When he had repeated these words, Trimalchio began to weep copiously,
Fortunata was crying already, and so was Habinnas, and at last, the whole
household filled the dining-room with their lamentations, just as if they
were taking part in a funeral. Even I was beginning to sniffle, when
Trimalchio said, "Let's live while we can, since we know we've all got to
die. I'd rather see you all happy, anyhow, so let's take a plunge in the
bath. You'll never regret it. I'll bet my life on that, it's as hot as
a furnace!" "Fine business," seconded Habinnas, "there's nothing suits
me better than making two days out of one," and he got up in his bare
feet to follow Trimalchio, who was clapping his hands. I looked at
Ascyltos. "What do you think about this?" I asked. "The very sight of a
bath will be the death of me." "Let's fall in with his suggestion," he
replied, "and while they are hunting for the bath we will escape in the
crowd." Giton led us out through the porch, when we had reached this
understanding, and we came to a door, where a dog on a chain startled us
so with his barking that Ascyltos immediately fell into the fish-pond.
As for myself, I was tipsy and had been badly frightened by a dog that
was only a painting, and when I tried to haul the swimmer out, I was
dragged into the pool myself. The porter finally came to our rescue,
quieted the dog by his appearance, and pulled us, shivering, to dry land.
Giton had ransomed himself by a very cunning scheme, for what we had
saved for him, from dinner, he threw to the barking brute, which then
calmed its fury and became engrossed with the food. But when, with
chattering teeth, we besought the porter to let us out at the door, "If
you think you can leave by the same door you came in at," he replied,
"you're mistaken: no guest is ever allowed to go out through the same
door he came in at; some are for entrance, others for exit."