she was up with the public news, the social gossip, and the private and
secret transactions of the hour; and had, before now, even interfered in
matters of state, and had been courted by rival political parties. But in
the high cares and occupations of this interesting person, we are not here
concerned; but with a conversation which took place between her and Juba,
about the same hour of the evening as that of Caecilius's escape, but on
the day after it, while the sun was gleaming almost horizontally through
the tall trunks of the trees of the forest.

"Well, my precious boy," said the old woman, "the choicest gifts of great
Cham be your portion! You had excellent sport yesterday, I'll warrant. The
rats squeaked, eh? and you beat the life out of them. That scoundrel
sacristan, I suppose, has taken up his quarters below."

"You may say it," answered Juba. "The reptile! he turned right about, and
would have made himself an honest fellow, when it couldn't be helped."

"Good, good!" returned Gurta, as if she had got something very pleasant in
her mouth; "ah! that is good! but he did not escape on that score, I do
trust."

"They pulled him to pieces all the more cheerfully," said Juba.

"Pulled him to pieces, limb by limb, joint by joint, eh?" answered Gurta.
"Did they skin him?--did they do anything to his eyes, or his tongue?
Anyhow, it was too quickly, Juba. Slowly, leisurely, gradually. Yes, it's
like a glutton to be quick about it. Taste him, handle him, play with
him,--that's luxury! but to bolt him,--faugh!"

"Caeso's slave made a good end," said Juba: "he stood up for his views, and
died like a man."

"The gods smite him! but he has gone up--up:" and she laughed. "Up to what
they call bliss and glory;--such glory! but he's out of our domain, you
know. But he did not die easy?"

"The boys worried him a good deal," answered Juba: "but it's not quite in
my line, mother, all this. I think you drink a pint of blood morning and
evening, and thrive on it, old woman. It makes you merry; but it's too
much for my stomach."

"Ha, ha, my boy!" cried Gurta; "you'll improve in time, though you make
wry faces, now that you're young. Well, and have you brought me any news
from the capitol? Is any one getting a rise in the world, or a downfall?
How blows the wind? Are there changes in the camp? This Decius, I suspect,
will not last long."

"They all seem desperately frightened," said Juba, "lest they should not
smite you