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The City of Delight

Page 162

The tremulous old man, weakened from his long and superhuman struggle

to enter the doomed city, held Laodice to his breast while she stroked

his rough cheeks and murmured things that he did not hear and which

she did not realize in the rush of her helplessness and dismay.

At the corner of Moriah and the Old Wall, the tumult was infernal. Out

of the suffocating sallow smoke from the tuns of burning tar heaved

over the fortification upon the engines and their managers, the stones

from the catapults soared into view and fell upon the sun-colored

marbles that paved the Court of the Gentiles. Clouded by the vapor,

targets for the immense missiles, the Jews heaving and writhing in

personal encounters appeared black and inhuman. Every combatant

shouted; the great stones screamed; the boiling pitch hissed and

roared, and the thunder of the conflict shook the Temple to its very

foundations.

Without, the Romans planted scaling ladders, mounted them and were

pitched backward into the moat regularly. Regularly, the ladders were

set up again after struggle, mounted without hesitation and thrown

down again, with an inevitability which furnished a grim travesty to

the struggle. The two remaining towers were set in position against

the base of Moriah and resumed execution. One after another the

engines of the Romans were hauled into position, and worked

unceasingly until covered with burning oil from the battlements above

and consumed. Others were hauled into place; fresh detachments of

Romans seized upon the scaling-ladders or mounted to the towers, and

the roar of the conflict never abated.

Meanwhile on the slopes of Zion the whole of Jerusalem, gaunt, dying

and demoniacal, was packed in the ruins of the palace of Herod.

Old Momus with triumph and tearful exultation was holding out to

Laodice a heavy roll of writings, dangling important seals, ancient

papers showing yellow beside the fresh parchment, and an old record

dark with long handling.

Here were the proofs of her identity!

Laodice shrank from him with a gasp that was almost a cry. Behold, the

faithful old servant had suffered she knew not what to bring such

evidence as would force her to do that which she believed she could

not do and survive!

Momus sought to put the papers in her hands, but she thrust them away

and he stood looking at her in amazement and sorrow.

Nathan, the Christian, stood close to her. From the opposite side,

Philadelphus rounded the outskirts of the mob, searching. He did not

see her. She flung herself between Momus and Nathan and cowered down

until Philadelphus had passed from sight. When she lifted her head,

Momus was gazing at her with the light of shocked comprehension

growing in his eyes. Nathan, the Christian, touched her.

"Who was that man?" he asked gravely.

She rose and laid her hands on the Christian's shoulders.

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