could a slave find so many people in the course of one day?"

"Slaves help one another in Rome."

"Some person pays for that with blood at times. True, they support one
another, but not some against others. In this case it was known that
responsibility and punishment would fall on thy people. If thou give
thy people the idea of evil spirits, they will say at once that they saw
such with their own eyes, because that will justify them in thy sight.
Ask one of them, as a test, if he did not see spirits carrying off Lygia
through the air, he will swear at once by the ægis of Zeus that he saw
them."

Vinicius, who was superstitious also, looked at Petronius with sudden
and great fear.

"If Ursus could not have men to help him, and was not able to take her
alone, who could take her?"

Petronius began to laugh.

"See," said he, "they will believe, since thou art half a believer
thyself. Such is our society, which ridicules the gods. They, too,
will believe, and they will not look for her. Meanwhile we shall put
her away somewhere far off from the city, in some villa of mine or
thine."

"But who could help her?"

"Her co-religionists," answered Petronius.