"Their Messiah came," I answered with reverence; "but He came poor and
lowly, and they would have none of Him. They scourged Him, and crucified
Him upon a tree, but yet His words and His works live on, for He was the
Son of God, and now of a truth He doth rule half the world, but not with
an Empire of the World."

"Ah, the fierce-hearted wolves," she said, "the followers of Sense and
many gods--greedy of gain and faction-torn. I can see their dark faces
yet. So they crucified their Messiah? Well can I believe it. That He was
a Son of the Living Spirit would be naught to them, if indeed He was so,
and of that we will talk afterwards. They would care naught for any God
if He came not with pomp and power. They, a chosen people, a vessel
of Him they call Jehovah, ay, and a vessel of Baal, and a vessel of
Astoreth, and a vessel of the gods of the Egyptians--a high-stomached
people, greedy of aught that brought them wealth and power. So they
crucified their Messiah because He came in lowly guise--and now are
they scattered about the earth? Why, if I remember, so said one of their
prophets that it should be. Well, let them go--they broke my heart,
those Jews, and made me look with evil eyes across the world, ay, and
drove me to this wilderness, this place of a people that was before
them. When I would have taught them wisdom in Jerusalem they stoned me,
ay, at the Gate of the Temple those white-bearded hypocrites and Rabbis
hounded the people on to stone me! See, here is the mark of it to this
day!" and with a sudden move she pulled up the gauzy wrapping on her
rounded arm, and pointed to a little scar that showed red against its
milky beauty.

I shrank back, horrified.

"Pardon me, oh Queen," I said, "but I am bewildered. Nigh upon two