the chief personages of Simon's 
 household, it extended no farther; it was a glad 
 holiday to the domestics and slaves of the estab- 
 lishment ; and the hearts of the poor were glad- 
 dened, for Simon would have deemed the festival 
 incomplete, had not the blessing of plenty been 
 poured on all around. 
 
 The rapid revolutions of time brought the 
 day of departure. The fortnight of festivity 
 that had preceded it had only served, by unna- 
 turally exalting the spirits, to leave them enerv- 
 ated and depressed at the very moment when 
 exertion was most required. All endeavoured 
 to appear cheerful and happy at the morning 
 meal, but their feelings were foreign to gaiety,
 
 198 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 and every attempt to rally their spirits served 
 but to sink them in deeper gloom. The meal 
 was removed almost untasted, and the weeping 
 domestics, as their beloved young mistress bade 
 them farewell, could only find consolation in 
 the knowledge that Dinah was not to accom- 
 pany her, as had at first been proposed. Fearful 
 of betraying the almost suffocating emotion 
 which well nigh mastered him, and desirous of 
 leaving his daughter alone for a short space 
 with her mother and sister, Simon arose, and 
 beckoning the young men to accompany him, 
 went out to superintend the preparations, he 
 said, but, in reality, to avoid the painful scene 
 between the females, which he knew would 
 succeed the departure of the servants. Onias 
 and Nathan, especially the latter, seized with 
 avidity on the excuse afforded them, of leav- 
 ing those alone on whose feelings they felt 
 their presence must impose too powerful a 
 restraint. 
 
 As the door closed, Hannah sprang into the 
 arms of her beloved mother, and hiding her face 
 on her bosom she wept convulsively ; Dinah 
 stood a little apart, struggling with her irre- 
 pressible emotion, and gazing on her sister with 
 a look of agonizing grief. Poor girl, ever in
 
 OF NEARDA. 199 
 
 extremes, she found it hard to subdue the bitter 
 throb of parting. And Paula, her own eyes 
 full of tears, and her voice choked with emo- 
 tion, in vain essayed to comfort her. 
 
 " Tell me, Paula," exclaimed the almost 
 heart-broken girl, in answer to her cousin's 
 remonstrances, "tell me, didst thou ever feel 
 the pang of parting from the beloved com- 
 panion of thy childhood? one from whom no 
 word of harshness had ever caused an unkind 
 feeling ? parted without a chance of ever meet- 
 ing again on this side the grave ? If thou hast 
 not, thou canst not feel with me, thou canst 
 not comfort me. Oh, she was always so kind, 
 so good, so generous. It is very hard to part," 
 and she wrung her hands in agony. 
 
 " Alas !" said Paula, with a deep sigh, as she 
 saw how ineffectual her attempts to comfort 
 her had proved. " Alas ! I never had a com- 
 panion to share in pleasure or pain, and yet 
 I can feel for thee, feel deeply." 
 
 " Thou canst not," she answered, and turning 
 to Zillah, she exclaimed, " Mother, let me too 
 share in my sister's parting embrace !" Zillah 
 released herself from her daughter's arms, and 
 fervently kissing her, resigned her to her sister. 
 
 Hannah threw her arms round Dinah's neck,
 
 200 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 and again burst into tears. She had tutored 
 herself to hear the parting with calmness. But 
 he, for whose sake she was about to leave home 
 and kindred, was not there to support her in 
 that trying hour, and the self-imposed restraint 
 gave way to the excitement of her feelings. 
 
 "Thou wilt come and visit me ere long, 
 Dinah ?" she whispered, looking fondly in her 
 face ; "it is but a summer's journey of plea- 
 sure, and our parents have promised that thou 
 shalt." And she tried to force a smile ; but it 
 would not do ; and despite of every effort to 
 check them, the tears again poured down her 
 face like rain. 
 
 " Thy litter waits thee, dearest," said Onias, 
 as he re-entered, and though two hours had 
 elapsed since he quitted them, and but few 
 words had been spoken, now that the very 
 moment of parting had really arrived, they re- 
 membered they had much to say, that they had 
 not thought of saying till then. But Onias, 
 with a kind peremptoriness, insisted on a brief 
 leave-taking, and wringing Simon's hand, he 
 bore his weeping bride, who with difficulty 
 succeeded in tearing herself from the embraces 
 of her kindred, to her litter, which awaited her 
 in the court below, and followed by the kind
 
 OP NEARDA. 
 
 201 
 
 wishes of the numerous friends who had 
 thronged to witness her departure, Hannah was 
 borne away from her home. 
 
 Dinah watched the slow progress of the litter 
 from the casement, till not even the utmost 
 stretch of imagination could fancy sight or sound 
 appertaining thereto; and when her blinded 
 eyes could no longer distinguish one object 
 from another, she threw herself into her father's 
 arms in an agony of grief. 
 
 K 3
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 DINAH sat alone in the chamber where she had 
 been wont to spend the mornings with her 
 sister. It was a cheerless wintry day. The 
 snow lay thick upon the ground, and the sky, 
 which was of a dull leaden hue, was undiver- 
 sified with a single cloud. The sullen roaring 
 of the Euphrates in the distance came sadly 
 on the ear. The external face of nature was 
 dreary, and the heart of the young girl was very 
 sad. Her deep blue eyes were dim with weep- 
 ing, and tears yet trembled on their silken 
 fringes. 
 
 Her mother, with the other females of the 
 household, was engaged, weaving woollen gar- 
 ments for the poor, amongst whom they were 
 to be distributed. Her cousin was busy with 
 her handmaidens, and her father absent from 
 home, so that she was quite alone ; for their 
 guest, who was about to depart on the morrow, 
 was busy in preparing for his journey. She
 
 THE TWIN BROTHERS OP NEARDA. 
 
 had excused herself from assisting Zillah and 
 her companions, under the plea of indisposition, 
 nor was the excuse a falsehood, for her head 
 throbbed with a burning pain. And there she 
 sat, her graceful head resting on her hand, and 
 the tears falling unheeded down her face. She 
 grieved for the absence of Hannah with the 
 bitterness of a first sorrow, and with the way- 
 wardness of a spoiled child, refused to be com- 
 forted ; yet now she thought not wholly of her 
 sister, and though her cheek reddened at the 
 frequency with which the form of her father's 
 handsome guest recurred to her imagination, 
 she could not exclude him altogether from her 
 thoughts. 
 
 "This is folly," she pettishly exclaimed; 
 " what is he, what can he be to me ? he will 
 depart from my father's house, and the snowy 
 path on which he treads will retain the trace 
 of his footsteps full as long as he will retain 
 a remembrance of him and his, and I shall only 
 remember him as a thing of the past. What is 
 he to me, that he should thus occupy my specu- 
 lation ? I will think of him no more," and in 
 truth she tried to dismiss him from her mind, 
 yet she could not forbear thinking that he was 
 very handsome, almost, nay, quite the hand-
 
 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 somest man she had ever seen. And despite of 
 herself, she regretted that he should forget her. 
 But on a second consideration, it did not appear 
 quite so evident as it had at first, that forget- 
 fulness was the certain consequence of absence. 
 Then she asked herself, if she would not have 
 liked Nathan as well as Onias, for a brother-in- 
 law. And then another question, quite as na^ 
 tural arose, though it made the blood rush to 
 her check, and the maiden hid her face in her 
 hands, and would not answer it even to herself. 
 She was roused by the sound of a footfall in the 
 room, and her fluttering heart told her the ob- 
 ject of her meditations stood before her. 
 
 " Have I intruded, fair Dinah ?" asked the 
 young man, in a half-doubting, half-assured 
 voice. Dinah did not answer, but she made 
 room on the couch beside her, a'nd he was not 
 slow to avail himself of the kindness. There 
 are many things of which young men and mai- 
 dens converse, that may appear the height of 
 wisdom to themselves, and yet seem as folly, if 
 repeated to older ears. Thus it might have 
 been with Nathan and Dinah ; at all events, we 
 shall not record their conversation. They had 
 sat together about an hour, when suddenly 
 the youth's voice became low and tremulous,
 
 OF NEARDA. 
 
 and the maiden's cheek grew very red, as she 
 raised her beaming eyes with a sudden flashing 
 of light and then cast them on the ground. 
 The voice of Nathan grew steadier, and the 
 small tremulous hand that rested in his, was 
 raised to his lips, and she did not chide. This 
 was encouragement enough for one of so daring 
 a temperament, and almost before she was aware 
 of it, their lips had met in the first kiss of love. 
 It was easy to guess from that one action, of 
 the subject on which they had conversed. 
 
 " Thou must ask me of my father, Nathan," 
 she said, and her voice was very soft and low. 
 Nathan promised to obey. What would he 
 not have promised at that moment? " And 
 now thou must leave me," continued the 
 maiden, " nor seek me again, until he has con- 
 sented to receive thee as a son." The young 
 man demurred to this, and he pleaded to be 
 allowed to remain an hour, a half, a quarter, 
 five minutes, only five little minutes. But 
 Dinah was firm, she had read a page in the 
 history of the passions ; and she ceased at once 
 to be a child, and acting with the delicacy and 
 judgment of a woman, she refused to listen to 
 his pleadings, and her lover was obliged to be 
 satisfied, and leave her.
 
 20(3 THE TWIN BROTHERS OF NEARDA. 
 
 After a few moments given to reflection and 
 prayer, Dinah arose and sought her cousin's 
 chamber. She was one of those clinging, affec- 
 tionate beings, that cannot live without the 
 aliment of love, and Paula was a being to win 
 affection from a colder heart, one in whom she 
 could frankly repose her thoughts and feelings, 
 with the fearless confidence of girlhood.
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 PAULA listened to her cousin's rapid narrative 
 of the history of the last hour, with convulsed 
 attention. Her cheek grew ashy pale, her lips 
 quivered with agitation, and her distended and 
 glassy eyes were fixed upon the speaker, with 
 a gaze that made her glowing cheek turn white 
 as her own. Dinah marked the emotion of her 
 cousin, first, with surprise, then with fear, and 
 then with that unlovely sister of the loveliest 
 of human passions, jealousy. She gasped for 
 breath, as the thought flashed like light through 
 her mind, and with the usual impetuosity of 
 her character, she exclaimed, 
 
 " Unkind Paula, ungenerous, deceiving girl, 
 why didst thou not forewarn me of this ? Why 
 didst thou first allow me to bestow my heart, 
 and then evince feelings, which if freely con- 
 fided, would have saved us both, oh, how much 
 of sorrow ?" and bursting into tears of passion,
 
 208 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 she continued to reproach her in broken 
 words. 
 
 Paula rose from her seat with a look of 
 astonishment. Shame, confusion, and vexation, 
 had caused the emotion which had given birth 
 to Dinah's anger. Never for a moment had 
 she dreamed of the consequences most natural 
 to ensue from the constant intercourse of a gay 
 enthusiastic girl like Dinah, with an amiable, 
 frank, intelligent young man, who to these qua- 
 lifications, added the two most attractive to a 
 young girl, an elegant person and persuasive 
 winning manners. That the beautiful girl 
 before her, rich in every natural endowment, 
 the creature on whose smile so many hung 
 with fond delight, the idol of a mother's love, 
 the pride of a doting father's heart, should 
 become a robber's bride, was terrible to think 
 upon ! The wife of a man, the companion, the 
 inferior of those whose names she had heard 
 too oft, of late, and ever mentioned with repro- 
 bation by her uncle, and with execration from 
 every other lip. And that she had been the 
 means of introducing this man to her generous 
 confiding uncle and his gifted child, made the 
 blood curdle in her veins. And, then, that that 
 very being whom she loved with such devoted
 
 OF NEARDA. 
 
 affection, should so misconceive her feelings, 
 was dreadful indeed. Had an adder stung her, 
 it could not have inflicted a deeper pang. For 
 a moment, all power of action forsook her, but 
 it was only for a moment ; she had been accus- 
 tomed from childhood to depend entirely on 
 her own resources, and to judge and act with 
 promptitude and decision. Crossing the room 
 to the couch on which Dinah had thrown her- 
 self, she put her arms about her cousin's neck, 
 and despite her efforts to throw her off, she 
 kissed her brow, gravely saying " Dinah, thou 
 misjudgest me." 
 
 Dinah looked in her face ; there were truth 
 and candour on the fair open brow, and sad- 
 ness, rather than anger, in her beautiful eyes. 
 She felt that she had wronged her Dinah was 
 generous. The transition of her feelings was 
 sudden, and indignation changed at once to 
 sorrow. " I feel I have wronged thee," she 
 cried, gliding from her embrace, and flinging 
 herself at her feet, " Canst thou, wilt thou, 
 forgive me ?" 
 
 Paula raised her silently, and putting back 
 the thick curls from off her brow, she looked 
 earnestly into her face. " Dinah," she said, 
 in a tone of solemn warning, " Dinah, my 

 
 210 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 cousin, listen to me. I am scarcely older than 
 thyself, it is true, and thou mayest think but 
 lightly of advice from one so young. Yet, 
 though there is so little difference in our age, 
 our experience has been very different. Dinah, 
 whilst thou the younger of two, with a female 
 parent to guard and love thee, had not yet 
 emerged from childhood, and wert still in the 
 enjoyment of its artless gaiety, I, a mother- 
 less girl, without sister or friend, was already a 
 woman. A woman's passionate feelings in my 
 heart, a woman's keen perceptions in my brain. 
 Dinah, dost thou listen ?" Dinah, who had been 
 intently watching the varying expression of her 
 cousin's countenance, bowed her head in token 
 of assent; and Paula resumed. " Dinah, I could 
 not thus have spoken to thee yesterday, the 
 humiliation would have been too great to be 
 endured. But one who trusts, deserves to be 
 trusted. And she, who raises objections to the 
 path which seems to lead to another's happiness, 
 should have good cause for her interference. I 
 know thou thinkest me cold, because I cannot 
 see perfection in a dark eye, and the smile of a 
 curving lip. Yet I am not cold, my cousin, 
 and the heart that seems to thee so incapable 
 of appreciating the deep feelings of thine, has
 
 OF NEARDA. 
 
 already throbbed with passion. Yes, in shame 
 and in secret have I nurtured a love that has 
 dimmed mine eye, and paled my cheek. A 
 love, of which I dare not speak to my father, 
 for I know it would break his heart, if he knew 
 his child had bestowed hers on" she paused, 
 and her features were convulsed with agony; 
 but after a moment she added in a lower tone, 
 " a runaway slave ! Ay, Dinah, thy cold, 
 calm, prudent cousin, has dared to love, and 
 more, to confess her love, to the outcast, repro- 
 bated Anilai !" 
 
