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But Vitelius burst forth again in unexpected laughter, and began to search for his ring in the peplus of Calvia Crispinilla. Hereupon Vestinius fell to imitating the cries of a frightened woman. Nigidia, a friend of Calvia, a young widow with the face of a child and the eyes of a wanton, said aloud, "He is seeking what he has not lost."
Towards Licinus and Lecanius the consuls they were indifferent, but Tullius Senecio they loved, it was unknown why, and Vestinius received applause. The court was innumerable. It seemed that all that was richest, most brilliant and noted in Rome, was migrating to Antium.
"I wish to drink," said Chilo, stretching his trembling hand toward a goblet of wine; but he was unable to raise it to his lips. Seeing this, Vestinius took the vessel; but later he drew near, and inquired with curious and frightened face, "Are the Furies pursuing thee?" The old man looked at him a certain time with open lips, as if not understanding what he said. But Vestinius repeated,
But Vestinius, stretching his neck like a stork, whispered mysteriously, "I do not believe in the gods; but I believe in spirits Oi!" Nero paid no attention to their words, and continued, "I celebrated the Lemuria, and have no wish to see her.
Among the Augustians Vestinius, bending to right and left, whispered in a terrified voice, "See how they die!" Others were looking for the bear, wishing the spectacle to end at the earliest. The bear came into the arena at last, and, swaying from side to side a head which hung low, he looked around from beneath his forehead, as if thinking of something or seeking something.
"Not a maniac, but he has become a Christian," said Tigellinus. "Impossible!" said Vitelius. "Have I not said," put in Vestinius, "'Kill Christians if ye like; but believe me ye cannot war with their divinity. With it there is no jesting'? See what is taking place. I have not burned Rome; but if Cæsar permitted I would give a hecatomb at once to their divinity.
"True! there is something peculiar and strange in their death." "I tell you that they see their divinity!" cried Vestinius, from one side. Thereupon a number of Augustians turned to Chilo, "Hai, old man, thou knowest them well; tell us what they see." The Greek spat out wine on his tunic, and answered, "The resurrection."
The slave slept a night in the temple to have a prophetic dream; he returned then and said: 'I saw a youth in my dreams; he was as bright as the sun, and spoke only one word, "Black." The proconsul, when he heard this, grew pale, and turning to his guests, disbelievers like himself, said: 'Do ye know what was in the letter?" Here Vestinius stopped, and, raising his goblet with wine, began to drink.
Rubria alone has a human semblance, and so there would be two of us, though Rubria gets freckles in summer." "But admit, purest Calvia," said Petronius, "that thou couldst become a vestal only in dreams." "But if Cæsar commanded?" "I should believe that even the most impossible dreams might come true." "But they do come true," said Vestinius.
Petronius heard from Vestinius that Cæsar himself had issued an order to put Peter and Paul in the Mamertine prison within three days, and that whole detachments of pretorians had been sent to search every house in the Trans-Tiber. When he heard this, Vinicius resolved to warn the Apostle. In the evening he and Ursus put on Gallic mantles and went to the house of Miriam, where Peter was living.
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