No; doubtless it suited her taste for emotional display to see herself set forth to the Roman world in the character of a devout patriot weeping for the fall of her country. The hollowness both of her grief and of her religion, in fact her entire lack of womanly feeling, was shown by her presence at the games held at Cæsarea Philippi in honor of Domitian’s birthday, when she could calmly sit in the amphitheater there and see 2,500 hapless Jews slaughtered, either in combats with wild beasts, or in fighting with each other as gladiators; for Titus, prevented from sailing to Rome by reason of the advanced season at which the war ended--navigation being usually suspended during the winter months--had spent his time in giving a series of fêtes in various cities of the East, fêtes that were seldom celebrated without the butchery of Jews in the arena. “Berenice has been with Titus at all these festivities,” remarked Rufus. “She has become his mistress, as I thought she would. So amorous are they that they all but fondle each other in public. It is Antony and Cleopatra over again. Will he marry her, I wonder?” “Not till I have divorced her,” responded Crispus, quietly. Rufus stared in amazement at this intimation of a secret hitherto kept from him. Crispus proceeded to tell the story of the wedding at Beth-tamar, giving his reasons for supposing Berenice to be the veiled lady. “The Princess Berenice your wife?” murmured Rufus, scarcely able to credit the statement. “Humph! and when Cæsar takes a man’s wife, where shall the man look for redress?” “He’s welcome to her. She is my wife no longer. I shall repudiate her.” “No, not yet,” exclaimed Rufus, his face suddenly lighting up with excitement. “You must not do so just yet. You must delay your purpose for a while in order to save Vashti.” “Ha! what mean you? How can the delay serve Vashti?” Rufus laughed with a sort of good-humored contempt at what he conceived to be a sad lack of discernment on the part of Crispus. “Was there any stipulation made at this marriage that the wife was to retain the separate possession of her property?” “None.” “Then Vashti may be set free.” “How?” asked Crispus eagerly. “By you, of course. O, dullard! All you have to do now is to walk into the presence of Titus and Berenice, and to say, ‘Woman, you are my wife. The law gives you to me, as doth also this document signed by Vespasian.’ Titus dare not oppose you, if you are determined to assert your legal rights. Then you lead the proud princess home, by force if she will not come by persuasion, and you address her thus: ‘You are mine, and all that you have is mine, including your household slaves. Therefore, in the exercise of my lawful right, I declare this maiden Vashti to be free.’ That’s the plan you must adopt, Crispus. Afterwards, repudiate her, if you will; but--liberate Vashti first.” Crispus, with the fire of hope coursing through his veins, resolved to follow the daring suggestion of Rufus.