The Burial 267

The high priest Kaifa, located at the foot of the temple hill.

A short time later he could be seen entering the gates of Kaifa's palace. And leaving the palace a short time later.

After his visit to the palace, which was already aglow with lamps and torches, and in which the holiday bustle was in full swing, the young man began to walk even more briskly, more cheerfully, and hastened back to the Lower City. On that very corner where the street opened onto the market square, in the midst of the bustle and the crowd, he was overtaken by a slender woman in a black shawl pulled over her eyes, who walked with a dancing gait. As she was passing the handsome young man, the woman pushed her shawl up for an instant and gave the young man a sidelong glance, but rather than slow her stride, she actually quickened it, as if trying to conceal herself from the man she had overtaken.

The young man did not merely notice the woman, no, he recognized her, and having done so, he shuddered and stopped, gazing after her in bewilderment, and then immediately set off to catch up with her. After nearly knocking over a passerby carrying a jug, the young man caught up with the woman and, breathing heavily from excitement, called out to her, " Niza! "

The woman turned, narrowed her eyes as her face expressed cold annoyance, and replied dryly in Greek, " Oh, is that you, Judas? I didn't recognize you at first But that's all to the good. We have a saying that he who is not recognized will become a rich man..."

So excited that his heart began to flutter like a bird under a black shawl, Judas asked in a halting whisper, afraid that the passersby would overhear, " Where are you going, Niza? "

" And why do you want to know? " replied Niza, slowing her step and looking arrogantly at Judas.

Then a childlike tone crept into Judas's voice as he whispered to her in dismay, " What is this? We had arranged to meet. I wanted to come see you. You said you'd be home all evening..."

" Oh, no, no, " replied Niza, willfully making her lower lip protrude, which made her face, the most beautiful Judas had ever seen, even more beautiful. " I got bored, " she continued. " You have a holiday, but what am I supposed to do? Sit and listen to you sighing on the terrace? And be afraid that the servant will tell my husband? No, no, and so I decided to take a walk outside the city to listen to the nightingales."

" What do you mean, outside the city? " asked Judas, at a loss. " Alone? "

" Of course, alone, " replied Niza.

" Let me go with you, " asked Judas breathlessly. His thoughts became muddled, he forgot about everything around him and gazed with pleading eyes into Niza's light-blue eyes, which now seemed black.