presents arrived only this morning!'
We followed him through the vestibule, through an immaculate garden decorated with a splendid bronze statue of Minerva, down a long hallway and into a small, dark room at the back of the house. There was a thumping noise and a stifled curse as Lucius banged his knee against some sort of low chest set against one wall. 'Light, must have light,' he muttered, leaning over the chest and fiddling with the latched shutters of one of the tall, narrow windows.
'Here, Master, let me do that,' said a hoarse voice from the darkness. Eco gave a little jump beside me. His eyes are quite keen, but even he had not seen the owner of the voice when we entered the room.
The ability to be invisible is a much sought-after trait among household slaves, and appeared to be one of the skills of Lucius's right-hand man, an ancient white-haired Greek named Stephanos who had been in charge of running the house on the Palatine for many years. He walked with a stiff-limbed gait from window to window, unlatching the narrow shutters and pulling them open to admit cold air and bright sunshine.
Lucius muttered a word of thanks to the slave, who muttered some formula in return, but I hardly heard them. Like Eco, I stood transfixed by a sudden blaze of silver. Before our dazzled eyes, the sunlight which poured in through the windows was transformed into a white, liquid fire that shimmered, sparkled, and danced. I glanced at Eco and saw his wondering face lit up by lozenges of reflected light, then returned my gaze to the splendor before us.
The piece of furniture Lucius had bumped his knee against was a thigh-high wooden chest. In itself it was a marvelous piece of work, beautifully crafted and inlaid with bits of shell and obsidian. Spread across the hinged lid was a blood-red cloth. Laid out atop the cloth was the most stunning collection of silver objects I had ever seen.
'Magnificent, aren't they?' said Lucius.
I merely nodded, rendered as mute as Eco by the display.
'Note the ewer,' said Lucius enthusiastically. 'The shape- so elegant. See how the handle is in the form of a caryatid hiding her face?'
The piece was exquisite, as was the silver comb inlaid with camelian alongside a matching silver brush, upon the back of which was an image in relief of a satyr spying on some bathing nymphs. A necklace of silver and amber was laid beside another of silver and lapis, and yet another of silver and ebony, and each had a pair of matching earrings and matching bracelets. Two silver cups were embossed with hunting scenes around the base, while another pair of cups were decorated with a geometrical Greek design.
Most impressive of all, if only for its size, was a great silver plate as broad as a man's forearm. Its border was a circle of embossed acanthus leaves, while in the center the spirit of mirth, Silenus, ran riot amid a dizzying array of satyrs, fauns and nymphs. When Lucius looked away for a moment, Eco pointed to the face of Silenus and then nodded toward our host. I saw what he meant; while all images of Silenus might be said to bear a family resemblance to Lucius Claudius, sharing as they do a plump, round face atop a plump, round body, this depiction of Silenus was too exactly like Lucius to be anything but a portrait.
'You must have had these pieces made especially for you,' I said.
'Yes, I commissioned a shop of artisans down on the Street of the Silversmiths. These pieces are proof, I think, that one can find just as high a quality of workmanship here in Rome as among pieces imported from Alexandria and elsewhere.'
'Yes,' I agreed, 'provided one has the purse to pay for it.'
'Well, it was a bit extravagant,' Lucius admitted, 'but the raw silver comes from Spain, instead of the East, which helps to bring down the price. Anyway, it'll be worth the expense to see the look on their faces when my cousins see what I'm giving them for Saturnalia. Silver is traditionally what one gives, of course-'
'If one can afford it,' I muttered.
'— but in the past I'm afraid some of my relatives have proclaimed me a bit of a miser. Well, I have no wife or child, so I suppose I have no training in lavishing my wealth on those around me, and it's sometimes hard to catch the holiday spirit when one is a bachelor. But not this year-this year I've gone all out, as you can see.'
'You have indeed,' I agreed, thinking that even jaded, wealthy patricians like those of the Claudian clan would have to be impressed with Lucius's generosity.
Lucius stood for a moment gazing upon the various vessels and pieces of jewelry, then turned to the slave who lingered close by. 'But Stephanos, what's this? What are you doing skulking about here in the dark on such a splendid day? You should be out cavorting with the others.'
'Cavorting, Master?' said the wrinkled slave dryly, as if to indicate that the likelihood of his doing such a thing was quite remote.
'Well, you know what I mean-you should be out enjoying yourself.'
'I enjoy myself quite well enough here, Master.'
'Well, amusing yourself, then.'
'I assure you, I'm just as capable of amusing myself here as anywhere else,' said Stephanos. It seemed dubious that he could be amused under any circumstances.
'Very well,' laughed Lucius, 'have it your way, Stephanos. That is, after all, the point of the holiday.'
Lucius paused once again before the chest and lovingly fingered the ewer he had first pointed out, and to which he seemed especially attached. Then he led the way to the atrium and offered each of us a cup of wine.
'Much watered, in Eco's case,' I said as Lucius served us from a simple silver ewer that was brimming with frothy purple wine. Eco frowned but held out his cup, willing to take what he could get. From past experience I knew that Lucius kept a stock of only the finest vintages, and for myself I requested very little water, so as to savor the fine bouquet at full strength. For a man so used to being waited on, Lucius did a creditable job of serving us, then served himself and sat down to join us.
'Considering how hard you work, Gordianus, I suppose you must enjoy the leisure of the holiday immensely.'
'Actually, I often find myself busier on festival days than at other times.'
'Really?'
'Crime takes no holidays,' I said. 'Or more accurately: crime enjoys the holidays immensely. You have no idea how many thefts and murders occur on festival days-not to mention indiscretions and infidelities.'
'I wonder why?'
I shrugged. 'The normal constraints of society are loosened; people find themselves more open to temptation and do things they ordinarily wouldn't, for all sorts of reasons-greed, spite, or simply for a joke. Families are gathered together, whether they like one another or not; that can lead to a few heads being bashed. And the expense of entertaining can drive even a wealthy man to deeds of desperation. As for those already of a criminal disposition, consider the advantages to their trade during the festivals, when people let down their guard and stupefy themselves with too much food and wine. Oh yes, a Roman holiday is an invitation to crime, and they are often my busiest days of the year.'
'Then I count myself lucky to have your company today, Gordianus!' said Lucius, raising his cup.
At that moment we heard the front door open, followed by loud voices from the vestibule, and then a pair of young slaves came tripping into the atrium. Their cheeks were ruddy from the cold, almost as red as the felt caps on their heads. Their eyes were bleary from drinking, but they straightened considerably at the sight of their master.
'Thropsus, Zoticus, I trust that you're enjoying yourselves?' called Lucius heartily.
Thropsus, who was slender and blond, suddenly stiffened, not sure how to react, while his companion, who was stocky and dark, abruptly sputtered with laughter and ran with a whoop through the atrium toward the back of the house.
'Yes, Master, very much, Master,' said Thropsus finally. He shifted from foot to foot, as if waiting to be dismissed. Finally Lucius picked up a crust of bread and threw it at the boy. 'Go on!' he laughed. Thropsus hurried after Zoticus, looking thoroughly confused.
We drank in silence for a while, enjoying the wine. 'You certainly strive for informality, Lucius,' I remarked wryly, 'even when it makes the poor slave a bit uncomfortable.'
'Thropsus is new in the household. He doesn't understand; it's Saturnalia!' said Lucius grandly. He had just finished his second cup of wine and was reaching to pour himself another. I turned to Eco, expecting him to wink at me in amusement, but instead he seemed distracted and was looking toward the back of the house.
