Andivius Hedulio | Page 4

mercy, and while I was trying to get my
breath, half drowned me with the water he splashed over me with both
hands; talking incessantly, except when his head was under water.
When we lay down on the divan in the warm room he rattled on.
"You needn't tell me," he said, "that your runners haven't taken letters
to Vedia, but she is supposed not to hear from you, so, as I told of two
of your letters to me, I have, in a way been held responsible for you and
have been pelted with inquiries. Nemestronia loves you like a grandson,
and, if you ask me, I say Vedia is in love with you out and out. As I had
heard from you and nobody else had, I began to feel as if I ought to
look after you. Everything was abominably humdrum and I deceived
myself into thinking I should enjoy the smell of green fields. I certainly
should have turned back less than half way if I had been concerned
with anybody else than you; and when we turned off the Via Salaria
into your country byroad I cursed you and your neighbors and all
Sabinum. The most deserted stretch of road I ever travelled in all my
life. I saw only six human beings before I reached your villa and I had
heard that this valley was populous and busy. I slept last night at Vicus
Novus and I started this morning, bright and early. When we turned up
the road below Villa Satronia I was never more disgusted in my life.
My men are perfectly matched in height, weight, pace and action and
any eight of the lot will carry me at full speed as smoothly as a
pleasure-barge. But they could make nothing of that road. It is all
washed, guttered, dusty in the open places, puddly where trees hang
over it and full of loose stones on top everywhere.
"I was so horribly jolted that I called the bearers to stop. I made
Dromanus get off his horse and give me his poncho and his big felt hat.

Then I got on his horse and told him to get into the litter. He was
embarrassed.
"'Pooh', said I, 'you cannot walk and we should look like fools with an
empty litter. Get in and be jounced! Draw the curtains; if we meet
anybody I'll give you an impressive title.' He rolled in among the
cushions, looking as foolish as possible. His horse ambled perfectly and
I felt more comfortable. I went on ahead. We had not met anybody
since we turned into the crossroads; about half a mile beyond the place
where I had left my litter I came around one of the innumerable curves
a little ahead of the procession and saw two men approaching on foot.
When they came abreast of me they saluted me politely and the taller, a
black-haired, dark-faced fellow with a broad jaw, inquired (in the tone
he would have used to Dromanus) whose litter I was escorting. I was
rather tickled that they took me for my own intendant. I judged we
must be approaching the entrance to Villa Satronia and that they were
people from there. I assumed an exaggerated imitation of Dromanus'
most grandiloquent manner and in his orotund unctuous delivery I
declaimed:
"'My master is Numerius Vedius Vindex. He is asleep.' (They
swallowed that awful lie, they did not realize how bad their own road
was.) 'We are on our way to Villa Vedia.'
"They looked sour enough at that, I promise you, and I made out that
they were Satronians for certain. The two fellows exchanged a glance,
thanked me politely and went on.
"I knew the entrance to the Satronian estate by the six big chestnut-
trees, you had often described them to me; and I knew the next private
road by the single huge plane tree. But when we crossed the second
bridge, the little one, I went over that round hill and did not recognize
the foot of your road when we came to it. I was for going on. Dromanus
called from behind the curtains of the litter:
"'This is Hedulio's road: turn to the right.'
"I was stubborn and sang back at him:

"'Hedulio has told me all about this country. This is not his land. It is
further on at the next brook.'
"We went on over the next bridge past the entrance to the south, and I
felt more and more that Dromanus was right and I was wrong, and yet I
grew more and more stubborn. When we passed the sixth bridge and I
saw the stream getting bigger and turning to the left, I knew I was
wrong. At the crossroads I realized we were