d her face upon her
mother's neck.

"What has happened, Camilla?" asked Cethegus.

"Very often before," she began, with a heavy sigh, "an expression played
about his mouth, and filled his eyes, as if _he_ had been deeply
offended by _me_, as if _he_ had to forgive, as if _he_ had made a
great sacrifice for me----"

"Raw boys always imagine it to be a sacrifice, when they are in love."

At this Camilla's eyes flashed; she tossed her head, and turned quickly
upon Cethegus.

"Athalaric is no boy, and no one shall laugh at him!"

Cethegus was silent, and quietly dropped his eyelids; but Rusticiana
asked in surprise:

"Do you hate the King no more?"

"To the death! He shall be undone, but not mocked!"

"What has happened?" repeated Cethegus.

"To-day I again noticed that puzzling, proud, and cold expression upon
his face more distinctly than ever. A little incident occurred which
caused the King to speak more plainly. An insect--a beetle--had fallen
into the water. The King stooped and took it out, but the little
creature turned against the beneficent hand, and bit the fingers that
held it. 'The ungrateful thing!' I exclaimed. 'Oh,' said Athalaric,
with a bitter smile, 'we wound most those to whom we are most
indebted!' and he glanced at me with a sad and proud expression. But,
as if he had said too much, he briefly bid me farewell, and went
away; but I----" and her bosom heaved, her finely-cut lips were
compressed--"I can bear it no longer! The haughty one! He _shall_ love
me--or die!"

"That shall he," said Cethegus inaudibly; "one or the other."

CHAPTER XV.

A few days later the court was surprised by a new step towards
independence on the part of the young King. He himself summoned a
council, a prerogative which, until now, had only been assumed by
Amalaswintha.

The Queen-regent was not a little astonished when a messenger from her
son bade her repair to his apartments, where the King had already
assembled several of the highest officials of the realm, both Goths and
Romans. Amongst these last were Cassiodorus and Cethegus.

At first the latter had intended to absent himself, in order not by his
presence to acknowledge the right which the youth had assumed; he
suspected nothing good. But just for this reason he altered his mind.

"I must not turn my back upon danger, I must face it," he said as he
prepared for the distasteful assembly.

He found all those who had