Here, in a few words, is what happened. Nevertheless, it is right that I should tell you that I do not entirely share Appius’ amazement. It should astonish us no more to see a man return to life than to see a child come to life or an old man leave it. (MAGDALENE _makes a movement of impatience_.) But I understand your impatience. I spoke to you the other day of my neighbour Simon. He lives in the little house that touches my property, with his wife, his sister-in-law and his brother-in-law, named Lazarus. This Lazarus, whom I saw only two or three times, for he was often away from home, had been ailing for some weeks and died four days ago.... APPIUS Four days, do you understand?... That is what nobody would dare deny.... SILANUS Nor does any one think of doing so, Appius. They were a very united family; and the sorrow of those poor people was great. From my terrace, I could hear the lamentations of the women. According to the custom of the Jews, Lazarus was buried on the night that followed after his death. They laid him in a new grave, dug in the rocks that form the other side of that hill, and closed the grave with an enormous stone. This morning, suddenly, the rumour spread that the Nazarene had returned and that he was going to restore to life the dead man, who was his friend. Appius, who was at my house, persuaded me to go down with him; and we followed the crowd into the valley of the tombs. MARY MAGDALENE I knew that he was to return to-day; but why did you not send word to me at once, as you promised?... SILANUS It seemed to me that the spectacle at hand was not one of those on which the eyes of a woman in the hour of her beauty love to rest. Moreover, there was cause to fear lest your arrival among the excited crowd should cause a repetition of the violence of the other day. For an enormous crowd, silent, but quivering like a swarm of bees, escorted the Nazarene, in front of whom walked the two sisters of Lazarus. We, Appius and I, climbed on to a block of stone hidden behind some bushes, whence we could see and hear everything without arousing the suspicion of the Jews. They showed the grave to the Nazarene, who stopped and lowered his head. APPIUS He wept. They whispered in the crowd, “Behold how he loved him!” But nobody dared approach. They formed a circle at a distance, as though round a dread being.... SILANUS “Take ye away the stone,” said the Nazarene; and two men stepped toward the grave. APPIUS You forget that, at that moment, one of the sisters of the dead man, alarmed and all in tears, seized the Nazarene by the arm and said, “Lord, by this time he stinketh; for he hath been dead four days.” The Nazarene answered--I have not forgotten a single one of his words--“Said I not unto thee that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? Take ye away the stone.” MARY MAGDALENE Who is this sister of Lazarus? Is she Simon’s wife? SILANUS