as not quite pleased
to leave such a friend of Cleopatra's at liberty; and Agias took pains
to discover that Pratinas was deep in the counsels of the virtual
regent--Pothinus. But Cornelia scoffed at any suggestions that it
might be safer to leave the city and join Artemisia in the retreat up
the Nile. She had taken no part whatsoever in Egyptian politics, and
she was incapable of assisting to restore Cleopatra. As for the
possible influence of Pratinas in court, it seemed to her incredible
that a man of his caliber could work her any injury, save by the
dagger and poison cup. That an ignoble intriguer of his type could
influence the policy of state she refused to believe.

Thus it came to pass that Cornelia had only herself to thank, when the
blow, such as it was, fell. The eunuch prime minister knew how to
cover his actions with a velvet glove. One evening a splendidly
uniformed division of Macedonian guard, led by one of the royal
_somatophylakes_,[182] came with an empty chariot to the house of
Cleomenes. The request they bore was signed with the royal seal, and
was politeness itself. It overflowed with semi-Oriental compliment and
laudation; but the purport was clear. On account of the great danger
in the city to foreigners from riots--ran the gist of the letter--and
the extremely disturbed condition of the times, the king was
constrained to request Cornelia and Fabia to take up their residence
in the palace, where they could receive proper protection and be
provided for in a princely manner, as became their rank.

[182] Commanders of the body-guard.

Cornelia had enough wisdom to see that only by taking the letter for
the intentions written on its face could she submit to the implied
command without loss of dignity. She had much difficulty in persuading
Fabia to yield; for the Vestal was for standing on her Roman
prerogatives and giving way to nothing except sheer force. But
Cleomenes added his word, that only harm would come from resistance;
and the two Roman ladies accompanied the escort back to the palace. It
was not pleasant to pass into the power of a creature like Pothinus,
even though the smooth-faced eunuch received his unwilling guests with
Oriental salaams and profuse requests to be allowed to humour their
least desires. But the restraint, if such it can be called, could
hardly take a less objectionable form. Monime and Berenice, as ladies
whose father was known as a merchant prince of colourless po