That which had seemed the most terrible ceased to threaten him.
"Ah, then," said he, sitting on the bench and clinching his fists, "Aulus intercepted her, and in that case woe to him!" "Aulus Plautius was here this morning.

He could not see me, for I was occupied with the child; but he inquired of Epaphroditus, and others of Caesar's servants, touching Lygia, and told them that he would come again to see me." "He wished to turn suspicion from himself.

If he knew not what happened, he would have come to seek Lygia in my house." "He left a few words on a tablet, from which thou wilt see that, knowing Lygia to have been taken from his house by Caesar, at thy request and that of Petronius, he expected that she would be sent to thee, and this morning early he was at thy house, where they told him what had happened." When she had said this, she went to the cubiculum and returned soon with the tablet which Aulus had left.
Vinicius read the tablet, and was silent; Acte seemed to read the thoughts on his gloomy face, for she said after a while,--"No, Marcus.
That has happened which Lygia herself wished." "It was known to thee that she wished to flee!" burst out Vinicius.
"I knew that she would not become thy concubine." And she looked at him with her misty eyes almost sternly.
"And thou,--what hast thou been all thy life ?" "I was a slave, first of all." But Vinicius did not cease to be enraged.

Caesar had given him Lygia; hence he had no need to inquire what she had been before.

He would find her, even under the earth, and he would do what he liked with her.