urtly.

"Germanicus' brother to succeed Germanicus' son," said another with a
contemptuous shrug of the shoulders.

"And he is as crazy as his nephew," added Caius Nepos.

He had not assembled his friends here to-night, he had not feasted them
and loaded them with gifts with a view to passing the imperium merely
from one head to another. He was fairly sure of the support of the
praetorian guard, whose praefect he was, and had counted on the
adherence of these malcontents, who he hoped would look to him for
future favours whilst raising him to supreme dignity.

He liked not this talk of the family of Caesar which took the attention
of his closest adherents away from his own claim.

"The entire House of Caesar," he said, "is rotten to the core. There is
not one member of it fit to rule."

"But of a truth," said prudent Ancyrus, "they have the foremost claim."

"Then if that be the case," broke in young Hortensius Martius suddenly,
"let us turn to the one member of the House of Caesar who is noble and
pure, exalted above all."

"There is none such," said Caius Nepos hotly.

"Aye! there is one," retorted the younger man.

"His name?" came loudly from every side.

"I spoke of a woman."

"A woman!"

And shouts of derisive laughter broke from every lip. Only Marcus
Ancyrus remained grave and thoughtful, and now he said:

"Dost perchance speak of Dea Flavia Augusta?"

"Even of her," replied Hortensius.

Involuntarily at the name, the voice of the older man had assumed a
respectful tone, and all around the vulgar sneers and bitter mockery had
died away as if by magic contact with something hallowed and pure.

Even Caius Nepos thought it wise to subdue his tone of contempt, and
merely said curtly:

"A goddess of a truth, but a woman cannot lead an army or rule an
empire."

"No," rejoined Hortensius Martius, "but a wise and virtuous woman can
rule wisely and virtuously over the man whom she will choose for mate."

There was silence for a moment or two, whilst young Hortensius' glowing
eyes swept questioningly over the assembly. Everyone there knew of his
passion for the Augusta, a passion, in truth, shared by many of those
who had the privilege of knowing her intimately, and strangely enough
though the proposal had so much daring in it, it met with but little
opposition.

"Wouldst thou then suggest, O Hortensius Martius," quoth Marcus Ancyrus,
the elder, after a slight pause, "that the Augusta's husband