We will now return to the quiet dwelling1-place of Hadassah, where Lycidas day by day was becoming more hopelessly entangled2 in the silken meshes3 which kept him a willing captive in the Hebrew home. The very danger of his position served to add to its charms; it was with keen gratification that the Greek marked the anxiety which Zarah felt on his account. Whenever Lycidas emerged from his "den," Zarah kept careful watch as she sat at her wheel near the front entrance of the dwelling, ready to give timely notice of the approach of any intruder. The wave of the maiden4's hand gave sufficient warning to the Greek. The view from the doorway5 commanded a long enough tract6 of road to render it impossible for any visitor to enter the house so suddenly as to prevent Lycidas, thus warned, from having time to retreat behind his curtain.
An occasion, however, arose when the gentle sentinel was at last found off her guard. Resting on his arm, with his form half reclining on the floor, Lycidas was giving to Hadassah an account of the defence of Thermopylae, while his eyes were fixed7 on Zarah, who sat listening with her whole attention absorbed by the thrilling tale, when Abishai, breathless with excitement, rushed so suddenly into the house that Zarah was not aware of his coming in time to give her accustomed signal. It was Hadassah who heard the sound of rapid footsteps, though not till they had almost crossed the threshold. With great presence of mind the widow flung over Lycidas a large striped mantle8 of goat-hair, which she was preparing for Judas Maccabeus, should any opportunity arise of conveying it to the Asmonean leader. Hadassah then shifted her position, so as to interpose her own form between her guest and the door. These movements were so rapid as to take less time in the action than the narration9.
"Why, child, you look as much startled and terrified as if the Syrians were upon you!" exclaimed Abishai to Zarah, catching10 sight of her look of terror; his own eyes were flashing with triumph, and his gestures betrayed his excitement as he continued, "I bring you tidings of victory--glorious victory--achieved by our hero, Judas Maccabeus! Apollonius--may the graves of his fathers be polluted!--Apollonius, who tore down the dwellings11 near Mount Zion to make fortifications of the stones--he himself is laid low! The murderer, the oppressor, the instrument of a tyrant12, and almost more hateful than the tyrant himself, now lies in his gore13, and his mighty14 army has fled before the warriors15 of Judah!"
"The Lord of Hosts be praised!" exclaimed Hadassah; "tell us, my son, of the fight," and she motioned to Abishai to take his seat beside her, so that his back should be turned towards Lycidas. The Jew seated himself so near to the Greek that the folds of his upper garment touched the mantle under which Lycidas lay crouched16. If Abishai but moved his hand a few inches, he must feel that a warm and living form was concealed17 under the goats' hair stripes.
"How your cheek changes colour, child!" exclaimed Abishai, surveying with surprise his young niece, who could not disguise her terror, nor prevent her knees from trembling beneath her as she stood in the doorway. "You have no cause to fear; Maccabeus is not even wounded. Apollonius met him in fight, and fell by his hand. Henceforth Judas, it is said, declares that he will always use as his own the sword which he took from the vanquished19 Syrian. As David said when he grasped that of Goliath, "There is no weapon like that."
Zarah scarcely heard the words addressed to her. One thought possessed20 her mind to the exclusion21 of every other--the peril22 of the wounded Athenian. Should any sound or movement betray his presence to her fanatic23 uncle, she knew that the doom24 of Lycidas would be sealed, for he was yet by far too weak to defend himself with the faintest chance of success, and his recumbent position rendered him utterly25 helpless.
Hadassah anxiously watched the countenance26 of Zarah, and read the thoughts passing within. Fearing that the maiden would faint where she stood, Hadassah motioned to her to come closer to her and take her seat at her feet. Zarah obeyed, taking care to be near enough to Abishai to catch him by the knees, and with what little strength she possessed at least to impede27 his movements should he discover the presence of the Greek.
"Judas has brought great honour to our race," exclaimed Abishai, who attributed the emotion of his niece to a cause very different from the real one; "in his acts he is like a lion, and like a lion's whelp roaring for his prey28. He has pursued the wicked, and sought them out; he has destroyed the ungodly, thrown down their altars, and turned away wrath29 from Israel."
"He is a mighty instrument in the hands of the Lord," said Hadassah.
"Is he not something more?" exclaimed Abishai, his manner becoming yet more excited; "may not the time for the great deliverance be come, and the great Deliverer be amongst us, of whom it is written, Mine own arm brought salvation30 unto Me; and My fury, it upheld Me. And I will tread down the people in Mine anger, and make them drunk in My fury, and I will bring down their strength to the earth" (Isa. lxiii. 5, 6). Wild hope gleamed in the Hebrew's fierce eyes as he spoke31, and he started upright on his feet.
"Shame to you, son of Nathan," said Hadassah with dignity, "you speak like one who knows not the writings of the Prophets. He that shall come, the Messiah, is to be of the tribe of Judah, not that of Levi (Isa. xi. 1), shall be born at Bethlehem, not at Modin (Mic. v. 11). Nor have the prophetical weeks of Daniel yet run out. Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth18 of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks (Dan. ix. 25). The set time is not come."
