One churl among those councillors was found, When Stephen gently bade his friends give way, Even for his own sake, who could least endure To see them suffer roughness, most unmeet For such as they--one graceless churl was found To raise his hand at Stephen speaking so And smite him on the mouth. A wail at this Broke from those women, and their hair they tore In passion of compassion and of wrath Holy as love. But Stephen was most meek, And only in a shadowed look expressed Pain at such painful sympathy with pain. This seen by those, they soon responsively Resumed composure like his own, and walked, Following, molested not, at small remove From the belovéd martyr, cheering him, And cheered, with sense of some society. So, on, with going less precipitate, And less vociferous rage, but not less fell, Moved the infatuate multitude, repressed And maddened, both at once, to feel themselves Only by sufferance masters of the fate Of Stephen, and their very footsteps timed To regular and slow behind those few Austere, impassive, automatic men Armed, who, though few they might be, yet meant Rome. Arrived at length at the accurséd spot, They stay. The ground about was strewn with stones, Rejected fragments from the quarry cleft, Flakes from the mason's chisel, interspersed Dilapidations from the city walls Twice overthrown and razed, or missiles thence Once by defenders on assailants hurled. They stay, and, Stephen stationed in the midst Where, first, a circle of spectators round Was ordered in disorderly array, Prepare to act their dreadful blasphemy. Within, opposed to Stephen, Saul stood, pale, Blanched with resolve, anguished, and tremulous, But in nerve shaken, not in will, to take His part. Saul's part was only to consent. Perhaps the eyes, the beautiful sad eyes, Of Rachel, dark and liquid ever, now Unfathomably deep with unshed tears-- Perhaps such eyes, his sister's, fixed on him, He seeing not because he would not see, Wrought yet some holy spell that charmed him back Insensibly from part more active there. But his consent Saul testified with sign Open to all to see, and understood. He held the outer robes thrown off of those Who, disencumbered so, might, with main strength, And aim made sure, the better speed to fling At that meek heavenly man the murderous stone.