“Ah, my son, thou hast told us the same secret that caused thy death! O Hera! we are as guilty as the dead lad! Not a word to any one of what thou hast read! Where is Psyche?” “She is with Gyges.” “Oh, what a sad home-coming for the dear child! But tell her not of the writing, my Hera! Let that knowledge be forever sealed in thy memory.” Greatly excited and impressed by the writing on Gannon’s tunic, Alcmaeon stationed himself again by the body of his murdered son. Hera took the tunic and began to tear away the cloth that bore Gannon’s message. Suddenly they heard the tramping of feet outside the door. They were startled when the door was thrust open and an officer of the Praetorians entered and said, “The inhabitants of this house are under arrest.” Not having finished detaching the message, Hera dropped the tunic and ran to Alcmaeon, who rose, exclaiming, “Ye gods! What have we done?” “A soldier never questions his orders. There is a daughter; where is she?” demanded the officer. “She will be home at sundown,” replied Alcmaeon. “But what does this mean?” “It means that thou and thy wife must immediately go with me to the Praetorian Camp,” replied the officer, in a rough tone. “But the body of my dead son is unburied! How long shall we be detained?” asked Alcmaeon, pitifully. “I have orders to care for Gannon’s body,” said the officer. “You must leave at once.” “But may we not wait for our daughter?” pleaded Hera. “No. We leave at once,” repeated the officer, impatiently. Ordering two soldiers to await Psyche, and two others to carry Gannon’s body to a crematory, the officer gave the command to depart. The grief-stricken and terrified parents, after taking a heart-breaking farewell of their beloved son, were then led away. Sejanus was dictating a letter when Alcmaeon and Hera were led into his office. They were obliged to wait until he had finished. Before the murderer of his son Alcmaeon trembled; before the great Sejanus the schoolmaster felt like a child. Hera tightly held Alcmaeon’s arm in hers and talked to him in a subdued but nervous tone. She was repeatedly warned by Alcmaeon not to acknowledge having seen the writing on Gannon’s tunic. At last they were ordered to come forward. Sejanus addressed Alcmaeon first, saying, “Thy son is dead.” “Ay, O great Sejanus.” “He was impertinent.” “Say not so, O Sejanus--” “Ay, impertinent; and he inquisitively pried into my letters.” “Truly, O Sejanus!” exclaimed Alcmaeon, greatly surprised. “What has he told thee?” asked Sejanus, in a rough tone. “Nothing; he was--” Sejanus impatiently interrupted him. “Having read important letters, he has told thee nothing?” “Of a truth, he told us nothing, O Sejanus.”