that girl want of him?"

"H'm!" muttered the other, stroking his beard with thoughtful dignity.
"She is a modest maiden; it can only be something urgent and important
which has prompted her to address the Roman."

"Your Castor will be able to find out," replied the Syrian Annianus.
"That omniscient rascal can get through a key-hole, and by to-morrow will
be the best friend of the Roman's people, if you care to know."

"We will see," said Serapion. "Her brother, perhaps, to-morrow evening,
will tell me what is going on."

"The philosopher?" said the other, with a contemptuous flourish. "You are
a great sage, Serapion, as the people hold; but you often sew with
needles too fine for me. Why, just now, when Caesar is here, and gain and
honor be in the streets for such a one as you only to stoop for--why, I
say, you should waste precious time on that poring fellow from the
Museum, I can not understand."

A superior smile parted the Magian's lips; he stepped back into the room,
followed by Annianus, and replied:

"You know how many who call themselves Magians will crowd round Caesar,
and the fame of Sosibius, Hananja, and Kaimis, is not much behind mine.
Each plies his art by his own formulas, though he may call himself a
Pythagorean or what not. None dare claim to belong to any recognized
school, since the philosophers of the guild pride themselves on
condemning the miracle-mongers. Now, in his youth, Caracalla went through
his courses of philosophy. He detests Aristotle, and has always attached
himself to Plato and the Pythagoreans. You yourself told me that by his
desire Philostratus is writing a life of Apollonius of Tyana; and, though
he may turn up his nose at the hair-splitting and frittering of the sages
of the Museum, it is in his blood to look for marvels from those
privileged philosophers. His mother has made courtiers of them again; and
he, who looks for everything from the magic arts, has never yet met a
Magian who could have been one of them."

At this the Syrian clapped his hands, exclaiming: "And you propose to use
Philip as your signbearer to talk to the emperor of a thaumaturgist who
is hand in hand with all the learning of the Museum? A cursed good idea!
But the gem-cutter's son does not look like a simpleton; and he is a
skeptic into the bargain, and believes in nothing. If you catch him, I
shall really and truly believe in your miraculous powers."

"There are harder things than catching him," sai