A " FLASH HOUSE " IN POMPEII. 45 



" A beast, O dullard ! we beat the beasts hollow !" 

 cried Tetraides. 



"Well, well," said Stratonice, who was now 

 employed in smoothing her hair and adjusting her 

 locks ; " if ye are all good friends again, I recommend 

 you to be quiet and orderly ; for some young noble- 

 men, your patrons and backers, have sent to say, 

 they will come here to pay you a visit — they wish 

 to see you more at their ease than at the Schools, 

 before they make up their bets on the great fight at 

 the Amphitheatre. So they always come to my house 

 for that purpose : they know we only receive the 

 best gladiators in Pompeii — our society is very select 

 praised be the gods ! " 



" Yes," continued Burbo, drinking off a bowl, or 

 rather a pail of wine, " a man who has won my 

 laurels can only encourage the brave. Lydon, drink, 

 my boy ; may you have an honorable old age like 

 mine ! " 



" Come here," said Stratonice, drawing her hus- 

 band to her affectionately by the ears, in that caress 

 which Tibullus has so prettily described, "Come 

 here ! " 



" Not so hard, she-wolf, thou art worse than the 

 gladiator," murmured the huge jaws of Burbo. 



" Hist," said she, whispering him : " Calenus has 

 just stole in, disguised, by the back way ; I hope he 

 has brought the sesterces." 



" Ho, ho, I will join him," said Burbo ; " mean- 

 while, I say, keep a sharp eye on the cups, attend to 

 the score. Let them not cheat thee, wife ; they are 

 heroes to be sure, but then they are arrant rogues ; 

 Cacus was nothing to them." 



" Never fear me, fool," was the conjugal reply ; 

 and Burbo, satisfied with the dear assurance, strode 

 through the apartment, and sought the penetralia of 

 his house. 



" So those soft patrons are coming to look at our 

 muscles,'^ said Niger : " who sent to previse thee of 

 it, my mistress ? " 



