k off
Marcia and scowled at Galen, raising his right arm as if about to strike
the old man. "False to your emperor! False to us!"

"And quite willing to die, if first I may see you play the man!" said
Galen, blinking up at him.

"Hush!" exclaimed Marcia. "Listen! Gods! He is up off the bed! He
will be in here in a minute! Pertinax!"

Alarm subsided. They could hear the thud and creak as Commodus threw
himself back on the bed--then writhing again and groans of agony.
Between the spasms Commodus began to frame connected sentences:

"Guards! Your emperor is being murdered! Rescue your Commodus!"

"He is recovering," said Galen.

"Give me your dagger!" said Marcia and clutched at Pertinax' tunic,
feeling for it.

But she was not even strong enough to resist the half-contemptuous shrug
with which Pertinax thrust her away.

"You disgust me. There is neither dignity nor decency in this," he
muttered. "Nothing but evil can come of it."

"Whose was the star that fell?" asked Galen.

There came more noise from the bedroom. Commodus seemed to be trying to
get to his feet again. Marcia ran toward the smaller anteroom and
dragged the curtains back.

"Narcissus!"

He came out, carrying Telamonion. The child lay asleep in his arms.

"Go and put that child down. Now earn your freedom--go in and kill the
emperor! He has poisoned himself, and he thinks we did it. Give him
your dagger, Pertinax!"

"I am only a slave," Narcissus answered. "It is not right that a slave
should kill an emperor."

Marcia seized the gladiator by the shoulders, scanned his face, saw what
she looked for and bargained for it instantly.

"Your freedom! Manumission and a hundred thousand sesterces!"

"In writing!" said Narcissus.

"Dog!" growled Pertinax. "Go in and do as you are told!"

But Narcissus only grinned at him and squared his shoulders.

"Death means little to a gladiator," he remarked.

"Leave him to me!" ordered Marcia.

"Go and sit down at that table, Pertinax. Take pen and parchment. Now
then--what do you want in writing? Make haste!"

"Freedom--you may keep your money--I shall not wait to receive it.
Freedom for me and for Sextus and for all of Sextus' friends and
freedmen. An order releasing Sextus from the guard-house instantly.
Permission to leave Rome and Italy by any route we choose."

"Write, Pertinax!" said Marcia. Narcissus glanced at Galen.

"Galen," he said, "is one of Sextus' friends