opped, and,
taking Vinicius aside, whispered,--

"I will not mention our plan to any one, not even to my mother, but the
Apostle Peter promised to come from the amphitheatre to our house; I
will tell him everything."

"Here thou canst speak openly," replied Vinicius. "The Apostle was in
the amphitheatre with the people of Petronius. But I will go with you
myself."

He gave command to bring him a slave's mantle, and they passed out.
Petronius sighed deeply.

"I wished her to die of that fever," thought he, "since that would have
been less terrible for Vinicius. But now I am ready to offer a golden
tripod to Esculapius for her health. Ah! Ahenobarbus, thou hast the wish
to turn a lover's pain into a spectacle; thou, Augusta, wert jealous of
the maiden's beauty, and wouldst devour her alive because thy Rufius has
perished. Thou, Tigellinus, wouldst destroy her to spite me! We shall
see. I tell you that your eyes will not behold her on the arena, for she
will either die her own death, or I shall wrest her from you as from the
jaws of dogs, and wrest her in such fashion that ye shall not know it;
and as often afterward as I look at you I shall think, These are the
fools whom Caius Petronius outwitted."

And, self-satisfied, he passed to the triclinium, where he sat down to
supper with Eunice. During the meal a lector read to them the Idyls of
Theocritus. Out of doors the wind brought clouds from the direction of
Soracte, and a sudden storm broke the silence of the calm summer night.
From time to time thunder reverberated on the seven hills, while they,
reclining near each other at the table, listened to the bucolic poet,
who in the singing Doric dialect celebrated the loves of shepherds.
Later on, with minds at rest, they prepared for sweet slumber.

But before this Vinicius returned. Petronius heard of his coming, and
went to meet him.

"Well? Have ye fixed anything new?" inquired he. "Has Nazarius gone to
the prison?"

"He has," answered the young man, arranging his hair, wet from the rain.
"Nazarius went to arrange with the guards, and I have seen Peter, who
commanded me to pray and believe."

"That is well. If all goes favorably, we can bear her away to-morrow
night."

"My manager must be here at daybreak with men."

"The road is a short one. Now go to rest."

But Vinicius knelt in his cubiculum and prayed.

At sunrise Niger, the manager, arrived from Corioli, bringing with him,
at the order of Vinicius