tinian mallows, like those which grow around my parents' house in
Spoletium, in the midst of the Barbarians' marshes! Who can have
wrought this miracle?"

"A poet," replied Ausonius, smiling, "and the fourth, the youngest, of
the Graces. So Saturninus was here himself?"

"Yes, but even before him your nephew, with me. Herculanus searched
everywhere carefully, nay, greedily. He forbade my accompanying him. I
was obliged to wait at the entrance."

"The good fellow! He wanted to bring her to me himself, to surprise
me--"

"Directly after Herculanus left, Saturninus dashed up."

"Where did the troop go from here?"

"Yonder into the forest, keeping to the left, steadily to the left,
away from the lake. Otherwise horses and men would sink in the morass.
You will find sentinels posted in the woods every three hundred paces.
I, with three men, form the commencement of the chain here."

"See that the yard and garden are not injured. I'll promise in return a
jug of the best wine."

With these words he turned away, mounted his horse and, followed by his
escort, rode toward the left across the tilled land and meadows
surrounding the dwelling to the entrance of the neighboring wood, where
the helmets and spears of the next sentinels glittered brightly in the
sunshine.

But Herculanus had not been content with thoroughly searching the
deserted house. He had also carefully examined the neighborhood for
some trace of the vanished girl. He was soon unable to ride farther
through the tangled underbrush; so, leaping from his horse, he gave his
Mauritanian roan charger into the care of the only man he had permitted
to accompany him, and glided on foot through the thicket. A sort of
path which he had discovered with much difficulty and followed for some
distance suddenly ended.

While vainly searching for the stones and bits of wood which hitherto,
though at long distances, had marked the direction of the way, he saw
plainly in the marshy ground of the forest the imprint of human
footsteps. And the people who had passed here were not Romans: the
troops had never yet pressed so far eastward. Besides, the prints were
not like those made by the seeker's own heavy Roman marching shoes: he
intentionally trod lightly close beside the marks he had found, but how
different was the track! His deep footprints instantly filled with the
reddish-yellow marsh-water, which oozed from the ground at the least
pressure. But within a short time s