egan to think it might be wiser to admit that. Even in his
worst moods he is sometimes softened by the thought that I take care of
him and love him enough to risk his anger. But not this time! He flew
into the worst passion I have ever seen. He returned to his first
obsession, that the Christians plotted it and that I knew all about it.
He swore he will butcher the Christians. He will rid Rome of them. He
says, since he can not play Paulus any longer he will out-play Nero."

"Where is Sextus?" Pertinax asked.

"Aye! Where is Sextus!"

Marcia glared at Galen.

"We have to thank you for Sextus! You persuaded Pertinax to shield
Sextus. Pertinax persuaded me."

"You did it!" Galen answered dryly. "It is what we do that matters.
Squealing like a pig under a gate won't remedy the matter. You foresaw
the crisis long ago. Sextus has been very useful to you. He has kept
you informed, so don't lower yourself by turning on him now. What is
the latest news about the other factions?"

Marcia restrained herself, biting her lip. She loved old Galen, but she
did not relish being told the whole responsibility was hers, although
she knew it.

"There is no news," she answered. "Nobody has heard a word about the
murder yet. Commodus has had the bodies thrown into the sewer. But
there are spies in the palace--"

"To say nothing of Bultius Livius," Pertinax added. He was clicking the
rings on his fingers--symptom of irresolution that made Marcia grit her
teeth.

"The other factions are watching one another," Marcia went on. "They are
irresolute because they have no leader near enough to Rome to strike
without warning. Why are you irresolute?" She looked so hard at
Pertinax that he got up and began to pace the floor. "Severus and his
troops are in Pannonia. Pescennius Niger is in Syria. Clodius Albinus
is in Britain. The senators are all so jealous and afraid for their own
skins that they are as likely as not to betray one another to Commodus
the minute they learn that a crisis exists. If they hear that Commodus
is writing out proscription lists they will vie with one another to
denounce their own pet enemies--including you--and me!" she added.

"There is one chance yet," said Pertinax. "Bultius Livius may have
enough wisdom to denounce the leaders of the other factions and to clear
us. None of the others would be grateful to him. That Carthaginian
Severus, for instance, is invariably spiteful to the men