LEANDER THE POLITIC For most of his knowledge of private things that happened on the Palatine--and little that went on in the household of Bessas escaped him--Marcian depended upon his servant Sagaris.

Exorbitant vanity and vagrant loves made the Syrian rather a dangerous agent; but it was largely owing to these weaknesses that he proved so serviceable.

His master had hitherto found him faithful, and no one could have worked more cunningly and persistently when set to play the spy or worm for secrets.

Notwithstanding all his efforts, this man failed to discover whether Veranilda had indeed passed into the guardianship of Bessas; good reason in Marcian's view for believing that she was still detained by Leander, and probably in some convent.

But a rumour sprang up among those who still took interest in the matter that some one writing from Sicily professed to have seen the Gothic maiden on board a vessel which touched there on its way to the East.