of the
Christians will appear the day after tomorrow. Till we meet!"

"After to-morrow!" repeated Petronius, when alone. "There is no time to
lose. Ahenobarbus will need me really in Achaea; hence he may count with
me."

And he determined to try the last means.

In fact, at Nerva's feast Caesar himself asked that Petronius recline
opposite, for he wished to speak with the arbiter about Achaea and the
cities in which he might appear with hopes of the greatest success. He
cared most for the Athenians, whom he feared. Other Augustians listened
to this conversation with attention, so as to seize crumbs of the
arbiter's opinions, and give them out later on as their own.

"It seems to me that I have not lived up to this time," said Nero, "and
that my birth will come only in Greece."

"Thou wilt be born to new glory and immortality," answered Petronius.

"I trust that this is true, and that Apollo will not seem jealous. If I
return in triumph, I will offer him such a hecatomb as no god has had so
far."

Scevinus fell to repeating the lines of Horace:--

"Sic te diva potens Cypri, Sic fratres Helenae, lucida sidera,
Ventorumque regat Pater-"

"The vessel is ready at Naples," said Caesar. "I should like to go even
tomorrow."

At this Petronius rose, and, looking straight into Nero's eyes, said,

"Permit me, O divinity, to celebrate a wedding-feast, to which I shall
invite thee before others."

"A wedding-feast! What wedding-feast?" inquired Nero.

"That of Vinicius with thy hostage the daughter of the Lygian king. She
is in prison at present, it is true; but as a hostage she is not subject
to imprisonment, and, secondly, thou thyself hast permitted Vinicius to
marry her; and as thy sentences, like those of Zeus, are unchangeable,
thou wilt give command to free her from prison, and I will give her to
thy favorite."

The cool blood and calm self-possession with which Petronius spoke
disturbed Nero, who was disturbed whenever any one spoke in that fashion
to him.

"I know," said he, dropping his eyes. "I have thought of her and of that
giant who killed Croton."

"In that case both are saved," answered Petronius, calmly.

But Tigellinus came to the aid of his master: "She is in prison by the
will of Caesar; thou thyself hast said, O Petronius, that his sentences
are unchangeable."

All present, knowing the history of Vinicius and Lygia, understood
perfectly what the question was; hence they were silent, curio