CHARMIS. Seeing that I have toiled mightily seven hours this day in charge of six score crazy carriers to carry water up from the wells! Would that Ozias had granted me a whip to sharpen their brains! And now Ozias hath left me in charge of the gates. CHABRIS. Where is Ozias, and what does he do? CHARMIS. He stands here beyond the gates to receive Judith and the women who have gone forth to meet her. CHABRIS. What is the deed of Judith? (_The noise of an approaching procession is heard_. Charmis, _ignoring_ Chabris, _goes a little outside the gates to watch._ Chabris _continues in a louder voice_.) The streets of the city are empty. I say the streets of the city are empty. CHARMIS. Dodderer! The whole city is afoot on the hill-side, and all the Assyrians left alive are fled in panic into the East. CHABRIS. Then I will return to my house and drink again. No! I will remain, and my eyes shall regard the women, as of old. _Enter through the gates a procession of women (including_ Rahel), _waving branches. At the end of the procession come_ Haggith _and_ Ingur, _and finally_ Judith, _with_ Achior _on one hand, and_ Ozias _on the other. Townspeople and soldiers, garlanded, follow the procession_. BALLET. OZIAS (_to_ Judith). O daughter, blessed be thou above all the women of the earth. Thou art the exaltation of Jerusalem and the great glory of Israel, for the Lord hath directed thee to the cutting off of the head of the chief of our enemies, and thou hast revenged our ruin. VOICES. So be it. JUDITH. Holofernes came out of the mountains from the north, and his horsemen covered the hills; and he bragged that he would burn up the borders of Israel, and kill her young men with the sword, and make the virgins as a spoil. But the Almighty Lord hath disappointed the Assyrians by the hand of a woman; and my sandals ravished the eye of Holofernes, and my beauty took his mind prisoner, and the knife passed through his neck. Let all creatures serve the Lord! VOICES. So be it! OZIAS. Charmis, I appoint you to lead the people to the Temple, where are the banners of the Assyrians which we have captured this day, and each woman shall take a banner, and all shall return to this place before the house of the Lady Judith. CHARMIS (_swollen with pride_). I obey, lord Ozias. (_The procession begins to move away, L_. Haggith _displays her importance and bullies_ Ingur, _who accompanies her_.) RAHEL (_to_ Chabris). What, grandad! You are abroad once more! (_She takes him with her like a disobedient child_.) (_Exeunt, processionally, all except_ Judith, Ozias _and_ Achior.) OZIAS (_to_ Achior). Thou goest not with the people? JUDITH (_to_ Achior). Stay, I pray you, Achior. OZIAS (_to_ Judith, _with growing excitement_). I wish to speak privily with the lady Judith, _now_! JUDITH. Let us speak here. OZIAS. Shall we not go into your house, you and I? JUDITH. My house is not ready to receive you, Ozias.