ant or malicous advisers."

"I think it is entirely his own design."

"The number of those that have been put to death is very large."

"O yes, some thousands; but plenty more remain. These, however, are out
of reach, and that reminds me of my errand here. I bring you the
imperial commission."

Lucullus drew from the folds of his military mantle a scroll of
parchment, which he handed to Marcellus. The latter eagerly examined its
contents. It appointed him to a higher grade, and commissioned him to
search out and arrest the Christians in their hiding-places, mentioning
particularly the Catacombs.

Marcellus read it with a clouded brow, and laid it down.

"You do not seem very glad."

"I confess the task is unpleasant. I am a soldier, and do not like to
hunt out old men and weak children for the executioner; yet, as a
soldier, I must obey. Tell me something about these Catacombs."

"The Catacombs? It is a subterranean district that extends to unknown
bounds underneath the city. The Christians fly to the catacombs whenever
there is danger, and they also are in the habit of burying their dead
there. Once there, they are beyond the reach of the utmost power of the
state."

"Who made the Catacombs?"

"No one knows exactly. They have existed for ages. I believe that they
were excavated for the sake of getting building sand for cement. At
present all our cement comes from there, and you may see workmen
bringing it into the city along any of the great roads. They have to go
far away for it now, for in the course of ages they have excavated so
much beneath us that this city now rests upon a foundation like a
honeycomb."

"Is there any regular entrance?"

"There are innumerable entrances. That is the difficulty. If there were
but few, then we might catch the fugitives. But we cannot tell from
which direction to advance upon them."

"Is any district suspected?"

"Yes. About two miles down the Appian Way, near the tomb of Caecilia
Metella, the large round tower, you know, bodies have frequently been
discovered. It is conjectured that these are the bodies of the
Christians which have been obtained from the amphitheater and carried
away for burial. On the approach of the guards, the Christians have
dropped the bodies and fled. But, after all, this gives no assistance,
for after you enter the Catacombs you are no nearer your aim than
before. No human being can penetrate that infinite labyrinth without
assistance from