He had some difficulty in stirring up the porter, and when that worthy at last condescended to unbar the front door, the young Greek was surprised and dismayed to hear that the master of the house had gone to visit a farm at Lanuvium, a town some fifteen miles to the south.

Agias was thunderstruck; he had not counted on Drusus being absent temporarily.

But perhaps his very absence would cause the plot to fail.
"And what time will he return ?" asked Agias.
"What time ?" replied the porter, with a sudden gleam of intelligence darting up in his lack-lustre eyes.

"We expect he will return early to-morrow morning.

But the road from Lanuvium is across country and you have to skirt the Alban Mount.