Quo Vadis. Henryk Sienkiewicz

      “Whom of those dost thou love?” inquired he, indicating the servants with his head.

      There was no answer to that question. Eunice inclined her head to his feet and remained motionless.

      Petronius looked at the slaves, among whom were beautiful and stately youths. He could read nothing on any face; on the contrary, all had certain strange smiles. He looked then for a while on Eunice lying at his feet, and went in silence to the triclinium.

      After he had eaten, he gave command to bear him to the palace, and then to Chrysothemis, with whom he remained till late at night. But when he returned, he gave command to call Tiresias.

      “Did Eunice receive the flogging?” inquired he.

      “She did, lord. Thou didst not let the skin be cut, however.”

      “Did I give no other command touching her?”

      “No, lord,” answered the atriensis with alarm.

      “That is well. Whom of the slaves does she love?”

      “No one, lord.”

      “What dost thou know of her?”

      Tiresias began to speak in a somewhat uncertain voice:

      “At night Eunice never leaves the cubiculum in which she lives with old Acrisiona and Ifida; after thou art dressed she never goes to the bath-rooms. Other slaves ridicule her, and call her Diana.”

      “Enough,” said Petronius. “My relative, Vinicius, to whom I offered her to-day, did not accept her; hence she may stay in the house. Thou art free to go.”

      “Is it permitted me to speak more of Eunice, lord?”

      “I have commanded thee to say all thou knowest.”

      “The whole familia are speaking of the flight of the maiden who was to dwell in the house of the noble Vinicius. After thy departure, Eunice came to me and said that she knew a man who could find her.”

      “Ah! What kind of man is he?”

      “I know not, lord; but I thought that I ought to inform thee of this matter.”

      “That is well. Let that man wait to-morrow in my house for the arrival of the tribune, whom thou wilt request in my name to meet me here.”

      The atriensis bowed and went out. But Petronius began to think of Eunice. At first it seemed clear to him that the young slave wished Vinicius to find Lygia for this reason only, that she would not be forced from his house. Afterward, however, it occurred to him that the man whom Eunice was pushing forward might be her lover, and all at once that thought seemed to him disagreeable. There was, it is true, a simple way of learning the truth, for it was enough to summon Eunice; but the hour was late, Petronius felt tired after his long visit with Chrysothemis, and was in a hurry to sleep. But on the way to the cubiculum he remembered—it is unknown why—that he had noticed wrinkles, that day, in the corners of Chrysothemis’s eyes. He thought, also, that her beauty was more celebrated in Rome than it deserved; and that Fonteius Capiton, who had offered him three boys from Clazomene for Eunice, wanted to buy her too cheaply.