He gently shrugged his shoulders, and the action brought the sudden fire to her eyes and the colour to her cheeks. Noting the signs he looked down and smiled covertly, to her intense irritation. ‘Do you wish to trifle with me, Afer?’ she said, in a dangerous tone. ‘I would rather brave Tiberius himself,’ he replied, with a bow, which was lower than humility itself; ‘far from trifling, I merely alluded to that which passes current in the island; but, if it be distasteful to you, I regret I was the unlucky means of making it known.’ ‘My friends are always of my choosing; I ever abide by my choice and suffer no other interference. It is true I remember to have met the younger Martialis on chance occasions in the city. It is hardly possible that it should be otherwise, since the brother haunts me like a pestilent shadow. That should all the more predispose me to increase the intimacy with the name as little as possible. The tale of the elder brother’s folly has followed even here, Afer, and the good idle Capreans have saddled it on the wrong man—the mistake is obvious.’ ‘That would have been the most probable explanation doubtless, if I were sure that the idle babbling had arisen amongst the islanders themselves.’ ‘Psa!’ ejaculated she, sweeping round again, as if contemptuously dropping all further thought of the subject. She walked on a few yards with the knight following. Then she turned sharply round on her heel and confronted him again. The movement was unexpected, and she caught a smile on his lip. She stamped her foot. ‘Tell me, what this is—what it all means! Quick, man!’ ‘The thorn has stuck,’ he murmured imperceptibly, as he hesitated and looked down. ‘Speak!’ continued the angry imperious tones. ‘I knew she could not rest with that prickle rankling in her mind,’ he continued inwardly; ‘now her haughtiness shall dance to my piping and pay for her insolence.’ A vehement snatch of her hand at his arm roused him. ‘Do you hear, Afer? Speak when I ask you!’ Raising his head he looked at her with provoking gravity, and his studied deliberate manner easily attained the effect he designed for it. At no time did she appear so superb, as when her impetuous blood was stirred, and the excitement of anger glowed in her cheeks and flashed in her eyes. He gazed upon her with a double gratification, for, while his glance drank in the spectacle of her kindled beauty, his heart warmed with a savage joy of power. Her contemptuous bearing had filled him with a devouring tumult of passions, none the less fierce, because of the powerful restraint which stifled them. All the arts of sympathetic love and compassion may be lavished on a mind which lies numb in the chill death of its hope of hopes; but let the venom of contempt be flung upon it, from a certain eye or lip, and it straightway surges from its icy torpor with the fire and fury of deadly hate.