"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!"
The woman laughed aloud, with such peculiar insolence and amusement that one of the servants heard her and turned his head that way.
"Pah! What a timid villain thou art," the woman said, when the servant looked away again. "How much better it would have been had Julian fixed upon me as his confederate!"
"Not for Julian! You plot against him even now. But say what you will, you go to Emmaus to-night, without fail. I have spoken!"