Strong is love and wonderful are its follies and its treacheries, for even then his Sapphira sank upon a couch in her own room sighing and murmuring in a low voice:
"Lysias! Lysias! My beloved! If I have any other lovers I will name them Lysias in my mind, for I do love thee, and love is pleasant."
The procurator made no great haste that morning, although he prepared for journeying. He had many affairs and his messengers came and went, and it might be seen that he was a thoughtful governor, attending to all who came, only that he sent out some edicts which were full of blood and vengeance.
Not long was it before he stood in a private place with Ben Ezra questioning.
"O Jew," he said, "now thou hast told me how Julius plotted to destroy the Saxon guards of Caius, thou hast told me enough. But for this tall jarl of thine and his pirates I should never again meet my friend. He may give them to me and I will not waste them in the arena. I know of a place to which I may send a good sword and where I may not send a legionary."
Low bowed the Jew and the unspoken word in his heart was bitter.
"Do I not know thee?" he thought. "Thou treacherous one! Thou wilt send a Saxon to do a deed, and when it is done for thee thou wilt slay him and clear thyself. This is the cunning of the Romans. I will beware of thee and thy errands, but I care little for my own neck. O that the Messiah, the Prince of Judah, were even now smiting thee and thine from the earth! He cometh soon, I think."
So, bowing as became his station, but guarding well his face and letting his eyelids fall over any glitter that might betray him, Ben Ezra went out of the palace and was joined by Abbas.
"O my friend," said Abbas, "why linger we?"
"We may not linger," said Ben Ezra. "We depart, but thou wilt travel alone. I have commands from the procurator. See to it that thou art quickly in Jerusalem."
"Art thou mad?" said Ben Ezra. "Or dost thou know but little of Pontius? Keep thy questions to thyself and tarry thou not, for I think thou hast a spot on thy name. Beware lest it turn into red on thy garments."
Very pale was Abbas, but his face was that of a fox with a wolf for his father.
"O Ben Ezra," he said, "thy counsel is good. But be thou careful of thine own head. I can tell much concerning thee."