“Thy mortal eyes saw nothing, for the deity becomes invisible to whomever it wishes,” said Nero. “Know that when I was in the temple of Vesta she herself stood near me, and whispered in my ear, ‘Defer the journey.’ That happened so unexpectedly that I was terrified, though for such an evident care of the gods for me I should be thankful.”
“We were all terrified,” said Tigellinus, “and the vestal Rubria fainted.”
“Rubria!” said Nero; “what a snowy neck she has!”
“But she blushed at sight of the divine Cæsar—”
“True! I noticed that myself. That is wonderful. There is something divine in every vestal, and Rubria is very beautiful.
“Tell me,” said he, after a moment’s meditation, “why people fear Vesta more than other gods. What does this mean? Though I am the chief priest, fear seized me to-day. I remember only that I was falling back, and should have dropped to the ground had not some one supported me. Who was it?”
“I,” answered Vinicius.
“Oh, thou ‘stern Mars’! Why wert thou not in Beneventum? They told me that thou wert ill, and indeed thy face is changed. But I heard that Croton wished to kill thee? Is that true?”
“It is, and he broke my arm; but I defended myself.”
“With a broken arm?”