They grasped him by the arms on each side, Lazarus his father, and Levi, surnamed the Short-handed, the strongest and the cruellest and the most relentless of the younger rabbis.

Their grip was rough, and the older man held a coarse woollen cloth in his hand with which to smother the boy's cries if he should call out for help.

But he was very calm and did not resist them.
"What would you ?" he asked.
"And what doest thou in a Christian church ?" asked Lazarus in low fierce tones.
"What Christians do, since I am one of them," answered the youth, unmoved.
Lazarus said nothing, but he struck the boy on the mouth with his hard hand so that the blood ran down.
"Not here!" exclaimed Levi, anxiously looking about.
And they hurried him away through dark and narrow lanes.

He opposed no resistance to Levi's rough strength, not only suffering himself to be dragged along but doing his best to keep pace with the man's long strides, nor did he murmur at the blows and thrusts dealt him from time to time by his father from the other side.

During some minutes they were still traversing the Christian part of the city.