“Lead him forth,” repeated the rabbis.  “Perchance, when he sees the manner of his death before his eyes, he will repent at the last.”

The boy’s fearless eyes looked from one to the other.

“Whatsoever it be,” he said, “I have but one life.  Take it as you will.  I die in the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ, and into His hands I commend my spirit—­which you cannot take.”

“Lead him forth!  Let him be crucified!” cried the rabbis together.  “We will hear him no longer.”

Then Lazarus led his son away from them, and left them talking together and shaking their heads and wagging their filthy beards.  And in the vision the scene changed.  The chamber with its flickering lamp and its black table and all the men who were in it grew dim and faded away, and in its place there was a dim inner court between high houses, upon which only the windows of the house of Lazarus opened.  There, upon the ground, stood a lantern of horn, and the soft yellow light of it fell upon two pieces of wood, nailed one upon the other to form a small cross—­small, indeed, but yet tall enough and broad enough and strong enough to bear the slight burden of the boy’s frail body.  And beside it stood Lazarus and Levi, the Short-handed, the strong rabbi, holding Simon Abeles between them.  On the ground lay pieces of cord, ready, wherewith to bind him to the cross, for they held it unlawful to shed his blood.

It was soon done.  The two men took up the cross and set it, with the body hanging thereon, against the wall of the narrow court, over against the house of Lazarus.

“Thou mayest still repent—­during this night,” said the father, holding up the horn lantern and looking into his son’s tortured face.

“Ay—­there is yet time,” said Levi, brutally.  “He will not die so soon.”

“Lord, into Thy hands I commend my spirit,” said the weak voice once more.

Then Lazarus raised his hand and struck him once more on the mouth, as he had done on that first night when he had seized him near the church.  But Levi, the Short-handed, as though in wrath at seeing all his torments fail, dealt him one heavy blow just where the ear joins the neck, and it was over at last.  A radiant smile of peace flickered over the pale face, the eyelids quivered and closed, the head fell forward upon the breast and the martyrdom of Simon Abeles was consummated.

Into the dark court came the rabbis one by one from the inner chamber, and each as he came took up the horn lantern and held it to the dead face and smiled and spoke a few low words in the Hebrew tongue and then went out into the street, until only Lazarus and Levi were left alone with the dead body.  Then they debated what they should do, and for a time they went into the house and refreshed themselves with food and wine, and comforted each other, well knowing that they had done an evil deed.  And they came back when it was late and wrapped the body in the coarse cloth and carried it out stealthily and buried it in the Jewish cemetery, and departed again to their own houses.