re of Ursus and the Christian elders, will go undoubtedly
with other women."

Vinicius, who had lived hitherto in a fever, and upheld as it were,
by hope alone, now that his hope seemed fulfilled felt all at once the
weakness that a man feels after a journey which has proved beyond his
strength. Chilo noticed this, and resolved to make use of it.

"The gates are watched, it is true, by thy people, and the Christians
must know that. But they do not need gates. The Tiber, too, does not
need them; and though it is far from the river to those roads, it is
worth while to walk one road more to see the 'Great Apostle.' Moreover
they may have a thousand ways of going beyond the walls, and I know that
they have. In Ostrianum thou wilt find Lygia; and even should she not be
there, which I will not admit, Ursus will be there, for he has promised
to kill Glaucus. He told me himself that he would be there, and that he
would kill him. Dost hear, noble tribune? Either thou wilt follow Ursus
and learn where Lygia dwells, or thou wilt command thy people to seize
him as a murderer, and, having him in thy hand, thou wilt make him
confess where he has hidden Lygia. I have done my best! Another would
have told thee that he had drunk ten cantars of the best wine with Ursus
before he wormed the secret out of him; another would have told thee
that he had lost a thousand sestertia to him in scriptoe duodecim, or
that he had bought the intelligence for two thousand; I know that thou
wouldst repay me doubly, but in spite of that, once in my life--I mean,
as always in my life--I shall be honest, for I think, as the magnanimous
Petronius says, that thy bounty exceeds all my hopes and expectations."

Vinicius, who was a soldier and accustomed not only to take counsel of
himself in all cases, but to act, was overcome by a momentary weakness
and said,--"Thou wilt not deceive thyself as to my liberality, but first
thou wilt go with me to Ostrianum."

"I, to Ostrianum?" inquired Chilo, who had not the least wish to go
there. "I, noble tribune, promised thee to point out Lygia, but I did
not promise to take her away for thee. Think, lord, what would happen
to me if that Lygian bear, when he had torn Glaucus to pieces, should
convince himself straightway that he had torn him not altogether justly?
Would he not look on me (of course without reason) as the cause of the
accomplished murder? Remember, lord, that the greater philosopher a man
is, the more d