Comitium, or hall of the ambassadors, and the abrupt
declivity of the Palatine, past the end of the Atrium of Liberty, and the
cattle mart, toward the Carmental gate.

"Methought you said, my Fuscus, that our Aurelius had some errand to
perform in the Forum; how is this, is it a secret?" inquired Paullus,
laughing.

"No secret, by the Gods!" said Aurelius, "it is but to buy a pair of spurs
in Volero's shop, hard by Vesta's shrine."

"He will need them," cried Fuscus, "he will need them, I will swear, in
the race."

"Not to beat Nanthus," said Aurelius; "but oh! Jove! walk quickly, I
beseech you; how hot a steam of cooked meats and sodden cabbage, reeks
from the door of yon cook-shop. Now, by the Gods! it well nigh sickened
me! Ha! Volero," he exclaimed, as they reached the door of a booth, or
little shop, with neat leathern curtains festooned up in front, glittering
with polished cutlery and wares of steel and silver, to a middle aged man,
who was busy burnishing a knife within, "what ho! my Volero, some spurs--I
want some spurs; show me some of your sharpest and brightest."

"I have a pair, noble Aurelius, which I got only yesterday in trade with a
turbaned Moor from the deserts beyond Cyrenaica. By Mulciber, my patron
god! the fairest pair my eyes ever looked upon. Right loath was the swart
barbarian to let me have them, but hunger, hunger is a great tamer of your
savage; and the steam of good Furbo's cook-shop yonder was suggestive of
savory chops and greasy sausages--and--and--in short, Aurelius, I got them at
a bargain."

While he was speaking, he produced the articles in question, from a strong
brass-bound chest, and rubbing them on his leather apron held them up for
the inspection of the youthful noble.

"Truly," cried Victor, catching them out of his hand, "truly, they are
good spurs."

"Good spurs! good spurs!" cried the merchant, half indignantly, "I call
them splendid, glorious, inimitable! Only look you here, it is all virgin
silver; and observe, I beseech you, this dragon's neck and the sibilant
head that holds the rowels; they are wrought to the very life with horrent
scales, and erected crest; beautiful! beautiful!--and the rowels too of the
best Spanish steel that was ever tempered in the cold Bilbilis. Good spurs
indeed! they are well worth three _aurei_.(10) But I will keep them, as I
meant to do at first, for Caius Caesar; he will know what they are worth,
and give it too."

"Didst ever he