| During its flight, a formula took shape in the now light and lucid head of the procurator. It went like this: the hegemon has looked into the case of the vagrant philosopher Yeshua, alias Ha-Nozri, and found in it no grounds for indictment. In particular, he has found not the slightest connection between the acts of Yeshua and the disorders that have lately taken place in Yershalaim. The vagrant philosopher has proved to be mentally ill. Consequently, the procurator has not confirmed the death sentence on Ha-Nozri passed by the Lesser Sanhedrin. But seeing that Ha-Nozri's mad Utopian talk might cause disturbances in Yershalaim, the procurator is removing Yeshua from Yershalaim and putting him under confinement in Stratonian Caesarea on the Mediterranean - that is, precisely where the procurator's residence was. |
| Оставалось это продиктовать секретарю. | It remained to dictate it to the secretary. |
| Крылья ласточки фыркнули над самой головой игемона, птица метнулась к чаше фонтана и вылетела на волю. Прокуратор поднял глаза на арестанта и увидел, что возле того столбом загорелась пыль. | The swallow's wings whiffled right over the hegemon's head, the bird darted to the fountain basin and then flew out into freedom. The procurator raised his eyes to the prisoner and saw the dust blaze up in a pillar around him. |
| - Все о нем? - спросил Пилат у секретаря. | 'Is that all about him?' Pilate asked the secretary. |
| - Нет, к сожалению, - неожиданно ответил секретарь и подал Пилату другой кусок пергамента. | 'Unfortunately not,' the secretary replied unexpectedly and handed Pilate another piece of parchment. |
| - Что еще там? - спросил Пилат и нахмурился. | 'What's this now?' Pilate asked and frowned. |
| Прочитав поданное, он еще более изменился в лице. Темная ли кровь прилила к шее и лицу или случилось что-либо другое, но только кожа его утратила желтизну, побурела, а глаза как будто провалились. | Having read what had been handed to him, he changed countenance even more: Either the dark blood rose to his neck and face, or something else happened, only his skin lost its yellow tinge, turned brown, and his eyes seemed to sink. |
| Опять-таки виновата была, вероятно, кровь, прилившая к вискам и застучавшая в них, только у прокуратора что-то случилось со зрением. Так, померещилось ему, что | Again it was probably owing to the blood rising to his temples and throbbing in them, only something happened to the procurator's vision. Thus, he imagined that the prisoner's |