Part 36 (2/2)
”It's not true,” she cried out involuntarily.
”No, gracious lady. Men of sense do know that it is not true. But an infuriated mob hath no sense. It is like an overgrown child, with thousands of irresponsible limbs. It is tossed hither and thither, swayed by the wind of a chance word. But it were as well, mayhap, if it were true.”
”Silence, Tertius, how canst say such a thing.”
”I think of the Caesar, gracious lady,” rejoined the man simply, ”and of thee. If the mob found the praefect of Rome now alive or dead, then surely would they murder the Caesar and make of the praefect their Emperor if he lived, their G.o.d if he were dead.”
And as if to confirm the man's words, the morning breeze wafted through the air the prolonged and insistent cry:
”Taurus Antinor! Hail!”
With a curt word, Dea dismissed her comptroller, and he went, followed by his train of shrieking men and women.
She remained a while silent and alone in the atrium, while the moanings of the slaves and Tertius' rough admonitions to them died away in the distance.
”If the mob found the praefect of Rome now alive or dead,” she murmured, ”then surely would they murder the Caesar and make of the praefect their Emperor if he lived, their G.o.d if he were dead!”
Dea Flavia cast a quick glance all round her. The atrium itself was deserted, even though from every side beyond its colonnaded arcade came the sound of many voices and those persistent, cowardly groanings which set the young girl's nerves tingling and caused her heart to sink within her, with the presage of impending doom.
Only in the vestibule the watchmen sat alert and prepared to guard the Augusta's house; they were gossiping among themselves and seemed the only men in the place who were not wholly panic-stricken.
The hum of their voices sounded quite rea.s.suring in the midst of the senseless groans of terror which came from the women's quarters near the Augusta's rooms, as well as from the men in the more remote parts of the house.
After that brief moment of hesitation Dea went resolutely toward the studio. She crossed its small vestibule and pushed open the door.
Dion was sitting there on guard as the Augusta had commanded. He rose when she entered.
”The praefect?” she asked hurriedly.
”He sleeps,” replied the man.
”Art sure?”
”I peeped in but a few moments ago. His eyes are closed. I think that he sleeps.”
”I would wish to make sure,” she said curtly.
Too well-trained, or mayhap too indifferent to show surprise at so strange a desire on the part of the great and gracious Augusta, Dion stood aside respectfully to allow her to pa.s.s, then he followed her to the door of the inner room and held aside the heavy curtain, whilst she put her hand upon the latch.
”Dion,” she said, turning back to him, ”yesterday I gave thee thy freedom, since thou didst serve me well.”
”Aye, gracious lady,” replied the man as he bent the knee in submissive respect, ”and I would kiss thy feet for this, thy graciousness.”
”When the city is once more at peace, we'll before the quaestor, and thou and Nolus and Blanca shall all be declared free. But to-day thou art still my slave and must obey me in all things.”
”As thou dost command, gracious lady.”
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