There was a space of silence, in which the two impostors turned together and talking between themselves of anything but the recent interview walked out of the chamber.
After a time Laodice lifted her head and spoke to the Greek.
"If thou wilt give me shelter, madam, for a few days only, I promise thee thou shalt not regret it," she said.
The girl was interesting and Amaryllis had been disappointed in Philadelphus. Nothing tender or compassionate; only a little curiosity, a little rancor, a little ennui and a faint instinctive hope that something of interest might yet develop, moved the Greek.
"Send your servant to Ascalon for proofs," she said. "I shall give you shelter here until you are proved undeserving of it. And since the times are uncertain, do not delay."
Chapter X
THE STORY OF A DIVINE TRAGEDY
The following morning, there was a rap at the door of the chamber to which Laodice had been led and informed that it was her own.
She had passed a sleepless night and had risen early, but the knock came late in the morning.
She opened the door.