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When he rose next morning Antinous was startled at his aspect, for Hadrian's face and lips were perfectly bloodless. After he had read the remainder of his letters he started, not on foot but on horseback, with Antinous and Mastor for Besa, there to await the rest of the escort. The unchained elements had raged that night with equal fury over the Nile city of Besa.
"Mastor," interrupted the monarch, "carry away this old woman and make way for me." "Oh! my lord, my lord!" wailed the agonized woman while the slave pulled her up, not without difficulty. "Oh! my lord, how can you find it in your heart to be so cruel? And am I no longer old Doris whom you have even joked with, and whose food you have eaten?"
Pontius met the Emperor's servant and his water-carriers and remarked, loudly enough for Mastor to understand him, to Pollux who was with him: "The architect's servant is getting Christians to wait upon his master to-day. They are regular and sober workmen who do their duty silently and well."
Mastor would not disturb either group; he went up to a party of workmen, who seemed to be talking together, and yet remained attentive to the speech of an old man who was evidently telling them a story. The poor fellow's heart was heavy and his mind was little bent on tales and amusements. All life was embittered.
Hadrian opened the leather bag, took out a roll, hastily broke it open, and then, after rapidly glancing at the contents, exclaimed: "What is this? I have opened the record of the oracle of Apis. How did it come among to-day's letters?" Antinous went up to Hadrian, looked at the sack, and said: "Mastor has made a mistake. These are the documents from Memphis.
In a few minutes all was still alike in the large room and in the small one. Then the praetor heard the door between the smaller room and the corridor hastily opened and immediately the Bithynian's exclamation: "At last, Mastor have you seen Selene?"
"There," exclaimed Verus clapping his hands. "And now as to the flowers?" "Mere trifling." "Is Hadrian then in a merry mood?" "Till to-day he was very gay but since last night " "Well?" "You know yourself what he is when he has seen lead signs in the sky." "Bad signs," said Verus gravely. "And yet he sends flowers?" "Not he, can you not guess?" "Antinous?" Mastor nodded assent.
Ere long she had learnt that Verus also had encountered Mastor, that her husband was residing at Lochias, that he had taken part in the festival in disguise, and had exposed himself to grave danger outside the house of Apollodorus.
His pupil, after he had accomplished the easy transfer of his parents, had returned to the palace, and there, to his delight, came across Mastor, who soon fetched him the garments and masks that he had lent the day before to Hadrian and Antinous.
His annoyance at the absence of his favorite, whose society he permitted no one to enjoy but himself, and least of all Pollux, smothered every kind feeling in his mind, and in a tone of anger bordering on fury he commanded Mastor to go and fetch Antinous, and then to have the gate- house utterly cleared out. "Take a dozen slaves to help you," he cried.
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