And when Pratinas now informed him as to his final duties at Praeneste, Phaon rubbed his beringed hands and smoothed his carefully scraped chin with ill-concealed satisfaction.
"And a word more in closing," said Pratinas, as he parted with Phaon in the tavern--while Lucius, who had been drinking very heavily, nodded stupidly over his goblet of amber Falernian, in a vain attempt to gulp down eight _cyathi_ at once, one measure to each letter in the name of Cornelia--"a word more.

Dumnorix is a thick-skulled knave, who is, after all, good for little but blows.

I have made an arrangement which will ensure having a careful man at his elbow in time of need.
You, of course, will have to do your best to save the unfortunate Quintus from inevitable fate.

But I have asked Publius Gabinius to leave for Praeneste very early on the morning when Dumnorix passes through that place.

Gabinius has a small villa a little beyond the town, and there will be nothing suspicious in a journey to visit one's country house.