"You see how right I was," Tacita begged
the Vestals to remember, "the Christians are



330 FAUSTULA

just as obdurate and stupid as I said they would
be. The brothers John and Paul, who live in
that old house on the CHvus Scauri — I know
them by sight. They are of good family and I
have a cousin whose palace is not far from their
ramshackle dwelling — she tells me they were
favourites of the princess Constantia, daughter
of the unhappy Constantine, and cousin of our
present glorious Emperor. Yes : I know what
I was going to say. The Emperor, hearing
this, was so good as to send them an offer to
enter his service. And they had the insolence
to refuse — and with a very pert message.
'They did not care,' they said, 'to become
servants of one who had derided their mas-
ter.' That, it seems, was sometime ago, for
word has now come that they are to enter
the Emperor's household within ten days, and
sacrifice to Jupiter, or receive the penalty of
death for their flagrant treason. Teren-
tianus, praefect of the Praetorian Cohort, is to
carry a httle statue of the god to their house,
quite privately so as to spare their pride, and
call upon them to venerate it. But my
cousin, whose palace is not a stone's throw
from their house, and knows all about it, as-
sures me that they wiU be obdurate."

Tacita looked round for applause and as she



FAUSTULA 331

caught Faustula's eye that Vestal spoke for
the rest.
"No doubt your cousin is right."

"Yes. I have no doubt she will be right.
