d, his teeth ground
together.

'I, too, have thought of it,' replied the other coldly. 'But it is
difficult and dangerous.'

They talked yet awhile, until Marcian, who looked cadaverous, declared
his need of food, and they went to the mid-day meal.

A few days went by. Basil was occupied with the business of his
inheritance. He had messengers to despatch to estates in Lucania and
Apulia. Then came news that a possession of Maximus' in the south had
been invaded and seized by a neighbour; for which outrage there was
little hope of legal remedy in the present state of affairs; only by
the strong hand could Basil vindicate his right. Trouble was caused him
by a dispute with one of the legatees, a poor kinsman who put an
unexpected interpretation upon the item of the will which concerned
him. Another poor kinsman, to whom Maximus had bequeathed a share in
certain property in Rome, wished to raise money on this security. Basil
himself could not lend the desired sum, for, though lord of great
estates, he found himself after Chorsoman's pillage of the strong room
at Surrentum, scarcely able to meet immediate claims upon him under the
will; but he consented to accompany his relative to a certain
moneychanger, of whom perchance a loan might be obtained. This man of
business, an Alexandrian, had his office on the Capitoline Hill, in
that open space between the Capitol and the Arx, where merchants were
still found; he sat in a shadowed corner of a portico, before him a
little table on which coins were displayed, and at his back a small
dark shop, whence came a confused odour of stuffs and spices. Long and
difficult were the negotiations. To Basil's surprise, the Alexandrian,
though treating him with the utmost respect, evidently gave little
weight to his guarantee in money matters; as to property in Rome, he
seemed to regard it as the most insubstantial of securities. Only on
gems and precious metals would he consent to lend a sum of any
importance.

Whilst this debate was in progress, a litter, gaudy and luxurious,
borne by eight slaves clad in yellow, with others like them before and
behind, came to a stop close by, and from it alighted a lady whose
gorgeous costume matched the brilliance of her vehicle and retinue. She
was young and beautiful, with dark, oriental features, and a bearing
which aimed at supremity of arrogance. Having stepped down, she stood
at the edge of the portico, languidly gazing this way and that, with