"There is pestilence in this company," Aquila said angrily; "will that not persuade you to abandon this plan?" "No. When all of you are like to die and leave this great treasure sitting out in the wilderness without a guardian?" she said lightly. There was no trace of a servant's humility in her tone. "Hast had the plague that thou seem'st to feel secure from it?" he demanded. "O no; then there would be no risk in this game. There is no sport in an unfair advantage over conditions. No! But how comes this Costobarus with you?" "He would not trust his daughter and a dowry to me, alone." "How shall we get to Emmaus, then?" she asked. "We shall not get to Emmaus; so you must inform Julian, who will expect us there," he declared. The woman played with the silken reins of her camel. Behind her veil a sarcastic smile played about the corners of her mouth. Aquila watched her resentfully, waiting with an immense reserve of caustic words for her refusal to accept the charge. "So, my Mars of the gray temples, thou meanest in all faith to deliver up this lady and her treasure to Julian?" "By those same gray temples, I do! And hold thy peace about my white hairs. Nothing made them so but thyself--and this evil plot in which I am tangled. What does Julian mean to do with this poor creature?" "He has not got her yet and by the complication thou seest now, wearing its turban over one ear in yonder howdah, it may come to pass that he will never have her--and her dowry." "Pfui! How little you know this Julian! Besides, I am pledged to deliver him--at least the treasure." "And thou meanest to line his purse with this great treasure because he paid thee to do it?" "I shall; and be rid of it!" The woman smiled sarcastically. "And scorn it for thyself?" Aquila made no answer, but rode on in sulky silence. "Perpol, it must be pleasant to be a queen," the woman observed with an assumption of childishness in her voice. "Peril's own habit!" Aquila declared. "Peril! Fie! That is half the pleasure of this game of life. It is tiresome to live any other way than hazardously." "Thou shalt have pleasure enough in this journey thou art to take," Aquila declared a little threateningly. The woman laughed. When Aquila spoke again, his voice was full of concern. "I was a fool for not forcing you to stay in Ascalon. You are reckless--reckless!" "It was that which made me attractive," the woman broke in, "to Nero, to Vitellius and to you." "Reckless and useless!" Aquila went on decisively. "Hear me, now; I trifle no longer. Sometime to-night thou'lt leave us and journey to Emmaus and inform Julian what has wrecked his plans, and send him with despatch to Zorah. This thou wilt do, by all the Furies, or when I do catch thee as I shall, since there is no other fool in Judea who will undertake to feed thee, I shall leave the print of my displeasure on thee from thy head to thy heel! Mark me!"