Are
you still mad, man, that you should dare to lay such a proposal before
me? Don't you understand that I need both the woman and the blood of him
who dared to cheat me out of her?"
"Most divine prince, I understand perfectly, but this fish is only
biting; he must be tempted or he will tell nothing."
"Why not bring him here and torture him?"
"I have thought of that, but those Jews are so obstinate. While you were
twisting the truth out of him the other man would escape with the girl.
Much better promise everything he asks and then----"
"And then--what?"
"And then forget your promises. What can be simpler?"
"But he needs them in writing."
"Let him have them in writing, my writing, which your divine self can
repudiate. Only the pardon to Caleb, who I suppose is this Demetrius
himself, can be signed by Titus. It will not affect you whether a Jew
more or less has the right to trade in the Empire, if thereby you can
win his services in an important matter. Then, when the time comes,
you can net both your unknown rival and the lady, leaving our friend
Demetrius to report the facts to her relatives in Judaea, for whom, as he
states, he is alone concerned."
"Saturius," said Domitian, growing interested, "you are not so foolish
as I thought you were.
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