And yet everything _looked_ so real. Just as this sad feeling came to her, she was walking over a pavement made of small coloured stones fitted together to make a pattern. This she knew was called _mosaic_ work, and she noticed the design of it, which was that of a woman seated on the back of some animal in the centre of the pavement. By the time she had walked through the villa and out of it upon a terrace overlooking the country, Betty had a confused idea of great luxury and beauty, displayed in a very different sort of house from any she had ever seen before. “Ask me any questions you like,” said Lucius presently. But Betty scarcely knew where to begin. “This country is called Britain, isn’t it?” she said at last, remembering her history. “And you Roman people conquered it?” “We did,” answered the boy, smiling. “Long ago. Four hundred years ago.” “And the British people are not angry about it anymore?” “No. Why should they be? Everything is peaceful now.” “But at first there was fighting, I suppose?” “Long and bitter fighting,” said Lucius. “There is a story, which I believe is true, that when my ancestors first came to Britain, more than three hundred years ago, there was a British Queen who led men to battle against us. She actually took and burnt this town of Londinium—which was then, however, much smaller and less important than it is now.” [Illustration] “Boadicea!” thought Betty, remembering in a flash the statue on Westminster Bridge. But Lucius was again speaking. “My own family has been settled here nearly two hundred years. It was my great-grandfather who built this villa, and he was born in Londinium.” “We call it _London_,” murmured Betty. But Lucius did not seem to hear her. “Then I suppose it was a good thing for the British to be conquered?” she inquired. The boy laughed. “Without doubt. They were savages when we came, and we’ve taught them everything. From us they’ve learnt how to till the land,”—he nodded towards a field. “Those are British labourers working there now. They’ve learnt how to make roads after our famous Roman plan. You can see one of our roads from this corner of the terrace. And how to build houses and ships, and work in metal and do a thousand other things. Some of them have grown rich, and have been educated, so that they are as good scholars now as we are. Already Londinium is a famous port to which foreign merchants come bringing riches. My father says it will some day be a great city, equal to any city in the world.” “It _has_ become a great city!” exclaimed Betty to herself, remembering the London she knew. It was sad to think that if she had spoken aloud, the boy would not have understood her, and she hastened to ask another question. “Are these British people Christians?”