 Dinah started, for though the excited and 
 almost wild manner in which her cousin had 
 poured forth her confession had in a measure 
 prepared her for something extraordinary, she 
 had not for a moment dreamt of the conclusion 
 to which it was drawing. " Thou ! Paula, 
 thou !" she exclaimed, when she found voice to 
 speak. " Thou love a robber ? The pest of 
 our fertile valleys, one, who were better named 
 a vulture than an eagle. Impossible ! it cannot 
 be !" 
 
 "'Tis truth." 
 
 " Say not so, my own dear cousin ; or if it 
 be even as thou sayest, uproot the unworthy 
 passion from thy soul, and "
 
 212 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 " Stay," she interrupted, in a tone of forced 
 calmness ; " speak not until thou hast heard 
 me to an end. Dinah, I have not bared ray 
 heart without a purpose ; my tale has a moral ; 
 I have told it as a warning : listen, and do not 
 hate me for the disclosure ; for though I detest 
 myself, I could not bear that thou shouldst do 
 so, too, my cousin. He whom thou lovest, he, 
 of whose love thou hast deemed me capable of 
 so mean a passion as jealousy, is a robber too 
 a follower of the chief at whose name thou 
 didst shudder but now, and sent by him to 
 conduct me, even me, to Babylon. Blame me 
 not, Dinah, blame me not," she continued, " for 
 an error, oh ! call it by no harsher name, in 
 judgment, misled by love. An error, which 
 once committed, I had not strength of mind to 
 retrieve. Oh, I dreamed not how could I ? 
 that such would be the consequences of my 
 imprudent consent. I was too busy with my 
 own painful and all-absorbing feeling to bestow 
 even a thought on one whom I then only knew 
 by name, and that imperfectly. Nor could I 
 well avoid acting as I acted, situated as I was," 
 and she told her little history to her sympa- 
 thising auditress ; " yet," she added, burying 
 her face in her hands, " I know not why I
 
 OF NEARDA. 
 
 thus eagerly endeavour to excuse myself to 
 thee, since I cannot do it to myself." 
 
 " Why didst thou not speak thus before, 
 Paula, or why dost thou speak so now?" she 
 asked, reproachfully. 
 
 " There was no reason why I should pain 
 thee and myself by baring my heart before, 
 and there is a strong necessity now," she replied, 
 bursting into tears. Dinah drew her towards 
 her, and, as they wept on each other's neck, 
 they felt there was a stronger bond than sister- 
 hood between them. 
 
 " Thou wilt forget, Nathan," said Paula, 
 tenderly, as she kissed the white brow that 
 rested against her arm. 
 
 " I love him, Paula." There was something 
 so touchingly tender in the look and tone with 
 which her meaning was conveyed, that was 
 unanswerable, and again they wept in silence. 
 They understood each other now, for there was 
 confidence between them, and there was some- 
 thing delicious in having their thoughts and 
 feelings understood, a pleasure that one of those 
 fair girls at least, never felt till now. 
 
 The hand of the sun-dial pointed to the hour 
 of twelve, just as a step was heard in the outer 
 room ; it was a slave, who came to summon
 
 214 THE TWIN BROTHERS OF NEARDA. 
 
 them to the noon-tide meal. Paula was the 
 first to rouse herself ; she bathed her burning 
 eyes with a little rosewater, and, having as far 
 as possible effaced the traces of emotion, she 
 gave her hand to her cousin, who had followed 
 her example, and they descended into the fa- 
 mily apartment. It was a relief to both, when 
 on looking round they discovered that he, 
 whom they dreaded to meet, was not there.
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 PAULA was standing alone, on the evening of 
 that day, in the recess of a window overlooking 
 the gardens. The red glow of a wintry sunset 
 tinged her fair cheek with a faint carnation. 
 Her eyes wandered from object to object, in 
 the bleak scene without, but there was a deep 
 sadness on her brow, and her thoughts were 
 not with the things before her. 
 
 "Has the gentle dove no message for the 
 Grey Eagle ?" said a voice close to her ear, and 
 turning her head she perceived Nathan stand- 
 ing beside her. There was nothing in the 
 speaker's tone or manner to warrant anger, for 
 both were deeply respectful, yet, there was 
 displeasure on the maiden's brow, and hauteur 
 in her tone, as fixing her eye scanningly on his 
 features, she replied, "Speak plainly, young 
 man ; I understand not metaphors." 
 
 The young man's eyes flashed at the implied
 
 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 superiority ; but he bit his lips to suppress the 
 angry retort that rose to it, for he remembered 
 it was a woman who had spoken, and merely 
 bowing to her reproof, he turned to quit the 
 room. Paula would have recalled him, but her 
 pride rebelled at the idea, and with a flushed 
 brow, she again looked forth on the sunset sky. 
 
 " Maiden," and the youth was once more at 
 her side. She turned towards him in token 
 that she attended to his words, and in a tone 
 of resentment he proceeded, " For the sake of 
 him who sent me hither I have returned, to 
 bear aught thou mayest wish to send. But 
 mistake me not, maiden, it is for his sake alone, 
 and not for thine, I have tendered myself as a 
 messenger." 
 
 " Thy courtesy is scant," she said, with a 
 .half smile. 
 
 " I owe thee none," he sullenly replied. 
 
 She held her hand frankly towards him, say- 
 ing with a winning smile, that had never yet 
 been smiled in vain, " I have been somewhat 
 hasty in my speech, Nathan; forgive me, I 
 meant not to grieve or give thee pain." 
 
 Nathan took her hand, and pressed it to his 
 lips ; it must have been a more sullen temper 
 than his that could have resisted her witchery of
 
 OF NEARDA. 17 
 
 look and tone : she suffered him to retain it for 
 a moment, then withdrawing it, said, " I have 
 no message to send ; but if thou wilt be the 
 bearer of this, I will thank thee ;" and unfasten- 
 ing a bracelet from her beautifully rounded 
 arm, she placed it in his hand. It was a costly 
 ornament. A snake, wrought in pure gold, with 
 two sparkling emeralds for eyes. While the 
 young man stood admiring the glittering gem, 
 she lighted a taper which stood on a table, fur- 
 nished with writing materials, and hastily trac- 
 ing a few lines on the leaf of the Egyptian 
 reed, she bound it round with one of her 
 own silken tresses, and gave it to him. Writ- 
 ing was a rare accomplishment for a maiden 
 in those days, and Nathan looked surprised 
 as he saw the small neat letters of the su- 
 perscription. 
 
 " "Pis a costly gift," he smilingly observed, 
 as he placed them together in his vest. 
 
 " 'Tis acknowledgment for a debt of grati- 
 tude," she replied, averting her flushed face from 
 the scrutiny of his gaze. 
 
 " It is not always so slight a service is so 
 well repaid," he said archly ; " thine is a most 
 magnificent gratitude, fair Paula." 
 
 VOL. I. L
 
 218 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 " I am not accustomed to have my actions 
 questioned," she said haughtily. 
 
 " Nor do I seek to question thee now," he 
 carelessly replied. But there was that in the 
 expression of his piercing glance, that told her 
 the secret of her heart was divined. The blood 
 rushed painfully to her brow as this conviction 
 forced itself on her mind, and the hesitation of 
 her manner betrayed her embarrassment, as 
 she endeavoured to speak. Nathan, enjoying 
 her confusion, stood calmly before her, only 
 betraying his knowledge by that slight curve 
 of the lip, far more annoying than words, be- 
 cause it leaves no room for censure or remark. 
 Paula felt this, she saw the meaning of his quiet 
 smile, and dared not resent, for anger would but 
 have served to confirm a suspicion that at pre- 
 sent rested only on surmise. At this moment, 
 the door was softly opened, and Dinah entered. 
 She was attired in a robe and vest of pale pink 
 silk, and round her waist she wore a cincture 
 of gold fastened with a pearl clasp. Her trow- 
 sers, of white embroidered muslin, were very 
 full, and drawn round the slender ankle, by an 
 anklet corresponding with her girdle. On her 
 small white feet, which were otherwise bare,
 
 OF NEARDA. 
 
 she wore slippers of yellow leather, highly or- 
 namented. Her hair, which was now bound 
 up for the first time, was fastened by a gold 
 bandeau, serving to display more fully the 
 luxuriant beauty of the tresses, half of which 
 had escaped from it. Over the back was 
 thrown a long white veil, so disposed as to serve 
 the double purpose of head dress and mantle. 
 In her ears she wore rings of gold, with pearl 
 pendants, and a thick gold chain passed several 
 times round her throat, with a perfume box 
 filled with a precious unguent, complete^ her 
 dress. Both raised their eyes as she entered, 
 and each thought they had never beheld so per- 
 fect a vision of loveliness as that which now 
 stood before them, and both involuntarily ex- 
 claimed, 
 
 " How exquisitely beautiful ! " 
 
 " What is beautiful ?" smilingly demanded 
 the gay girl, advancing toward her cousin. 
 While the events of the morning had left a deep 
 impression on the spirits of Paula, those of her 
 more volatile cousin, though somewhat subdued, 
 like the mellowed tints of an autumn day, had 
 in a great measure recovered their usual light- 
 ness and gaiety. 
 
 T 9 
 Ll tV
 
 220 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 " Oh, Paula!" she cried, as she saluted her, 
 " my father tells me that thou hast sadly sober- 
 ed his merry Dinah. And let me tell thee a 
 secret, my grave cousin ; he does not at all 
 thank thee for thy kind lessons to his giddy 
 girl. Oh ! Paula, Paula, I am afraid you will 
 think us Babylonians a sad ungrateful people ;" 
 and she laid her little hand playfully on her 
 shoulder. 
 
 " Hush !" said Paula, gravely, at the same 
 time directing her attention to the young man, 
 who stood regarding her with a look of earnest 
 admiration; she turned quickly toward him, 
 and with an arch smile and a tone perfectly free 
 from embarrassment, said : " Begone, Nathan, 
 my thoughtful cousin and I have affairs to 
 speak of, that a maiden may only confide to a 
 maiden's ear." 
 
 " I would I could apply the term thoughtful 
 to thee," said Paula, in a low voice, and with a 
 warning look. But either Dinah did not hear, 
 or she would not heed, for she continued in the 
 same bantering tone, though too low for Nathan 
 to hear, 
 
 " Shame on thee, pretty cousin of mine, 
 to stand thus in the shadow of the twilight,
 
 OF HEARD A. gg] 
 
 with a strange youth, the betrothed of an- 
 other." 
 
 Paula uttered an exclamation of impatient 
 surprise; but Dinah was so gay, so childlike, 
 that she never dreamed of impropriety; and 
 Paula finding looks and words were alike 
 thrown away, left the room in anger, leaving 
 the young lovers alone.
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 VEXED, and ill at ease, as to the result of this 
 unforeseen event, Paula excused herself to her 
 uncle for not attending the evening meal, and 
 retired to her own chamber. 
 
 " Am I to remain ? " asked Billah, whom 
 Paula had summoned to attend her. 
 
 " No," was the reply, much to Billah's delight, 
 and instantly retiring, she closed the door behind 
 her, and Paula was alone. It was a bitter night, 
 a cold north wind howled through the trees, 
 and shook the casement. The rain was falling 
 in large heavy drops, and freezing as it fell. 
 And though a cheerful pine-wood fire was 
 blazing on the hearth, the blood was chill in 
 her veins. Drawing a table of ebony near the 
 fire, she lit the lamp of chased silver that stood 
 upon it, arid enveloping her delicate form in a
 
 THE TWIN BROTHERS OF NEARDA. 
 
 shawl of fine wool, she threw herself on a pile 
 of cushions near the hearth ; and taking from 
 the table a scroll of vellum, on which was 
 written the beautiful story of Ruth, she opened 
 it and read. 
 
 It is scarcely possible for imagination to pic* 
 ture a lovelier being than that fair girl, as the 
 light of the blazing pinevvood played over her 
 features. Her high white brow looking higher 
 and whiter from its perfect contrast to the soft 
 braids of her jetty hair. There was a look of 
 thoughtful repose on her countenance, and the 
 long lashes wet with tears nearly sweeping her 
 cheek, gave an air of pensive softness to her 
 downcast eyes. The deep pathos of the tale 
 the simple elegance of the language the touch- 
 ing love of Ruth for her sad and sorrowing 
 mother-in-law her cheerful gentleness in the 
 gleaners' field, and the happy termination of 
 her trials, in the marriage of her wealthy kins- 
 man Boaz, deeply interested the feelings of 
 the gentle reader. The pious resignation of 
 Ruth, and the scriptural simplicity of the nar- 
 rative, combined to soften her feelings, and 
 subdue her agitation ; and even after she had 
 concluded, she sat with her eyes fixed on the 
 page, and her thoughts lost in dreamy reverie.
 
