ther side the silken
ladders made vivid crimson streaks on the white smoothness of the
marble.

The panther waiting, watched them till they moved. The public,
entranced, scarcely dared to draw breath.

Then came a sudden cry from thousands of throats; the two men, as if
driven by a sudden sense of approaching death, had made a quick
desperate rush, one to the right the other to the left, towards the
crimson silk which meant safety to them.

But the panther was on guard and quicker twice than they. It seemed as
if the brute had divined exactly where lay escape for its prey. It was
guarding both sides of the arena at once, bounding from left to right,
and back from right to left with giant leaps, soundless and swift.

The men paused again, because it seemed that when they were still, the
panther too lay still and watched.

There was another lull, and from the imperial tribune above Dea Flavia
watched the horrible spectacle, and Taurus Antinor drank into his soul
the beauty of her eyes as they watched--fascinated--every movement of
the sleek black panther, and of those fair-skinned giants trying to
escape from death; she watched the stealthy approach of the beast toward
its prey; she watched, motionless and still, the while great beads of
perspiration matted the fair curls on her brow.

And to the man who loved her, and who saw her thus watching the horrible
spectacle which must have made her feel sick and faint, to him it seemed
as if in her mind the hideous sight meant something more than just the
brutal display of cruelty which was a familiar one enough in Rome.

It seemed as if to her some hidden meaning lay in this teasing of a
ferocious brute, and in this apparent clemency in allowing the victims a
chance of escape, for every now and then she turned as if involuntarily
toward the Caesar, and a quick glance of understanding seemed to pass
between her and that inhuman monster.

Taurus Antinor, with his gaze fixed upon her every movement, wondered
what all that could mean.

After a quarter of an hour of tense excitement, of alternate cries of
horror and screams of delight, the two men had, by dint of cunning and
agility, succeeded in evading the panther. They were safe within the
protecting niches; the panther down below was roaring with baffled rage,
and the public clapped and cheered vociferously.

Two more men were thrust into the arena, dressed in the same way as the
others, pushed forward like the other