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In the second place, it would be a pretty story to tell her friends,

and she should be able to take credit to herself for her magnanimity in

parting with her favourite attendant. Lastly, in the present state of

affairs it might possibly happen that it would be of no slight

advantage to have a friend possessed of great power and influence in the

Carthaginian camp. Her husband might be captured in fight--it was not

beyond the bounds of possibility that Rome itself might fall into the

hands of the Carthaginians. It was, therefore, well worth while making a

friend of a man who was a near relation of Hannibal.

For some days Julia kept her own apartment. All the household knew that

something had gone wrong, though none were aware of the cause. A general

feeling of uneasiness existed, for Julia had from a child in her fits of

temper been harsh with her slaves, venting her temper by cruelly beating

and pinching them. Many a slave had been flogged by her orders at such

a time, for her mother, although herself an easy mistress, seldom

interfered with her caprices, and all that she did was good in the eyes

of her father.

At the end of the week Flavia told Malchus that the negotiations for his

release had been broken off, the Roman senate remaining inflexible

in the resolve that Romans who surrendered to the enemy should not be

exchanged. Malchus was much disappointed, as it had seemed that the time

of his release was near; however, he had still his former plan of escape

to fall back upon.

A day or two later Julia sent a slave with a message to Sempronius, and

in the afternoon sallied out with a confidential attendant, who always

accompanied her when she went abroad. In the Forum she met Sempronius,

who saluted her.

"Sempronius," she said coming at once to the purpose, "will you do me a

favour?"

"I would do anything to oblige you, Lady Julia, as you know."

"That is the language of courtesy," Julia said shortly; "I mean would

you be ready to run some risk?"

"Certainly," Sempronius answered readily.

"You will do it the more readily, perhaps," Julia said, "inasmuch as

it will gratify your revenge. You have reason to hate Malchus, the

Carthaginian slave."

Sempronius nodded.

"Your suspicion was true, he loves the Gaulish slave; they have been

questioned and have confessed it. I want them separated."

"But how?" Sempronius asked, rejoicing inwardly at finding that Julia's

wishes agreed so nearly with his own.

"I want her carried off," Julia said shortly. "When once you have got

her you can do with her as you will; make her your slave, kill her,

do as you like with her, that is nothing to me--all I want is that she

shall go. I suppose you have some place where you could take her?"

"Yes," Sempronius said, "I have a small estate among the Alban Hills

where she would be safe enough from searchers; but how to get her there?

She never goes out except with Lady Flavia."

"She must be taken from the house," Julia said shortly; "pretty slaves

have been carried off before now, and no suspicion need light upon you.

You might find some place in the city to hide her for a few days, and

then boldly carry her through the gates in a litter. None will think of

questioning you."

"The wrath of Lady Flavia would be terrible," Sempronius said

doubtfully.

"My mother would be furious at first," Julia said coldly; "but get her a

new plaything, a monkey or a Nubian slave boy, and she will soon forget

all about the matter."

"But how do you propose it should be done?" Sempronius asked.

"My slave shall withdraw all the bolts of the back entrance to the

house," Julia said; "do you be there at two in the morning, when all

will be sound asleep; bring with you a couple of barefooted slaves. My

woman will be at the door and will guide you to the chamber where the

girl sleeps; you have only to gag her and carry her quietly off."

Sempronius stood for a moment in doubt. The enterprise was certainly

feasible. Wild adventures of this kind were not uncommon among the

dissolute young Romans, and Sempronius saw at once that were he detected

Julia's influence would prevent her mother taking the matter up hotly.

Julia guessed his thoughts.

"If you are found out," she said, "I will take the blame upon myself,

and tell my mother that you were acting solely at my request."

"I will do it, Julia," he agreed; "tonight at two o'clock I will be

at the back door with two slaves whom I can trust. I will have a place

prepared to which I can take the girl till it is safe to carry her from

the city."

CHAPTER XXII: THE LION

Malchus was sleeping soundly that night when he was awakened by a low

angry sound from the lion.

He looked up, and saw by the faint light of a lamp which burned in the

hall, from which the niche like bed chambers of the principal slaves

opened, that the animal had risen to its feet. Knowing that, docile as

it was with those it knew, the lion objected to strangers, the thought

occurred to him that some midnight thief had entered the house for the

purpose of robbery. Malchus took his staff and sallied out, the lion

walking beside him.

He traversed the hall and went from room to room until he entered the

portion of the house inhabited by Flavia and the female slaves. Here he

would have hesitated, but the lion continued its way, crouching as it

walked, with its tail beating its sides with short quick strokes.

There was no one in the principal apartment. He entered the corridor,

from which as he knew issued the bed chambers of the slaves. Here he

stopped in sudden surprise at seeing a woman holding a light, while two

men were issuing from one of the apartments bearing between them a

body wrapped up in a cloak. Sempronius stood by the men directing their

movements. The face of the person carried was invisible, but the light

of the lamp fell upon a mass of golden brown hair, and Malchus knew at

once that it was Clotilde who was being carried off.

Malchus sprang forward and with a blow of his staff levelled one of the

slaves to the ground; Sempronius with a furious exclamation drew his

sword and rushed at him, while the other slave, dropping his burden,

closed with Malchus and threw his arms around him. For a moment Malchus

felt powerless, but before Sempronius could strike there was a deep

roar, a dark body sprang forward and hurled itself upon him, levelling

him to the ground with a crushing blow of its paw, and then seized him

by the shoulder and shook him violently. The slave who held Malchus

loosed his hold and fled with a cry of affright, the female slave

dropped the light and fled also. Clotilde had by this time gained her

feet.

