Page:Ben-Hur a tale of the Christ.djvu/253

Rh They all speak Latin in purity, while each one appears in the in-door dress of the great capital on the Tiber; that is, in tunics short of sleeve and skirt, a style of vesture well adapted to the climate of Antioch, and especially comfortable in the too close atmosphere of the saloon. On the divan here and there togas and lacernæ lie where they have been carelessly tossed, some of them significantly bordered with purple. On the divan also lie sleepers stretched at ease; whether they were overcome by the heat and fatigue of the sultry day or by Bacchus we will not pause to inquire.

The hum of voices is loud and incessant. Sometimes there is an explosion of laughter, sometimes a burst of rage or exultation; but over all prevails a sharp, prolonged rattle, at first somewhat confusing to the non-familiar. If we approach the tables, however, the mystery solves itself. The company is at the favorite games, draughts and dice, singly or together, and the rattle is merely of the tesseræ, or ivory cubes, loudly shaken, and the moving of the hostes on the checkered boards.

Who are the company?

&quot;Good Flavius,&quot; said a player, holding his piece in suspended movement, &quot;thou seest yon lacerna; that one in front of us on the divan. It is fresh from the shop, and hath a shoulder-buckle of gold broad as a palm.&quot;

&quot;Well,&quot; said Flavius, intent upon his game, &quot;I have seen such before; wherefore thine may not be old, yet, by the girdle of Venus, it is not new! What of it?&quot;

&quot;Nothing. Only I would give it to find a man who knows everything.&quot;

&quot;Ha, ha! For something cheaper I will find thee here several with purple who will take thy offer. But play.&quot;

&quot;There—check!&quot;

&quot;So, by all the Jupiters! Now, what sayest thou? Again?&quot;

&quot;Be it so.&quot;

&quot;And the wager?&quot;

&quot;A sestertium.&quot;

Then each drew his tablets and stilus and made a memorandum; and, while they were resetting the pieces, Flavius returned to his friend’s remark.