The man of learning appeared at a very late hour.  In fact, the water-clock showed that it wanted little of midnight before he came.  His explanation was that Valeria had called him in to read verses to a company of friends who were supping with her, and he could not get away sooner.  Besides, the dark streets were full of bandits, and he had therefore taken a circuitous route to avoid attack.  Agias had to let him ramble through all the details, although he knew very well that Pisander would never have taken so much trouble to come if he had not had information of the first importance to impart.

“And now, my dear Pisander,” ventured the young Greek, at length, “I will ask Dromo to set something to drink before us; and I hope you will tell me why you have come.”

Pisander glanced timidly over his shoulder, pulled at his beard with suppressed excitement, then bent down, and in a very low voice burst out:—­

“Pratinas and”—­he hesitated—­“Valeria!”

“Ai" cried Agias, “I have suspected it for a very long time.  You are sure the fox has snapped up his goose?”

“By Hercules, very sure!  They are planning to go to Egypt.  Pratinas has just had a wonderful stroke of luck.  He received six hundred thousand sesterces[127] with which to corrupt a jury for some poor wretch who expected to enlist Pratinas’s cunning to get him out of the toils of the law.  Pratinas calmly put the money in his strong-box, and let the unhappy wight be cast.  He is not at all poor—­he has amassed a large fortune while he has been in Rome.  Shade of Plato! how this knave has prospered!  And now he is arranging with Valeria to strip poor Calatinus of nearly all his valuables, before they fly the country.”

  [127] $24,000.

“Ah, luckless Calatinus!” laughed Agias.  “That will be the end of his marrying the handsomest woman in Rome.  And so this is what you came here to tell me?  It really was a good secret to keep.”

“St!” interrupted Pisander, “Pratinas has something else to attend to.  Calatinus will get consolation for losing his dear spouse.  I suppose Pratinas wishes to indemnify him, but he himself will make a good bit at the same time.”

In a twinkling a thought had flashed through Agias’s mind, that made a cold sweat break out all over him, and a hot surge of blood mount to his head.

“Man, man!” he cried, grasping Pisander’s wrists with all his strength, “speak!  Don’t look at me this way!  Don’t say that you mean Artemisia?”

“Ai! You know the girl, then?” said the other, with the most excruciating inquisitiveness.

“Know her?” raged Agias, “I love the sunbeam on which her eyes rest.  Speak!  Tell me all, everything, all about it I Quick!  I must know!”

Pisander drew himself together, and with a deliberation that was nearly maddening to his auditor, began:—­

“Well, you see, I had occasion this morning to be in Calatinus’s library.  Yes, I remember, I was just putting the new copy of Theognis back into the cupboard, when I noticed that the Mimnermus was not neatly rolled, and so I happened to stay in the room, and—­”