TALES OF THE ROMANS
at his side, “are a friend of Tarquin. You will take him this letter.”
“I will do so. I am staying at the house of the Aquilii, and in a few hours I shall leave the city, and take this joyful message to my lord.”
“Let us go.”
They all went quietly away, like thieves escaping from a back door.
The slave came from his hiding-place, and said to himself:
“What shall I do? The consuls are in danger. How dare I tell the father, Brutus, that his sons think to kill him? It is dreadful. But if I do nothing our consuls will die, and the city will fall into the hands of the bad King Tarquin, whose conduct has caused the Romans to hate him.”
He made up his mind to go to Valerius, a very just and honest citizen, and to him he told all that he had heard and seen.
“Stay here in this room,” said Valerius, “till I send for you. I shall run to the house of the Aquilii, and see if the letter is there.”
To his wife he said: “Watch the door of the room. This slave must not stir from here till I return.”
He ran off with a crowd of his friends and slaves, all carrying weapons. They came to the house of the Aquilii, forced their way in, searched the place from top to bottom, and found the
18
