It was now evident that the soldiers had also entered the study.
Cethegus could no longer stand upright.
He leaned against the marble statue of Jupiter, from which the hall took its name.
"What shall be done with this house?" he heard some one ask.
"It shall be burned!" cried Teja.
"The King has forbidden that," answered the voice of Thorismuth.
"Yes; but I have begged this house from the King. It shall be razed to the ground! Down with the temple of that devil! Down with the holiest of holies--this idol!"
A fearful blow resounded.
With a crash the Cæsar statue fell in fragments to the ground.
Gold, jewels, and rolls of papyrus covered the floor.