At any moment he might meet Jesus, and to stop to speak to him in the street would, in a sense, involve a profanation of his oath to his father; and he knew he could not turn aside from Jesus.  He must therefore refrain from going up to Jerusalem and transact his business from his house by means of messengers.  But if Pilate were to send for him?  We cannot altogether avoid risk, he said to himself.  I can do no more than remain within doors.

It was not many days afterwards that one of his servants came suddenly into the room.  Nicodemus, Sir, is waiting in the hall and would see you, though I told him you were engaged with business.  He says the matter on which he is come to speak to you is important.  Well, then, let me see him, Joseph answered.

Now, what has happened? he asked.  Has he said anything that the Sanhedrin will be able to punish him for?  He threw some more olive roots on the fire and told the servant to bring a lamp.  A lamp, he said, will be welcome, for this grey dusk is disheartening.

The weather is cold, so draw your chair near to the fire.  I am glad to see you.  The men waited for the servant to leave the room.  We shall be more comfortable when the curtains are drawn.  The lamp, I see, is beginning to burn up....  Nicodemus sat grave and hieratic, thin and tall, in the high chair, and the gloom on his face was so immovable that Joseph wasted no words.  What has fallen out? he said, and Nicodemus asked him if he knew Phinehas, the great money-changer in the Temple.  Joseph nodded, and, holding his hands before the fire, Nicodemus told his story very slowly, exasperating Joseph by his slowness; but he did not dare to bid him to hasten, and, holding himself in patience, he listened to him while he told that Phinehas was perhaps the worst of the extorters, the most noisy and arrogant, a vicious and quarrelsome man, who, yester-morning, was engaged with a rich Alexandrian Jew, Shamhuth, who had lately arrived from Alexandria and was buying oxen, rams and ewes in great numbers for sacrifice.  We wondered at his munificence, Nicodemus said, not being able to explain it to ourselves, for the Feast of the Tabernacles is over; and our curiosity was still more roused when it became known that he was distributing largess.  The man’s appearance aroused suspicion, for it is indeed a fearful one.  From his single eye to his chin a fearful avariciousness fills his face, and the empty, withered socket speaks of a close, sordid, secret passion, and so clearly that Jesus said:  that man has not come to glorify God nor to repent of his sins.  He is guilty of a great crime, and he would have it forgiven him.  But the crime?  Of what crime is he guilty? we asked.  Jesus did not answer us, for at that moment some young man had come to listen to him, and the man’s crime appeared to him as of little importance compared to his own teaching.  Has he come, we asked, to pray that his sight may be restored to him?  Jesus