“Dost thou repent? Dost thou renounce? Dost thou deny?”
“I repent of my sins—I renounce your ways—I believe in the Lord—”
The sacred name was not heard. A smothered groan as of one losing consciousness in extreme torture was all that came up from below.
“Lay on, Levi, lay on!”
“Nay,” answered the strong rabbi, “the boy will die. Let us leave him here for this night. Perchance cold and hunger will be more potent than stripes, when he shall come to himself.”
“As though sayest,” answered the father in angry reluctance.
Again all was silent. Soon the rays of light ceased to shine through the crevices of the outer shutters, and sleep descended upon the quarter of the Jews. Still the scene in the vision changed not. After a long stillness a clear young voice was heard speaking.
“Lord, if it be Thy will that I die, grant that I may bear all in Thy name, grant that I, unworthy, may endure in this body the punishments due to me in spirit for my sins. And if it be Thy will that I live, let my life be used also for Thy glory.”
The voice ceased and the cloud of passing time descended upon the vision and was lifted again and again. And each time the same voice was heard and the sound of torturing blows, but the voice of the boy was weaker every night, though it was not less brave.
“I believe,” it said, always. “Do what you will, you have power over the body, but I have the Faith over which you have no power.”