XLIAs spring came and the sun matured, the folk of Caer Leon gazed with wonder at the change which was effected in the ancient amphitheatre. Workmen toiled within the great oval arena, clearing away the rubbish and fallen stones of two centuries. Masons came from far off to replace gateposts and seats, and to render the rough stonework of the barricades with a heavy coating of plaster, just as the legionaries had done when Caer Leon was the home of the Antonine Legion.
A citizen who watched this transformation said, “Getting to be like the good old days again, eh?”
His wife shuddered and turned away. “Good old days!” she said. “It’s more as though they were preparing for some horrible sacrifice, if you ask me.”
The citizen looked round apprehensively. “Well, no one’s asking you, see?” h
