flinty-hearted; yet as capable of kindliness when it did not
interfere with his plans and was not too expensive.

I waited in silence for him to speak. He said:

"I am a very busy man, even far too busy. Commodus left the treasury empty
and every department of the government inefficient. Pertinax refilled the
treasury, but his attempts at reorganization merely disorganized
everything and prepared for the general confusion which came about under
Julianus. With insufficient funds I must fill the Treasury, reorganize the
whole governmental machinery, get it to working dependably and smoothly,
and at the same time prepare for a civil war which I hope to win, but of
which I can foretell the outcome no better than could the Divine Julius be
sure of the outcome of his when he crossed the Rubicon. Amid all these
cares and occupations I must keep fit and must do all I can to win the
confidence and respect of all classes by rectifying, as far as I may, the
consequences of the inattention of my predecessors and of the knavery and
venality of their subordinates. And I must hurry off to deal with
Pescennius Niger, who is no mean antagonist. Altogether I have no time for
trifles.

"But I do not reckon your case as a trifle, though the safety of the
Republic by no means hinges on it. And I am more interested in you than in
any one individual outside of my family and connections. I have never
heard of a man brought so near death, so ruined, but for the singular
favor of the gods so utterly and so hopelessly ruined, subjected to such
dangers and miseries, so baselessly, by such malevolent misrepresentations
and fabrications. You deserve to be recompensed. You shall be. And besides
the merits of your case I am curious about you.

"You must be curious yourself.

"When I foresaw that I was likely to be acclaimed Emperor by my soldiers
and welcomed by the Senate as Prince of the Republic, I set on foot
various measures certain to benefit the Commonwealth and the Empire.
Especially I made an effort to abolish or at least curb the banditry,
brigandage and outlawry which corrupts the entire rural population of
Italy and is a national disgrace. I was successful in so far as that my
emissaries broke up most of the bands of outlaws and captured many of
them, particularly the most famous of all, known as the King of the
Highwaymen.

"I had made sure to have secret agents watching all my emissaries, on
whatever errand I had sent them. These