This eBook was produced by David Widger <widger@cecomet.net>
[NOTE: There is a short list of bookmarks, or pointers, at the end of thefile for those who may wish to sample the author's ideas before making anentire meal of them. D.W.]
THE EMPEROR, Part 2.
By Georg Ebers
The story told by Mastor which had so greatly agitated Pollux and hadprompted him to his mad flight was the history of events which had takenplace in the steward's rooms during the hours when the young artist washelping his parents to transfer their household belongings into hissister's tiny dwelling. Keraunus was certainly not one of the mostcheerful of men, but on the morning when Sabina came to the palace andthe gate-keeper was driven from his home, he had worn the aspect of athoroughly-contented man.
Since visiting Selene the day before he had given himself no fartherconcern about her. She was not dangerously ill and was exceptionallywell taken care of, and the children did not seem to miss her. Indeed,he himself did not want her back to-day. He avoided confessing this tohimself it is true, still he felt lighter and freer in the absence of hisgrave monitor than he had been for a long time. It would be delightful,he thought, to go on living in this careless manner, alone with Arsinoeand the children, and now and again he rubbed his hands and grinnedcomplacently. When the old slave-woman brought a large dish full ofcakes which he had desired her to buy, and set it down by the side of thechildren's porridge, he chuckled so heartily that his fat person shookand swayed; and he had very good reason to be happy in his way, forPlutarch quite early in the morning, had sent a heavy purse of goldpieces for his ivory cup, and a magnificent bunch of roses to Arsinoe;he might give his children a treat, buy himself a solid gold fillet, anddress Arsinoe as finely as though she were the prefect's favoritedaughter.
His vanity was gratified in every particular.
And what a splendid fellow was the slave who now—with a superblyreverential bow-presented him with a roast chicken and who was to walkbehind him in the afternoon to the council-chamber. The tall Thessalianwho marched after the Archidikastes to the Hall of justice, carrying hispapers, was hardly grander than his "body-servant." He had bought himyesterday at quite a low price. The well-grown Samian was scarcelythirty years old; he could read and write and was in a position thereforeto instruct the children in these arts; nay, he could even play the lute.His past, to be sure, was not a spotless record, and it was for thatreason that he had been sold so cheaply. He had stolen things on severaloccasions; but the brands and scars which he bore upon his person werehidden by his new chiton and Keraunus felt in himself the power to curehim of his evil propensities.
After desiring Arsinoe to let nothing he about of any value, for theirnew house-mate seemed not to be perfectly honest, he answered hisdaughter's scruples by saying:
"It would be better, no doubt, that he should be as honest as the oldskeleton I gave in exchange for him, but I reflect that even if my body-servant should make away with some of the few drachmae we carry aboutwith us, I need not repent of having bought him, since I got him for manythousand drachmae less than he is worth, on account of his thefts, whilea teacher for the children would have cost more than he can steal from usat the worst. I will lock up the gold in the chest with my documents.It is strong and could only be opened with a cr