The incident in the hills had marked the
change in him. It was not, then, with a patient tongue that he
defended his intentions, which had grown less inviting in the last
hour.
"How little your wife will enjoy her," Julian's smooth voice broke in
once more, "seeing that the frail one is lovely."
"I do not know that she is lovely."
"What!" Julian exclaimed in genuine amazement. "You do not know that
she is lovely! Years of correspondence with a woman whom you do not
know to be lovely! Reposing kingdoms on a woman's influence whom you
do not know to be beautiful!"
"Beauty is no tie," the Maccabee retorted. "Have you forgotten Salome,
the Jewish actress who could play Aphrodite in the theaters of
Ephesus, to the confusion of the goddess herself? They said she snared
three procurators and an emperor at one performance and lost them in a
day!"
"Have you seen her?" Julian asked with a sidelong glance. "Till your
own eyes prove it, you should not accept that she is so bewitching."
"There is no need that I should see her; Aquila swears it! And I would
take his word against the testimony of even mine own eyes."
Julian looked up in a startled manner and hurriedly looked away again.
A half-frightened, half-amused smile played about his lips.
"Aquila is no judge of woman," he said finally. "And furthermore, they
say she got to trifling with magic and prowling about the temples to
see if the gods came true.
Pages:
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82