The two women held each other by the hand but said
nothing; their hearts seemed too full for speech. Only the old steward
kept muttering--"Two thousand sestertia! The savings of years! Two
thousand sestertia for that bit of a girl! Surely the gods have smitten
him mad."
"Hold your peace, fool," said Nehushta at length. "At least, I am not
mad; the property that went with her is worth more than the money."
"Yes, yes," replied the aggrieved Stephanus, "but how will that benefit
my master? You put it in her name. Well, it is no affair of mine, and at
least this accursed basket is much lighter."
Now they were at the side door of the house, which Stephanus was
unlocking with his key.
"Quick," said Nehushta, "I hear footsteps."
The door opened and they passed in, but at that moment one went by them,
pausing to look until the door closed again.
"Who was that?" asked Stephanus nervously.
"He whom they called Demetrius, the merchant of Alexandria, but whom
once I knew by another name," answered Nehushta in a slow voice while
Stephanus barred the door.
They walked through the archway into an antechamber lit by a single
lamp, leaving Stephanus still occupied with his bolts and chains. Here
with a sudden motion Nehushta threw off her cloak and tore the veil from
her brow.
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