 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 Paula was at that age, when sorrow sits as 
 lightly on the spirit as a summer cloud; and 
 the heart rebounds from its pressure, like a too 
 tensely strung bow recovering its spring. And 
 though there was a deep fund of melancholy in 
 her disposition, there was enough of the springi- 
 ness of youth in her dreamy, imaginative mind, 
 to preserve it from yielding to untimely gloom. 
 She had more knowledge, perhaps, of the realities 
 of life, at fourteen, than most Eastern women 
 acquire in a life-time. Her mind, gifted by 
 nature, and enriched by education, had arrived 
 at maturity at an age when most are yet in the 
 childhood of intellect. Was it matter of wonder, 
 then, that her graceful beauty and the high order 
 of her intellectual powers, which her father had 
 spared no expense to cultivate, made her the 
 worshipped one, at whose shrine he bowed with 
 an homage scarcely inferior to that he paid his 
 God ? But it was well for her, he knew not of 
 her love ; a passion which he would have deem- 
 ed the lowest depth of degradation, and might 
 have destroyed even his love for her. 
 
 A lineal descendant of the guilty but un- 
 fortunate Zedekiah, the king whose weakness 
 and idolatry had plunged his people into ruin, 
 Moses of Nearda possessed all the haughty
 
 OP NEARDA. 
 
 pride, divest of the nobler attributes of royalty. 
 When the great body of the Hebrew nation, 
 joyfully availing themselves of the generous 
 edict of Cyrus, returned into Judea, his family 
 preferred retaining their rich possessions and 
 pursuing their mercantile pursuits in the land 
 of their captivity, to returning to the Land of 
 Promise. Ben Yussuf, the last of his princely 
 line, was now its sole representative. But 
 though possessed of immense wealth, the mer- 
 chant's avaricious disposition would not permit 
 him, by resigning all further speculations, to 
 take his proper station in society, and as a 
 master weaver, he amassed fresh thousands for 
 his successor to enjoy; while many wondered, 
 that the child of the cold and heartless being, 
 whose name was a byword of selfishness, could 
 be so gentle and loving.
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 IT was the second summer of Paula's visit to 
 Babylon. The pomegranate and almond trees 
 were covered with their beautiful blossoms of 
 scarlet and pale pink ; the boughs of the orange 
 trees, laden with ripe fruit and budding blooms, 
 filled the air with sweets ; and vineyards and 
 olive-yards gave promise of an abundant sea- 
 son. The barley harvest was already gathered 
 in, the ripe wheat wooed the sickle of the 
 reaper, and in some places they had already 
 commenced their grateful task. Thousands of 
 painted insects and gorgeous plumaged birds 
 flitted on the balmy air, while swallows and 
 seagulls wheeled round and round, in giddy 
 circles, above the glassy wave. 
 
 It was one of those balmy days, when there 
 is just sufficient breeze astir to make the 
 aspens quiver, and a white cloud here and
 
 THE TWIN BROTHERS OF NEARDA. OQf 
 
 there, on the azure expanse, relieved the deep 
 blue of heaven; a running brook divided the 
 beautiful garden of Simon into two compart- 
 ments, and winding its irregular course through 
 beds of fragrant flowers, emptied itself into a 
 marble vase, in a mimic cascade ; beneath the 
 shadow of a group of weeping birch, that 
 dipped their drooping branches in the cooling 
 wave they sheltered, reclined the graceful form 
 of the fair Neardite; her hair, which was 
 adorned with a wreath of water lilies, was 
 floating carelessly over her bare shoulders, and 
 her loose drapery only fastened with a girdle 
 of aquatic flowers, gave a chaste freedom to 
 her attitude, that made her appear yet more 
 beautiful. 
 
 She had been reading the splendid pro- 
 phecies of Ezekiel, but the drooped head, sup- 
 ported by one fair hand, told that she was 
 sleeping. The believers in mythology might 
 have taken her for some beautiful naiad, just 
 ascended from her native element to commune 
 with the garden nymph, which was beautifully 
 personified by Dinah, who stood on the oppo- 
 site bank, the very ideal of innocent gaiety. 
 Like her cousin, she was unveiled, for in the 
 gardens they feared no interruption. She wore
 
 228 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 a loose drapery of pale blue gauze, festooned 
 by small bunches of apple blossom mixed with 
 the golden tresses of the laburnum, her clear 
 liquid eyes were swimming in light, as her 
 fairy fingers culled the flowers at her feet, to 
 weave into chaplets, which she pulled asunder 
 as soon as woven ; scattering the frail material 
 on the stream ; and as she watched their light 
 leaves borne slowly away by the summer 
 breeze, she mingled the rich melody of her own 
 sweet voice with the music of the wild and 
 joyous birds, that sang so gaily in the branches 
 of the trees and shrubs. 
 
 SONG. 
 
 How beautiful is summer ! 
 She reigns o'er the world with a gentle sway ; 
 The earth is clothed with loveliness, 
 Like a maiden in her bridal dress. 
 And the birds are glad and gay ; 
 
 How beautiful is summer ! 
 
 The waters make sweet music ; 
 There 's a dreamy stillness in the air, 
 The gossamer its light web weaves, 
 Like a silken thread mid the glossy leaves 
 Of fruit and flower fair. 
 
 How beautiful is summer !
 
 OF NEARDA. 
 
 My heart with a fulness of joy expands ; 
 The earth is a lovely place to me, 
 I love it, when winter is dark and sad, 
 In autumn, spring, or summer glad, 
 When the unbound stream is free. 
 How beautiful is summer ! 
 
 As the last words of the song died away, a 
 slight rustling among the branches of the trees 
 attracted the attention of the sweet songstress ; 
 and turning in the direction from whence the 
 sound proceeded, she saw her father, accom- 
 panied hy her uncle and a stranger. 
 
 " My sweet child ! " exclaimed Simon, as he 
 clasped her in his arms and pressed his lips to 
 her glowing cheek, while an exclamation of 
 admiration burst from the lips of the stranger, 
 who appeared to be in the very prime of man- 
 hood, and of a presence to command attention. 
 Dinah's quick eye at once discovered the un- 
 equivocal admiration of the stranger's look, and 
 the blood rushed to her cheek as she released 
 herself from her father's arms, and bounded 
 away toward the house. 
 
 " Is she not very lovely?" said the proud 
 father, as he watched her receding figure. 
 
 " Very," replied Ben Yussuf drily, for much 
 as he loved his own child, he was too utterly
 
 230 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 selfish to sympathise in the same feeling when 
 experienced by another. " And now," he con- 
 tinued, "show me where is Paula?" Simon 
 pointed to the recumbent figure, and then link- 
 ing his arm in that of the stranger, he led him 
 toward the house. 
 
 The merchant watched them till they were 
 out of sight, then crossing the brook, by means 
 of a little rustic bridge, he stood gazing on his 
 sleeping child with the same species of delight 
 with which a miser gloats over his gold. A fa- 
 ther's love is a holy thing, it is a well of beau- 
 tiful emotion, and sanctifies its object with a 
 solemnity all its own. Even in Ben Yussuf, it 
 was like the solitary well of the desert, the edge 
 of which is clothed with verdure and flowers, 
 appearing yet more fresh and beautiful from 
 their contrast to the dreary and arid barrenness 
 around. He loved her as those who exhaust 
 their affection on one object alone, can love ; 
 and words of passionate endearment escaped his 
 lips, as he hung over the sleeper. It was a 
 strange thing to see that hard, cold man, who 
 could look upon human suffering, in the last 
 extremity, with an unchanged look and an un- 
 moved heart, who could listen unheeding to 
 the cry for help from the widowed parent and
 
 OP NEARDA, 231 
 
 the orphaned child, without a feeling of remorse 
 or pity, bending over that delicate and fragile 
 being, with tears, actual tears of love and ten- 
 derness stealing down his stony face. Yet even 
 with that holier feeling there was a strong min- 
 gling of that debasing selfism that degrades 
 man below the brute creation ; and so much 
 was there of the grosser feeling, that even 
 had the child he loved with such apparent 
 fervour thwarted him, little would he have 
 scrupled to exert his authority over her to the 
 utmost. 
 
 A slight movement on the part of the youth- 
 ful sleeper, told that her slumbers were dis- 
 turbed by the heavy breathings of the intruder, 
 and the fall of some loose gravel which she had 
 disturbed by her sudden movement, splashing 
 into the water, thoroughly aroused her. For a 
 moment she sat in that strange bewilderment 
 of thought which usually follows a broken 
 slumber. She started as her eye fell on a male 
 figure, and rising from her seat, she would 
 have fled. The voice of her father reassured 
 her, and, yielding to his directions, she resumed 
 her seat, and he placed himself on the bank 
 beside her. 
 
 " I need not ask thee of thy health, my child,"
 
 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 he commenced, as she shook back the bright 
 curls that shaded her features, and sat gazing 
 affectionately in his face, " the glow on thy 
 cheek renders thy father's questioning unneces- 
 sary. The meek bud that drooped so sadly in 
 her lonely bower hath raised her fair head, and 
 smileth in expanding loveliness beneath the 
 summer sun that gildeth her new home, and is 
 healthful enough to admit of re transplantation, 
 is she not?" 
 
 "Quite," she replied, resting her hand upon 
 his, while a bright glow mantled on her cheek ; 
 for she hoped that he intended to take her back 
 to Nearda. She was tired of the noisy bustle of 
 Babylon, and the busy unquiet of Simon's house, 
 which was nearly always filled with guests of 
 every class in society, and every sect in religion. 
 It was literally a refuge for the destitute; for 
 its kind master loved all God's creatures with 
 an ardent love. And if there was a greater 
 yearning toward the children of his own land, 
 the poor and naked felt it not ; it was to the 
 proud and the wealthy alone he preserved the 
 strict nationality of his people. 
 
 When we speak of Simon's own land, it is of 
 Judea, not of Babylon. Whatever was, or is 
 the country in which the Jew is for a time an
 
 OF NEARDA. 
 
 indweller, he looks upon the land flowing with 
 milk and honey as his own peculiar inheritance ; 
 and deems himself only as a sojourner in the 
 land of the stranger. Strange and peculiar as 
 this feeling may seem at the first glance, when 
 it is considered that all our national reminis- 
 cences, whether for good or evil, in glory or in 
 shame, in the bright days of our prosperity and 
 the many sad and dark ones of our adversity, 
 are connected with that bright Eastern land 
 that God himself gave to our fathers ; and that 
 the people of every nation whither we have been 
 driven to take refuge, England not excepted, 
 hath treated us as a haughty mother-in-law does 
 her step-children, casting us forth from her bo- 
 som ; it will appear strange no longer, but jus- 
 tify the yearning fondness with which we turn 
 to the homes of our fathers, in the land that 
 was once their own. This is a long digression, 
 but we trust it will be pardoned as a burst of 
 that national enthusiasm which has been its 
 theme. 
 
 Paula, like her uncle, loved the whole human 
 species ; yet she longed for the peaceful quiet 
 of her own home, with its old ties and associa- 
 tions, each one rendered dearer by absence, and
 
 234 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 tears of expectant pleasure filled her eyes as 
 she eagerly said, 
 
 " I am well, quite well now, father, and ready 
 to return with thee." 
 
 To this speech Ben Yussuf replied not, but 
 after a moment's thoughtful silence he abruptly 
 asked, " How old art thou, Paula?" 
 
 "It wants but a moon to the completion of 
 my sixteenth year," she replied, her cheek pale- 
 ing with an indefinable fear as she spoke. 
 
 " It is time, then," resumed her father, seri- 
 ously, "it is time that thou shouldst cease to 
 be a child. Thou needest not crimson thus, nor 
 avert thine head. I know, in sports and pas- 
 times, thoughts and feelings, thou hast long 
 ceased to be thus. But it is time the world 
 should see the days of Moses of Nearda have 
 not been wholly engrossed in amassing wealth. 
 Oh, they shall see and envy the treasure he 
 loveth better than fine gold and costly gems. 
 My child! thou must emerge from obscurity, 
 and shine the loveliest of earth's daughters, 
 pre-eminent in talent, as in beauty." And he 
 surveyed her slight graceful figure, and soft 
 intelligent eyes, with a look of unutterable 
 pride. " My daughter," he continued, with a
 
 OF NEARDA. 
 
 235 
 
 voice more shaken by emotion than she had 
 ever known it before, " it pleased God, in his 
 infinite wisdom, to refuse a son to my earnest 
 prayers ; for thy mother died almost in the hour 
 of thy birth, and thou wert her first-born. Ere 
 life departed from thy gentle mother, she placed 
 her little one in mine arms, and besought me to 
 love and cherish the unhappy babe who would 
 soon be motherless. Paula, thou knowest my 
 heart is none of the softest, and cannot easily 
 be moved ; neither did I love thy mother, nor 
 am I ashamed to confess I wedded her solely to 
 oblige her father and mine, who had been friends 
 from their birth. But when I saw her trem- 
 bling on the verge of eternity, the colour fading 
 from lip and cheek, and the light of her fawn- 
 like eyes growing dim, mine own filled with the 
 first, last tears that ever sprang to them from 
 mine early childhood; and I could not resist 
 her earnest prayer, that how many children 
 soever I might have, I would never cease to 
 remember that thou wert my first-born, the sole 
 offspring of one whose heart was all mine own. 
 Never shall I forget the gentle smile that ho- 
 vered round her sweet mouth, as she blessed 
 me and died. She was no older then, Paula, 
 than thou art now ; and, as I looked upon
 
 23(5 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 that pale young face, with its sad and thought- 
 ful beauty, and saw the graceful features, whose 
 ever-varying expression had won the admiration 
 of all hearts, locked in the rigidity of death, my 
 heart, the heart of the stern, cold, unfeeling 
 Ben Yussuf, whose nerves, the world says, are 
 made of iron, melted, and I reproached myself 
 for my indifference and want of affection toward 
 the lifeless Paula ; for, know, thou bearest thy 
 mother's name. And, as an atonement for past 
 neglect, I then vowed no other woman should 
 ever fill her place beside me, and that I would 
 love the little bud she had left to supply her 
 place, as father never loved daughter before. 
 I wrapt thee in the folds of my garment, and, 
 without heeding the words of the nurse, who 
 angrily told me that such exposure would de- 
 stroy my child, I bore thee from the chamber of 
 death, nor could threats or entreaties induce me 
 to resign thee into other hands, save when thou 
 wert in need of the nutriment that sustained thy 
 little life, and then I insisted on its being admi- 
 nistered in my presence. Unheeding all things 
 excepting thee, I would suffer none to carry 
 thee forth save myself, and even when business 
 demanded my attention, thou wert still my con- 
 stant companion ; and when men saw me with
 
 OF NEARBA. 37 
 
 my little nursling, they whispered each other to 
 look, and pointed at me with eyes raised and 
 brows arched in wonder, for, in the infinity of 
 their wisdom," and he sneered bitterly, " they 
 deemed thy father had been born without a 
 heart. Time passed, and the sickly, delicate 
 babe grew a thriving healthful child. I need 
 say no more, Paula ; it remaineth for thee to 
 say whether I have fulfilled the vow made over 
 thy mother's corse?" 
 
