Mikhail Bulgakov. The Master and Margarita -
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forehead, stared at the ground, then frowning skywards he saw that the
incandescent ball was nearly overhead, that Caiaphas' shadow had shrunk to
almost nothing and he said in a calm, expressionless voice :
'The execution will be at noon. We have enjoyed this conversation, but
matters must proceed.'
Excusing himself to the High Priest in a few artificial phrases, he
invited him to sit down on a bench in the shade of a magnolia and to wait
while he summoned the others necessary for the final short consultation and
to give one more order concerning the execution.
Caiaphas bowed politely, placing his hand on his heart, and remained in
the garden while Pilate returned to the balcony. There he ordered his
waiting secretary to call the Legate of the Legion and the Tribune of the
cohort into the garden, also the two members of the Sanhedrin and the
captain of the temple guard, who were standing grouped round the fountain on
the lower terrace awaiting his call. Pilate added that he would himself
shortly return to join them in the garden, and disappeared inside the
palace.
While the secretary convened the meeting, inside his darken-ed,
shuttered room the Procurator spoke to a man whose face, despite the
complete absence of sunlight from the room, remained half covered by a hood.
The interview was very short. The Procurator whispered a few words to the
man, who immediately departed. Pilate passed through the arcade into the
garden.
There in the presence of all the men he had asked to see, the
Procurator solemnly and curtly repeated that he confirmed the sentence of
death on Yeshua Ha-Notsri and enquired officially of the Sanhedrin members
as to which of the prisoners it had pleased them to release. On being told
that it was Bar-Abba, the Procurator said:
'Very well,' and ordered the secretary to enter it in the minutes. He