"Quick, love!" Malchus said; "seize your disguise and join me at the

back gate. Sempronius is killed; I will join you as quickly as I can."

By this time the household was alarmed, the shout of Malchus and the

roar of the lion had aroused everyone, and the slaves soon came hurrying

with lights to the spot. Malchus checked them as they came running out.

"Fetch the net," he said. The net in question had been procured after

the lion had before made an attack upon the slave, but had not since

been required.

Malchus dared not approach the creature now, for though he was not

afraid for himself, it was now furious, and might, if disturbed, rush

among the others and do terrible destruction before it could be secured.

The net was quickly brought, and Malchus, with three of the most

resolute of the slaves, advanced and threw it over the lion, which was

lying upon the prostrate body of Sempronius. It sprang to its feet, but

the net was round it, and in its struggle to escape it fell on its side.

Another twist of the net and it was helplessly inclosed; the four

men lifted the ends and carried it away. Cutting a portion of the net

Malchus placed the massive iron collar attached to the chain round its

neck and then left it, saying to the others:

"We can cut the rest of the net off it afterwards."

He then hurried back to the scene of the struggle. Flavia was already

there.

"What is all this, Malchus," she asked. "Here I find Sempronius dead

and one of his slaves senseless beside him; they tell me when he first

arrived you were here."

"I know nothing of it, lady," Malchus replied, "save that the lion

aroused me by growling, and thinking that robbers might have entered the

house, I arose and searched it and came upon three men. One I levelled

to the ground with my staff; doubtless he is only stunned and will be

able to tell you more when he recovers. I grappled with another, and

while engaged in a struggle with him the third attacked me with a sword,

and would have slain me had not the lion sprang upon him and felled him.

The other man then fled--this is all I know about it."

"What can it all mean?" Flavia said. "What could Sempronius with two

slaves be doing in my house after midnight? It is a grave outrage, and

there will be a terrible scandal in Rome tomorrow--the son of a praetor

and a friend of the house!"

She then ordered the slaves to raise the body of Sempronius and carry

it to a couch, and to send at once for a leech. She also bade them throw

water on the slave and bring him to consciousness, and then to bring him

before her to be questioned.

"Where is my daughter?" she said suddenly; "has she not been roused by

all this stir?" One of the female slaves stole into Julia's apartment,

and returned saying that her mistress was sound asleep on her couch.

An expression of doubt crossed Flavia's face, but she only said, "Do

not disturb her," and then thoughtfully returned to her room. It was not

until an hour later that the prisoner was sufficiently recovered to be

brought before Flavia. He had already heard that his master was killed,

and, knowing that concealment would be useless, he threw himself on

the ground before Flavia, and owned that he and another slave had been

brought by Sempronius to carry off a slave girl.

Acting on his instructions they had thrust a kerchief into her mouth,

and wrapped a cloak round her, and were carrying her off when a man

rushed at him, and he supposed struck him, for he remembered nothing

more. He then with many tears implored mercy, on the ground that he was

acting but on his master's orders. At this moment the praetor himself

arrived, Flavia having sent for him immediately she had ascertained that

Sempronius was dead. He was confused and bewildered at the suddenness of

his loss.

"I thought at first," Flavia said, "that he must have been engaged in

some wild scheme to carry off Julia, though why he should do so I could

not imagine, seeing that he had my approval of his wooing; but Julia is

asleep, not having been a wakened by the noise of the scuffle. It must

have been one of the slave girls."

"Ah!" she exclaimed suddenly. "I did not see Clotilde." She struck a

bell, and her attendant entered.

"Go," she said, "and summon Clotilde here."

In a few minutes the slave returned, saying that Clotilde was not to be

found.

"She may have been carried off by the other slave," Flavia said, "but

Malchus was there, and would have pursued. Fetch him here."

But Malchus too was found to be missing.

"They must have fled together," Flavia said. "There was an understanding

between them. Doubtless Malchus feared that this affair with your son

might cause him to be taken away from here. Perhaps it is best so, and

I trust that they may get away, though I fear there is little chance,

since no slaves are allowed to leave the city without a pass, and even

did they succeed in gaining the open country they would be arrested

and brought back by the first person who met them. But that is not the

question for the present."

"What think you, my friend, what are we to do in this terrible

business?"

"I know not," the praetor said with a groan.

"The honour of both our families is concerned," Flavia said calmly.

"Your son has been found in my house at night and slain by my lion. All

the world knows that he was a suitor for Julia's hand. There's but one

thing to be done; the matter must be kept secret. It would not do to try

and remove Sempronius tonight, for the litter might be stopped by the

watch; it must be taken boldly away in daylight. Send four slaves whom

you can trust, and order them to be silent on pain of death. I will tell

my household that if a word is breathed of what has taken place tonight,

I will hand whoever disobeys me over to the executioners. When you have

got your son's body home you can spread a rumour that he is sick of the

fever. There will be no difficulty in bribing the leech. Then in a few

days you will give out that he is dead, and none will be any the wiser."

The praetor agreed that this was the best plan that could be adopted,

and it was carried out in due course, and so well was the secret kept

that no one in Rome ever doubted that Sempronius had fallen a victim to

fever.

Julia's anger in the morning, when she heard that the Gaulish slave girl

and the Carthaginian were missing, was great, and she hurried to her

mother's room to demand that a hue and cry should be at once made

for them, and a reward offered for their apprehension. She had, when

informed of the scenes which had taken place in the night, and of the

death of Sempronius, expressed great astonishment and horror, and indeed

the news that her accomplice had been killed had really shocked her. The

sentiment, however, had faded to insignificance in the anger which she

felt when, as the narrative continued, she heard of the escape of the

two slaves.

A stormy scene took place between her and her mother, Julia boldly