flowers to the deformed girl who takes
care of her; but I will not do it again, you may rely upon it, not if
you coax even more fondly than you did yesterday and promise me all
Caesar's treasure into the bargain! And what can you want with that
wretched, pale-faced, innocent creature? I am but a poor slave, but I
can tell you this--"

Here the Sarmatian broke off abruptly, and Verus rightly guessed that
Antinous had remembered his presence in the Emperor's room and had
signed to the slave to be silent.

But the listener had learnt enough. The favorite had told his master a
lie, and the suicide of the steward's daughter was a pure romance. Who
would have believed that the silent, dreamy lad had so much presence of
mind, and such cunning powers of invention? The praetor's handsome face
was radiant with satisfaction as he made these reflections, for now he
had the Bithynian under his thumb, and now he knew how to accomplish all
he wished. Antinous himself had indicated the right course when he had
hastened to the Emperor with a gush of tenderness, in which the warmth
was certainly not affected, to kiss his hand.

The favorite loved his master, and Verus could ground his demands on
this love without exposing himself, or having to dread the Emperor's
avenging hand in case of betrayal. He knocked at the door of the
adjoining room with a firm hand, and then went confidently and
composedly up to the Bithyman, told him that he had an important matter
to discuss with him, begged him to return with him into the Emperor's
room and then said, as soon as they were alone together:

"I am so unfortunate as not to be able to number you among my particular
friends; but one strong sentiment we have in common. We both love
Caesar."

"I love him, certainly," replied the lad.

"Well then, you must have it at heart to spare him all great sorrow, and
to prevent grave apprehensions from paralyzing the pinions of his free
and noble soul."

"No doubt."

"I knew I should find a colleague in you. See this roll. It contains the
calculations and diagrams of the greatest astrologer of our time, and
from these it is to be discovered that this night, from the end of the
second hour of the morning till the beginning of the fourth, the stars
will announce fearful disasters to our Sovereign. Do you understand?"

"Alas! perfectly."

"After that the indications of evil disappear. Now if we could only
succeed in preventing Hadrian observing the h