' Well, can you find her?"
"Surely, if I have time. The man who can afford to pay two thousand
sestertia for a single slave cannot easily be hidden."
"Two thousand sestertia!" exclaimed Domitian astonished. "Tell me that
story. Slaves, give Saturius his robe and fall back--no, not too far, he
may be treacherous."
The chamberlain threw the garment over his bleeding shoulders and
fastened it with a trembling hand. Then he told his tale, adding:
"Oh! my lord, what could I do? You have not enough money at hand to pay
so huge a sum."
"Do, fool? Why you should have bought her on credit and left me
to settle the price afterwards. Oh! never mind Titus, I could have
outwitted him. But the mischief is done; now for the remedy, so far as
it can be remedied," he added, grinding his teeth.
"That I must seek to-morrow, lord."
"To-morrow? And what will you do to-morrow?"
"To-morrow I will find where the girl's gone, or try to, and then--why
he who has bought her might die and--the rest will be easy."
"Die he surely shall be who has dared to rob Domitian of his darling,"
answered the prince with an oath. "Well, hearken, Saturius, for this
night you are spared, but be sure that if you fail for the second time
you also shall die, and after a worse fashion than I promised you.
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