The man was dressed in white,
with a leathern girdle round his waist, into which a towel was
thrust. A leathern wallet hung from his neck, and he leaned upon
a long staff.
"Peace be with you, Rabbi," said the Boy, reverently bowing at the
stranger's feet. But the man looked at him steadily and did not
speak.
The Boy was confused by the silence. The man's eyes troubled him
with their secret look, but he was not afraid.
"Who are you, sir," he asked, "and what is your will with me? Perhaps
you are a master of the Pharisees or a scribe? But no--there are
no broad blue fringes on your garments. Are you a priest, then?"
The man shook his head, frowning. "I despise the priests," he
answered, "and I abhor their bloody and unclean sacrifices. I am
Enoch the Essene, a holy one, a perfect keeper of the law. I live
with those who have never defiled themselves with the eating of
meat, nor with marriage, nor with wine; but we have all things in
common, and we are baptized in pure water every day for the purifying
of our wretched bodies, and after that we eat the daily feast of
love in the kingdom of the Messiah which is at hand.
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