ned the woman soothingly.
"Thy slaves were close at hand in the vestibule of the imperial tribune,
and thy litter was down below with the bearers, in case thou shouldst
require it. But I had stood on the threshold of the tribune for some
time watching thee, for thy sweet face had been pale as death all the
morning, and I feared that the heat would be too much for thee. Thus I
saw much of what went on. I saw the traitor advance toward the Caesar,
trying to smother him with a cloak. I saw the Caesar--whom may the gods
protect--stab the traitor in the breast, and then leave the Amphitheatre
hurriedly, followed by a few among his faithful guard. But my thoughts
then were only of thee. I could see thy lovely face white as the maple
leaf, and thou wast leaning against the wall as if ready to swoon. The
traitor whom the Caesar had justly punished lay bleeding from many wounds
close to thy foot. The next moment I had thee in my arms, having caught
thee when thy dear body swayed forward and would have fallen even upon
the breast of the dead traitor."

"The traitor?" murmured Dea Flavia then.

"Aye! the praefect of Rome," said Licinia, with a vicious oath. "He had
incited the rabble against the Caesar, and--may his dead body be defiled
for the sacrilege!--he was causing the populace to acclaim him as their
Emperor, even whilst he raised his murderous hand against him who is the
equal of the gods!"

"He was striving to save Caesar, Licinia, and not to murder him," said
Dea Flavia earnestly.

"To save the Caesar? Nay! nay! my precious, the praefect of Rome tried to
murder Caesar by smothering him with a cloak."

"It is false I tell thee!"

"False? Nay, dear heart, I saw it all, and thou wast beside thyself and
knew not rightly what happened. Even a minute later thou laidst in my
arms like a dead white swan, and I pushed my way through the soldiers,
and past the other Augustas who cowered in the tribune, screaming and
wringing their hands. Two of thy slaves were luckily close at hand.
Together we carried thee down to thy litter and bore thee safely home
for which to-morrow I will offer special sacrifice to Minerva who
protected thee."

"And what happened after we were gone?"

"Alas! I know not. They say that the populace became more and more
unruly: there were shouts for the praefect of Rome, who fortunately lay
dead on the floor of the tribune, and there were even some sacrilegious
miscreants who called for death upon the