But Hippias only wished to save the Briton from the perils of the coming night, and this from some vague feeling he could hardly explain to himself, that Valeria was interested in the stalwart barbarian. It was not in the fencing-master’s nature to entertain sentiments of jealousy upon uncertain grounds. And he was just fond enough of Valeria to value anyone she liked for her sake. Moreover Esca knew their [pg 248]plans. He would alarm the palace, and there would be a fight. He wished nothing better.
Esca was about to make his appeal, but Mariamne interposed.
“Where he goeth I will go,” said she, almost in the words of her own sacred writings. “I have to-night lost father, and home, and people. This is the second time he hath saved me from captivity worse than death. Part us not now, I beseech thee, part us not!”
Hippias looked kindly on the sweet face with its large imploring eager eyes.
“You love him,” said he, “foolish girl. Begone then, and take him with you.”
But again a fierce murmur rose amongst the gladiators. Not even the master’s authority was sufficient to carry out such a breach of all laws and customs as this. Euchenor, ever prone to wrangle, stepped forward from the background, where he had remained so as to appear an impartial and uninterested observer.
“The oath!” exclaimed the Greek. “The oath—we swore it when the sun was up—shall we break it ere the moon goes down? She is ours, Hippias, by all the laws of the Family, and we will not give her up.”
“Silence!” thundered the master, with a look that made Euchenor shrink back once more. “Who asked for your vote? Hirpinus, Rufus, once again, how came this woman here?”
“She was bound hand and foot in a chariot,” answered the former, ignoring, however, with less than his usual frankness, to whom that chariot belonged. “She was carried away by force. I protected her from ill-usage,” he added stoutly, “as I would protect her again.”
The girl gave him a grateful look, which sank into the old swordsman’s heart. Esca, too, muttered warm broken words of thanks, while the band assented to the truth of this statement.