This was how Tessa and Beppo came to go back to Rome with the family of the artist. The carriage was a little crowded, but no one cared. All were so busy laughing and talking that it seemed only a few minutes before they drew near the city gates. "I believe it was not far from here that Agrippa told the people the fable so often repeated since that time." The painter was looking out of the carriage over the Campagna. "I wish I knew the exact spot," he said, half to himself. "Tell us about it; do, please, father," said Lucy. "What was the fable, and who was Agrippa, and why did he come out on this dreary place to tell a story?" "It was a long time ago; even long before the birth of Jesus," Mr. Gray replied. "It was when Rome was a powerful city. There were two great classes of the people,--the patricians, who were rich and owned most of the land, and the plebeians, who had little power and were mostly poor. "The patricians ruled the city to suit themselves and did not treat the plebeians justly. At last, when they could not stand this unfair treatment any longer, they came together and marched out of the city. "'We will claim our rights,' they said, and made ready to attack the patricians, who remained in Rome. "It was a time of danger for the city, since there was a greater number of the poor than of the rich. What should be done? A very wise man named Agrippa was chosen to go out on the Campagna and reason with the plebeians. When he drew near to them, he said: "'I have a fable which I wish to tell you. It is this: "'Once upon a time all the limbs of a man's body became provoked because they had to work for the stomach. The legs and feet were obliged to carry it about; the hands had to get food for it; the mouth ate for it; the throat swallowed for it; the head thought for it; and so on. They said it was a shame they had to work so hard for that one organ. What use was it, indeed! "'They agreed to do nothing more for it at all. They stopped their work, but, strange to say, they began to grow weak and helpless. At last they said to each other, "We shall all starve and die unless we go back to our old work. The stomach has seemed useless to us before, but now we see that we were mistaken."' "After he had ended his story, Agrippa went on to say that all classes of people depended on each other, and that all would perish unless they worked together. "Both the poor and the rich seemed to think that this was good advice. The plebeians marched back into the city and took up their old work, while the patricians promised to be fairer in their dealings. "Thus peace was made and Rome was saved." As Mr. Gray finished the story the carriage drew up in front of their home. "What a short ride it seemed," said Tessa. "It must have been because of the story you told us, Mr. Gray. I shall never forget it." CHAPTER VII. THE TWINS