money-lenders, and die in about three days in a great deal of pain,
having missed our assignation with old Miriam, lost your pleasantest
companion, and left your own finances and those of the prefecture in
a considerable state of embarrassment. How much better to sit down,
hear all I have to sayphilosophically, like a true pupil of Hypatia,
and not expect a man to tell you what he really does not know.'

Orestes, after looking vainly round the room for a place to escape,
had quietly subsided into his chair again; and by the time that the
slaves knocked at the door he had so far recovered his philosophy as
to ask, not for the torturers, but for a page and wine.

'Oh, you Jews!' quoth he, trying to laugh off matters. 'The same
incarnate fiends that Titus found you!'

'The very same, my dear prefect. Now for this matter, which is
really important-at least to Gentiles. Heraclian will certainly
rebel. Synesius let out as much to me. He has fitted out an
armament for Ostia, stopped his own wheat-ships, and is going to
write to you to stop yours, and to starve out the Eternal City,
Goths, senate, emperor, and all. Whether you will comply with his
reasonable little request depends of course on yourself.'

'And that again very much on his plans.'

'Of course. You cannot be expected to--we will euphemise-unless it
be made worth your while.'

Orestes sat buried in deep thought.