and I are, after all, you see, quite as one as to these matters."

The younger Prætorians laughed heartily along with the satirical Greek; but the Flamen looked deadly pale for rage, and held his lips so firmly together, that I suppose he wished us to see he would have thought it profanation for him to address one word more to such a person as this scoffer. Sabinus alone appeared desirous of restoring the harmony of the assembly, and called forthwith on the same musical brother who had come into his apartment before supper, to join him in entertaining the company with a song. The old gentleman required much solicitation, and said fifty times over that he was a little hoarse; but, nevertheless, he was audibly clearing his throat all the while, and he at last announced his consent to attempt the singing of the female part in the beautiful duet of Horace and Lydia. Sabinus, on his part, was always ready with the best he could do; and accordingly began to roar out, without hesitation, in his usual boisterous fashion, the tender words of regret and expostulation, which the most elegant of poets has ascribed to himself. The delicate half-squeaking, half-murmuring response of the wrinkled representative of the inconstant Lydia afforded a contrast irresistibly ludicrous to the rough guard-house vociferation of the ever jovial Sabinus. But to the ill-suppressed mirth of the party my good-natured friend listened with the most perfect composure. He had turned the thoughts of his comrades into a new channel, which was all he had wished to do; and nothing could afflict him less than the idea that he had accomplished his benevolent purpose at the expense of being a little laughed at. He concluded, however, with proposing a bumper to the charming Lydia; and so, it must be confessed, continued to leave the best part of the burden on the shoulders of his companion.

All, in short, were once more in perfect good humour, when another soldier appeared behind the couch of the president, and handed to him what seemed to be another billet of the same complexion with the former one. tossed the paper as before to my friend, who changed colour, and looked very serious as he read it. He looked

He

to me very earnestly, as he was about to return it, and I could not help asking him if it was any thing that concerned me.

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My dear Caius," he said in a whisper, "now do not alarm yourself-for, after all, it may be nothing; but an additional guard is ordered to the Palatine, and the reason is said to be, that the rest of the Christian prisoners are to be examined by the emperor himself."

"And when--for the sake of Heaven!-when, Sabinus?"

"Now, now-this very evening-an hour hence. For Heaven's sake, compose yourself, my dear boy. Would you retire to my apartment?"

I mastered myself as well as I could, and resolved, if possible, not to quit the room so very abruptly. I told Sextus, however, what I had heard, and desired him not to be astonished if I should ere long make my escape. The poor boy shared visibly in all my agitation; but I had scarcely had a moment to compose myself, when one of the slaves who were in attendance whispered to me that a person wished to speak with me in the ante-chamber. Sabinus insisted upon accompanying me-Sextus did the same-and we all three, having made our excuses, hastened to the hall, where my messenger was expecting

me.

It was Dromo, and he stood panting for breath.

"Sir," said he, "I have no time for explanation. Silo wishes to see you, and instantly; I left Boto along with him at the Mammertine."

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Run," said Sextus; "let us run, my dear Caius. Sabinus and I will both go along with you."

"No, no,” said Dromo; "nobody must go along with him but myself-no one else can be of any use; and as for the centurion, the guard is already waiting for him in the court."

"Ha!" said Sabinus, "so very speedily do they attend me? Run, then, run, my dear Valerius. I shall be at the Palatine on the instant; and be sure I shall come to you the moment the watch is out. Run, and remember what I said to you. and a Roman.”

Forget not that

you are a man,

So saying, the centurion took his sword and helmet, and before Dromo and I were beyond the precincts of the camp, we saw him mounted, and at the head of his squadron. They passed us a few yards beyond the gate, and although we pursued them hastily, the beat of hoofs and the ring of armour were soon far beyond our hearing.

CHAPTER XII.

MOVING at this rapid pace, we had come within sight of the towers of the Capitol, ere Dromo declared himself no longer able to sustain the same exertion.

"And after all," said he, looking to the west, from which the last blush of sunset had not yet entirely passed away, "after all, we shall be in good time. We shall find Silo and Boto still together; for the hour is not yet come at which the prisoners were ordered to the Palatine."

I made some inquiry why it was that Boto had not come to me himself, and received an explanation which I must give to you more briefly than Dromo gave it to me.

