noon
It were hard to believe that so fair a place , upon so fair a day , could be destined for a scene of trial by bloodshed and punishment by fire . But in the great space of the arena one object stood ominous , to remind the spectator that the reign of Robert the Good was ended . This was a small wooden platform with two steps and an upright beam , the whole painted a glaring scarlet . Round this platform were banked great piles of faggots , sinister witnesses to the work that was to be done ere noon . The great arena was almost empty . By order of the King , no citizens of Syracuse were to be permitted to enter the royal gardens , through which alone access to the amphitheatre was possible , until the sounding of a trumpet told the city that the hour had come . The great arena was almost empty , but not quite .