The wild animation32 of Abishai sank under the calm rebuke33 of one who as much excelled him in knowledge and intellectual power, as he surpassed her in physical strength. He looked abashed34 at being convicted of ignorance of prophetic writings.
"You know, O Hadassah," said the Hebrew, "that I have been from my youth a man of the sword rather than of the book. Nor can I now study if I would. You are aware how Antiochus has sought out our holy writings to destroy or pollute them. Save the copy of the Scriptures35 which I occasionally see at the house of the elder, Salathiel, when we meet there by stealth to worship God on the Sabbath, my eyes never so much as look on the roll of the holy Word."
"I have a complete copy of the Psalms36 and Prophets, and am making from it another," said Hadassah, intuitively lowering her tone, and glancing at the door.
"A noble but dangerous work!" cried Abishai.
"Go and look yonder, my son, glance up the path to the right and the left, see whether any of the heathen be near," said Hadassah, pointing to the door as she spoke. "If none of the enemy be in sight, I will show you the sacred treasure which I hold at risk of my life."
Abishai instantly left the dwelling, half closing the door behind him.
"Now Lycidas--oh, haste!" exclaimed Zarah in an eager whisper; she was terrified lest the opportunity of retreat which Hadassah had given, should be lost by one moment's delay.
There was no need to repeat the word; Lycidas instantly drew back into his retreat behind the curtain, and the Hebrew ladies could breathe more freely again. Zarah gave a bright joyous37 glance at Hadassah, but it met no answering smile, the widow's features wore a sad, almost indignant expression, the sight of which shot a keen pang38 through the gentle heart of Zarah. What had she done, what had she said, that her venerated39 relative should look on her thus? Had there been aught in her conduct unseemly? She had called the Gentile by his name, could it be that which had drawn40 upon her the unwonted displeasure of Hadassah?
As she asked herself such questions, the cheek of Zarah became suffused41 with crimson42; she scarcely knew what caused the painful embarrassment43 which she felt; she seemed to herself like one detected in doing evil, and yet her conscience had nothing wherewith to reproach her as concerned her conduct towards her grandmother's guest. So uneasy was the maiden, however, that on Abishai's return she did not stay to hear the conversation which ensued between him and Hadassah, but glided44 up the outer stair to the roof of the house, where, seated alone on the flat roof, with only heaven's blue canopy45 above her, she could commune with her own heart, and question it regarding the nature of the dangerous interest which she felt in the Gentile stranger.
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1
dwelling
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| n.住宅，住所，寓所 | |
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entangled
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| adj.卷入的；陷入的；被缠住的；缠在一起的v.使某人（某物/自己）缠绕，纠缠于（某物中），使某人（自己）陷入（困难或复杂的环境中）( entangle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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meshes
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| 网孔( mesh的名词复数 )； 网状物； 陷阱； 困境 | |
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maiden
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| n.少女，处女；adj.未婚的，纯洁的，无经验的 | |
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doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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tract
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| n.传单，小册子，大片(土地或森林) | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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mantle
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| n.斗篷，覆罩之物，罩子；v.罩住，覆盖，脸红 | |
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9
narration
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| n.讲述，叙述；故事；记叙体 | |
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catching
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| adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住 | |
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dwellings
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| n.住处，处所( dwelling的名词复数 ) | |
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12
tyrant
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| n.暴君，专制的君主，残暴的人 | |
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gore
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| n.凝血，血污；v.（动物）用角撞伤，用牙刺破；缝以补裆；顶 | |
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mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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warriors
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| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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crouched
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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vanquished
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| v.征服( vanquish的过去式和过去分词 )；战胜；克服；抑制 | |
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20
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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21
exclusion
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| n.拒绝，排除，排斥，远足，远途旅行 | |
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peril
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| n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物 | |
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fanatic
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| n.狂热者，入迷者；adj.狂热入迷的 | |
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doom
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| n.厄运，劫数；v.注定，命定 | |
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utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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impede
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| v.妨碍，阻碍，阻止 | |
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28
prey
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| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
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29
wrath
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| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
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30
salvation
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| n.（尤指基督）救世，超度，拯救，解困 | |
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31
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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32
animation
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| n.活泼，兴奋，卡通片／动画片的制作 | |
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rebuke
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| v.指责，非难，斥责 [反]praise | |
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34
abashed
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| adj.窘迫的，尴尬的v.使羞愧，使局促，使窘迫( abash的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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35
scriptures
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| 经文，圣典( scripture的名词复数 )； 经典 | |
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psalms
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| n.赞美诗( psalm的名词复数 )；圣诗；圣歌；(中的) | |
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joyous
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| adj.充满快乐的；令人高兴的 | |
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pang
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| n.剧痛，悲痛，苦闷 | |
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39
venerated
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| 敬重（某人或某事物），崇敬( venerate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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40
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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41
suffused
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| v.（指颜色、水气等）弥漫于，布满( suffuse的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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42
crimson
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| n./adj.深(绯)红色(的)；vi.脸变绯红色 | |
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43
embarrassment
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| n.尴尬；使人为难的人(事物)；障碍；窘迫 | |
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44
glided
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| v.滑动( glide的过去式和过去分词 )；掠过；（鸟或飞机 ） 滑翔 | |
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45
canopy
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| n.天篷，遮篷 | |
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