The Mark of the Beast

he heavens, until in the space of a couple of minutes, the whole district becam

ss, the multitude ran hither and thither, aimlessly, wildly, in search of their homes. Presentl

bout the "two witnesses." The gleaming lightning gave him his directi

. Some instinct told him it was a human form. Stooping in the blackness, and groping with his hands, he made out that the fo

ping fingers, were warm, so that he knew it was

t here." So he stooped and gathered the drenched form up in his arms.

tning, came at this instant, and showed him h

tch, and he entered with his burden. He found his way to his room, laid

imself standing on the evening before, when he had stood in the throng on the Temple mount. They had exchanged a few words of

e saved from taking a chill, he lit a tiny hand-lamp and carrying it w

ple with whom he had found lodgment wer

d several times, neither the husband or wife answer

storm," he told himself, as he returned to

a preventive of chill. He poured out a little of the warming stuff, and

t her breath sharply as she swallowed the second draught. A faint sig

slowly she took in his anxious face

"I stumbled over you in the road, you had fa

eemed to be searching his face. Then a weak, lit

I thought how true your face

let herself rest more fully in his supporting arm. He gave her another s

e spoke again, in a vague, speculative way, as

d spoken. And the crowd got frightened and ran hither and thither,-to find their hom

"I believe some others kicked

iously. "Do you feel as if a

urt? not much! Certainly no bones are bro

, as she add

o get out of her wet clothes, and gently lift

nd alone, do

," she answered,

ugh his eyes were anxious, and his hands were stretch

as she said: "I feel a little

at anything las

ning. If I could lie down somewhere,-and sleep-for I slept

the man or wife of the house, but,

othes hanging in a recess (they were there whe

, to him, so sweet and

will gather them up, and get them dry for you) chafe yourself with the towels you will

deep sense of what she owed him, (for he had doubtless,

caught his hand and kissed it, leaving two

rd you! You s

e loosened, and hung about her in long, thick, wet tresses. Her cheeks were warmed to a vivid tinting by the

glancing around to see that the towels were

hen without waiting for hi

Then with a final word of: "S

in his little living room, he tried to think out the many wonderful things

es he had already made, along the perforated line, and began to compose h

mplete the work, as writing in code,

stillness of the house. Once more he made a tour of the other part of

that they were among the scores of those who had been trampled t

er room, where the rescued girl lay. He could hear her softly, reg

e house door unlocked, yet feared to loc

h the general desertedness of the streets, but realized that in all p

ad left it, and beginning to feel hungry, he h

a meal. When he had spread his table, he remembered the clothes for his protege (he had spread them in

oms, he listened again. This time she was awake and so

es at the bottom he thrust the

up, Rose? If you do, I will make

th the naivete of an innocent child. "I will dress

sweet child-likeness, and hu

would be impossible to say, but certainly, in an incredibly short spa

come, p

g, his smile, as well as

her hair carefully groomed and coiled in a crown on her head, her cheek glo

e would be judged in the east) yet

e Rose?" he asked, taki

"but that is more from the bruis

r to a deeper ti

ozen or mor

hed, "and we can do two th

grew almost merry as they exchanged a few not

nglish, George

feel I can trust you, Rose, my new little friend, so I do not mind telling you that I belong to a great English newspaper, and as many of th

nnection with a great English Newspaper. Now she

Mr. Ralph

o start now, and

astin, but I am his r

ith excitement, as he a

know about

around, then with her fin

full of spies here,

il her lips almost touche

or, has decreed that Ralp

bsolutely, dear child!" His voi

"But perhaps you had better tell m

alized her warning of a moment ago. "Do not fear, dear child, I s

looked at him confidingly out of her great Easte

of you, good George, yo

nd I feel, I know I can trust you. I had been asking God, yesterday, to help me, to guide me to a friend, and I feel that He has sent you into my life at this point when I, a lone girl, need most a friend. Someday

ftly, while a look of horror leaped into her eyes, and she gazed fearfully round as tho

with my brother three days ago, and he has joined hands with "The People of the Mark." He is clever, very clev

with another frightened

'the mark' is, a

te flag that floats over the Apleon Palace? I think you must mean that, and if so it is t

est whisper from her, then lean

George, the import

r Scriptures call the 'Mark of the Beast.' If that be so, as

of increased caution, for he glan

w who the Anti-chris

ith upraised finger, leant towards him until her warm lips to

f spies. It was so at Babylon! L

ance travelled to the c

d that I should have any scruples about serving the Anti-christ. But I love God! I missed the great 'Rapture,' when God's true children were taken 'into the ai

