Free House Of The Vestals by Steven Saylor Page A

keep them away from him. He says they'll only carry gossip back to his sisters in Larinum."
    "And to his parents, as well, I suppose?"
    "Alas, Asuvius has no parents. His mother and father died in a fire only a year ago. It was a hard year that followed, having to take on his father's duties in such a hurry, and after such a terrible tragedy. All the big farms he owns, and all the slaves! All the paperwork, counting up figures so he'll know what he's worth. To hear him talk, you'd think a rich man has more work to do than a poor one!"
    "So it may seem, to a young lad who'd rather be footloose and carefree," I noted.
    "This trip to Rome was to be his holiday, after such a hard year of grieving and labor. It was his friends who suggested the trip."
    "Ah, the same friends who came for him the day before yesterday."
    "Yes, crusty old Oppianicus and his young friend, Vulpinus."
    "Vulpinus? A peculiar name. Has he a snout and a tail?"
    "Oh, his real name is Marcus Avillius, but all the girls at the Palace call him Vulpinus on account of his foxy disposition. Always nosing into things, never seems to be completely honest, even when there's no point in lying. Quite a charmer, though, and not bad looking."
    "I know the sort," I said.
    "He plays a sort of older brother to Asuvius, since Asuvius has no brothers-brought him to the city, arranged for a place for him to stay, showed him how to have a good time."
    "I see. And two days ago, as they were leaving Priapus's Palace, did Oppianicus and the Fox give any hint as to where they were taking young Asuvius?"
    "More than a hint. They said they were off to the gardens."
    "What gardens?"
    "Why, the ones outside the Esquiline Gate. Oppianicus and Vulpinus had been telling Asuvius how splendid they are, with splashing fountains and flowers in full bloom-Maius is a perfect month to visit them. Asuvius was very eager to go. There are so many sights here in the city that he hasn't yet seen, having spent so much of his time, well, enjoying indoor pleasures." Columba smiled a bit crookedly. "He's hardly stepped outside the Subura. I don't think he's even been down to see the Forum!"
    "Ah, yes, and of course a young visitor from Larinum would hardly want to miss seeing the famous gardens outside the Esquiline Gate."
    "I suppose not, from the way Oppianicus and Vulpinus described them-leafy green tunnels and beautiful pools, meadows of blossoms and lovely statues. I wish I could see them myself, but the master hardly ever lets me out of the house except for business. Would you believe that I've been in Rome for almost two years and I'd never even heard of the gardens?"
    "I can believe that," I said gravely.
    "But Asuvius said if the place turned out to be as special as his friends claimed, he might take me there himself in a few days, as a treat." She brightened a bit. I sighed.
    We escorted her back to Priapus's Palace. Her owner was surprised to see her back so soon, but he made no complaint about the fee.
    Outside, the street darkened for a moment as a cloud obscured the sun. "No matter whose account is accurate, young Asuvius most assuredly did not die in his bed the day before yesterday," I said. "Either he was with Columba, very much alive and well, or, if indeed you saw him lying feverish in his apartment, he recovered and you saw him on the street this morning. Still, I begin to fear for the lad. I fear for him most desperately."
    "Why?" asked Lucius.
    "You know as well as I, Lucius Claudius, that there are no gardens outside the Esquiline Gate!"
     
    One passes from the city of the living through the Esquiline Gate into the city of the dead.
    On the left side of the road is the public necropolis of Rome, where the mass graves of slaves and the modest tombs of the Roman poor are crowded close. Long ago, when Rome was young, the lime pits were discovered nearby. Just as the city of the living sprang up around the river and the Forum and the markets, so the city of the dead sprang up around