“But I never let my ambition soar so high as to touch him. Moreover, till very recently I had never seen him.”
“Well,” said Virginius, “I don’t know, now that it has been mentioned to me, but that I can detect a likeness.”
“So can I detect one between you and Plucritus.”
He laughed. “Have a smoke,” he suggested, “You will find that pleasure counteracts irritation.”
After a pause he continued,—
“Did you see much of Vestasian whilst in hell?”
“Very little, till near the end.”
“And what was your opinion of him?”
“At the time I distrusted, yet liked him. Looking backward I regret I saw so little of him.”
“He took the trouble to be agreeable, then?”