urances of gratitude and worship. Apollodorus springs up and runs to
the edge of the roof to peer down and listen.

CAESAR (looking piercingly at Cleopatra). What was that?

CLEOPATRA (petulantly). Nothing. They are beating some slave.

CAESAR. Nothing!

RUFIO. A man with a knife in him, I'll swear.

CAESAR (rising). A murder!

APOLLODORUS (at the back, waving his hand for silence). S-sh! Silence.
Did you hear that?

CAESAR. Another cry?

APOLLODORUS (returning to the table). No, a thud. Something fell on the
beach, I think.

RUFIO (grimly, as he rises). Something with bones in it, eh?

CAESAR (shuddering). Hush, hush, Rufio. (He leaves the table and returns
to the colonnade: Rufio following at his left elbow, and Apollodorus at
the other side.)

CLEOPATRA (still in her place at the table). Will you leave me, Caesar?
Apollodorus: are you going?

APOLLODORUS. Faith, dearest Queen, my appetite is gone.

CAESAR. Go down to the courtyard, Apollodorus; and find out what has
happened.

Apollodorus nods and goes out, making for the staircase by which Rufio
ascended.

CLEOPATRA. Your soldiers have killed somebody, perhaps. What does it
matter?

The murmur of a crowd rises from the beach below. Caesar and Rufio look
at one another.

CAESAR. This must be seen to. (He is about to follow Apollodorus when
Rufio stops him with a hand on his arm as Ftatateeta comes back by the
far end of the roof, with dragging steps, a drowsy satiety in her eyes
and in the corners of the bloodhound lips. For a moment Caesar suspects
that she is drunk with wine. Not so Rufio: he knows well the red vintage
that has inebriated her.)

RUFIO (in a low tone). There is some mischief between those two.

FTATATEETA. The Queen looks again on the face of her servant.

Cleopatra looks at her for a moment with an exultant reflection of her
murderous expression. Then she flings her arms round her; kisses her
repeatedly and savagely; and tears off her jewels and heaps them on her.
The two men turn from the spectacle to look at one another. Ftatateeta
drags herself sleepily to the altar; kneels before Ra; and remains there
in prayer. Caesar goes to Cleopatra, leaving Rufio in the colonnade.

CAESAR (with searching earnestness). Cleopatra: what has happened?

CLEOPATRA (in mortal dread of him, but with her utmost cajolery).
Nothing, dearest Caesar. (With sickly sweetness, her voice almost
failing) Nothing. I am innocent. (She approaches h