 The maiden, who had sat in silent attention 
 listening to her father's words, now started to 
 her feet, and exclaiming, " Thou hast, thou 
 hast," she flung her arms about his neck and 
 wept freely. Another moment of silence on 
 his part, and he would have been in possession 
 of the most hidden thoughts and feelings of the 
 young warm heart that throbbed against his 
 own. But, wholly unconscious of the existence 
 of her secret passion, he went on, and the very 
 next sentence he uttered destroyed her reawak- 
 ened confidence, and filled her heart with fear. 
 
 " I would not boast even to thee, my child, 
 nor tell thee of all the love I bear thee, were it 
 not for a deeper cause than merely to excite thy 
 feelings. Thy father's wife was a mother at 
 thine age, and it is time at least that thou wert
 
 238 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 a wife, lest men reproach me, saying, ' The 
 merchant's child hath grown up into woman- 
 hood, and none have ever sought her hand in 
 wedlock ;' and they will make thy name a re- 
 proach, and say, * The daughters of the humblest 
 are wedded, and surely some defect must exist 
 in this maiden, for with a dower worthy a prin- 
 cess, she is still unwedded, and no father hath 
 ever demanded her in marriage for his son.' " 
 
 A sick shudder passed through her frame, and 
 she attempted to speak, but without noticing 
 her futile efforts, he proceeded. 
 
 " Thy beauty, thy wealth, thy rank, and thy 
 endowments, alike entitle thee to a connexion 
 with the noblest families in Judea; and that the 
 reproach of wanting in woman's attractions may 
 not rest on thee, I have sought thee a bride- 
 groom worthy even of thy love. Nor have I over- 
 looked in the higher qualifications of rank and 
 fortune, those which a maiden seeketh for in a 
 lover, namely, youth and personal beauty ; and 
 all these are combined in thy destined husband, 
 Abishai, the eldest son of the Nasi of the San- 
 hedrim. The youth is nobly born, and well 
 connected, and his portion will at least equal 
 thine own. His form is graceful as the moun- 
 tain ash, and stately as the lordly pine ; his step
 
 OF NEARDA. 239 
 
 is free as the bounding deer in the forest glade . 
 his eyes are like twin stars ; his hand as white 
 and beautiful as thine own, and his voice resem- 
 bleth, in its full, deep tones, the sound of plea- 
 sant music. See! Paula," he added, with an 
 encouraging smile, " how particular thy father 
 can be, even in trifles, when it is to gratify 
 thee." 
 
 " Father! father! " cried Paula, with an agony 
 of tone that he could not understand, while her 
 frame trembled and her cheek grew pale as 
 death ; " ask anything of thy child, even to the 
 laying down of life itself, thy bidding shall be 
 done, oh, how willingly! but do not ask me 
 to leave thee. I would rather live unwedded 
 ever, than be divided from thee." 
 
 " Silly girl," he exclaimed, fondly kissing her 
 soft cheek, " I ask thee not to leave me, for 
 whithersoever thou goest, there shall I go too. 
 I shall stay behind thee but to dispose of my 
 property, and then join thee in Jerusalem. For 
 thou wilt dwell in that lovely and sacred city, 
 the name of which hath ever awakened thy 
 young enthusiasm. Thou wilt see the Temple 
 of God on the sacred mount where Abraham 
 built the altar, on which his son was to be sa- 
 crificed ; and behold the city that was built by
 
 240 THJE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 David, beautified by Solomon, and rebuilt under 
 the superintendence of Nehemiah, when our 
 fathers returned from their wearisome captivity. 
 Will it not give thee pleasure, my child, to 
 wander among the olive groves and vine-clad 
 hills of our own beautiful Judea?" 
 
 " Nay, nay," she eagerly replied, " I would 
 fain see Zion, the bright land of which I have 
 dreamt from the time when I first began to 
 dream ; but it is of Zion in her beauty, with 
 a king of the royal line of David on her throne, 
 crowds of merry people thronging up with 
 fearless freedom, to celebrate the festivals in 
 the Holy City ; and not of Jerusalem trampled 
 down by Rome, a heathen governor wielding 
 her sceptre, and wronging her unhappy chil- 
 dren, while oppression rules with an iron rod 
 the inhabitants of the fertile valleys of my 
 father-land, that I have dreamed. Send me 
 not from thee, then, dear father; but let me 
 abide with thee in our own pleasant home on 
 the mighty river, whose banks once formed the 
 boundary of the realm of Israel's king. I have 
 no wish to wed and dwell among strangers, 
 with whom I have not one kindred feeling." 
 
 " Let me hear no more of this folly, Paula," 
 replied her father, and his dark cheek red-
 
 OF NEARDA. 241 
 
 dened with anger. " Dost thou think, girl, 
 that I have lavished on thee health, time, and 
 money money that would have doubled, nay 
 trebled itself in trade to educate thee, a female 
 child, as if thou hadst been a son who could 
 transmit my name from generation to genera- 
 tion, to waste thy talents in shade, unnoted 
 and unknown ? Dost thou think, I say, that I 
 have expended so much of treasure, to adorn 
 thy mind and beautify thy person, for the plea- 
 sure of admiring them myself ? I tell thee, if 
 thou dost, thou art as great a fool as the rest 
 of thy sex ; and time, money, and education, 
 have indeed been utterly wasted." 
 
 " Is this the overwhelming love thou hast 
 even within this hour professed for thy child ?" 
 she demanded, in a voice trembling between 
 sorrow and indignation ; " oh, father, father, thy 
 time and treasure have indeed been misapplied, 
 if they can only be repaid by the misery of thy 
 child ; but think not I will sacrifice my heart's 
 best affections to gratify an ambition as vain 
 as it is heartless. The instruction thou hast 
 bestowed on me has not all been thrown away ; 
 I, too, can be firm," and, rising from her seat, 
 she stood confronting him with a look of proud 
 determination, that at any other moment would 
 
 VOL. I. M
 
 THE TWIN BROTHERS OF NEARDA. 
 
 have excited surprise, but now it roused him 
 almost to frenzy. 
 
 " Girl, girl, thou wilt madden me," he ex- 
 claimed, in a tone of contemptuous pity ; " but 
 beware that I am not tempted too far. See 
 that thou receivest Abishai as becometh thy 
 father's child. Remember, too, that I will not 
 be trifled with, and that dearly as I have loved, 
 and, despite thy reproach, love thee still, I can, 
 and will find a way, to enforce obedience ; and 
 think not the tie of blood shall screen thee, 
 that very fact will make thy punishment the 
 more terrible. I swear by thy mother's me- 
 mory, if, through thy neglect, thy silly cousin 
 wins thy betrothed from his allegiance to thee, 
 I will have thee scourged, even as I would the 
 meanest slave who disobeyed my will. There- 
 fore," he added, in a voice hoarse with excess 
 of passion, " see that I am obeyed," and thus 
 saying he left her, too much stunned and ter- 
 rified by his words to be capable of reply.
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 THE air of languor imparted to the countenance 
 of Paula, by the struggles of conflicting pas- 
 sions, added a new charm to her beauty, which 
 was naturally of a pensive character ; and the 
 gorgeous dress which she wore, in obedience to 
 the commands of a parent whom, for the first 
 time in her life, she had learned to fear, gave 
 fresh lustre to her loveliness ; and as she joined 
 the family circle, who for the sake of coolness 
 had assembled to take the evening meal on the 
 terraced roof, she would have given worlds 
 to retain the friendly veil that would have con- 
 cealed her emotions ; and it was with difficulty 
 she could refrain from tears as her father re- 
 moved it, and saluting her cheek, led her to her 
 destined husband, who at once transferred his 
 admiration from her cousin to herself. Alas ! 
 none heard the whispered " Beware !" that broke 
 from his lips as he led her to the seat reserved 
 M 2
 
 244 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 for her, and which by a skilful manoeuvre, he had 
 managed should be directly opposite Abishai's. 
 Paula had dreamed of sorrow before ; then 
 she had deemed it reality, now she looked upon 
 the past as happiness, when compared with the 
 present. So true is it, that human misery, or 
 its reverse, is only great by comparison. She 
 knew her father now, not as she had dreamed of 
 him in her fond heart, all love and tenderness ; 
 but as the world, as Anilai had known him, for 
 years, a cold, callous, selfish man, calculating 
 to the utmost, even the returns his affections, 
 if he could be said to possess any, would bear. 
 And, oh, the bitter agony of that knowledge ! 
 like Eve, she had bought it dearly. She lis- 
 tened, or appeared to listen, to the conversation 
 passing around, but when personally addressed, 
 her answers were so vague and unconnected 
 with the subject, that it was evident her atten- 
 tion was only seeming. She felt her father's 
 eye was upon her, but she did not venture to 
 look, and though she tried to exert herself to 
 speak, her efforts proved unavailing, and the 
 words died away in inarticulate murmurs. Yet, 
 Abishai thought her very eloquent ; young men 
 have a standard of their own, by which they 
 judge of the qualifications of beautiful females.
 
 OF NEARDA. 
 
 " Wilt thou sing, Paula?" asked her father, 
 with the softest inflection of which his voice 
 was capable. She would have refused, but one 
 glance served to convince her, that what ap- 
 peared as a gentle request to others, was in- 
 tended as a positive command to herself, and 
 not daring to disobey, though she felt much 
 inclined to do so, stretching forth her hand, 
 she mechanically received the proffered instru- 
 ment, a splendid harp, which he had brought 
 as a present from Nearda. There had been a 
 time, and not very remote either, when Paula 
 had looked upon her father's gifts as sacred 
 things ; but now she took it without a word of 
 thanks, or even seeming to notice that it was a 
 new offering of affection. Affection ! out upon 
 the thought ! love was too holy a name to be 
 employed, in expressing any feeling belonging 
 to one so utterly, hopelessly selfish as she 
 knew her father to be. The one redeeming 
 feature in his character, love for his child, was 
 only a more refined species of selfism. She 
 swept the chords of the instrument, on which 
 she was a proficient, and tried to sing ; but like 
 her attempts at conversation, the endeavour 
 proved abortive. 
 
 " I cannot sing," she said, in tremulous
 
 246 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 accents. They were the first words she had 
 spoken before the Nasi's son, and he was 
 charmed by the sweetness of her voice. 
 
 " Try again," said Ben Yussuf in a winning 
 tone, for he wished her talents to shine to ad- 
 vantage before the young man. Again she 
 strove to obey, and again it was a failure. 
 The merchant's eye gleamed with anger, and 
 this time he spoke harshly, for his spirit was 
 roused by what appeared a premeditated act of 
 disobedience. 
 
 " This is sheer wilfulness," he exclaimed, 
 rising from his seat ; " Paula, I command thee 
 to sing." Her face and neck became painfully 
 hot, and the tears that trembled in her eyes 
 were only restrained from falling, by a strong 
 effort of maidenly pride. Dinah saw her distress, 
 and came to her assistance. 
 
 " My cousin is too unwell to comply with 
 thy request, dear uncle," she said in a soothing 
 tone ; but her indignant look belied her accent, 
 as she continued, " If my poor voice will 
 serve as a substitute, I am willing to oblige 
 thee?" 
 
 " I doubt it not, I doubt it not," he replied 
 with a sneer. " Thou art too forward for a 
 maiden, and ever willing to display thine ac-
 
 OF NEARDA. 04,7 
 
 complishments, but I am not willing to receive 
 a substitute ; thy cousin can, and will oblige 
 me by singing," he added, resuming his 
 winning tone, as he turned once more toward 
 his daughter, whose appealing look had silenced 
 the angry words that rose to Simon's lip, at the 
 unprovoked insult offered to his unoffending 
 child. 
 
 With a flushed cheek, Paula played a low sym- 
 phony on the harp, and with a trembling voice, 
 which, however, gained power as she proceeded, 
 she sang one of the lamentations of Jeremiah, 
 a style of singing admirably suited to the deep 
 pathos of her voice, and the melancholy mood 
 of her mind. Abishai, who had felt deeply for 
 the pain inflicted on the two gentle girls, had 
 arisen from his seat, at the commencement of 
 her song, and stood beside the fair musician ; 
 and when she had concluded, he was lavish in 
 his admiration of her voice. She did not look 
 up to reply, for, looking on him as the means of 
 destroying her father's affections, her feelings 
 towards him were not of the kindliest nature. 
 
 " I have presents for thee from Jerusalem, 
 fair maiden," he said, nothing daunted by her 
 silence, " and messages of love from those who 
 will joy to receive thee as a daughter, and a
 
 248 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 sister." Still Paula replied not, and he went 
 on. " I have sisters, too, and deem it not a 
 brother's vanity, when I tell thee they are glad, 
 joyous beings, full of tenderness and love. 
 Esther is beautiful too, almost of thine own 
 age, and rich in intelligence. And my sweet 
 little Leah, a laughing, merry child, graceful as 
 a flower, but timid as a half-tamed fawn," (and 
 his eyes filled with tears of proud affection, and 
 his voice faltered as he spoke of her,) " bade me 
 tell the maiden who was to be my bride, that 
 she would love her tenderly for her brother's 
 sake, and sent this, as a token of regard ;" and 
 he drew from his bosom a small packet, bound 
 round with a shining tress of silky brown hair, 
 and offered it to his unwilling listener. 
 
