Having cleansed
himself, he walked by an outer way to the rear of the villa; for he
durst not pass through the atrium.
Here his men were busy over their meal, sitting or sprawling in a
shadowed place, the slaves waiting upon them. With a reminder that
they must hold themselves ready to ride at any moment, he passed on
through a large, wild garden, and at length, where a grove of
box-trees surrounded the ruins of a little summer-house, cast
himself to the ground.
His breast heaved, his eyes swelled and smarted, but he could not
shed tears. Face downwards, like a man who bites the earth in his
last agony, he lay quivering. So did an hour or more pass by.
He was roused by the voices of his men, who were searching and
calling for him. With an effort, he rose to his feet, and stepped
out into the sunshine, when he learnt that a troop of soldiers had
just ridden up to the villa, and that their captain, who had already
entered, was asking for him by name. Careless what might await him,
Basil followed the men as far as the inner court, and there stood
Venantius.
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