He said he was in no trouble; that he was betrothed to a girl to
whom he was devoted, and that they had intended to be married that
month. "I am," he declared, "the happiest man in the city." The priest
doubted and watched him that evening, but he saw him walking side by
side with this girl, and the two were joyous as a youth and a maiden
ought to be in the height of their passion. She sat down and sang to
him he played to her, and they embraced one another tenderly at parting.
The next morning was the day on which he was to be slain. There was an
altar in front of the temple, and a great crowd assembled, ranked round
the open space. At the appointed hour the priest appeared, and with him
was the youth, holding his beloved by the hand, but she was blindfolded.
He let go her hand, knelt down, and in a moment the sacrificial knife
was drawn across his throat. His body was placed upon the wood, and the
priest was about to kindle it when a flash from heaven struck it into a
blaze with such heat that when the fire dropped no trace of the victim
remained.
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