She was silent a moment, trying hard to think; she felt the man's hand trembling, and then, suddenly realizing, she drew her own away.
"And yet you are going to-morrow with this beast—this animal!" said the voice, bitterly.
Startled again by the tone and accent, no less than by the words, she burst out:—
"Ah! why do you say that?—but you do not know, and I cannot tell you. Yes, you are right. I am going away to-morrow. I am—a courtesan. What then?"
"By the gods! no!" he cried, and she heard him spring to his feet. Then, lowering his voice, "If I thought that, I would kill you."
"You would only forestall my own blow," she said quietly, and there was new silence.
At last he spoke again.
"Tell me all of this matter. You are safe. I am a Roman."
"A Roman—and a slave?"
"And a slave. Tell me the truth quickly."