eyes.
Caterina, the uninhibited one, stood up from her crouch at the edge of Bryan's trench and waved. “Signor Doctor, see what is here!"
Reynolds beat Sweeney to her side, but Sweeney elbowed him away. “What is it, my dear?"
"Look, little bits of rock with letters on. Broken writings, you would say?"
"Yes, I would say. Used for fill. Some idiot smashed up a lovely inscription to build a sheep pen or close in a doorway. I suppose he thought he was recycling."
"Idiot,” Caterina agreed. “See here: deo, ‘to the god'—it was an altar, yes?"
Matilda materialized on Caterina's other side. Stooping, she touched the jumbled rocks as though she were reading a message in Braille. “It might say deo invicto mytrae. ‘To the invincible god Mithras.’”
"It might,” Sweeney said.
"An altar to Mithras wouldn't be unusual in a military fort,” said Reynolds. “Miller thought one of those underground temples was here. They went in for carvings and such, but not much in the way of votives, gold or otherwise."
"Inscriptions are just as important as gold,” Matilda told him.
Sweeney took Caterina's trowel and scraped delicately at the jumbled stones. “You're becoming quite the expert, aren't you? I'd best mind my back, you might be planning a takeover."
"Oh no, Signor Doctor.” Caterina giggled. “Here, here is another bit with the letter ‘M’ on it."
Reynolds turned over a couple of stones and Sweeney rapped his knuckles with the trowel. “Leave the artifacts in situ, there's a good chap. We'll put you in the picture when we have one."
Reynolds harrumphed and sauntered off. Bryan leaned curiously over Sweeney's back. Matilda pulled herself away. “This is a real treasure trove, Howard. In the beginning was the word, right? And here be words, lots of them."
"Yes, well, we shall see, won't we?” Sweeney returned.
Gareth, Ashley saw, was taking everything in with his usual quiet efficiency. Beyond him, Jason was leaning on his shovel and frowning, watching Caterina chatter away to Sweeney as the two of them knelt cozily side by side. Yeah, she'd expect Jason to be jealous.
Matilda followed Ashley's look, then leaned closer to her. “I bet Jason's more jealous of Caterina's competence than he is of Howard. He doesn't want her to look smarter than he is."
"He sure doesn't,” Ashley agreed.
With a wry smile Matilda sent Jennifer to record the new find.
This wasn't a good time to talk to Sweeney about digging deeper along the wall, Ashley told herself. No matter how closely she looked, she couldn't find any inscriptions to offer him. So she puttered away cleaning out the crevices between the stones while shadows raced overhead and horses meandered across the fields below. A red MG turned out of the farm and zoomed away toward Manchester. A slightly-built figure astride the brown horse trotted away along the same northeasterly path Matilda and Gareth had taken.
Sweeney showed the students how to take two long metal poles, cross them, and then lean a ladder against them to form a tall tripod. Jason volunteered to climb up the swaying ladder and take photos of the dig from above. “Look, no hands!” he called. Caterina kept on troweling.
Manfred fussed at Gareth for not keeping the side of the trench perpendicular. Gareth presented him with the shovel and went to poke around in the Miller expedition gully. He must've liked working solo better. After a while Ashley heard him singing under his breath. The song was “Men of Harlech,” maybe. He had a very nice speaking voice, but he couldn't carry a tune in a bucket. Ashley hid her smile.
Just as Sweeney called “Quitting time!” Gareth resurfaced with a bit of harness, which he showed Matilda on the way back to the hotel.
Several of the other students headed into town for dinner. Ashley hesitated in the lobby, then told herself to forget it. Even if Gareth showed up in the next couple of minutes he wouldn't want to come with them. Shrugging, she
Caterina, the uninhibited one, stood up from her crouch at the edge of Bryan's trench and waved. “Signor Doctor, see what is here!"
Reynolds beat Sweeney to her side, but Sweeney elbowed him away. “What is it, my dear?"
"Look, little bits of rock with letters on. Broken writings, you would say?"
"Yes, I would say. Used for fill. Some idiot smashed up a lovely inscription to build a sheep pen or close in a doorway. I suppose he thought he was recycling."
"Idiot,” Caterina agreed. “See here: deo, ‘to the god'—it was an altar, yes?"
Matilda materialized on Caterina's other side. Stooping, she touched the jumbled rocks as though she were reading a message in Braille. “It might say deo invicto mytrae. ‘To the invincible god Mithras.’”
"It might,” Sweeney said.
"An altar to Mithras wouldn't be unusual in a military fort,” said Reynolds. “Miller thought one of those underground temples was here. They went in for carvings and such, but not much in the way of votives, gold or otherwise."
"Inscriptions are just as important as gold,” Matilda told him.
Sweeney took Caterina's trowel and scraped delicately at the jumbled stones. “You're becoming quite the expert, aren't you? I'd best mind my back, you might be planning a takeover."
"Oh no, Signor Doctor.” Caterina giggled. “Here, here is another bit with the letter ‘M’ on it."
Reynolds turned over a couple of stones and Sweeney rapped his knuckles with the trowel. “Leave the artifacts in situ, there's a good chap. We'll put you in the picture when we have one."
Reynolds harrumphed and sauntered off. Bryan leaned curiously over Sweeney's back. Matilda pulled herself away. “This is a real treasure trove, Howard. In the beginning was the word, right? And here be words, lots of them."
"Yes, well, we shall see, won't we?” Sweeney returned.
Gareth, Ashley saw, was taking everything in with his usual quiet efficiency. Beyond him, Jason was leaning on his shovel and frowning, watching Caterina chatter away to Sweeney as the two of them knelt cozily side by side. Yeah, she'd expect Jason to be jealous.
Matilda followed Ashley's look, then leaned closer to her. “I bet Jason's more jealous of Caterina's competence than he is of Howard. He doesn't want her to look smarter than he is."
"He sure doesn't,” Ashley agreed.
With a wry smile Matilda sent Jennifer to record the new find.
This wasn't a good time to talk to Sweeney about digging deeper along the wall, Ashley told herself. No matter how closely she looked, she couldn't find any inscriptions to offer him. So she puttered away cleaning out the crevices between the stones while shadows raced overhead and horses meandered across the fields below. A red MG turned out of the farm and zoomed away toward Manchester. A slightly-built figure astride the brown horse trotted away along the same northeasterly path Matilda and Gareth had taken.
Sweeney showed the students how to take two long metal poles, cross them, and then lean a ladder against them to form a tall tripod. Jason volunteered to climb up the swaying ladder and take photos of the dig from above. “Look, no hands!” he called. Caterina kept on troweling.
Manfred fussed at Gareth for not keeping the side of the trench perpendicular. Gareth presented him with the shovel and went to poke around in the Miller expedition gully. He must've liked working solo better. After a while Ashley heard him singing under his breath. The song was “Men of Harlech,” maybe. He had a very nice speaking voice, but he couldn't carry a tune in a bucket. Ashley hid her smile.
Just as Sweeney called “Quitting time!” Gareth resurfaced with a bit of harness, which he showed Matilda on the way back to the hotel.
Several of the other students headed into town for dinner. Ashley hesitated in the lobby, then told herself to forget it. Even if Gareth showed up in the next couple of minutes he wouldn't want to come with them. Shrugging, she
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