“Pooh!” said Brinnaria. “I’m not a bit afraid of Calvaster. Aurelius gave Commodus emphatic injunctions about me. And he went into details. Commodus can’t have forgotten his reprimand to Calvaster nor his categorical threat.”
“I fear,” said Lutorius, “that his father’s instructions on that particular point are not well to the front of the Emperor’s mind.”
“Well, anyhow,” said Brinnaria, “everybody knows my preoccupation with Almo and everybody saw my behavior in the Amphitheatre. I feel pretty safe in respect to my general reputation. As to particulars, I’ve been vigilantly careful to keep away from Almo. Except twice, in the presence of Aurelius, I haven’t been within speaking distance of him in twenty-two years. Between the fact that no one can prove that I have had anything to do with him and the improbability that anyone would suspect me of interest in any other man, let alone misconduct with any other man, I feel entirely secure.”
Lutorius wagged his head.
“You are accused of misconduct with another man,” he said.
“Absurd!” said Brinnaria, “easy to confute. Who is the man?”
“Not so easy to confute, I fear,” said Lutorius. “The man named is Quintus Istorius Vocco.”
“Whew!” cried Brinnaria, springing to her feet and snapping her fingers. “That is ingenious! That will give me trouble! I didn’t credit Calvaster with that much sense. I never thought of anyone looking askance at my relations with Quintus. I’ve never taken any precautions as to when I was with him or how long or where. I’ve treated him as an honorary brother, seeing I have no brothers of my own left alive. Flexinna has been such a sister to me, that we have disregarded Quintus almost as if he were a slave or a statue or a picture on the wall or another woman. Whew!”
“You perceive,” said Lutorius, “that the situation, in general, is very serious?”
“I do, indeed!” admitted Brinnaria.