Chapter 8

‘But—there’s no one at the palace who would know or care—provided you made no attempt to escape.’ Recovering the rusty key from the main door, Esther opened the cell and John came out shielding his cavernous eyes against the unaccustomed light. They sat down on the broad stone seat, with the tray between them.

‘Tell me: where have you been?’ He ate hungrily, but listened intently while she talked of her experiences as a solitary tramp on the way to Tiberias.

‘And have you seen him of whom I told you?’ asked John eagerly.

‘No—but I have heard of him. On the day I arrived, a young fisherman who befriended me told his shipmates about a strange Carpenter who healed diseases and spoke words of comfort to the people, gently admonishing them to bear their own and others’ burdens.’

‘Gently?’

‘I could hardly believe, sir, that this Carpenter was the one of whom you spoke.’ She hesitated here, wishing she had not ventured so far upon a subject of which she knew so little. ‘Perhaps I misunderstood the young fisherman—or perhaps I had misunderstood you. I had thought of him as a frowning man with a stern voice—on an errand of vengeance. Apparently that is a mistake.’

‘Tell me more, daughter!’ he demanded earnestly.

With that, Esther reviewed all she could remember of the report made by the dreamy young fisherman. The Carpenter had spoken with a strangely soothing voice, seemingly not of this world. No—there had been no talk of divine retribution, no threats of doom; indeed, no scolding at all. The man had urged the people to find their happiness within themselves, seeing they would never be free of their enslavement to foreign masters.

‘And—no talk at all about the mighty being thrown from their seats and the exaltation of the poor?’

Esther shook her head. After an uncertain moment, she said, ‘I shall go and hear him for myself. I am sure I can get permission to leave the palace for a day or two. If the man is not too far away—’

‘Do that!’ entreated John. ‘Find out what manner of man he is! Then—come and tell me.’ He rose and marched toward his cell. Esther turned the big key.

‘It hurts me to do this,’ she said softly.

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