ect hurriedly press his finger
upon the throat of the statue against which he was leaning, and to see
it immediately and noiselessly divide into two parts.

Cethegus slipped, into the opening, which slowly closed again.

Mataswintha and Aspa sank upon the steps of the altar, as if in prayer.

"So it was a signal! Danger is near," thought the spy. "But where is
the danger? and where the warner?"

And he turned and stepped from beneath the wall, looking to the left,
on which side the Gothic camp was situated.

But in doing so he stepped into the moonlight, and in sight of Syphax,
the Moor, who stood in an empty niche before the entrance of the
building, and who, until now, had also been looking sharply in the
direction of the camp.

From thence a man walked slowly forward.

His battle-axe glittered in the moonlight.

But Perseus saw a second weapon flash; it was the sword of the Moor, as
he softly drew it from its sheath.

"Ha!" laughed Perseus; "before those two have done with each other, I
shall be in Rome with my secret."

And he ran towards the gap in the wall of the court by which he had
entered.

For a moment Syphax looked doubtfully to right and left. To the right
he saw a man escaping, whom he had only now discovered; to the left a
Gothic warrior, who was just entering the court of the temple. It was
impossible to reach and kill both.

He suddenly called aloud:

"Teja, Earl Teja! Help, help! A Roman! Save the Queen! There, near the
wall on the right--a Roman!"

In a moment Teja stood at Syphax's side.

"There!" cried Syphax. "I will protect the women in the church!" and he
rushed into the temple.

"Stand, Roman!" cried Teja, and rushed after Perseus.

But Perseus would not stand. He ran along the wall; he reached the
gap, but in his hurry he could not force himself through. With the
strength of despair he swung himself up upon the wall, and was already
drawing up his feet to jump down on the other side, when Teja cast his
battle-axe, and struck him on the head.

Perseus, together with his secret, fell back dead.

Teja bent over him; he could distinctly see the features of the dead
man.

"The Archon Perseus," he said, "the brother of Johannes."

He left the corpse, and at once ascended the steps which led into the
church.

On the threshold he was met by Mataswintha. Behind her came Syphax, and
Aspa with the lantern.

For a moment Teja and Mataswintha measured each other with distrustf