 " Thanks for thy flattering words," she said, 
 compelled to speak at last. " But thou hadst 
 best preserve the fair child's gift for the one 
 for whom it was destined, the bride of thy 
 choice." 
 
 " And art not thou my destined bride ?" 
 said the young man, in astonishment, as he 
 again offered his sister's gift, with a look which 
 showed how deeply he felt the repulse of 
 Leah's gift. 
 
 " Nay," she replied, colouring deeply, and
 
 OF NEARDA 
 
 averting her face to avoid his impassioned gaze ; 
 more she would have added, but he would not 
 hear her. 
 
 " Do not refuse the simple child's gift of 
 love ; it would grieve her affectionate heart, 
 were her offering returned upon her hands. 
 Oh make me not the bearer of such humili- 
 ation, to one who is unused to meet with 
 rebuffs ;" and the deep feeling displayed by his 
 voice and manner, backed by a threatening 
 look from her father, induced her to accept it. 
 To Abishai alone the evening passed plea- 
 santly, for he was too happy at Paula's accept- 
 ance of Leah's present to question the motives 
 that had actuated her, and if for a moment he 
 thought upon her refusal, he deemed it only 
 as an act of maidenly reserve. To the rest of 
 the party, with the exception of Ben Yussuf, 
 who looked upon that magic little packet as 
 the first step toward the fruition of his hopes, 
 the evening passed wearily enough ; even the 
 merry Dinah was sad and thoughtful, and both 
 cousins felt it a relief when a moonlight shower 
 compelled them to take refuge in their own 
 chambers. 
 
 " Wilt thou not admit me, dear cousin ?" 
 said Dinah in a low voice, as she tapped gently 
 M 3
 
 250 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 at the door of Paula's chamber. " Come in," 
 was the reply. Dinah obeyed, and closing the 
 door after her, she turned the key in the lock 
 with an air of pretty mystery, and then seated 
 herself beside her cousin. Paula raised her 
 eyes for a moment as Dinah entered, and then 
 dropped them again, and looked down with an 
 intent gaze on the rich Persian carpet on which 
 she was seated, as if deeply engaged in studying 
 its complicated pattern. 
 
 " I have news for thee, dear Paula," said the 
 merry maiden, gently laying her hand on her 
 cousin's, to arouse her attention, while she 
 glanced curiously over a number of children's 
 toys, strewed before her ; they were the contents 
 of Leah's packet. " But thou dost not heed 
 me," she added in a tone of disappointment. 
 
 " Yes, yes, I do," said Paula eagerly, as if 
 seeking to escape her own thoughts ; " tell me, 
 what is thy news, and to whom does it refer ?" 
 
 " In the first place there is a messenger 
 from Jerusalem," (Paula gasped for breath,) 
 " with tidings that our dear Hannah is a 
 mother! Ay!" she continued joyfully, "and 
 a son is born to my father's house." 
 
 " Is that all?" said Paula despairingly, for 
 the mention of a messenger from Jerusalem,
 
 OP NEARDA. 251 
 
 had awakened a desperate hope, of she knew 
 not what. 
 
 " No, it is not all," remarked Dinah angrily, 
 for she was vexed at the cold manner in which 
 the intelligence, that made her heart throb 
 with exultant joy, was received. " Had Hannah 
 heard such tidings of thee, she had not listened 
 so carelessly, she would have filled her heart 
 'and house with rejoicing, and in the fulness of 
 her joy she would have said, ' Let the wine 
 cup be filled, give clothes unto the naked, food 
 to the poor, and money to the needy, so that 
 the hearts of the poor be made glad, for this 
 day a son is born unto the house of one of my 
 near of kin.' " 
 
 " Forgive me !" pleaded the heart-stricken 
 girl, bursting into passionate tears. " Indeed 
 I am very unhappy. I never thought sorrow 
 would have rendered me selfish, but it seems 
 selfishness is inherent in my nature ;" and she 
 endeavoured to smile, but the attempt was a 
 miserable failure. 
 
 " Oh, do not look thus, or thou wilt make 
 me weep too," sobbed Dinah, as she threw her 
 arms around her cousin's neck. " I meant not 
 to chide thee, dearest ; and now I will tell thee 
 all I know, if thou wilt promise me to look
 
 252 THE TW I N BROTHERS 
 
 more cheerful. The messenger was the bearer 
 of two letters, beside the one from Onias to my 
 father, announcing the birth of his child, and 
 the welfare of its dear dear mother : one was 
 to thy father, which he read without comment, 
 and placed in his vest. The other was to 
 Abishai ; he said it was from the Nasi, his 
 father, recalling him to Jerusalem, and telling 
 him there were daily tumults in the streets of 
 the Holy City, between the people and the 
 Roman garrison, which if not allayed, he fears, 
 will lead to a breach between Judea and Rome ; 
 and the presence of thy destined bridegroom is 
 required to aid in soothing the popular commo- 
 tions ; and he must not delay above a fortnight 
 at the farthest. When he told us this much, 
 my uncle drew him aside, and after a few 
 moments he returned and told my father he 
 must return to Nearda ; and thou must accom- 
 pany him. I staid not to hear more, though I 
 fancied thy return to Nearda was only intended 
 as a preliminary to thy removal to Jerusalem, 
 as the bride of Abishai ; so I came away to 
 tell thee. But, good heavens! thou art faint ; 
 let me call Nuna." 
 
 " No, no," she gasped, " call no assistance, 
 but give me air, for I am suffocating."
 
 OF NEARDA. 
 
 Dinah did as she was desired, hastily opening 
 the casement to admit the breeze, but breeze 
 there was none. The rain drops glittered 
 brightly in the clear moonlight, but leaf and 
 flower were still, and no sound was heard save 
 the gentle dripping of the shining drops, from 
 the branches of the trees, into the waters of 
 the fountain, in the court below. A strong 
 effort of self-control, however, restored Paula, 
 and bathing her hot temples, she returned to 
 her seat. 
 
 " I have other tidings for thee, Paula," said 
 Dinah, also resuming her seat, and drawing a 
 small packet from her bosom. She placed it 
 in her hand. Hastily unwinding the silken 
 thread that secured it, Paula carried it to the 
 light to examine its contents. It contained 
 only a small bunch of flowers, half faded ; but 
 to one skilled in the language of those beautiful 
 emblems from the great book of nature, their 
 hidden meaning was quickly deciphered; when 
 arranged as now, the sense conveyed was, 
 " Meet me to-night." 
 
 " Who gave thee this?" she demanded, turn- 
 ing towards Dinah, who, without replying, stood 
 with a fascinated gaze fixed on the opposite
 
 254 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 casement which opened on a broad terrace 
 lined with trees, and leading by a flight of 
 steps into the garden. Following her cousin's 
 eye, Paula saw that the moonlight was ob- 
 scured by some palpable body, and that that 
 body was the figure of a man. Depressed and 
 low-spirited from the effect of her recent agita- 
 tion, Paula forgot the tenor of the message 
 she had received, and suffering terror for a 
 moment to overcome every prudential consi- 
 deration, without noticing the intruder's signal 
 for silence, she screamed aloud. 
 
 " Be silent, dearest, if thou lovest me!" in 
 the voice of Anilai, reassured her, but she had 
 only time to whisper reproachfully, "If I 
 love thee !" when lights were seen flashing 
 through the crevices of the door, and steps and 
 voices were heard in the corridor. The youth 
 had barely time to effect a retreat through the 
 casement, which Dinah immediately closed, and 
 speeding across the room she softly unlocked 
 the door. So swiftly had she executed this 
 movement, that though his hand was upon 
 the door at the critical moment, Dinah had 
 returned, and was kneeling beside her cousin, 
 supporting her head on her knee for she had
 
 OF NEARDA. 055 
 
 fainted when Ben Yussuf entered, accom- 
 panied by Simon, Zillah, and many of the 
 household. 
 
 " Did I not hear a cry for help ?" said Ben 
 Yussuf, addressing his niece. 
 
 " My cousin has fainted," replied Dinah 
 evasively, and looking down to hide her confu- 
 sion. Ben Yussuf looked inquisitively on her, 
 but her face was steadily averted; and as he 
 had no ground for suspecting her, though dis- 
 satisfied with her evasive answer, he was obliged 
 to content himself, and assist in restoring his 
 child to consciousness. She soon revived, and 
 committing her to the care of Zillah, he bade 
 her recruit her strength, as she would need it 
 for the morrow's journey, and left her.
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 THERE was another meeting in the grounds 
 of Simon that night. It was within a few 
 minutes of twelve when a female figure, closely 
 enveloped in a mantle and veil, stepped softly 
 out on the terrace, and descending into the 
 garden, glided noiselessly along under the sha- 
 dows of the trees till she stood beneath a large 
 citron that shaded a fountain. " Thou hast 
 tarried long," said the voice of a man, in the 
 sharp accents of impatience; " the moon has 
 reached her meridian, and I have been waiting 
 a full hour for thy coming." 
 
 " I could not earlier keep my appointment, 
 Philip ; my mistress has been ill, and I feared 
 I should be obliged to forego the meeting," said 
 Billah languidly, as she seated herself on a little 
 rustic bench. " And now tell me, Philip, what 
 is thine object in seeking me at this hour of 
 the night? for I must hasten back, and nothing 
 but the urgency of thy request could have in-
 
 THE TWIN BROTHERS OF NEARDA. 
 
 duced me to forget my maidenly dignity so far 
 as to meet thee at so untimely an hour." 
 
 " Nonsense, Billah, leave such folly to thy 
 betters, and be the plain sensible girl I have 
 ever found thee till now," and he sat down 
 beside her, and took her hand in one of his, 
 while with the other he put back her veil and 
 looked admiringly into her face. " Thou art 
 grown paler and thinner, Billah," he said, after 
 a moment's pause, " tell me, hast thou been ill 
 since we last met ?" 
 
 " No," she said with a faint smile, " but" 
 she paused, and a crimson flush mounted to 
 her pale brow. 
 
 " But what, dearest ?" 
 
 " I have suffered worse than indisposition, 
 Philip. I have been scoffed at, and insulted, 
 called fool, and mocked with cherishing an 
 unasked, unreturned affection;" and she burst 
 into tears of passion. 
 
 " Who has dared do this?" demanded the 
 young man fiercely ; " tell me, dearest, and the 
 insult, shall not pass unpunished." 
 
 "It is Nuna, my mistress's chief hand- 
 maid," she replied ; " nor has Ben Yussuf 
 spared angry words, for Nuna told him of our 
 love ; nor blows either, look !" and loosening her
 
 258 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 dress, she partly removed it from her shoulder, 
 and displayed to the eyes of the shocked and 
 angry Philip, two long weals crossing the white 
 and beautiful shoulder. 
 
 " Curse him !" he said, stamping furiously 
 on the ground " curse him, he will not rest 
 till he is despoiled of his ill-gotten wealth. He 
 goes to Nearda to-morrow, does he not?" he 
 asked in a half careless tone. 
 
 " Why dost thou ask this question ?" she 
 demanded, looking inquisitively in the half- 
 averted countenance of her companion. " Oh 
 Philip, let me entreat thee not to repeat the 
 scene of the forest glade ; if thou comest only 
 to draw my tongue to betray my master, thou 
 hast mistaken me." 
 
 " Silly girl, why dost thou needlessly alarm 
 thyself? Answer me the question I have put, 
 and fear not ; no harm is intended." 
 
 " Dost thou call it no harm to waylay and 
 rob the peaceful traveller? Is it no harm to 
 frighten timid maidens, and despoil the master 
 who fostered and protected thy youth, and who 
 has been a kind friend to thine aged father?" 
 
 " Fostered ! protected ! kind friend ! These 
 are terms I never heard applied to Moses Ben 
 Yussuf till now," he said, contemptuously, "and
 
 OF NEARDA. 259 
 
 least of all had I expected to hear them from 
 thee, smarting from recent insult." 
 
 "He was a friend to my widowed mother 
 when she was poor and friendless," said the 
 maiden, with deep feeling ; " and his daughter 
 has ever been a kind and indulgent mistress." 
 
 " He struck thee ! " said the young man 
 fiercely, and he passed his fingers over the black 
 lines on her shoulder. A burning glow came 
 over her face, but she did not reply, " He 
 struck thee, Billah," he repeated bitterly, " and 
 yet for his sake thou wilt refuse to answer a 
 simple question, to one who loves thee as the 
 thirsting deer loves the running brook, or the 
 soaring eagle the mountain's brow ? " and he 
 pressed his fevered lip to her cheek. 
 
 " We return to Nearda to-morrow," she fal- 
 teringly replied, " but whether by land or water 
 I cannot tell. Hush!" she continued, lowering 
 her voice to a whisper, " methought I heard a 
 step approaching." Philip bent eagerly forward 
 to listen, but after a moment he turned to her 
 again. 
 
 " It is only fancy," he said ; " but we will 
 part now, dear Billah. Fear me not. I will 
 ask thy hand of this haughty merchant, as thou
 
 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 hast frequently besought me to do ; but what ii 
 he refuses my suit? " 
 
 " Then I will comply with thy wish, and be 
 thy bride without his consent. And now, fare- 
 well." She drew her veil over her head, and, 
 wrapping her mantle about her, stole softly 
 back to the house. 
 
 Philip stood musing for a moment after her 
 departure, and then vaulted lightly over the 
 hedge that divided Simon's gardens from the 
 road. 
 
 " That was a bold leap, Philip," said Anilai, 
 laughingly, as he sprung up from beneath the 
 hedge. " It is needless to ask thee how thy 
 wooing sped; successful suitors make but slight 
 account of time ; and, from thy having detained 
 me here some five hours, I should suppose thou 
 art one of that happy number." 
 
