In that case the girl would be far from thee." "I should follow them," said Vinicius, "and in every case she would be out of danger; but now, if that child dies, Poppaea will believe, and will persuade Caesar, that she died because of Lygia." "True; that alarmed me, too.

But that little doll may recover.

Should she die, we shall find some way of escape." Here Petronius meditated a while and added,--"Poppaea, it is said, follows the religion of the Jews, and believes in evil spirits.

Caesar is superstitious.

If we spread the report that evil spirits carried off Lygia, the news will find belief, especially as neither Caesar nor Aulus Plautius intercepted her; her escape was really mysterious.