Then I: 'What shall it be?
How much ?' He answered, 'A--a--' Excuse me, Messala.

By Jove's thunder, I cannot go on for laughter! Ha, ha, ha!" The listeners leaned forward.
Messala looked to Cecilius.
"A shekel," said the latter.
"A shekel! A shekel!" A burst of scornful laughter ran fast upon the repetition.
"And what did Drusus ?" asked Messala.
An outcry over about the door just then occasioned a rush to that quarter; and, as the noise there continued, and grew louder, even Cecilius betook himself off, pausing only to say, "The noble Drusus, my Messala, put up his tablets and--lost the shekel." "A white! A white!" "Let him come!" "This way, this way!" These and like exclamations filled the saloon, to the stoppage of other speech.

The dice-players quit their games; the sleepers awoke, rubbed their eyes, drew their tablets, and hurried to the common centre.
"I offer you--" "And I--" "I--" The person so warmly received was the respectable Jew, Ben-Hur's fellow-voyager from Cyprus.

He entered grave, quiet, observant.
His robe was spotlessly white; so was the cloth of his turban.
Bowing and smiling at the welcome, he moved slowly towards the central table.

Arrived there, he drew his robe about him in a stately manner, took seat, and waved his hand.