 Philip laughed lightly as he replied, " The 
 fair Billah is not very unkind; but, judging 
 from my lord's accurate measurement of the 
 runaway he has alluded to, his own suit has 
 not sped so prosperously." 
 
 A shade, it might have been of displeasure, 
 or it might have been of pain, crossed the open 
 brow of Anilai ; and he sighed bitterly as he said,
 
 OF NEARDA. 
 
 " A strange hawk is hovering over my quarry, 
 and, I fear, despite the struggles of my gentle 
 bird, he will bear her away captive, and im- 
 prison her in a cage, against the bars of which, 
 though they were wrought of gold, she would 
 flutter till her wings were broken and life 
 gone. And the youth," he continued, giving 
 way to his feelings, and dropping his meta- 
 phor, "and the youth who seeks her hand, 
 besides being countenanced and assisted by 
 her father, possesses both beauty and talent, in 
 such an eminent degree, that even jealousy 
 must admit it. But," he added, abruptly chang- 
 ing his manner, "what didst thou learn of the 
 handmaiden?" 
 
 " But little," answered Philip, '' save that it 
 is truth the merchant leaves Babylon to-morrow ; 
 but how, or at what time, she either could not, 
 or would not tell me." Philip might have added, 
 had he so listed, " but she did tell me, that the 
 household whispered that, within the moon, the 
 fair Paula would become the bride of the Nasi's 
 son, who would remove her almost immediately 
 to Jerusalem." But he did not do so, for he 
 saw how severely he suffered already from the 
 bare suspicion of such an event.
 
 THE TWIN BROTHERS OF NEARDA. 
 
 " It is useless tarrying here longer," said 
 Anilai gloomily, and, linking his arm in his 
 companion's, he strode rapidly forward, as if 
 seeking to lose his painful feelings in the ra- 
 pidity of his motions.
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 THE morning succeeding that eventful night 
 rose clear and beautiful, but as the day ad- 
 vanced the atmosphere became heated to an 
 almost unendurable degree. The sky was al" 
 most transparent, no cloud relieved its dazzling 
 brightness, it was purely blue. The waves of 
 the Euphrates were as still as a dreamless sleep. 
 The voices of the birds were hushed, and the 
 parched flowers drooped and withered in the 
 sultry heat. Earth, air, and water were still; 
 and the fiery beams of the glaring sun seemed 
 to have destroyed the vitality that his genial 
 warmth had assisted to call into being. The 
 reaper had thrown aside his sickle, and faint 
 and oppressed with heat, sat upon the shady 
 banks of the running brook, whither the flocks 
 and herds had likewise sought shelter. The 
 slaves lay listlessly in the porticoes and court- 
 yards, and heavy stillness pervaded the whole
 
 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 face of nature. Those who were skilled in 
 atmospherical signs predicted that such uni- 
 versal stillness foretold a coming storm. 
 
 Overcome by the intense heat, Paula reclined 
 on the couch in her chamber. The lattices were 
 thrown open, but the curtains had been drawn 
 to exclude the sun; and the heavy fragrance of 
 flowers was around. Dinah was seated by her 
 side, watching her fitful and feverish slumber, 
 for she slept once or twice ; she had attempted 
 to sing, but the spell of the day was upon her, 
 and the attempt died away into a low mur- 
 muring, like the droning of a bee. The ener- 
 gies of mind and body were relaxed by the 
 intensity of the heat. 
 
 Simon had endeavoured to dissuade his 
 brother-in-law from departing that night, or at 
 least from exposing his daughter to the evil of 
 the coming storm. The merchant laughed at 
 his fears, ridiculed the notion of a storm in such 
 lovely weather, said he had ordered his galley 
 to be ready by sundown, and despite of the 
 urging of Simon, even though backed by 
 Abishai, he would not be deterred, but re- 
 mained inflexibly bent, not only on quitting 
 Babylon that night, but in quitting it by water, 
 averring that, that was by far the safest mode
 
 OF NEARDA. 
 
 of travelling, the roads being infested with the 
 robber bands of his rebel slaves, against whom 
 he continued to denounce the fiercest vows of 
 vengeance. 
 
 Evening came, and the sun had dipped his 
 broad disc in the wave, when Paula tore herself 
 from the embrace of Dinah, who hung weeping 
 upon her neck. Long after the litter which con- 
 veyed her to the place of embarkation disap- 
 peared, the affectionate girl stood on the highest 
 terrace of the roof, endeavouring to trace its 
 progress through the gathering gloom. 
 
 Meanwhile Paula was conveyed on board, 
 and as her uncle, who had accompanied the 
 party to the boat, impressed a parting kiss on 
 her cheek, and blessing her, bade her farewell, 
 in broken accents, she felt as if the last throb 
 of hope had departed. A cabin had been pre- 
 pared for her handmaidens and herself, but she 
 preferred remaining on deck to the suffocating 
 heat below ; stretched on a couch beneath a 
 silken canopy, she watched the black fantastic 
 shadows of tower, shrine, and palace, reflected 
 on the still waters, through which they pro- 
 gressed but slowly ; the sails being worse than 
 useless, only serving to impede their way, and 
 the galley was impelled by the exertions of 
 
 VOL. I. N
 
 266 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 the rowers, who kept time with their oars to 
 a low song, the soft monotonous tune of which 
 accorded well with the deep stillness they sang 
 the song in parts, the words of which ran nearly 
 as follows : 
 
 SONG. 
 
 FIRST BOATMAN. 
 
 Steer thy course, boatman, the billows are sleeping, 
 
 The waves of Euphrates are silent and fair ; 
 
 The drooping birch over its sedgy bank'weeping, 
 
 Bends to the night breeze that dries her wet hair. 
 
 They say that the earth is all beauty and brightness, 
 
 But which of her fairest and loveliest daughters, 
 
 Can compete with the white water lily in lightness, 
 
 The pride and the gem of the Euphrates' waters ? 
 
 Oh dear unto us is the roar of the billow ; 
 
 And the scream of the sea bird, as upward it soars, 
 
 Is more sweet than the thrush's low song, from the willow ; 
 
 And the boatman keeps time with the dash of his oars. 
 
 SECOND BOATMAN. 
 
 Steer thy course, boatman, bright eyes are watching 
 
 For thee, and fond bosoms are panting to greet thee ; 
 
 And the gleam of thy sails, through the long distance catching, 
 
 Thy loved one comes forth in the moonlight to meet thee. 
 
 Her fair hands, to crown her dark ringlets, are wreathing 
 
 The sea flowers thou lovest, from Euphrates' wave ; 
 
 For well does she know, that thou deemest their breathing 
 
 More sweet than the fragrance earth's flowers e'er gave.
 
 OF NEARDA. 
 
 267 
 
 And what though the spirit be weary and grieving, 
 
 Soon her soft soothing its gladness restores, 
 
 Her musical song all its sorrows relieving, 
 
 While the boatman keeps time with the dash of his oars. 
 
 THIRD BOATMAN. 
 
 Steer thy course, boatman, though thunder clouds gather, 
 
 Nought should the speed of our galley impede ; 
 
 The storm in its mightiest hour she will weather, 
 
 Keep her on to the track, like a huntsman his steed. 
 
 I love the frail bark, like a sea bird she wingeth 
 
 Her way through the waters ; how lovely she seems, 
 
 As her snowy white sail to the night wind she flingeth, 
 
 And speeds onward more swift than the spirit of dreams. 
 
 In storm or in sunshine I love the blue wave, 
 
 It is dearer to me than the loveliest shores ; 
 
 When dead, be the Euphrates' bosom my grave, 
 
 And the boatman keep time o'er my head with his oars. 
 
 FOURTH BOATMAN. 
 
 Steer thy course, boatman, though sorrow should reach us, 
 Through the hearts that are dearest unto us, What then ? 
 The never -hushed hymn of the waters shall teach us, 
 To cast off our sorrows, or bear them like men. 
 Fair freedom forsaken by earth's sons and daughters, 
 Who hugging their bondage refuse to be free, 
 An altar shall find on the fathomless waters, 
 And a home hi the hearts of the sons of the sea. 
 Yes, Liberty shelter'd among us rejoices, 
 And we heed not the tempest, though round us it roars ; 
 But with its hoarse wailing we mingle our voices, 
 And keep time to its song with the dash of our oars. 
 N 2
 
 268 THE TW1N BROTHERS 
 
 We will steer our course, boatmen, all careless of dangers, 
 
 Let the waves dash around us, enraged as they will ; 
 
 They, whose trust is in God, to terror are strangers, 
 
 We may baffle their fury with patience and skill. 
 
 Oh thus, when life's tempests around us are raging, 
 
 Tame hearts unresisting a sacrifice fall ; 
 
 While those, who have courage to face them, assuaging 
 
 The full tide of sorrow, may conquer them all. 
 
 Then steer thy course, boatman, yonder 's our beacon, 
 
 Like the bright star of hope, afar on our shores ; 
 
 Though age and infirmity finally weaken 
 
 Our strength, while we can, we'll keep time with our oars. 
 
 During the time of the oarsmen's song, Paula 
 had listened silently, with her eyes fixed on the 
 sky, which was of a dull leaden hue, moonless 
 and starless. The full chorus of voices pealing 
 through the unnatural stillness, with a deep 
 swell, and the regular plashing of the oars, 
 sounded with an awful solemnity on the night ; 
 which was almost palpably dark. The single 
 lamp on the bows of the galley, scarcely 
 pierced a yard through the gloom, that hung 
 like an immense pall over the river, the black 
 waves of which flowed on without a murmur, 
 save where they rippled in the wake of the 
 vessel, which was slowly propelled forward.
 
 OF NEARDA. 
 
 The mighty heart of nature seemed pulseless, 
 lifeless, and the spirit of darkness hung brood- 
 ing over the world, with an iron sway that 
 awed the boldest hearts, and chilled the very 
 blood in the veins of the timid. As yet, all 
 was silent. Echo itself seemed dead, but as 
 the last sound of the echoless voice died away, 
 an exclamation of " Merciful God, protect us !" 
 burst from every lip. The rowers lay upon 
 their oars, while with pale blue lips, and hearts 
 that had almost ceased to beat, Ben Yussuf 
 and Abishai drew closer together, and the 
 young maiden, who had started to her feet, 
 stood supporting herself against the mast. 
 Well might mortal eyes look with awe on the 
 wondrous phenomena of nature ; the portals of 
 heaven seemed suddenly opened, and over the 
 dark concave came a burst of light, so vivid 
 and brilliantly blue, that it lighted up the coun- 
 try for miles round ; filling the deepest re- 
 cesses of the forest with light, and reflecting 
 every object in the black waves of the river, 
 which now began to foam and boil like a 
 heated cauldron. The lightning flash died 
 away almost instantaneously, leaving all again 
 in utter darkness, but it was followed by a 
 thunder peal, so long and loud, that it rever-
 
 270 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 berated through the arched vault of heaven, 
 and shook the earth to its very centre. No 
 rain drop had yet fallen, no breath had stirred. 
 The atmosphere was still, and burning as at 
 noonday. There was no moisture on the 
 parched skin, the dry and scorching heat 
 seemed drying up the blood in the veins of all ; 
 but the winds were now loosed from their 
 caves, the little bark was tossed to and fro, the 
 light at the bows was extinguished by the 
 spray dashing over it ; it was impossible to 
 kindle another, and, totally unmanageable, the 
 galley was drifted hither and thither, at the 
 mercy of the elements. The spirit of the tem- 
 pest rode triumphantly abroad on the wings 
 of the whirlwind. The rain poured down in 
 deluging torrents like a huge sheet of water. 
 The jarring elements met in frightful discord, 
 and the storm raged on in utter darkness. The 
 fiends of the air seemed struggling for mas- 
 tery with the fierce spirits of the wave. It was 
 a night of unexampled horror and confusion. 
 The aged monarchs of the wood, that had 
 braved the storm-god's power for centuries, 
 and seemed coeval with the birth of time, were 
 torn up by the roots, and mingled with frag- 
 ments of granite, broken from the living rock,
 
 OF NEARDA. 
 
 came tumbling down into the fierce flood, that 
 went boiling and foaming onward, lashing its 
 banks with the fury of an angry lion. The red 
 lightning ever and anon flashed through the 
 firmament, shedding a ghastly but momentary 
 light on the black and swollen Euphrates. It 
 was a fearful thing for those on board that 
 tiny bark to hear the awful voice of the 
 ETERNAL speaking through the storm, and 
 know that but a few frail and groaning timbers 
 stood between them and eternity; and beautiful 
 it was to see that young girl, the lightning 
 playing round her, her fair arms clinging 
 to the tottering mast, the rain drops dripping 
 from her long hair, and a look of rapt and holy 
 awe on her pale face, as the shrieking storm- 
 blast swept by. The rowers, her father and 
 Abishai, sat huddled together, silently awaiting 
 a doom that appeared inevitable ; and through 
 the pauses of the storm,' the sobs of the terri- 
 fied handmaids were distinctly audible. 
 
 It was deep midnight, and a lull of longer 
 duration than any preceding one, enabled the 
 drenched and disconsolate voyagers to discuss 
 the probable chances of their destiny. 
 
 " It is an awful night," said the elder of the 
 boatmen solemnly, in reply to a remark from
 
 THE TW I N BROTHERS 
 
 the merchant ; " and often as it has been my 
 fate to buffet with the wind and storm in the 
 darkness of the night, I never remember any 
 thing half so tremendous as this." 
 
 " Ay, but it seems abating, " said Ben 
 Yussuf ; " and dost thou not think, if it con- 
 tinues calm, that there is still some chance of 
 safety ? If not," he continued, muttering to 
 himself, " I have indeed much to answer for, 
 and have destroyed my child's love for me in 
 vain. But that is past; and repining for the 
 past is something worse than folly. The storm 
 seems subsiding," he added once more, address- 
 ing the boatmen, who had been consulting to- 
 gether, " and with patience and skill, such as 
 ye boasted of some three hours since, I think 
 we may yet be saved." 
 