You must know, then, that Boto, mistrusting his own recollection of my instructions, had requested Dromo to assist him in finding his way to the Mammertine; and it was so that the Cretan had come to be witness of a scene which, in spite of all his sarcastic disposition, he could not narrate to me without many tokens of sympathy. I think I mentioned to you once before, that my faithful slave, in coming with me to Rome, had indulged the hope of meeting once more with his brother, who, many years before our journey took place, had been carried off from Britain in the train of a Roman officer of distinction. I smiled when the poor man expressed to me his ignorant confidence that his brother would certainly find him out, ere he had been many days in the metropolis of the world. But now, as it turned out, a fortunate accident had abundantly recompensed him for many hours of ill-regulated search. He had found his brother, and he had found him

in the Mammertine. In a word, the British bondsman had been one of the luckiest of men; and the brother of my own slave was no other than that humane Silo, to whose kindness I, and one dearer to me than myself, had already been so deeply indebted. The Cretan, himself a slave, and an exile long banished from his kindred, described, in a tone of melancholy interest, a scene which, in itself, must have exhibited almost as much of sorrow as of joy. He had partaken in all the feelings of the long-lost brothers, and hastened to bring me from the Prætorian camp, that Boto might be spared the pain of immediately parting from him whom he had just found in a manner so unlooked for, and in a condition so far above his expectations." And yet," said he, "I had some difficulty in prevailing on Boto to permit me to do this; for, after his first transports were over, it seemed to be the most fervent wish of his heart to be able to tell you of his good fortune, and present to you his brother."

But I have no time at present to tell you more of what passed between me and the Cretan. The red tints of the western sky were every moment becoming faint and more faint, and I hurried along the darkening street, and up the ascent of the Capitoline, scarce listening to the story, which, at any other moment, I need not tell you would have commanded all my attention, and all my sympathy. We reached the summit, and found the magnificent courts and the temple of Jupiter already occupied by various detachments of mounted soldiers. I hastened, between their scattered groups, on to the gate of the Mammertine, and, at the moment when I had reached it, recognised, at some distance, the strong voice of Sabinus calling out, "Stand, Eagle; comrades, close up!" The horn sounded as he spoke, as if in echo to the command, and, before the postern opened to admit us, the Prætorian squadron had formed themselves into a compact line, right over-against the great gate of the prison. 1 saw Sabinus take his place at the head of the array, and ran to speak to him. "My dear Caius," said he, stooping on his horse," would to Heaven I had been spared this duty! Cotilius comes forth this moment, and then we go back to the Palatine; and I fear-I fear we are to guard

thither your Athanasia. If you wish to enter the prison, hasten your steps; and may you be stronger than you hope. Go, go, my dear boy," he added. "By Jove, I had rather pursue the Parthian!—but what must be, must." He squeezed my hand, and I hastened away from him. Dromo stood along with the door-keeper at the open postern, and we glided into the prison, which was now no longer silent, as I had found it in the morning, but resounding in all its courts and arches with bustle and hurry, and the noise of fatal preparation.

We had scarcely entered the inner court ere Sabinus also, and about a score of his Prætorians, rode into it by the main approach. Silo and Boto were standing together; and both had already hastened towards me; but the jailer, seeing the centurion, was constrained to part from me almost before I had time to take him by the hand, or to lift up my poor Boto, who, not I think without tears, had embraced my knees the instant he perceived me. His brother, however, who seemed scarcely less affected than he, attended not Sabinus till he had whispered a single word in my ear,-" Oh! sir, now, more than ever, how does all this torture me! Pity me, for I also am most wretched. But you know the way-here, take this key -hasten to the apartment, which you know-and oh! spare yourself at least the needless pain of witnessing this scene of blood, which--would to God it were the last -Oh! sir, let me not entreat you in vain; hasten to my dear lady, and tell her, for I have not the heart to do so, what commands have come to us from Trajan."

Alas! said I to myself, of what tidings am I doomed ever to be the messenger!-but Athanasia was alone; and how could I shrink from any pain that might perhaps alleviate hers. I took the key the kind jailer offered me -I left the court, which was now blazing with the light of torches, and ringing with the muster of men and horses -I glided hastily along the dim corridors of the Mammertine, and stood once more at the door of the chamber in which I had parted from my Athanasia. No voice answered to my knock; I repeated it three times, and then, agitated with indistinct apprehension, hesitated no longer to open it. No lamp was burning within the chamber;