rona, and Ticinum, the last strongholds of the Goths in
Italy, could not then, for any length of time, resist the forces which
would be sent against them.

The execution of these measures was the work of many days. Only when
very few Goths were left in Ravenna did Belisarius decide upon entering
the city. And even of the few who remained, half were transferred to
the Byzantine camp, the other half being divided amongst the different
quarters of the city, under the pretext of being ready to crush any
possible resistance on the part of Justinian's adherents.

But what surprised the Ravennese and the uninitiated Goths the most
was, that the blue Gothic flag still waved upon the roof of the palace.
Certainly it was guarded by a Byzantine instead of by a Gothic
sentinel. For the palace was already full of Byzantines.

Belisarius had taken particular measures against any attempt of the
Prefect to make himself master of the city, as he had done of Rome.

Cethegus saw through this and smiled. He did nothing to prevent it.

On the morning of the day appointed for the entrance, Cethegus entered
the tent of Belisarius, clad in a magnificent suit of armour. He found
only Procopius.

"Are you ready!" he asked.

"Perfectly."

"At what time shall it take place?"

"At the moment when the King mounts his horse in the courtyard of the
palace in order to ride to meet Belisarius. We have thought of
everything."

"Once more of everything!" said Cethegus, with a laugh. "Yet one thing
you have left to me. It is certain that as soon as our plan has
succeeded and become known, that the barbarians all over the country
will fly into a rage. Revenge and compassion for their King may cause
them to commit furious deeds. But all their enthusiasm for Witichis and
anger against us would be nipped in the bud; they would consider
themselves betrayed by their King, and not by us, if we could get him
to sign a document to the purport that he did not surrender the city to
Belisarius as the King of the Goths and a rebel against the Emperor,
but simply to Justinian's commander-in-chief. Then the revolt of
Belisarius, which will actually not take place, would seem to the Goths
to have been a mere lie invented by their King in order to hide from
them the shame of the surrender."

"That would be excellent; but Witichis will not do it."

"_Knowingly_, scarcely; but perhaps unknowingly. He has only signed the
treaty in the original yet?"

"He has