“Swear to me, then, that thou wilt return before the winter,” insisted the prophet half-scornfully.

“I cannot swear,” answered Zoroaster.  “Behold, I am in the hands of the Great King.  I cannot swear.”

“Say rather that thou art in the hand of the Lord, and that therefore thou canst not swear.  For I say thou wilt not return, and I shall see thy face no more.  The winter cometh, and the birds of the air fly towards the south, and I am alone in the land of snow and frost; and the spring cometh also, and I am yet alone, and my time is at hand; for thou comest not any more, neither my daughter Nehushta, neither any of my kinsfolk.  And behold, I go down to the grave alone.”

The yellow light of the hanging lamp above shone upon the old man’s eyes, and there was a dull fire in them.  His face was drawn and haggard, and every line and furrow traced by the struggles of his hundred years stood out dark and rugged and tremendous in power.  Zoroaster shuddered as he looked on him, and, though he would have spoken, he was awed to silence.

“Go forth, my son,” cried the prophet in deep tones, and as he spoke he slowly raised his body till he sat rigidly erect, and his wan and ancient fingers were stretched out towards the young soldier.  “Go forth and do thy part, for thou art in the hand of the Lord, and some things that thou wilt do shall be good, and some things evil.  For thou hast departed from the path of crystal that leadeth among the stars, and thou hast fallen away from the ladder whereby the angels ascend and descend upon the earth, and thou art gone after the love of a woman which endureth not.  And for a season thou shalt be led astray, and for a time thou shalt suffer great things; and after a time thou shalt return into the way; and again a time, and thou shalt perish in thine own imaginations, because thou hast not known the darkness from the light, nor the good from the evil.  By a woman shalt thou go astray, and from a woman shalt thou return; yet thou shalt perish.  But because there is some good in thee, it shall endure, and thy name also, for generations; and though the evil that besetteth thee shall undo thee, yet at the last thy soul shall live.”

Zoroaster buried his face in his hands, overcome by the majesty of the mighty prophet and by the terror of his words.

“Rise and go forth, for the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and no man can hinder that thou doest.  Thou shalt look upon the sun and shalt delight in him; and again thou shalt look and the light of the air shall be as darkness.  Thou shalt boast in thy strength and in thine armour that there is none like thee, and again thou shalt cast thy glory from thee and say, ‘This also is vanity.’  The king delighteth in thee, and thou shalt stand before the queen in armour of gold and in fine raiment; and the end is near, for the hand of the Lord is upon thee.  If the Lord will work great things by thee, what is that to me?  Go forth quickly, and rest not by the way, lest the woman tempt thee and thou perish.  And as for me, I go also—­not with thee, but before thee.  See that thou follow after—­for I go.  Yea, I see even now light in the darkness of the world, and the glory of the triumph of heaven is over me, triumphing greatly in the majesty of light.”