hter of the Caesars."

"My answer has been given, gracious lord," she murmured, "have I not
said that my life was at thy service?"

"Thou'lt obey?"

"Command, O Caesar!"

"To-morrow at the Circus ... dost understand?... I have a plan ... and
thou must obey ... blindly ... dost understand?" he reiterated
hoarsely.

"I understand, my lord."

"I'll name thy future husband to the public ... to the plebs ... to all
... and thou'lt accept him--before them all--without demur...."

"As my lord commands."

"This thou dost swear?"

"This do I swear."

"Then," said the mountebank with mock reverence as he placed his
hand--blood-stained with the blood of countless innocent victims of his
tyranny--upon the bowed head of the loyal girl, "receive the blessing of
Jupiter the victorious, of Juno the holy goddess, and of Magna Mater the
great Mother, for thou art worthy to be of the House of Caesar."

But even as the last of these impious words had left his lips, the long
awaited storm broke out in sudden fury; a vivid flash of lightning rent
the sky from end to end and lit up momentarily every corner of the room,
the kneeling figure of Dea Flavia, the misshapen figure of the imperial
monster, the fading flowers in the vases. Then a mighty clap of thunder
shook the very foundations of Dea Flavia's palace.

Caligula uttered a wild shriek of terror, and, calling loudly for his
slaves, he fled incontinently from the room.

CHAPTER XV

"As he that bindeth a stone in a sling, so is he that giveth
honour to a fool."--PROVERBS XXVI. 8.

From the hour of midnight the streets and ways leading to the great
Amphitheatre were alive with people, all tending toward the same goal:
men and women in holiday clothes and little children running beside
them. The men were heavily loaded with baskets of rush or bags of rough
linen containing provisions, for many hours would be spent up there
waiting for amusement, whilst the body would grow faint if food were not
forthcoming.

So the men carried the provisions which the women had prepared the day
before--eggs and cooked fish and such fruit as was cheap this season.
And everybody was running, for though the Amphitheatre was vast and
could hold--so 'twas said--over two hundred thousand people, yet
considerably more than two hundred thousand people desired to be present
at the opening of the games.

They were to last thirty-one days and spectacles would be varied and
exciting. But