loak had been carefully put aside and his feet
washed, the group gathered in the wide window-seat where he reclined,
to hear news from Rome. "Hath the fame of the garment of Lolilla
Pauline come to your ears?" he asked.

"Nay," answered Martha.

"Of seed pearls was it covered and over the pearls lay leaves of
emerald. Forty million sesterces did it cost. Thou holdest up thy
hands? Then will I tell thee of one that did cost fifty million
sesterces--the like of which eye hath not seen before. On a robe of
pearls sprinkled with diamonds, sat a peacock of great size so that his
head did rest on the shoulders of the wearer and the tail of the bird
did cover her back. And of rare jewels was this bird made; emeralds
and rubies and topaz and sapphire and amethyst and opals and jacinths,
set with such skill as to make the breast-plate of the High Priest a
bauble. What delighteth the heart of a woman more than rich wearing
apparel?" The question followed his description of the jewels and he
laughed heartily at Martha's expression of amazed delight.

"Yet another garment would I tell thee of, such a one as eye hath not
before seen." He stopped to laugh heartily. "A garment it also was of
many colors," and again he laughed. "In that which is filthy and cast
away do rag-pickers stir and strive. And when they have great stores
of that which is vile and useless, do they sew it together into a
garment and sell it for a pittance to a slave to cover his naked body.
Such a rag-picker's garment saw I. Such a sight--sold for such a
pittance."

"But might not the pittance paid for a rag-picker's garment be more to
the slave than fifty million sesterces to one whose toil earned not
even the first of them?" asked Mary.

"Ask me not questions about slaves, the rabble. Thou knowest they are
but broilers and vile."

"Perhaps," Mary answered thoughtfully, "if slaves and the rabble were
better fed they would broil less. Doth not Baba Metzia say 'When the
barley in the jar is finished, quarrels come thundering through the
house'?"

"Thou knowest nothing of slaves and the rabble, fair Mary. Never are
the poor content. Give them bran and vinegar and they want herbs.
Give them herbs and they want lentils. Give them lentils and they want
sop of mutton. And once sop-fed will they cry aloud for the mutton
itself. Cursed be the poor, by God. Let them be accursed." And the
money-changer nodded his head in approval of his speec