ing his patrician person as a spectacle
for the plebs.

And because of this sudden decision, taken boldly whilst others wavered,
he became tacitly the leader of the gang of plotters. When he jumped to
his feet, ready to descend into the arena, he seemed to challenge them
to keep their oath of allegiance to him, who would succeed in winning
Dea Flavia for wife.

Hortensius Martius had proved himself to be a true opportunist, for he
had seized his opportunity just at the right moment when the others
hesitated. Thus are leaders made--one bold movement whilst others sit
still, one step forward whilst the others wait.

"Thy chance, O Hortensius Martius," whispered Marcus Ancyrus, the elder,
close to the young man's ear. "Escanes and the rest of us will be ready
when the time comes, mayhap before thou dost return to us from below."

Escanes' hand beneath his tunic closed upon the dagger. Stronger and
taller than Hortensius, he had not the sudden initiative of the brain.
He was one of those men who would always be second to a bolder, a more
resourceful leader.

Forty pairs of eyes encouraged Hortensius Martius as he rose. In their
minds they had already crowned him with laurels. For the moment they had
accepted him as their future Emperor and were prepared to acclaim him as
Caesar when Escanes had done his work.

It was at this moment that Caligula recovered from his swoon. His lust
of revenge and of hate brought him back to reality. He had planned to
make the arch-traitor betray himself, and now, when he caught sight of
Hortensius Martius preparing to descend into the arena, a cry as of some
prowling, savage beast rose and died in his throat.

He was sufficiently cunning to control himself, sufficiently of an actor
to play his part without betraying his thoughts. Though he would gladly
have strangled Hortensius then and there with his own hands, he called
the young man to him with kindly benevolence and placed a fatherly hand
upon his shoulder.

"Thou, O Hortensius Martius?" he said, in well-feigned astonishment.

"Even I, O Caesar!" replied Hortensius calmly.

"For love of the Augusta thou wouldst risk thy life?"

"To prove my valour, gracious lord, since thou didst desire it."

"On thy knees then, O my son!" rejoined the mountebank solemnly, "and
receive the blessing of the gods."

The public watched this little scene with palpitating interest. The
Caesar looked magnificent in his fantastic robes, and beside