nseless orgy of shouts and of laughter, now jumped
up with a violent oath.

"What hath Taurus Antinor to do with us?" he shouted at the top of his
voice, "or we with Taurus Antinor? Ye do not intend, I trust, to raise a
freedman to the imperium and place the sceptre of Caesar in the hands of
a descendant of slaves!"

He was trembling with such unbridled fury, his eyes glowed with the lust
of such deadly hate that instinctively the ribald songs and immoderate
laughter were hushed, and eyes, veiled with the film of intoxication
were turned wonderingly upon him.

But Caius Nepos was smiling blandly: the ire of Hortensius pleased him
even though he did not understand its cause.

"Nay, as to that," he said, "are we not all descended from slaves?
Taurus Antinor hath the ear of the plebs. Doth suggest, O Hortensius,
that he also hath the ear of Dea Flavia Augusta?"

He had shot this arrow into the air, little guessing how hard and truly
it would hit.

Hortensius was making vigorous efforts to curb his temper, biting his
lips until tiny drops of blood slowly trickled down his chin. But he
felt that the mocking eyes of his host were upon him, and had just a
sufficiency of reason left in him to see through the machinations of
Caius Nepos. He would not hold himself up to ridicule now before those
who should prove his strong supporters in the future; his proposal had
not yet been put to the vote, and he did not mean to alienate his
adherents by an insane show of maniacal rage.

"Of that," he said in response to his host's taunt, and in a voice
quivering with the mighty effort of control, "of that there is but
little fear. The Augusta is too proud to look with favour on a stranger;
as for me, I would sooner ask Escanes to plunge his dagger in my throat
than I would serve the Empire under the Caesarship of Taurus Antinor."

"Thou canst record thy vote as thou thinkest best," said Caius Nepos
with calm urbanity. And those who were sufficiently sober nodded
approval with solemn gravity.

"Nay," here interposed Marcus Ancyrus with stern reproof, "before we
begin to vote let us be agreed on one point: let us be prepared to swear
by the gods that we will adhere truly and loyally to the choice of the
majority--and if, as meseems is likely, we agree that the unknown future
husband of Dea Flavia Augusta become the ruler of us all, then must we
swear to proclaim him the Caesar with one accord, else doth our voting
become a mere far