 The boatmen shook their heads sadly. " We 
 fear not; it is but a deceitful lull. God's will 
 be done. What the skill of man can effect, we 
 will do. But first, let us secure the delicate 
 maiden, thy daughter ; her situation is perilous 
 in the extreme. And " the conclusion of the 
 sentence was lost. Again the floodgates of hea- 
 ven poured forth their deluging torrents. The 
 winds howled with increasing fury, and the 
 spray dashed into the faces of the unhappy
 
 OF NEARDA. 273 
 
 voyagers, who with difficulty retained their hold. 
 The little bark was now borne aloft on moun- 
 tain waves, and then dashed back with terrible 
 violence into the gulf that seemed yawning for 
 its destruction. The sails, which had been 
 hoisted when the wind began to rise, and the 
 silken canopy, were torn in pieces. The waters 
 washed furiously over their bows, swamping 
 the deck, and the immense pressure made the 
 starting planks groan and screech, like a living 
 thing in the throes of death ; while darkness so 
 dense as to be almost felt was around, and every 
 moment seemed as if it would merge time in 
 eternity. 
 
 Hours had passed thus. Paula's hands were 
 fast relaxing their hold, when her failing ener- 
 gies were roused once more to exertion by 
 a burst of thunder, so loud and prolonged that 
 it seemed as if the earth were involved in chaos 
 again, and the material world destroyed by its 
 might. The boat was cast forth from the trough 
 of the troubled waters. The peal echoed and 
 re-echoed in long reverberation, then died away, 
 and all was profoundly still. The elements had 
 spent their fury. That thunder blast seemed 
 like the last gasp of expiring nature ; her ener- 
 gies were exhausted. A voice from the highest 
 
 N3
 
 274 THE TWIN BROTHERS OF NEARDA. 
 
 heaven had bid the raging wave be still, and the 
 swollen and angry waters shrank back to their 
 channel ; the perilous hour was past, and the 
 groaning of the winds subsided to a moan, gra- 
 dually becoming fainter and fainter.
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 IT was a soul-sickening sight to look on the 
 beautiful country surrounding the Euphrates, 
 the morning after the storm. The spirit of 
 destruction had laid waste large tracts of coun- 
 try for leagues around ; and many of the villages, 
 for miles along the banks of the river, were in 
 ruins. It made the heart sink to see the broad 
 surface of the still swollen waters covered with 
 articles of household use, giant trees, huge 
 fragments of rock, animals, wild and tame, and, 
 worst of all, human bodies. 
 
 The fields of golden corn that had waved so 
 brightly in the setting sun, were now one scene 
 of ruin ; the waters had washed away the reward 
 of the husbandman's labour. It was a piteous 
 thing, too, to see the vineyards destroyed, the 
 fragile tendrils of the vine trailing the earth, 
 and the green fruit lying on the ground. Nor 
 were human figures wanted to complete the sad
 
 276 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 picture. The unhappy husbandmen and vine- 
 dressers stood gazing with heart-stricken looks 
 on the effects of the tempest. Nor had the 
 shepherds and herdsmen escaped unscathed, 
 whole flocks and herds having been swept away 
 by the floods. The wives and children of some, 
 half naked, homeless and helpless, clung to the 
 forlorn husbands and fathers of families ; others, 
 still more unhappy, were buried in the ruins. 
 
 In the midst of a small thriving plantation, 
 or, rather, a plantation that had been thriving 
 some twelve hours since, but which now, like 
 the once cheerful cottage, was totally destroyed, 
 was a group that must have moved a heart of 
 marble to pity. The principal figure in the 
 group was a youthful female, seated on the 
 trunk of a fig-tree which had been uprooted by 
 the wind; the boughs were laden with fruit 
 which would never ripen ; but it looked not, as 
 it lay there cut down in its pride and beauty, 
 half so mournful and desolate as the fair crea- 
 ture who had made it her temporary resting- 
 place. Her fragile limbs were but slightly pro- 
 tected from the cold morning wind by the thin 
 night robe that loosely enveloped them. Her 
 head-dress had been displaced, and her loosened 
 hair, falling in cloud-like masses over her per-
 
 OF NEARDA. 277 
 
 son, half screened an infant cradled on her 
 breast; for, though her age did not exceed 
 seventeen, she was a mother. Her face was 
 pale as marble, and there was a painful rigidity 
 of the muscles that might have been mistaken 
 for death, but for the wandering glances of the 
 soft brown eyes that moved restlessly from the 
 sleeping babe at her breast to the still features 
 of the one at her feet, who was evidently its 
 twin born. Two other figures finished the 
 group. The former was in the dawn of life's 
 summer; the latter, on the last verge of its 
 autumn. They were the husband and mother 
 of that unhappy one, and lay on the ground 
 beside her lifeless babe, like it, stark and stiff; 
 the last awful thunder shock had struck all 
 three dead. The fair infant, whose slight te- 
 nure of life was yet new; the strong heart of 
 manhood in its pride, and the feeble one de- 
 scending the steep hill of life, had alike fallen 
 victims. But the young wife and mother who, 
 when she lay down to rest a few hours since, 
 had deemed herself secure in every earthly 
 blessing, had survived to find herself deprived 
 of home and happiness, a widow, and an 
 orphan ! 
 
 Babylon and other cities, had likewise suf-
 
 278 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 fered severely. The spirit of desolation was 
 every where. The rude hovel, the splendid 
 palace, the loathsome prison cell, and the stately 
 structure, devoted to religion, had alike been 
 cast down ; and ruin and rubbish blocked the 
 public ways. The spirit of the storm had swept 
 with unsparing hand over the fairest produc- 
 tions of nature and art, leaving destruction and 
 blight where all had been brightness and 
 beauty. Here and there, too, might be seen 
 groups of human figures: some, actuated by 
 motives of humanity, were assisting the la- 
 bourers, despatched by the authorities, to clear 
 the rubbish and excavate the fallen buildings, 
 in order to rescue those who yet lived buried in 
 the ruins, and give the rites of sepulture to 
 those unhappy ones who had discharged the 
 great debt of humanity ; husbands were there 
 searching for their wives, wives for their hus- 
 bands, parents for their children, and children 
 for their parents some with that sweet success 
 which repayeth the severest toil and anxiety, 
 but many, oh, how many ! sought in vain for the 
 objects of their love ; or, if they found them, 
 discovered only the frail caskets that had shrined 
 the earthly idols of their affections. Every 
 human sympathy was awakened for the suf-
 
 OF NEARDA. 279 
 
 ferers, for there was scarcely a house or family 
 in the vast precincts of Babylon, but had in 
 some measure shared in the general calamity. 
 Some few there were, too, who took advantage 
 of the general confusion, to plunder those un- 
 fortunates, who were no longer able to protect 
 their property from the vile wretches who, as 
 the vulture scenteth the carnage from afar an<$ 
 maketh harvest of the dead, seize on the mis- 
 fortunes of their fellow mortals as the fittest 
 time for rejoicing, because they can pursue their 
 lawless inclinations unmolested. 
 
 Amid those who were busiest in assisting 
 the victims of the fearful visitation, were the 
 family and domestics of Simon ; who, beyond 
 the total destruction of the harvest, had suf- 
 fered but little. The agonizing suspense oc- 
 casioned by the uncertainty of Paula's fate had 
 prevented the family from retiring to repose, 
 and that night of fear had been spent in prayer 
 by them. The violence of the tempest, which 
 had carried every thing before it, prevented 
 their rendering any active assistance, even had 
 they known in what quarter to direct their 
 exertions ; but as soon as the pitchy murki- 
 ness of night yielded to the light of the dawn- 
 ing day, every one within the dwelling, not
 
 280 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 excepting even the females, were astir, bent on 
 rendering assistance to those who had been less 
 fortunate than themselves. Zillah, Zipporah, 
 Maaccah, and Esther, the four wives of Simon, 
 were busy with their damsels in preparing food 
 for the hungry, clothing for the naked, lint 
 and ointments for the bruised, and warm baths 
 and couches for the cold and weary. Nor was 
 Dinah idle ; ever active and useful, and though 
 so young, skilled in the use of simples, she ac- 
 companied her father into the fields, that she 
 might render assistance where it was required ; 
 no scruple of false delicacy preventing the 
 young girl from giving aid to those who stood 
 in need of her skill. One body of the do- 
 mestics and slaves was despatched to aid the 
 labourers who were clearing the streets of the 
 city ; the rest, headed by Simon and his daugh- 
 ter, traversed the country in every direction, 
 with the doubly benevolent intent of rendering 
 assistance where it was required, and seeking 
 intelligence of the unfortunate voyagers ; nor 
 had Simon neglected to despatch messengers to 
 Near da for tidings. 
 
 " Merciful God ! how inscrutable are thy 
 ways ; thine eyes are over the whole earth, the 
 tempest and the storm obey thy mighty will.
 
 OF NEARDA. 
 
 Thou sayest to the roaring winds, Be hushed ; 
 and, lo ! the voice of the tempest becomes 
 gentle as the summer breeze. Thou biddest 
 the angry waves be still, and they are placid as 
 a mirror. O Lord ! thy ways are full of mercy ; 
 thou who art higher than the highest heaven, 
 receive the thanks of the humblest of thy crea- 
 tures, for thy merciful kindness to her near of 
 kin:" with eyes upraised to heaven, and clasped 
 hands, Dinah thus poured forth the fulness of 
 her heart in prayer. With a heart bounding 
 with gratitude Simon stood beside her, gazing 
 intently on a scene that might have convinced 
 an atheist of the all-directing hand of a mer- 
 ciful Deity. By the side of the small plan- 
 tation, before described, an extraordinary finish 
 to that sad picture, lay the galley the cause 
 of so much anxiety. The waters had cast it 
 forth from their bosom, the angry waves had 
 rejected it, yet one alone had been swallowed 
 up in the vortex of the angry flood, that one 
 was Nuna, the chief of Paula's maidens, who 
 had sprung over the side in an agony of terror, 
 and instantly disappeared. On the deck of the 
 vessel, with drenched locks and deathly faces, 
 lay Ben Yussuf, his daughter, the Nasi's son, 
 and the four sturdy boatmen ; and below were
 
 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 the remaining damsels. To remove them, in- 
 sensible as they were, to Babylon, was scarcely 
 to be thought of; there was no dwelling near 
 fit to receive them, and to clear away the rub- 
 bish and render the habitation as tenable as 
 circumstances would admit of to receive them, 
 was the only alternative. 
 
 The slaves, accompanying Simon, were soon 
 busy under his superintendence, in clearing the 
 ruin ; but an unlooked-for interruption occurred 
 to delay their labours. 
 
 " Sacrilegious monsters !" exclaimed a hoarse 
 female voice ; " can ye not spare the habi- 
 tation of the dead ? must the hearth they loved 
 be profaned by the foot of the stranger, even 
 before they are consigned to their narrow beds ? 
 Begone ! begone ! lest I curse ye with the 
 widow's curse ;" and with her child raised in 
 one arm, her dark hair floating loosely over her 
 shoulders, her cheek of marble whiteness, and 
 her eyes flashing with indignation, the young 
 widow stood in the midst of the group. 
 
 The men instantly desisted from their la- 
 bours, and with mingled awe and wonder, stood 
 gazing on the beautiful apparition. 
 
 " We seek not to profane the abode of the 
 dead," replied Simon, mildly, " we seek only a
 
 OF NEARDA. 
 
 shelter for the living, or rather those, who hover 
 between life and death." 
 
 " Seek it elsewhere, then, anywhere but 
 beneath the roof of the unburied dead. Think 
 not, because ye are wealthy, and I am desolate, 
 that thou shalt triumph over me. No, no!" and 
 she laughed bitterly, " the proud man shall not 
 tread upon the neck of Marah. Yes, that is 
 my name," she continued, wildly. " Were they 
 not gifted with foresight who gave it me ? 
 Marah, Marah, that is bitterness, and is not 
 mine a bitter fate? Last night I sat here a 
 happy wife ; my mother, my husband, and my 
 boy, were here ; oh, we were so glad ! His 
 hand, my fond one's, was in mine ; and my boy, 
 my blessed cherub boy ! was cradled to rest in 
 the arms that had cradled his mother, years 
 ago. I will show them to thee now," and she 
 drew Simon to the door, and pointed to the 
 dead, who lay there. Simon had gained the 
 house by another path, and consequently had 
 not seen the mournful spectacle before him, 
 and as he glanced from the excited countenance 
 of Marah to the dead, a thrill of horror passed 
 through his frame. 
 
 "Look!" she said piteously, pausing, and 
 raising her eyes to his face with a look of un-
 
 284- THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 utterable agony ; " are they not beautiful ? but 
 they are dead, all dead, save my sweet Zilpah ; 
 she will live to comfort me, will she not ?" and 
 she pressed her lip to the placid brow of the 
 little sleeper, alas! she slept the unwaking 
 sleep, that knoweth of no sorrow ; as the ter- 
 rible truth flashed upon the young mother's 
 mind, she stood like one whose heart is rent, 
 and words of wild agony burst from the quiver- 
 ing lips in an irresistible torrent : 
 
 " She is gone, my last flower is gathered, 
 and the stem is naked. She whose blue eyes 
 were as the stars of heaven. Her voice was 
 like the melody of the first songstress of spring. 
 How beautiful it was to hear her lisp the name 
 of mother ! The gentle root that gave me birth 
 has perished, like the grass of the field ; and 
 the strong and stately tree against which I 
 leaned my frail tendrils for support, together 
 with the young branch lopped while it was 
 in its early spring, are low beside her ; 
 and I have looked on their pale still faces 
 while my heart lay cold in my breast ; but 
 though it was wrung with agony, it did not 
 break, for my Zilpah was cradled there but 
 she is gone. The sun withdraws his light from
 
 OF NEARDA. 
 
 the flowers, and they bow their graceful heads, 
 and weep for the absence of their lord ; yet he 
 cometh again with the dawning day, and kisseth 
 the tears from their eyes, and they smile and 
 rejoice. But my sun is set for ever, he will 
 rise no more. .Wake up, my darling Zilpah ! 
 look up, it is thy mother's voice that calls ! O 
 God ! she heareth not ; her earthly race is 
 over; she heareth not her mother's voice. 
 Her ear is deaf to its tone ; night hath flung 
 her sable veil over the dawning morn of her 
 existence, and its shadow will rest for ever on 
 the heart of Marah, for her little one is no 
 more !" and uttering a shrill cry of agony, she 
 sank senseless beside the dead. 
 
