Part 3 (1/2)
”Can you iine you an e aions just at present But I etic men who think as I do My friend Norbanus here will follow me My father-”
Noises near the openinterrupted hi on between the slaves whom Pertinax had set to keep the roisterers away and some one who de and scolding Then another voice-Scylax, the slave who had ridden the red ain and leaned out Cornificia whispered to Galen:
”If the truth were known, he is afraid of Flavia titiana As a wife she is bad enough, but as an empress-”
Galen nodded
”If you love your Pertinax,” he answered, ”keep him off the throne! He has toofehich were firm and entirely devoted to Pertinax' fortune
”Love hiive hiain Galen nodded, deeply understanding
”That is because you have never had children,” he assured her, se-just as Marcia has ”
”But I thought you were Pertinax' friend?”
”So I aent adviser to-”
”Yes, so I was I have changed my opinion; only the maniacs never do that Pertinax would make a splendidback the Augustan days Persuade hiet he hates him”
”Let hi out, with one hand on a marble pillar, much more interested in the moonlit view of revelry than in the altercation between slaves He strolled back and stood s satisfaction but a rather huether
”Are you like all other women?” he asked ”I just saw a naked woman stab a man with her hairpin and kick his corpse into the shrubbery before the breath was out of it!”
”Galen has deserted you,” said Cornificia The ; nobody made any comment
”Not he!” Pertinax answered, and went and sat on Galen's couch ”You find h for the senate to make a God of me-is that it, Galen?”
”Tooa a man's virtues one may infer what his faults are You would try to rule the empire honestly, which is impossible A more dishonest man would let it rule itself and claiive the praise to others, ould shoulder off the work and all the blame on to you An empire is like a human body, which heals itself if the head will let it Too many heads-a conference of doctors-and the patient dies! One doctor, doing nothing with an air of confidence, and the patient gets well! There, I have told you more than all the senate knows!”
Came Scylax, out of breath, less ht and the hand that held a letter thrust well forward as if what he had to do were more important than the way he did it
”This caht it, running all the way fro; evidently Cadmus had by some means learned the contents of the letter and had told
”I and Cadmus-” he said, and then hesitated
”What?”
”-are faithful, no matter what happens”
Scylax stood erect with closed lips sextus broke the seal, ranted He frowned as he read, bit his lip, his face growing crimson and white alternately When he had mastered himself he handed the letter to Pertinax