I told Marcus this and he wrung his hands with vexation; but in a few minutes the inn-steward, who must have been hiding to listen behind a pillar, suddenly appeared as if he had dropped from the skies, took a key out of his girdle, threw the door wide open, and vanished as if the earth had swallowed him.
"There we stood, Marcus and I, face to face.

He was quite agitated; I really believe the poor fellow was trembling, and I did not feel very confident; however, I asked him what it was that he wanted.

Then he recovered himself a little: 'I wished,'-- he began; so I went on: 'Thou wishedst,'-- and it might have gone on to the end: 'he wished, we wished'-- -and so forth, like the children at school at Rome, when we were learning Greek; but, Papias came to the rescue, for he ran up to Marcus and asked him to toss him up high, as he used to do on board ship.

Marcus did as he was asked, and then he suddenly broke out into such a torrent of words that I was quite terrified.

First he said so many fine things that I quite expected a declaration of love, and was trying to make up my mind whether I would laugh him out of it or throw myself into his arms--for he really is a dear, good, handsome fellow--and if you would like to know the truth I should have been very willing to oblige him--to a certain extent.