ntempt.

"His artistic eye delights in the beauty of Antinous, which is
celebrated, but which it has not yet been my privilege to see."

"And you are very anxious to see this marvel?"

"I cannot deny it."

"And yet you want to postpone your meeting with Caesar?" said Sabina,
and a keen glance of inquiry and distrust twinkled in her little eyes.

"Why do you want to delay my husband's arrival?"

"Need I tell you," said Titianus eagerly, "how greatly I shall rejoice
to see once more my sovereign, the companion of my youth, the greatest
and wisest of men, after a separation of four years? What would I not
give if he were here already! And yet I would rather that he should
arrive in fourteen days than in eight."

"What reason can you have?"

"A mounted messenger brought me a letter to-day in which the Emperor
tells me that he proposes to inhabit the old palace at Lochias, and not
the Caesareum."

At these words Sabina's forehead clouded, her gaze, dark and blank, was
fixed on her lap, and biting her under-lip, she muttered:

"Because I am here."

Titianus made as though he had not heard these words, and continued in
an easy tone:

"There he has a wide outlook into the distance, which is what he has
loved from his youth up. But the old building is much dilapidated, and
though I have already begun to exert all the forces at my command, with
the assistance of our admirable architect, Pontius, to restore a portion
of it at any rate, and make it a habitable and not too uncomfortable
residence, the time is too short to do anything thoroughly worthy--"

"I wish to see my husband here, and the sooner the better," interrupted
the Empress with decision. Then she turned towards the row of pillars
which stood by the right-hand wall of the hall, and which were at some
distance from her couch, calling out "Verus." But her voice was so weak
that it did not reach the person addressed, so turning to the prefect,
she said: "I beg of you to call Verus to me, the praetor Lucius Aurelius
Verus." Titianus immediately obeyed.

As he entered the hall he had already exchanged friendly greetings with
the man to whom the Empress wished to speak. He now did not succeed in
attracting his attention till he stood close at his elbow, for he formed
the centre of a small group of men and women who were hanging on
his words. What he was saying in a subdued voice must have been
extraordinarily diverting, for it could be seen that his hearers