John smiled.
"Half of the lies go to preserve another's opinion of us. How much we respect our fellows!"
"Be comforted; there are as many lying for our sakes! But how goes it without on the walls?"
"Against Rome or against Simon?"
"Both."
"Ill enough. But when Titus presses too close Simon will lay down his hostility toward me; and when Titus becomes too effective, we are to have a divine interference, so our prophets say."
"I observe," the woman said, "we Jews at this time are relying much on the prophets to fight our battles. Behold, our stores will hold out, we say, because it is said; and we shall fight indifferently, because Daniel hath bespoken a Deliverer for us at this time!"
John, with his wine-glass between thumb and finger, looked at her.
"I should expect a heretic to be so critical for us," he said.
The woman sat with her elbows on the table, her chin in her hands, gazing moodily at the sunlight falling through the brass grill over the windows on the court. She ignored his remark, but answered presently in another tone.