The Emperor — Volume 01 by Georg Ebers
page 33 of 67 (49%)
page 33 of 67 (49%)
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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." |
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