If you all plan to thrash Theopompus into offal, Pa, don't tell me." Pa looked cheerful. I am sure the young man will respect our point of view, son."
Oh yes. Six or eight of you back him into a dark alley, and give your opinions in the customary manner, he'll hand her back as quick as spit. The problem will be making the love lorn girlie see her predicament."
Fathers know how to explain things." From mine, that was rich.
Posidonius is a kindly fellow. He won't push her too hard, he brought her up very nicely, and she will see his reasoning." I laughed bitterly. Plainly you know nothing about daughters!"
Don't be like that, son." As usual, my father was shocked to find anyone criticising his past behaviour. He really had convinced himself that abandoning a wife and infant children was fine. Now he was hurt and I was angry. Some things don't change. I noticed his silent companion watching us with a kind of reserve. He was older than Pa by as much as a decade, if the entire crowd supporting Posidonius were of this type, the vigilantes were hardly in their prime. This man was overweight too, flabby and hook shouldered. I wondered if he was another auctioneer, like Pa; I could imagine him fingering fine art objects with those chubby, rather white fingers. He wore what must be a valuable cameo ring, vivid white glass over deep lapis blue, which appeared to show a miniaturised pornographic scene. It was the kind of thing that appeals to men who call themselves connoisseurs, men with cold eyes, who subject their wives to buggery and then talk openly of their perverted streak, as if vicious taste makes them better than the majority. Pa was completely different; he had simply fathered too many children then could not endure the domestic results. In despair at him, I tried to drink up quickly. The wine had been flavoured with spices and honey; it was too sickly to knock back in a hurry. As a distraction, I mentioned the builders" guild. This pair must have noticed the noisy display. Petronius has a house on loan from their president, one of their three presidents. I gather they do nothing as a singleton that can be a triplet."