FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   >>  
ure as well. In the meantime, Eumolpus, locked out as he was, was being very roughly handled by the cooks and scullions of the establishment; one aimed a spitful of hissing-hot guts at his eyes; another grabbed a two-tined fork in the pantry and put himself on guard. But worst of all, a blear-eyed old hag, girded round with a filthy apron, and wearing wooden clogs which were not mates, dragged in an immense dog on a chain, and "sicked" him upon Eumolpus, but he beat off all attacks with his candlestick. CHAPTER THE NINETY-SIXTH. We took in the entire performance through a hole in the folding-doors: this had been made but a short time before, when the handle had been broken and jerked out, and I wished him joy of his beating. Giton, however, forgetting everything except his own compassion, thought we ought to open the door and succor Eumolpus, in his peril; but being still angry, I could not restrain my hand; clenching my fist, I rapped his pitying head with my sharp knuckles. In tears, he sat upon the bed, while I applied each eye in turn, to the opening, filling myself up as with a dainty dish, with Eumolpus' misfortunes, and gloating over their prolongation, when Bargates, agent for the building, called from his dinner, was carried into the midst of the brawl by two chair-men, for he had the gout. He carried on for some time against drunkards and fugitive slaves, in a savage tone and with a barbarous accent, and then, looking around and catching sight of Eumolpus, "What," he exclaimed, "are you here, nay prince of poets? and these damned slaves don't scatter at once and stop their brawling!" (Then, whispering in Eumolpus' ear,) "My bedfellow's got an idea that she's finer-haired than I am; lampoon her in a poem, if you think anything of me, and make 'er ashamed." CHAPTER THE NINETY-SEVENTH. Eumolpus was speaking privately with Bargates, when a crier attended by a public slave entered the inn, accompanied by a medium-sized crowd of outsiders. Waving a torch that gave out more smoke than light, he announced: "Strayed from the baths, a short time ago, a boy about sixteen years of age, curly headed, a minion, handsome, answers to the name of Giton. One thousand sesterces reward will be paid to anyone bringing him back or giving information as to his whereabouts." Ascyltos, dressed in a tunic of many colors, stood not far from the crier, holding out a silver tray upon which was piled the reward,
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   >>  



Top keywords:
Eumolpus
 

reward

 

CHAPTER

 
NINETY
 

carried

 

Bargates

 

slaves

 

bedfellow

 
lampoon
 
haired

accent

 

barbarous

 

catching

 

savage

 

fugitive

 

drunkards

 

scatter

 

brawling

 

damned

 
exclaimed

prince
 

whispering

 
accompanied
 

sesterces

 

bringing

 

thousand

 

headed

 
minion
 
handsome
 

answers


holding
 

silver

 

colors

 

information

 

giving

 

whereabouts

 

Ascyltos

 

dressed

 

entered

 

medium


public

 

attended

 

ashamed

 
SEVENTH
 

privately

 

speaking

 

outsiders

 

Strayed

 

sixteen

 

announced