flies, stood the remains of the children's supper, and among the bread
crusts and plates lay his own ornaments and his daughter's! Wherever he
turned he saw articles of dress and other things out of their place. The
old slave-woman came in yawning, her woolly grey hair hung in disorder
about her face, and her eyes seemed fixed, her feet carried her
unsteadily here and there.

"You are drunk," cried Keraunus; nor was he mistaken, for when the old
woman had waked up, sitting by the house of Pudeus, and had learned from
the gate keeper that Arsinoe had quitted the garden, she had gone into a
tavern with other slave-women. When her master seized her arm and shook
her, she exclaimed with a stupid grin on her wet lips:

"It is the feast-day. Every one is free, to-day is the feast."

"Roman nonsense!" interrupted the steward. "Is my breakfast ready?"

While the old woman stood muttering some inaudible words, the slave came
into the room and said:

"To-day is a general holiday, may I go out too?"

"Oh that would suit me admirably!" cried the steward.

"This monster drunk, Selene sick, and you running about the streets."

"But no one stops at home to-day," replied the slave timidly.

"Be off then!" cried Keraunus. "Walk about from now till midnight! Do as
you please, only do not expect me to keep you any longer. You are still
fit to turn the hand-mill, and I dare say I can find a fool to give me a
few drachmae for you."

"No, no, do not sell me," groaned the old man, raising his hands in
entreaty; Keraunus however would not hear him, but went on angrily:

"A dog at least remains faithful to his master, but you slaves eat him
out of house and home, and when he most needs you, you want to run about
the streets."

"But I will stay," howled the old man.

"Nay, do as you please. You have long been like a lame horse which makes
its rider a butt for the laughter of children. When, you go out with me
everyone looks round as if I had a stain on my pallium. And then the
mangy dog wants to keep holiday, and stick himself up among the
citizens!"

"I will stay here, only do not sell me!" whimpered the miserable old man,
and he tried to take his master's hand; but the steward shoved him off,
and desired him to go into the kitchen and light a fire, and throw some
water on the old woman's head to sober her. The slave pushed his
companion out of the room, while Keraunus went into his daughter's
bedroom to rouse her.

There was