Chapter 6

‘And how do you happen to know so much about this—this bug-eater?’ grinned Simon. ‘Are you his keeper?’

‘I’m supposed to feed him. He will not eat—but he will talk. He talks all the time! You should hear him! Brrr! It frightens me! He says that a Great One has been sent—from Heaven—to free the slaves and throw the mighty from their high seats!’ Anna’s frown showed genuine anxiety. ‘The whole world is to be shaken!’ she added soberly.

‘As I live—it is true—what Anna’s saying,’ confirmed Claudia excitedly. ‘I was with her when he said it! The whole world is to be shaken!…Until its ears rattle!’ she added, for good measure.

‘You made that up,’ sneered Leah. ‘A prophet wouldn’t say anything that funny.’

‘But it isn’t funny!’ declared Claudia, grinning. ‘Not if it’s true! And Anna thinks it is; don’t you, Anna?’ She gave the sober-faced Jewess a thumb-jab in the ribs.’ You do, too!’ she went on, when Anna impatiently flinched and shook her head.’ You were scared and you made off at once to your—what you call—Synagogue! No? Your tiresome old god is much too hard on you poor Jews. We Romans now—we have many, many gods. All kinds of gods. One takes one’s pick of them, and if he does not please—pouf!’ She airily kissed a rosette of fingertips and blew a negligent farewell to the incompetent deity.

If the half-drunken Claudia had expected a laugh, she was disappointed. Anna and Leah gave her a withering look. Murza scowled; she was not very religious, but she was superstitious and disapproved of sacrilege. Helen, who didn’t know what it was all about and probably wouldn’t have cared if she had known, turned to gaze complacently at the faraway blue mountains. Simon, who through Claudia’s silly speech had remained staring at Anna’s apprehensive face, took a step toward her.

‘You say—this fellow said that a Great One is coming?’ he demanded, so sternly that Anna blinked.

‘He said the Great One has come,’ replied Anna. ‘He is here—now!’

‘That’s what he said!’ put in Claudia, helpfully. ‘I heard him!’

‘Shut up!’ rasped Leah, as if to a noisy terrier.

‘Where?’ demanded Simon, searching Anna’s eyes.

‘I know what you’re thinking,’ replied Anna, after some hesitation. ‘There has been all this talk—about a Carpenter—who does strange things.’ She had lowered her voice to the tone of a confidence. ‘But—apparently the Carpenter is not our man. The Carpenter is said to heal diseases. This Great One isn’t here to heal anybody: he’s here to punish the rulers—and the rich!’

‘I wonder if His Highness knows what sort of blabbing our prisoner can do,’ remarked Murza. ‘Perhaps he wouldn’t have wanted the fellow handled so gently if he had heard some of his talk.’