Two chariots of magnificent appearance, drawn by beautiful steeds, were seen leaving the ground.  They drew much attention from the crowd, as they leisurely drove through the winding streets of Jerusalem.  At last the chariots halted in front of a mansion, which had the appearance of having of late undergone a thorough repair.  From one of these chariots alighted several venerable men, their hair whitened with age.  Their whole bearing gave the beholder to understand that they were persons of distinction.  From the other chariot alighted, first a man of middle age, next a woman somewhat younger, then an aged man and woman, the latter alighting with great elasticity of step.  The countenance of this lady gave evidence that it had once been the throne of rare beauty.

“Why looketh my brother so thoughtful and sad on this day of general rejoicing in Judah?” asked the aged lady, directing her address to one of those who had alighted from the first chariot.

“I am not sad, sister,” replied the brother, “but am thoughtful.  And what thinkest thou my mind dwelt upon?”

“Surely, I cannot tell.  Some past scenes in Chaldea, peradventure.”

“Nay, sister.  But I was thinking that seventy and two years ago this very night, myself and my two brothers here, accompanied by our beloved Jeremiah, entered this house, and revealed the sad story of our captivity to our beloved Perreeza.”

“Ah, dear Hananiah! and a dark night of sorrow that proved to your almost brokenhearted sister.”

“But I trust that Jehovah hath overruled the whole in the end to the glory of his great name,” said Mishael.

“Surely he hath!” quickly answered Mathias.  “Forever blessed be the memory of that delightful night when these eyes, at the house of Barzello, rested on the bright charms of the ‘Rose of Sharon.’”

“The rose no longer blooms, Mathias!” answered Perreeza.  “It’s hues are faded; and, under the pelting storms of life, its petals have well-nigh withered.”

“The tint may fade, and the petals may wither, but sweeter than ever shall its fragrance continue to perfume the surrounding air,” answered the husband, his face glowing with pure affection.  “In that better country whither we are going, where flowers never fade, and where roses forever bloom, the ‘Rose of Sharon’ shall yet flourish in immortal beauty.”

Mathias, Perreeza and the latter’s three brothers had been made almoners of an immense bequest provided in Joram’s will for advancing the interests of Judah.  It was stipulated that the fund should not be employed until the expiration of seventy years of captivity.  Joram believed, with Daniel and the other distinguished Israelites, that the captivity would come to an end in the specified seventy years.  The treasure was hidden where none but the almoners and their natural heirs could disturb it.