an arm
thrust through Nicanor's--"now thou hast found that there are many other
things in life which a man may want. Is it not so?"

"Ay," Nicanor said again. "That is so also."

V

In the slaves' quarters, next morning, Nicanor took his flogging without
a change of face, while Hito, the fat overseer, looked on and grinned in
evil glee. But Nicanor had so much worse than flogging hanging over him
that he scarcely felt the blows, and merely grinned back at Hito, with
insolent bravado, until the latter was cursing with rage. Then, being
set to grind sand for the floors of the kitchens, he made an opportunity
to seek out Marcus. But Marcus was nowhere to be found. Nicanor
questioned, cautiously; no one had seen him. Apparently, no one cared
what had become of him. He might have been rotting in sewer or
drain-hole for all his fellow-slaves seemed concerned. To save his life
Nicanor could not have told just why he wished to find the old man,
since the farther he and Marcus were apart, the better it would be for
both.

Foiled in his search, he went back to work again. Many times before his
labor was ended, he passed the closed door of the garden where Varia
dwelt; and each time his heart beat hard and his face flushed and his
brown hands trembled. To know her so near, and not to see her; to be
conscious of her in every throbbing pulse, and not to seek her; not to
know whether she was safe and unharmed, or whether blame for his
rashness had fallen, through her father's wrath, on her--

"Last night I could have gone to her had I not chosen to make myself a
drunken swine," he said, and caught himself up in fear lest he had
spoken the words aloud. "Did she look for me--wait for me?--for I'll
warrant she has not forgotten. But to-night--to-night--"

He caught his breath, his eyes lighting.

"I'll make her confess she loves me! I'll have the words from her own
lips--words, ay, and kisses also! Ah, lord, noble lord, mighty lord!
what wouldst say to know that for the lifting of a slave's finger thou
standest to lose what all thy gold could never buy thee back?" His
passion died before it had fairly gathered force. He stood an instant,
motionless and shaken, drew a hand across his eyes, and returned to his
labor.

All that day Hito worked him mercilessly, in a mean and entirely
comprehensible spirit of revenge, until, being not fully recovered from
his drinking-bout, his brain was reeling and he could scarcely keep his
l