Old Momus, the mute, with his head on his knees slept on.

Julian, who had been halted involuntarily by the attitude of his companion and had been an amazed witness of this extraordinary end of the incident, looked at Philadelphus’ face in frank stupefaction.  But Philadelphus laid a hand so forceful and compelling on his companion’s shoulder that it left the pink print of his fingers on the flesh, turned him toward the horses and led him away.

“We will breakfast farther on,” he said.

A moment and they were swinging down the stony side of the hill toward the east, and Laodice, with her hand clutching her excited heart, had not thought of flinging herself upon Momus.  She raised herself gradually to watch them as far as she could see, and her fixed and stunned gaze rested with immense homesickness and longing on the taller man radiant against the background of a risen sun.

Chapter IV

THE TRAVELERS

The Maccabee rode on, unconscious of Julian’s critical gaze.  The smile on his lips flickered now brightly, now very faint.  The incident in the hills had not made him entirely happy, but it had awakened in him something which was latent in him, something which he had never felt before, but which held a sweet familiarity that the blood of his fathers in him had recognized.

Julian was intensely disgusted and disappointed.  But there was still a sensation of shock on his shoulder where the Maccabee’s iron hand had rested and his famous caution stood him in stead at this moment when a quarrel with such intense and executive earnestness in his companion’s manner might prove disastrous.  If quarrel they must before they reached Emmaus, now but a few leagues east of them, he must insure himself against defeat much less likely to be suffered from a man reluctant to quarrel.  He had been hunting for a pretext ever since they had left Caesarea, but this one, suddenly opened to him, startled him.  He admitted now that it would not be wise to force a fight.  Whatever must be done should be done with least danger to himself.  It were better, he believed, to allay suspicion.

He spoke.

“How far is it to Jerusalem?”

“About eighty furlongs.”

“Then if we continue, we shall approach the gates after nightfall.”

“We shall not continue,” Philadelphus remarked.  “We shall halt at Emmaus.”

“Do you think it would be better for us to camp here in the hills rather than to stop without the walls of Jerusalem between the city forces and the winter garrison of Titus and await the opening of the Gates?” Julian asked after thought.

“We shall wait in Emmaus,” the Maccabee repeated, his soul too filled with dream to note the change in his companion’s manner.

“You have already lost three days,” Julian charged him irritably.

“Jerusalem may be besieged; it may be long before I can ride in the wilderness again,” the Maccabee answered.