Mary of Bethezob removed to a large house in the street adjoining that in which Zadok lived; and when she was established there, she gave way to her natural inclination for gaiety and festivity, and assembled all the thoughtless members of her acquaintance at frequent and magnificent entertainments, utterly regardless of the misery and distress that surrounded her, or of the civil tumults and wild seditions that threatened the safety of the city both by night and by day. Javan was a constant visitor at Mary's house, and made it his place of meeting with those chief men of the popular party whom he was anxious to conciliate and bring over to the schemes of Simon. He despised the levity and ill-timed gaiety of Mary; but he found it convenient to frequent her parties, and appear to share in the festivities in which she delighted, for by this means he became less an object of suspicion to those who opposed his views, and he was able to meet and converse with his coadjutors unnoticed by the gay throng who were only occupied with the pleasures of the present moment. Javan had also other projects and other schemes, which he pursued with no less eagerness and activity than his political efforts in favour of the son of Gioras. He had not forgotten his wrath against Theophilus, or laid aside his threatened plans of vengeance. He had used every effort to discover the few remaining disciples of Jesus of Nazareth who yet tarried in the city, detained by ties of duty or affection from fleeing with their brethren to Pella; and his endeavours had been so far successful, that already several unhappy creatures had been seized upon and cast into dungeons by those of the priests and Pharisees who shared his fanatical feelings and cruel spirit of persecution. All proper legal authority had long been suspended, and power was all that constituted a right to punish or oppress the weaker party. A council of priests and elders therefore assembled to decide according to their own will, on the fate of these innocent victims, and Javan was one of their number. His judgment was for death; but he requested his colleagues to defer the execution of the righteous sentence until he was able to add at least one more to the number of the criminals, which he assured them he had no doubt of doing. He informed them of his discovery of Theophilus's apostasy, and his suspicions that his parents also shared his opinions; but he had hitherto abstained from taking his cousin into custody, as he wished for stronger proofs of the guilt of his uncle and Judith before he took so decided a measure against their son as would open their eyes to their own danger, and warn them either to take steps to conceal their opinions, or to flee at once from the city, and thus escape their merited doom. The self-constituted tribunal readily agreed to his suggestions, and warmly applauded his disinterested zeal, which could thus lead him to sacrifice all