“Yes,” Brinnaria reflected, “he was keen on all that sort of thing while he was at the villa near Falerii. Such knowledge, gained in boyhood, sinks in deep and is never forgotten. He is not playing a part or pretending; he is really enjoying farm life. But what kink in his head makes him fancy that he prefers to enjoy it as a slave rather than as a free man? That puzzles me. Why be sold as a slave in order to bask in rural delights when he could buy the ten largest estates in Britain and never feel the outlay? When after his honorable discharge from the army he was at liberty to remain in Britain openly and to do as he liked? Can you see through it?”
Flexinna and Vocco agreed that they saw no glimmer of light.
“At least,” Brinnaria summed up, “he is in Britain and we can arrange to prevent his leaving the island. Certainly we can have him watched, wherever he goes.”
Vocco at once set about making the arrangements to ensure that Almo would not leave Britain. Within a half year he had to report that their efforts had been futile.
“We were too late,” he said. “He did not remain at Ischalis a year. Egnatius Probus, of Fregellae, had been in Britain more than ten years as adviser to the tax-department. His health had given way and he was taking the waters at Aquae Solis. He was an acquaintance of Almo’s owner and went down to Ischalis after his water-cure had had its effect and he felt better. While visiting and idling at Ischalis he took a fancy to Almo, offered a high price for him and bought him. He returned home by way of Marseilles and from there by ship to Puteoli. He is now on his estates near Fregellae and Almo is his head overseer, in charge of the entire place. He has been there three months already.”
Brinnaria fidgeted on her sofa, for, as on the previous occasion, Vocco had imparted his news after dinner.
“Give me another goblet of that Setian you bought from Zaelis,” she said. “I’m getting to be a confirmed wine-bibber. At every piece of bad news I need a bracer.”
After she had emptied her glass, she burst out:
“If Almo is acting as villicus of an estate near Fregellae he must be living with some slave-woman or other.”
“He is not,” Vocco informed her. “I made careful inquiries on just that point and got my information from two different sources. Almo told Egnatius that he was a woman-hater and could not endure a woman about him. Egnatius humored him and he is acting villicus without any villica. The wife of the assistant overseer does whatever is necessary in the way of prayers and sacrifices and such duties of a villica. She and her husband occupy the overseer’s house and Almo is living in the hut meant for the assistant villicus.”