wice in my life and once only did His eyes rest upon
me, and they enchained my heart to His service, though I know but little
yet of what He would have me do."

"No doubt he would have thee turn traitor to thine Emperor and to
acclaim him--the demagogue--as imperator before the Senate and the army.
He----"

"I told thee that He was dead," he interposed simply.

"And that his words had made thee rebellious to Caesar and insolent to
me."

"Thine humble servant, O Augusta," he rejoined, smiling in spite of
himself, for now she was just like an angry child. "Wilt but command and
see how I will obey."

"The girl Nola!" she said haughtily.

"In that alone I must deny thee."

"Then tie my shoe, it hath come undone."

The tone with which she said this was so arrogant and so harsh that even
her slaves behind her turned frightened eyes on the praefect who was
known to be so proud, and on whom the curt command must have had the
effect of a sudden whip-lash on the face.

She had spoken as if to the humblest of her menials, finding pleasure in
putting this insult on the man who had dared to thwart and irritate her;
but she had not spoken deliberately; it had been an impulse, an
irresistible desire to see him down on his knees, in a position only fit
for slaves.

Directly the words had left her mouth, she already regretted them, for
his refusal now would have been doubly humiliating for herself, and her
good sense had told her already that no patrician--least of all Taurus
Antinor--would submit quietly to public insult and ridicule even from
her.

The quick, more gentle word was already on her lips, the look of mute
apology was struggling to her eyes, when to her astonishment the
praefect, without a word, was down on his knees before her.

"Nay!" she said, "I did but jest."

"The honour," he said quietly, "is too great, O daughter of Caesar, that
I should forego it now."

His powerful shoulders were bent almost to the level of the ground, and
she looked down on him, more puzzled than ever at this stranger whose
every action seemed different from those of his fellow-men. She put her
little foot slightly forward, and as he tied the string of her shoe she
saw how slender was his hand, firm yet tapering down to the elegant
finger-tips; the hand of a patrician even though he hailed from the
barbaric North.

Suddenly she smiled. But this he did not see for he was still intent
upon the shoe, but she felt that those slen