 " God help thee, unhappy one but it is 
 better thus," said Simon, dashing the tears from 
 his eyes, and, bidding the slaves resume their 
 labours, he sought his daughter. He found 
 Dinah kneeling on the sward beside her cousin, 
 whom she had had removed from the galley, 
 and laid upon a pile of shawls ; she was chafing 
 the hands and temples, and striving to restore 
 animation to the corpselike form. 
 
 " Is she dead ?" he demanded, as he knelt 
 and passed his fingers through the wet tresses
 
 286 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 that lay in masses on the icy brow of his 
 niece. 
 
 " I fear me that life is indeed extinct," said 
 Dinah in a broken voice, and without raising 
 her eyes. 
 
 " We have been sorely stricken this night, 
 my child. The hand of the Lord hath dealt 
 heavily by his children, but He is merciful. 
 Let us not despair, we will call upon him and 
 he will hear our prayers." 
 
 At that moment some of the slaves appeared, 
 bearing litters, on which the insensible voy- 
 agers were borne to the shelter prepared for 
 them. It was many hours ere the united 
 efforts of Dinah and her attendants, succeeded 
 in restoring animation to Paula and her maidens, 
 and even when the spirit of life came back to 
 the former, it was with signs so faint, that even 
 the trustful heart of Dinah despaired of her 
 ultimate recovery. 
 
 That night, the dead were consigned to their 
 final resting place, and on the morrow the suf- 
 ferers were removed to Babylon. A few days 
 sufficed to restore all, with the exception of 
 Paula, to convalescence, if not to health ; but 
 half a moon had glided away, and to her, it was
 
 OF NEARDA. 
 
 but as one day, for though she breathed, the 
 life of the soul was not there the mental facul- 
 ties were alienated. During that long period, 
 Dinah watched her patient with the untiring 
 devotion of a loving and gentle heart.
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 THE storm that had devastated Babylon and the 
 neighbouring districts, had passed with a heavy 
 hand over the city of Nearda and the sur- 
 rounding country ; nor had the strongly fortified 
 position of the brothers escaped uninjured. 
 Though partly defended from the ravages of 
 the river, by the height of the banks that sur- 
 rounded it, the wind and rain had done it 
 much injury. 
 
 The morning after the storm found all in 
 the fort employed in repairing the damages 
 done to the fortifications. It was a scene of 
 ruin and desolation, over which the brothers 
 cast their eyes. The ungathered crops lay 
 upon the ground, and many of the outbuild- 
 ings had been totally destroyed. A few hours' 
 labour, however, sufficed to restore them to 
 their usual appearance. Yet was there an 
 air of gloom prevading the face of nature, that
 
 OF NEARDA. 
 
 had smiled so sweetly yesterday, that depressed 
 the spirits. The events of the last few hours 
 had changed a smiling landscape to a barren 
 waste, fields covered with abundance were 
 stripped of their products, and offered a mourn- 
 ful picture of the instability of all earthly 
 things. Such an awful convulsion of nature 
 passed not away like a summer shower, leaving 
 no impression on the mind. The lightest of 
 heart felt deeply the effects of that night of 
 terror; there was much of deep feeling in the 
 hearts of the brothers, a thrilling chord that 
 rung responsive to the master touch of nature. 
 Asinai's spirit especially sympathised with the 
 grand and sublime features of external nature; 
 like the mighty bird, whose name he bore, his 
 was a spirit that soared above the meaner 
 things of earth. The high tone of his mind, 
 the deep fervour of his character, the quick 
 intellect and discerning judgment, formed to 
 pierce into the depths of knowledge, not to 
 skim lightly over its surface, would alike have 
 fitted him to sustain with dignity and honour 
 the highest station of warrior or statesman, 
 had not circumstances rendered him a slave 
 and a robber ; a chief, it is true, but still a 
 robber. That fact, in the nakedness of truth, 
 
 VOL. I. O
 
 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 too often came upon him, and though to aban- 
 don the path he had chosen were to give him- 
 self up to death, or what he dreaded far more 
 slavery and to desert his brother who 
 laughed at his scruples; yet often in his self 
 communings it called a burning glow to his 
 cheek, and he would ask himself, "Is this a 
 home for one so tenderly nurtured as the mer- 
 chant's daughter ?" 
 
 Some such question presented itself to him 
 now, as he stood on the terrace at the bottom 
 of the garden, his eye wandering over the sullen 
 expanse of the turbid river. 
 
 " I know not if the boundary between us 
 be not best," he sadly mused. " It were trans- 
 planting the rose from the sheltered bower in 
 the pleasant valley, to expose it on the high- 
 lands, to unwonted storms. She acted wisely 
 in crushing, or striving to crush, hope at once. 
 The queen of the garden would perish in the 
 wild. The gentle dove would pine and die of 
 terror of its mate, were it removed from its 
 own sweet nest to the lofty eyrie of the eagle. 
 I will not seek her love again, it were base 
 selfishness, and that, at least, is not of the 
 number of my faults, manifold as they are." 
 
 He would not suffer himself to pursue the
 
 OF NEARDA. 
 
 train of thought farther, and looking over the 
 gloomy scene, he tried to divert his attention ; 
 and it was a relief when an approaching foot- 
 step warned him that he was no longer alone, 
 and raising his eyes, he perceived those of 
 Nathan fixed commiseratingly upon him. 
 
 " Hast thou fulfilled thy mission, Nathan?" 
 demanded the youth, with an assumption of 
 hauteur, worn to conceal the quiver of his lip, 
 and the anxious tremor of his tone. 
 
 " Yea," was the blunt reply, and a shade of 
 anger passed over his brow at the tone of su- 
 periority assumed by his companion. 
 
 " Be more explicit. I understand not thy 
 simple yea, and will not be thus answered." 
 
 " Briefly then, Chief, I have conveyed thy 
 message to Gabriel, and the old man bade me 
 say, ' The heart of Gabriel is not made of 
 marble, that he should despoil those whom 
 God hath visited with such sore afflictions.' 
 He also bade me say, ' Thou hast no need 
 to fear him. He will do thy bidding and no 
 more, for his sword is the weapon of the free 
 man, who fights to defend his own rights from 
 the lawless oppressor, and not of the prowling 
 thief.'" 
 
 A bitter smile crossed the countenance of
 
 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 Asinai, and lie muttered the word " Thief." 
 " I have matters of my own that require some 
 attention," said the young man, turning to 
 retire. But Asinai, who was struggling to 
 repress some powerful feeling, motioned him 
 to remain, and again when he raised his eyes, 
 that expression of pity which he had before 
 remarked, flitted across the intelligent coun- 
 tenance of his companion. 
 
 " Nathan," he said, in a voice rendered hoarse 
 by the inward struggle, " why is that look of 
 pity bent on me ? Speak, suspense is torment 
 worse than I can endure." 
 
 Nathan raised his eyes with an inquiring 
 glance, to the agitated countenance of the 
 speaker, but he remained silent. 
 
 " I conjure, I command thee to speak, " 
 continued Asinai, after a moment's pause. " I 
 am not used to pity, nor will I brook it now, 
 unless it be explained." 
 
 " I said no word of pity," replied Nathan 
 coldly; "why should those who have no need 
 for it, fancy they read it, where it is not, 
 should not be?" 
 
 " Stay," said Asinai, as he once more turned 
 to depart, and pacing the terrace hurriedly for 
 a few moments, he battled with his feelings,
 
 OF NEARDA. 
 
 then abruptly pausing, he stood once more 
 confronting his companion, and with a search- 
 ing look said, " Nathan, thou hast been to 
 Babylon." 
 
 Nathan started, but spoke not, though that 
 simple phrase at once put him in possession of 
 the cause of Asinai's perturbation. He read 
 the secret of both brothers ; yet a fear that it 
 might be the merchant's niece, and not his 
 daughter, that caused Asinai's emotion, crossed 
 his mind; but he suffered him to proceed with- 
 out interruption. 
 
 " No word of confidence," he proceeded, "has 
 ever passed between us ; yet I see, by thy looks, 
 thou hast read the secret of my heart, and, cau- 
 tious as thou hast been, I have read thine, as 
 if it were an open book traced in fairest cha- 
 racters; and well I know it is incapable of 
 deceit. I have seen the maiden thou lovest, 
 she is very fair, graceful as a wild antelope, and 
 playful as a child. Thou couldst not resist the 
 charm of her beauty, and even after a few days' 
 subjection to its spell, thine heart, though strug- 
 gling to retain its freedom, was snared, and like 
 the bird in the fowler's net, though the meshes 
 seemed very frail, thou couldst not escape them. 
 Should danger threaten the fair being who is
 
 CX)4< THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 to thee a second self, should the bird of prey 
 hover over thy dovecote, and thou hadst no 
 means to avert the threatened evil, would not 
 thine heart, though very proud, swell even to 
 woman's weakness ? " Nathan bowed assent, 
 and the young Chief, finding he was still silent, 
 proceeded. 
 
 " If thou wouldst feel thus for one whom thou 
 hadst known so short a period, what wouldst 
 thou not suffer if sucli doom were to hang over 
 one whom thou hadst known for years? One, 
 who to a beauty more than earthly, adds the 
 gentleness and grace of a seraph. Such a one 
 as I love, O Nathan," and he clasped his 
 hands fervently together ; "from childhood that 
 gentle and beautiful girl has been to me a 
 guardian angel; the star of hope burning for 
 ever with a pure, undying flame. It was the 
 thought of her that enabled me to bear long, 
 very long, with scorn, contumely, ill-treatment, 
 and blows. Yes ! blows from the scourge," 
 and he spoke through his ground teeth, " until 
 blood has flown from my torn and tortured flesh. 
 Nay, more than that, I have seen the brother 
 of my heart writhing beneath the lash, till my 
 passions seemed too mighty for my frame, and 
 every drop of blood in my veins has seemed
 
 OF NEARDA. 295 
 
 changed to living fire, while my brain whirled 
 till reason tottered ; yet, when words, words of 
 passionate agony came to my lips, the thought 
 of that young girl came between me and the 
 spirit of revenge, that burned to glut itself in 
 the life-blood of her brutal father, who found 
 food for enjoyment in our writhing agonies. 
 At last, Nathan, dost thou mark me? at last, 
 like a goaded lion, I turned upon the wretch 
 and refusecl to do his bidding. He had me 
 scourged, but I was firm and shrank not, for I 
 had nerved my spirit to endure to the utmost ; 
 yet he found means to tame me." He paused ; 
 his voice was too much shaken to proceed; a 
 cold perspiration poured over his brow, while 
 sobs shook his firm frame, and his eyes, though 
 they gleamed fiercely, were tearless. With a 
 violent effort he succeeded in regaining suffi- 
 cient composure to make his words intelligible, 
 though his voice was low and husky. " What 
 thinkest thou the thrice-accursed wretch did? 
 He made his vile slaves scourge my delicate 
 brother ; and when I saw the blows descending 
 on his back, bleeding from recent wounds, my 
 pride gave way, and I yielded. That night we 
 left his house to return no more. I saw his 
 daughter once again, and told her, God knows !
 
 296 THE TWIN BROTHERS 
 
 how madly, of the desperate passion I had nur- 
 tured. She listened with patient gentleness to 
 my wild, wild words, and though she forbade 
 me to hope, and told me her heart was another's, 
 I blest her for her sweet pity, that fell like 
 balm on my wounded heart, and I vowed to 
 watch over her interest with the guardian care 
 of a devoted brother. Would that, for my own 
 happiness' sake, I could subdue my love to the 
 calm affection of a brother ! I have long since 
 schooled myself to contemplate the thought of 
 seeing her the wife of another, the unknown 
 object of her pure spirit's love. But the idea 
 that that dear hand, which to press but once to 
 my lips would be sufficient reward for a life of 
 misery, should be forcibly given to another, 
 maddens me. Yet such, I hear, will soon be 
 her fate, if it be not so already. Now, tell me, 
 Nathan, is it not this that makes thee bend thy 
 pitying regards on me ? " 
 
 " Nay, my Chief," replied the youth, hastily, 
 and passing his hand rapidly across his eyes as 
 he spoke. It might have been to avoid the 
 agonised look of his interrogator; it might 
 have been to hide the moisture glistening in 
 them ; or it might have been the sun, which 
 burst for the first time that day, had dazzled
 
 OF NEARDA. 297 
 
 them. " I have not heard that she is wed, and 
 if she be, the hoarse voice of the Euphrates is 
 pealing her nuptial song and funeral dirge to- 
 gether, and its sedgy bosom is her bridal couch 
 and her grave. She perished, together with her 
 father, her lover, and her maidens, in the last 
 night's storm." 
 
 Asinai's cheek grew ashen, but he listened 
 with intense interest and a forced composure to 
 the words of his informant. But when he 
 had concluded, and turned to see the effect his 
 intelligence had produced, he was alarmed by 
 the death-like rigidity of his muscles, and the 
 wild glare of the distended eyes that seemed 
 fast settling into the stony, unmeaning look of 
 death, and while he unfastened his vest to give 
 him air, he called for aid. 
 
 END OF VOL. I. 
 
 Miller Si Field, G, Bridge Road, Lambeth.
 
 A 000132384 9