‘His daughter knows nothing save this, that this trouble, whatever it may be, which weighs upon him, began at the time you came here from Rome.’
‘Ah, then,’ said Cestus, shrugging his shoulders and drawing a deep breath as if relieved, ‘if that is but the measure of the evil, it is easily mended by my shouldering my wallet and tramping back to Rome. You should have told me this before. I wouldn’t be a burden to the house, and be the [pg 242]cause of bringing a shadow on your pretty brow for all Surrentum.’
‘Ah! I meant not that,’ she said hastily, with a delicate colour flushing her cheeks.
He shook his head, and his broad face expanded still more with a grin.
‘I’ve noticed that you usually say what you mean, Neæra; so tell me now plainly to go, nor shall I be offended at your plain speaking.’
‘If you put that meaning on my words you are wrong, and I ought not to have spoken them. What I thought was, that you might have brought him ill news, or something which weighs on his mind.’
‘I! why I have not seen or heard from him for fourteen long years! We might as well have been dead all that time. What could I have brought with me to trouble him? Like enough, it is as you say. He’s bothered to have a ne’er-do-well about him and his. I’ll try and find out; and, if ’tis so, I’ll march straight away.’
‘I remember that he was strangely overjoyed to see you,’ replied Neæra, gazing steadily at him.
‘And without doubt he was, for he is too good-hearted to be sorry to see even a vagabond like myself turn up again. But I will do my best to try and find out the trouble and move it, and, failing that, move myself.’
‘If you are so determined to find yourself in fault I cannot help it, since you will not believe what I say.’