He felt the futility of words against this thing which seemed to be a revelation, denying absolutely all of his ambitions.

He dropped from his position and, pushing his way through the distress upon the city, turned toward the house of Amaryllis.

It was a climacteric hour, when men should look well to the protection of all that was near and dear to them.
When he was gone a strange, bent figure with long white hair and a gray distorted face came from the shadow of one of the towers and plucked the old Christian's tunic.

The Christian turned and seeing who stood beside him said with intense surety in his tones: "It is proven.

Accept the Lord Jesus while it is time, my son, for behold the hour of the last day of this city is fulfilled!" The apparition lifted a palsied hand on which the skin was yet fair and young and pointed after the Maccabee, losing himself in the groaning mass in the city.
"If I believe, I must tell him!" he said.
"Whatever thou hast done against that man must be amended," the Christian declared.
The palsied figure shrank and wringing his hands about each other said in a whisper that sounded like wind among dried leaves: "I, who saw the candor of perfect trust in his eyes, once, I can not behold their reproach--I, who love him, and sold him--for a handful of gold!" The old Christian laid his hand on the other's arm.
"Another Judas ?" he said.