laughter unnecessarily loud. Soon
Wardo's attention was caught. He sat upright, steadying himself on the
girl's arm, and looked across at Wulf.

"Not too drunk to talk, I hope!" Wulf muttered.

"Holla, Wulf, son of Wulf!" Wardo called, in a voice somewhat thickened
by wine. "How didst find the way to Chloris?"

"Who but knows the house of Chloris?" said Wulf, pleasantly. "I did not
look to find thee here."

"I? Oh, I am always here. Is it not so, Sada? Am I not always with thee,
girl of my heart?"

"Ah, not always!" said the golden-haired girl. "Not so often as I would
have thee."

"Drink with us, thou and thy lady," Wulf invited.

The golden-haired girl leaned over.

"Nay, Wardo, thou hast drunk enough. Already the wine is in thy head,"
she murmured; and Wulf, keen-eared, caught the words.

But Wardo was already holding out his beaker, which the Greek filled at
a sign from Wulf.

"Nay, sweet, my head is iron," said Wardo, half indulgent, half in
scorn. "Here I pledge thee, friend Wulf, the son of Wulf: 'A long life
and a rousing one, a quick death and a merry one!'" He drank deeply.

"That is the motto of my lord master," quoth Wulf. "And light of my
eyes, but he lives up to it! There is a man who spends gold as wine
floweth through a _colum_."

"Ay, but promise you my lord spends faster!" said Wardo, with great
pride.

"So?" said Wulf. He gave the Greek a sign to keep the wine-cups filled.
"Then must he indeed be wealthy. In truth, I have heard something of a
feast he gives at his villa even now."

"The marriage feast of our lady Varia and the lord Marius," said Wardo.

"Men say that the gifts are of a richness beyond all counting," said
Wulf. "Of course, being there, thou couldst see it all, and judge."

"Ay," said Wardo. "I saw it all."

With the wine, his tongue began to wag. His eyes sparkled; he drained
his cup and set it down with a thump. "In that house is the ransom of an
emperor, ay, of forty emperors!" he cried. "No lord in the island could
gather such hoard of treasure, not even yours, Wulf the son of Wulf, and
I shall fight you if you say so! No man hath seen such jewels, such
vessels of gold and silver. There be a million golden cups set about
with rubies; an hundred thousand vases of silver; and every woman hath a
fan of gold, set with gems. And the jewels he hath loaded on our
lady--man, thine eyes have never seen the like! She wears a girdle that
blazes like that pharos at Dubrae,