from its sheath.  A scream broke from the Hellene’s lips; before the Magnus could turn his head, the blow was struck.  Pompeius received the blade full in the back, and staggered, while Salvius and Achillas likewise drew and thrust at him.  Agias gazed on, paralyzed with horror.  The general seized his red paludamentum, threw it over his face, groaned once, and fell.  Even as he did so Septimius struck him across the neck, decapitating the corpse.  The brutal boatmen tore the blood-soaked clothes off of the body, and flung it overboard, to drift ashore with the current.  And so it ended with Pompeius Magnus, Imperator, the Fortunate, the favourite general of Sulla, the chieftain of “godlike and incredible virtue,” the conquerer of the kingdoms of the East, thrice consul, thrice triumphator, joint ruler with Caesar of the civilized world!

Agias hastened back to Cornelia to tell her that the danger was past, that there was no need of a flight to Cleopatra; but he was sick at heart when he thought of the treachery in which he had shared, albeit so unwillingly.

Chapter XXIII

Bitterness and Joy

I

Cornelia knew not whether to be merry or to weep when the report of the fate of Pompeius reached her.  That she would be delivered up to her uncle was no longer to be dreaded; but into the hands of what manner of men had she herself fallen?  Her own life and that of Fabia, she realized, would be snuffed out in a twinkling, by Pothinus and his confederates, the instant they saw in such a deed the least advantage.  The splendid life of the court at the garrison city went on; there was an unending round of fetes, contests in the gymnasium and stadium; chariot races; contests of poets and actors for prizes in dramatic art.  To the outward eye nothing could be more decorous and magnificent than the pleasures of the Egyptian king.  And so some days passed while Cornelia crushed her fears, and waited for the news that she was sure would come—­that Caesar was pressing on the tracks of his rival.

Late one afternoon, as the king and his suite were just returned from a visit by boat up the river to inspect a temple under restoration at Sethroe, Agias sought the private apartment of his patroness.  His face was extremely grave, and Cornelia at once realized that he brought serious news.

“Domina,” he said, speaking in Latin to evade the curiosity of the maids present, “when you are at leisure, I have a curious story to tell you.”

Cornelia presently found pretexts to get rid of all her women.  Agias reconnoitred, made certain that there was no eavesdropper, and began afresh.

“What I have to say is so different from that which we feared a few days since, that I scarce know how you will receive it.  I have just learned that your uncle Lucius Lentulus and Lucius Ahenobarbus made a landing on the coast the day after Pompeius was murdered; they have been quietly arrested and the matter hushed up.  I believe that Pothinus intends to execute them without your knowledge.  Only by a friendship with some of the officers of the guard did I get at this.”