e to
Pomponia."

"Then Petronius persuaded Caesar to take thee from Aulus, and give thee
to Vinicius?"

"True, lady. Vinicius is to send for me to-day, but thou art good, have
compassion on me." When she had said this, she inclined, and, seizing
the border of Poppaea's robe, waited for her word with beating heart.
Poppaea looked at her for a while, with a face lighted by an evil smile,
and said,--"Then I promise that thou wilt become the slave of Vinicius
this day." And she went on, beautiful as a vision, but evil. To the ears
of Lygia and Acte came only the wail of the infant, which began to cry,
it was unknown for what reason.

Lygia's eyes too were filled with tears; but after a while she took
Acte's hand and said,--"Let us return. Help is to be looked for only
whence it can come." And they returned to the atrium, which they did not
leave till evening.

When darkness had come and slaves brought in tapers with great flames,
both women were very pale. Their conversation failed every moment. Both
were listening to hear if some one were coming. Lygia repeated again and
again that, though grieved to leave Acte, she preferred that all should
take place that day, as Ursus must be waiting in the dark for her then.
But her breathing grew quicker from emotion, and louder. Acte collected
feverishly such jewels as she could, and, fastening them in a corner
of Lygia's peplus, implored her not to reject that gift and means of
escape. At moments came a deep silence full of deceptions for the ear.
It seemed to both that they heard at one time a whisper beyond the
curtain, at another the distant weeping of a child, at another the
barking of dogs.

Suddenly the curtain of the entrance moved without noise, and a tall,
dark man, his face marked with small-pox, appeared like a spirit in the
atrium. In one moment Lygia recognized Atacinus, a freedman of Vinicius,
who had visited the house of Aulus.

Acte screamed; but Atacinus bent low and said,--"A greeting, divine
Lygia, from Marcus Vinicius, who awaits thee with a feast in his house
which is decked in green."

The lips of the maiden grew pale.

"I go," said she.

Then she threw her arms around Acte's neck in farewell.

Chapter X

THE house of Vinicius was indeed decked in the green of myrtle and ivy,
which had been hung on the walls and over the doors. The columns were
wreathed with grape vine. In the atrium, which was closed above by a
purple woollen cloth as p