CHAPTER VII

A RATHER GOOD DAY

I slept soundly all night but woke at the first appearance of light. I lay
abed, my mind milling over my situation, over Vedia's unexpected jealousy
of Marcia, over the absurdity of it, over her illogical but impregnable
indignation and over the equally baseless but similarly unalterable
hostility of Vedius and Satronius.

I concluded to try again to placate all three. It seemed to me I could
recall many omissions and infelicities in what I had said to both
magnates, while in dealing with Vedia I seemed to myself to have been
tongue-tied and fragmentary.

After the bit of bread and hot mulled wine which I did not crave, but
which Agathemer insisted on my taking according to Galen's orders, I held
a brief morning reception. My nine farmer-tenants were all present, all
pathetically and touchingly glad to see me again about, even old Chryseros
Philargyrus.

They had a petition to prefer, namely, that I should give them permission
to leave Rome and return home, jointly and severally, just as soon as they
pleased. Ligo Atrior acted as spokesman and said that they had come
provided for a month's stay, as I had ordered, but they felt that they
could see all the sights of Rome which would interest them before the
month was out, and some sooner than others. Moreover they felt that
although they had left their farms in the best of condition and in
faithful hands, yet their desire to return home would soon overcome their
interest in sight-seeing and would grow more overmastering daily.

I readily accorded what they asked.

Murmex Lucro was there, and his appearance of superhuman strength
impressed me even more than on the road, I bade him meet me at the Palace,
and instructed him by which entrance to approach it and at what portal and
precisely where to take his stand in order that I might not miss him.
Agathemer suggested that I detail one of my slaves to act as his guide and
I did so.

My salutants disposed of without hurry and to the last man, in spite of
Agathemer's protests, I ordered my litter.

At the Vedian mansion I was refused admission. Agathemer and even I argued
and expostulated, but the doorkeeper said he had explicit orders not to
admit me, and the four big Nubians flanking the vestibule, two on a side,
looked capable of using muscular force on any would-be intruder and
appeared eager for a pretext for hurling themselves on me.

I climbed back into my litter.

A