“Where is Linus?”
For a while there was no answer; then some voice, known to Vinicius, said all at once,—
“He went out by the Nomentan Gate to Ostrianum two days ago. Peace be with thee, O king of Persia!”
Vinicius rose to a sitting posture, and saw Chilo before him.
“Thy house is burned surely, O lord,” said the Greek, “for the Carinæ is in flames; but thou wilt be always as rich as Midas. Oh, what a misfortune! The Christians, O son of Serapis, have predicted this long time that fire would destroy the city. But Linus, with the daughter of Jove, is in Ostrianum. Oh, what a misfortune for the city!”
Vinicius became weak again.
“Hast thou seen them?” he inquired.
“I saw them, O lord. May Christ and all the gods be thanked that I am able to pay for thy benefactions with good news. But, O Cyrus, I shall pay thee still more, I swear by this burning Rome.”
It was evening, but in the garden one could see as in daylight, for the conflagration had increased. It seemed that not single parts of the city were burning, but the whole city through the length and the breadth of it. The sky was red as far as the eye could see it, and that night in the world was a red night.