"No matter who it is," thundered the uncle. "But you are my nephew, and
have insulted, roused the lovely girl to furious rage at my table, in
my tent. How would you in Burdigala--"

A gloomy, significant glance from the young Roman checked his
thoughtless speech.

"You must appease her. Now leave me; I don't wish to see you again
to-day. Or stay--I will follow her myself. Poor little thing!"

Ausonius rose excitedly from the couch and hurried out. Herculanus and
the slave who acted as cup-bearer remained alone in the tent.

"Is it so already?" muttered the former angrily through his set teeth.
"Does the childish infatuated old fool reveal his plans so openly? To
work, Davus! Well or ill--to work! Have you the hemlock? Have you
enough?"

"I think it will do. If it fail the first time, you still have some in
the other little vial?" Herculanus nodded. The slave went on:

"He complained yesterday of all sorts of bad feelings. I'll risk it
soon, before he gets well again. But--one thing more--the Barbarian
girl will sleep alone to-night."

"What? Not in the tent with the teamsters' wives?

"No; a contagious eruption broke out there last night: I heard
Saturninus give the order to pitch another tent at once on the opposite
side for the prisoner."

"But he will have her closely guarded."

"To-night he is going on a reconnoitring expedition with all his
incorruptible Illyrians. Batavians are to be on duty: they are fond of
drinking; perhaps--"

"Silence! This ring as a reward for the news. We don't yet know whether
the plot against the old man will succeed, so we'll have two strings
ready for our bow. And I hate her. I don't hate him; only I must have
my inheritance quickly. So to-night! Hush, Prosper is coming! About the
poison--in the two little vials--we'll say more later; you know where
and when. First we'll wait to see what this night will bring forth."

* * * * *

Meanwhile kind-hearted Ausonius had vainly sought the angry fugitive.
He looked eagerly down the long wide streets of the camp which crossed
in a square at the praetorium--in vain. Now he hoped to find her in her
favorite hiding-place, the secluded spot with the tall fir-tree; but it
was empty. Nor was she perched among the branches: he scanned them
carefully.

Shaking his head he walked on still farther toward the northwest, to
the wall itself. Here he heard voices raised as if disputing, a
soldier's and