ered
by a slide. Do you hear, Gesius?' I made him answer. 'It is well,'
he continued. 'One thing more which you shall not forget, or'--he
looked at me threateningly--'The door of their cell--cell number
V. on the same floor--this one, Gesius'--he put his finger on the
particular cell to impress my memory--'shall never be opened for
any purpose, neither to let one in nor out, not even yourself.'
'But if they die?' I asked. 'If they die,' he said, 'the cell
shall be their tomb. They were put there to die, and be lost.
The cell is leprous. Do you understand?' With that he let me go."

Gesius stopped, and from the breast of his tunic drew three parchments,
all much yellowed by time and use; selecting one of them, he spread
it upon the table before the tribune, saying, simply, "This is the
lower floor."

The whole company looked at

THE MAP
__________________________________________
| |
| Passage |
| |
|--][---+---][---+---][---+---][---+---][--|
| | | | | |
| V | IV | III | II | I |
|_______|________|________|________|_______|

"This is exactly, O tribune, as I had it from Gratus. See, there is
cell number V.," said Gesius.

"I see," the tribune replied. "Go on now. The cell was leprous,
he said."

"I would like to ask you a question," remarked the keeper, modestly.

The tribune assented.

"Had I not a right, under the circumstances, to believe the map
a true one?"

"What else couldst thou?"

"Well, it is not a true one."

The chief looked up surprised.

"It is not a true one," the keeper repeated. "It shows but five
cells upon that floor, while there are six."

"Six, sayest thou?"

"I will show you the floor as it is--or as I believe it to be."

Upon a page of his tablets, Gesius drew the following diagram,
and gave it to the tribune:

__________________________________________
| |
|--][---+---][---+---][---+---][---+---][--|
| | | | | |
| V | IV | III | II | I |
|--][---+--------+--------+--------+-------|
| VI |
|__________________________________________|

"Thou hast done well," said the tribune, examining the drawing,
and thinking the narrative at an end.