At the moment when
Nehushta entered one of these, a fat man with greasy curls who looked
like an Eastern, was endeavouring to persuade a dark and splendid Jewess
to let him see her foot. Pretending not to understand she sat still and
sullen, till at length he stooped down and lifted her robe. Then in
an instant the girl dealt him such a kick in the face that amidst the
laughter of the spectators he rolled backwards on the floor, whence he
rose with a cut and bloody forehead.
"Very good, my beauty, very good," he muttered in a savage voice,
"before twelve hours are over you shall pay for that."
But again the girl sat sullen and motionless, pretending not to
understand.
Most of the public, however, were gathered about Miriam, who sat upon a
chair by herself, her hands folded, her head bent down, a very picture
of pitiful, outraged modesty. One by one as their turns came and the
attendant suffered them to approach, the men advanced and examined her
closely, though Nehushta noted that none of them were allowed to touch
her with their hands. Placing herself at the end of the line she watched
with all her eyes and listened with all her ears. Soon she had her
reward. A tall man, dressed like a merchant of Egypt, went up to Miriam
and bent over her.
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