“Where are they now?”
“At the khan. Hundreds have been to look at them already, and hundreds more are going.”
“Who are they?”
“Nobody knows. They are said to be Persians—wise men who talk with the stars—prophets, it may be, like Elijah and Jeremiah.”
“What do they mean by King of the Jews?”
“The Christ, and that he is just born.”
One of the women laughed, and resumed her work, saying, “Well, when I see him I will believe.”
Another followed her example: “And I—well, when I see him raise the dead, I will believe.”
A third said, quietly, “He has been a long time promised. It will be enough for me to see him heal one leper.”
And the party sat talking until the night came, and, with the help of the frosty air, drove them home.