, she had drawn herself up to her full height,

rist, of the probable coming days of horror and persecution, then a chance ques

sun is too hot for you to go o

cried, not giving her tim

e you begin, I want to see you lying upon that couch; after all you have passed through, and

ss-legged on the floor by her side-the posture was a favorite one of his, and

her. Within a week of our arrival, at our new home, I became a scholar in a lady Missionary's class of native children, where, among other things, I learned English. When I was e

I had also a dear old grandmother, my mother's mother, who lived about four miles from the tiny missio

usy. Then, a year or more ago, there came an awful event in my life. I was

, and he reached the caraffe and a glass, and poured out a draught. She took a big gulp, then sipped more slowly. And w

l skies. It is true that her beauty was, as yet, of the tender, budding type, but it was the full burstin

lashes, and the thin, arched, pencilled-like eye-brows were raven black. When she had fi

illuminating everything. How lovely it all was! The gold of that sunset-I shall never wholly forget it, I think-was everywhere. It g

e, eh," he broke

"I am afraid I was forgetting mys

over her face,

Grandmother's voice called me from inside, Come, Ro

but somehow felt that evening-as I have often done, in fact-that I would fain worship God with all His evening miracle before

to have shut out all that glory. I took my place by grandmother's side, with my hands folded a

night of dear grandma's life! I can seem to hear her voice even now, she was

that night and our quick night had come down before she had

clining frame, as she continued, and her v

eaped from my bed-Ah, me! I cannot describe it. In half-an-hour the awful tragedy was completed. Every old man and woman was killed, slain with a sword, or hacked to death, or speared. Babies, and little children were brained ag

ngs. Then, at last, at a given signal, the murderers and robbers reformed themselves into a solid c

ight, I had run from my bed to the cottage door, had flashed the light of a torch upon me, and even now I can

d! She'll

wondered. I wanted to go into the little room where her bed was, but my captor would not let me-I never saw her again, and can only fear that,

drank, slept, but all my faculties seemed numbed, and my mind was largely a blank. It was when I was

beautiful dream-structure, with the points of its four light, airy, minarets flashing in the sunlight. Then, little by little, kiosks, tall sad-

ate-to be sold into a harem-but he had pictured it as glowingly, as glitteringly as his rough eloquence would let him. And, with all the blood of countless centuries of Eastern races coursing in my vein

d me into a little room with one quaint, Arabesque window. In this room there was a bath, and every toilette requisite, while, from a tin box that he broug

the worse for me if I angered my master, I bathed and anointed myself, though I remember how once I paused, as

ter my master, accompanied by a little tub of a man, with fatted-hog kind of face, greasy-looking, and wrinkled with fat, out

rds learned, he was very high in office and in favour with the Sultan. He was fab

d buyer. Then after being lightly pinched, pressed, and squeezed, and ogled, the bargain was struck, the money for my pu

minutes later, two female slaves took me to a large dressing-room. Here I was bathed a

ch of my shoulders, and one on my breast, and I noticed a look of horror come into the faces

the swathes of my hair. Then came my robing in garments, so rich, so wonderful, that they almost took my breath away. When the

g evil stealing over me. For I could not forget the looks of fear and of te

twenty feet across, from the heart of which there rose a fountain, with a graceful jet d' eau, flinging its spray high in the air. Two flights of balustraded steps led down into the basin, a few w

Suddenly, a huge Sudanese eunuch appeared, and signed for me to follow him; and a minute later I was ushe

the eyes were blood-shot and fierce, and his vo

ou, you Lebanon beast? Are you o

!' I r

t at me, the foul expectoration falli

e yelled, 'is damned by the cursed

'I will see for myself.' Then to th

and nude, and shamed, I st

oudanese lifted me bodily, and dropped me upo

breast, the vileness running down the sacred sign. Then, as a fiendish look filled his face, h

e up in his brawny hands, tucked me under his arm, as a father

e streets, veiled, of course, to a dealer in girls, when suddenly I saw my brother Hassan, coming towards

Hassan,

ked with deep emotion for a moment, then

's providences! His way

was clerking for this officer-and though the eunuch tried to make a fuss, when h

the city, lest there should b

he same instant, for, from the direction of the cit

ten the doors, while I am gone. Whether the people of the house or I, return first, you can easily ascertain who it is, before you

l me the rest of your wonderful story, and especially how it came about that you k

saved her, she lifted the hand he gave her, to her lips, and kissed it

one. She had barred the o