At this a bright patch of red colored his cheeks; after brief reflection
he cried to his servant. "My ass!" and added to the girl: "Where is
your mistress?"

"In the viridarium with Gamaliel the goldsmith; but they are going to
supper immediately."

"And without their guest? I understand!" muttered the old man, taking
up his hat and marching past the maid out of the room. In the hall he
met Gamaliel, to whom a slave-girl was handing his stick. Horapollo
could guess that the Jew had come only to warn the women against him and,
without vouchsafing him a glance, he went into the dining-room. There he
found Pulchena and Mary kneeling in tears by the side of Joanna, who was
weeping too.

He guessed for whom were these lamentations, and prompted by the wish to
prove the falsity of the accusation that charged him with having entered
the house as a spy, he spoke to the widow. She shuddered as he entered,
and she now pointed to the door with an outstretched finger; when he
nevertheless stood still and was about to make his defence, she
interrupted him loudly and urgently: "No, no, my lord! This house is
henceforth closed against you! You yourself have broken every tie that
bound us! Do not any longer disturb our peace! Go back to the place you
came from."

At this the old man made one more attempt to speak; but the widow rose,
and saying: "Come, my children," she hastily withdrew with the girls into
the adjoining room, and closed the door.

Horapollo was left alone on the threshold.