so interested in what you have to say. I thought it might have been his voice that you heard, that’s all.’
He gave a sly laugh. ‘A slave belonging to your patron, citizen? And you’ve lost him, have you? No wonder you are worried and want to get him back. Even Glypto has heard of Marcus Septimus – he’s the most important man for miles around.’ He was almost gleeful at my predicament. ‘But I’m afraid that I can’t help you. The boy I heard was not a private slave, or not an indoor one. Certainly not the kind of page His Excellence would have. Might have been some sort of land slave, I suppose, but what would a land slave be doing around here?’ He shook his head. ‘Most likely a street urchin, from the sound of him. No education – you could tell that at once. He had rough manners and his speech was coarse, and his Latin was even worse than mine.’
In fact, Glypto’s Latin was not bad at all and he had just used it to surprisingly intelligent effect. I should have noticed that and encouraged him to talk. But I was too busy following my own train of thought. ‘Yet this urchin person said that everything in my workshop had gone out?’ I mused. ‘How would he know that?’ A thought occurred to me. ‘Or was it every one ? Are you sure you heard correctly?’
The foolish, vacant look came down across his face, as suddenly as an actor might hold up a mask to depict an idiot in the theatre. ‘Pay no attention to Glypto, citizen. I told you that before.’
Dear Mars! I had offended him again. I tried another smile. ‘On the contrary, Glypto. You’re an excellent observer and you’ve helped me quite a lot. And there’s more that you can do. What did this green man look like? Was he tall or short? I know that you only saw him from the back, but what was green about him? Did he have a cloak, perhaps?’
It was a mistake to press him on that point again. His voice reverted to a senile whine. ‘Glypto didn’t notice. He didn’t stop to look. His mistress flogs him if he stays out too long.’ He gave a long, exaggerated sigh. ‘As she will do now, when he gets back to her, if you don’t release him quickly and allow him to go home. So he begs you will be quick. Glypto has already told you what he knows, and you can see that it is nothing related to your slave.’
I felt a little guilty, as he clearly meant I should. It was true that I had kept him from his work, and I feared that the flogging was a possibility. Besides, it was clear that he wasn’t going to tell me any more, and the turnip-seller was awaiting us impatiently by now.
I turned away, and almost managed to let the lamp go out. I shielded it hurriedly and it flared up again. ‘Of course, I shouldn’t keep you any longer than I must. I’m sorry, Glypto,’ I said, and led the way towards my workshop door.
Radixrapum was watching us as we approached, and he was looking decidedly displeased. ‘You’ve been a long time coming, citizen,’ he said. ‘I thought you were in a hurry, to sort things out in there . . .’ He gestured vaguely in the direction of the corpse. ‘You’ve been so long about it that the cart will soon be here and you won’t have time—’
I interrupted him, aware that Glypto was alert to every word. ‘The tanner has been good enough to light my lamp for me, and to give me embers so that I can start the fire,’ I said, trying to signal with my eyes for him to be discreet. ‘You and I will go inside and quickly get it going. Glypto here’ – I nodded at the slave – ‘will stay outside and keep watch on your barrow while we’ve gone. But his mistress needs him; we must not keep him long. We’ll bring the brazier back to him as swiftly as we can.’
The turnip-seller raised a pair of bewildered eyes to mine. ‘But . . .’ he began, and then I saw illumination dawn. ‘Ah! I see. Of course.’ He mouthed the words as if the slave was blind. ‘You haven’t told him . . .?’
But Glypto
He gave a sly laugh. ‘A slave belonging to your patron, citizen? And you’ve lost him, have you? No wonder you are worried and want to get him back. Even Glypto has heard of Marcus Septimus – he’s the most important man for miles around.’ He was almost gleeful at my predicament. ‘But I’m afraid that I can’t help you. The boy I heard was not a private slave, or not an indoor one. Certainly not the kind of page His Excellence would have. Might have been some sort of land slave, I suppose, but what would a land slave be doing around here?’ He shook his head. ‘Most likely a street urchin, from the sound of him. No education – you could tell that at once. He had rough manners and his speech was coarse, and his Latin was even worse than mine.’
In fact, Glypto’s Latin was not bad at all and he had just used it to surprisingly intelligent effect. I should have noticed that and encouraged him to talk. But I was too busy following my own train of thought. ‘Yet this urchin person said that everything in my workshop had gone out?’ I mused. ‘How would he know that?’ A thought occurred to me. ‘Or was it every one ? Are you sure you heard correctly?’
The foolish, vacant look came down across his face, as suddenly as an actor might hold up a mask to depict an idiot in the theatre. ‘Pay no attention to Glypto, citizen. I told you that before.’
Dear Mars! I had offended him again. I tried another smile. ‘On the contrary, Glypto. You’re an excellent observer and you’ve helped me quite a lot. And there’s more that you can do. What did this green man look like? Was he tall or short? I know that you only saw him from the back, but what was green about him? Did he have a cloak, perhaps?’
It was a mistake to press him on that point again. His voice reverted to a senile whine. ‘Glypto didn’t notice. He didn’t stop to look. His mistress flogs him if he stays out too long.’ He gave a long, exaggerated sigh. ‘As she will do now, when he gets back to her, if you don’t release him quickly and allow him to go home. So he begs you will be quick. Glypto has already told you what he knows, and you can see that it is nothing related to your slave.’
I felt a little guilty, as he clearly meant I should. It was true that I had kept him from his work, and I feared that the flogging was a possibility. Besides, it was clear that he wasn’t going to tell me any more, and the turnip-seller was awaiting us impatiently by now.
I turned away, and almost managed to let the lamp go out. I shielded it hurriedly and it flared up again. ‘Of course, I shouldn’t keep you any longer than I must. I’m sorry, Glypto,’ I said, and led the way towards my workshop door.
Radixrapum was watching us as we approached, and he was looking decidedly displeased. ‘You’ve been a long time coming, citizen,’ he said. ‘I thought you were in a hurry, to sort things out in there . . .’ He gestured vaguely in the direction of the corpse. ‘You’ve been so long about it that the cart will soon be here and you won’t have time—’
I interrupted him, aware that Glypto was alert to every word. ‘The tanner has been good enough to light my lamp for me, and to give me embers so that I can start the fire,’ I said, trying to signal with my eyes for him to be discreet. ‘You and I will go inside and quickly get it going. Glypto here’ – I nodded at the slave – ‘will stay outside and keep watch on your barrow while we’ve gone. But his mistress needs him; we must not keep him long. We’ll bring the brazier back to him as swiftly as we can.’
The turnip-seller raised a pair of bewildered eyes to mine. ‘But . . .’ he began, and then I saw illumination dawn. ‘Ah! I see. Of course.’ He mouthed the words as if the slave was blind. ‘You haven’t told him . . .?’
But Glypto
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