Presently an old woman, meanly clad with her face veiled to the
eyes, and bearing on her back a heavy basket such as was used to carry
fruit to market, presented herself at the door of the house.
"What do you want?" asked the gatekeeper.
"To inspect the slaves," she answered in Greek.
"Go away," he said roughly, "you are not a buyer."
"I may be if the stuff is good enough," she replied, slipping a gold
coin into his hand.
"Pass in, old lady, pass in," and in another second the door had closed
behind her, and Nehushta found herself among the slaves.
In this building the light was already so low that torches were burning
for the convenience of visitors. By the flare of them Nehushta saw
the unfortunate captives--there were but fifteen--seated upon marble
benches, while slave women moved from the one to the other, washing
their hands and feet and faces in scented water, brushing and tying
their hair and removing the dust of the procession from their robes,
so that they might look more comely to the eyes of the purchasers. Also
there were present a fair number of bidders, twenty or thirty of them,
who strolled from girl to girl discussing the points of each and at
times asking them to stand up, or turn round, or show their arms
and ankles, that they might judge of them better.
Pages:
419
420
421
422
423
424
425
426
427
428
429
430
431
432
433
434
435
436
437
438
439
440
441
442
443