He drank freely of the wine, and so hurriedly that the liquid dripped from his long, thin beard.

Was he afraid of the last course?
It appeared at midnight.

It was covered with a white cloth, and only the beautifully-chased edge of the charger was visible.

Herod shuddered and signed that the dish should be placed before the young woman who sat on his left.

She hastily pulled off the cloth, and behold! a man's head; the black hair and beard, steeped in the blood that ran from the neck, lay in the charger.