as an antechamber; it is surrounded with rooms for the slaves and body-
guard. The next smaller sitting-rooms by the side of the main corridor
we may assign to the officers and scribes, in this spacious hypaethral
hall--the one with the Muses--Hadrian may give audience and the guests
may assemble there whom he may admit to eat at his table in this broad
peristyle. The smaller and well-preserved rooms, along this long passage
leading to the steward's house, will do for the pages, secretaries and
other attendants on Caesar's person, and this long saloon, lined with
fine porphyry and green marble, and adorned with the beautiful frieze
in bronze will, I fancy, please Hadrian as a study and private
sitting-room."

"Admirable!" cried Titianus, "I should like to show your plan to the
Empress."

"In that case, instead of eight days I must have as many weeks," said
Pontius coolly.

"That is true," answered the prefect laughing. "But tell me,
Keraunus, how comes it that the doors are wanting to all the best rooms?"

"They were of fine thyra wood, and they were wanted in Rome."

"I must have seen one or another of them there," muttered the prefect.

"Your cabinet-workers will have a busy time, Pontius."

"Nay, the hanging-makers may be glad; wherever we can we will close the
door-ways with heavy curtains."