It was at Capernaum that the truth became manifest that not only was Daniel denied, but Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, all the prophets since Moses, at which the disciples were greatly incensed and raised their staves against the Samaritans, but Jesus dissuaded his followers, and the dissidents were suffered to depart unhurt.  Let them go, Jesus said, for they are in the hands of God, like ourselves, and he bade them all good-night, and there seemed to Joseph to be a great sadness in Jesus’ voice, as if he felt that in this world there was little else but leave-taking.

Joseph too resented this parting, though it was for but a few hours; he would unite himself to Jesus, become one, as the mother and the unborn babe are one—­he would be of the same mind and flesh; all division seemed to him loss, till, frightened at his own great love of Jesus, he stopped in the Plain of Gennesaret, star-gazing.  But the stars told him nothing, and he walked on again.  And it was about a half-hour’s walk from Magdala that he overtook the Samaritans, who sought to draw him into argument.  But he was in no humour for further discussion, and dismissed them, saying:  what matter if all the prophets were false since the promised Messiah is among us.  He has come, he has come! he repeated all the way home:  and at every flight of the high stairs he tried to collect his thoughts.  But his brain was whirling, and he could only repeat:  he has come, he has come!

CHAP.  XIV.

It seemed to Joseph as he hurried along the Plain of Gennesaret that the sun shone gayer than his wont, but as he approached Capernaum he began to think that the sun had risen a little earlier than his wont.  Nobody was about!  He listened in vain for some sound of life, till at last his ear caught a sound as of somebody moving along the wharves, and, going thither, he came upon Peter storing his oars in the boathouse.  Making ready, Joseph said, for fishing?  You don’t see, Master, that I’m putting my oars away, but I’d as lief take them out again and fish till evening.  Here was a mysterious answer from the least mysterious of men, and Peter continued in his work, throwing the oars into a corner like one that cared little if he broke them, and kicking his nets aside as if he were never going to let them down again into the lake:  altogether his mood was of an exasperation such as Joseph had never suspected to be possible in this good-humoured, simple fellow.  Had he been obliged to leave the community or sell his boats?  If that were so, his chance (Joseph’s chance) of entering the community was a poor one indeed; and he begged Peter to relate his trouble to him—­for trouble there had been last night, he was sure of it.