Meanwhile the Emperor was standing in a room just behind the antechamber that had only been finished a few hours since. He began to regret his hardness upon the old woman--for had she not, without knowing who he was, been most friendly to him and to his favorite. "Where is Antinous?" he asked Mastor. "He went out to the gate-house." "What is he doing there?" "I believe he meant--there, perhaps he--" "The truth, fellow!" "He is with Pollux the sculptor." "Has he been there long?" "I do not exactly know." "How long, I ask you?" "He went after you had shut yourself in with Titianus." "Three hours--three whole hours has he been with that braggart, whom I ordered off the premises!" Hadrian's eye sparkled wrathfully as he spoke. His annoyance at the absence of his favorite, whose society he permitted no one to enjoy but himself, and least of all Pollux, smothered every kind feeling in his mind, and in a tone of anger bordering on fury he commanded Mastor to go and fetch Antinous, and then to have the gate- house utterly cleared out. "Take a dozen slaves to help you," he cried. "For aught I care the people may carry all their rubbish into a new house, but I will never set eyes again on that howling old woman, nor her imbecile husband. As for the sculptor I will make him feel that Caesar has a heavy foot and can unexpectedly crush a snake that creeps across his path." Mastor went sadly away and Hadrian returned to his work-room, and there called out to his secretary Phlegon: "Write that a new gate-keeper is to be found for this palace. Euphorion, the old one, is to have his pay continued to him, and half a talent is to be paid to him at the prefect's office. Good--Let the man have at once whatever is necessary; in an hour neither he nor his are to be found in Lochias. Henceforth no one is to mention them to me again, nor to bring me any petition from them. Their whole race may join the rest of the dead." Phlegon bowed and said: "Gabinius, the curiosity-dealer, waits outside." "He comes at an appropriate moment," cried the Emperor. "After all these vexations it will do me good to hear about beautiful things." CHAPTER IX. Aye, truly! Sabina's advent had chased all good spirits from the palace at Lochias.