(_ 
 
 UHI*. 
 
 109
 
 THE WRESTLER OF PHILIPPI. 
 
 A TALE OF THE EARLY CHRISTIANS. 
 
 (REVISED EDITION.) 
 
 BY FANNIE E. NEWBERRY. 
 
 David C. Cook Publishing Company, Elgin, 111., and 36 Washington St., Chicago. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE LOST AMULET. 
 
 WHY, what is this?" 
 The speaker dropped the heavy 
 door-curtain he had just drawn 
 aside, and strode rapidly across the stone 
 floor to a figure at the further end a girlish 
 figure resting on a divan, and doubled up 
 with weeping. 
 
 She did not answer instantly, and the 
 young man stood beside her looking down 
 with a helpless patience tor a moment, as if 
 uncertain what to do or say. Presently he 
 spoke again: 
 
 " Has anything happened, Salome?" 
 
 " Happened? How can you ask?" the 
 other managed to sob out in a voice of al- 
 most petulant reproach. 
 
 " I mean anything new," he hastened to 
 explain with an air of meekness. " Of 
 course" 
 
 " Of course you cannot or will not under- 
 stand, Hector. You never do. Is a grief the 
 less keen because it grows older daily? Can 
 I ever get used to this?" 
 
 " We do get used to things," he returned 
 slowly, gazing down at her from his superior 
 height, as a good-natured but lumbering 
 camel might gaze upon a fawn. " We have 
 to control our grief or it would kill us, you 
 see. Come, try and stop, can you not? It is 
 time for the evening meal, and I am 
 hungry." 
 
 " Hungry! Men are always thinking of 
 their comforts. Have you not one thought 
 for our poor lost Herklas, wandering no one 
 knows how, or whither?" 
 
 The man's face twitched with some in- 
 ternal emotion, but, absorbed in her own 
 luxurious sorrow, Salome did not see it. 
 After a moment he said gently: 
 
 " But is there anything new, dear? I left 
 you quite bright, this morning. What have 
 you heard?" 
 
 " Nothing. But I know now all is over. 
 Herklas will never return." Then rising and 
 facing him, with her dark eyes awed to 
 steadiness, she whispered solemnly. " Hec- 
 tor, I have lost my amulet! The gods have 
 given me over to the fates, and sorrow is to 
 be my portion." 
 
 "Bah!" cried the brother, throwing back 
 his broad shoulders and letting out a merry 
 laugh from his splendid chest. " Is that all? 
 I was sure you had news that Herklas was 
 in prison at least, if not sent to the galleys 
 or even dead by torture." He shuddered a 
 little. " And it is only your amulet?" 
 
 "Only!" Her red lips curled angrily, and 
 she began gathering up her fair tresses and 
 thrusting them into their silken fillet with a 
 petulant gesture. "Is not that enough? 
 What is to keep me from evil and misfor- 
 tune now?" 
 
 " Well, sister, perhaps I can help a little!" 
 stretching out his long, massive arms, quite 
 bare of covering, and bringing them back to 
 an angle that made the muscles stand up 
 like hillocks. " I think, possibly, I may have 
 a word to say, or a move to make, provided 
 misfortune comes in a visible form, eh?" 
 
 His persistent good-humor overcame her at 
 last, and her pretty teeth gleamed in an irre- 
 pressible smile as she cried archly: 
 
 " Boaster! Do you think yourself even a 
 match for the gods, then, because you have 
 twice worn the Olympian crown? But in- 
 deed, dear Hector, it is a serious loss. It 
 was of purest silver from the Cordovan 
 mines, wrought by a silversmith of Ephesus, 
 and delicately chased with one of the most 
 favorable signs of the zodiac. Then it held a 
 bit of the hair from a sacred white bull, and 
 had been blessed by a Vestal. Think of its 
 
 Copyright, 1896 und 1897, by David C. Cook Publishing Company.
 
 THE WEESTLEE OF PHI LI PPL 
 
 value, brother. Why, such an amulet is 
 priceless!" 
 
 " But where did you lose it, child?" 
 
 "What a question!" laughing merrily now. 
 " If I knew that, would I be crying here? It 
 was hanging from a cord of silver wire 
 about my neck but a day or two ago, and 
 now it is gone that is all I can tell you." 
 
 " Have you looked for it?" 
 
 " Yes, everywhere." 
 
 " Well, well! crying will not bring it back, 
 and the gods hate tears. Besides, I am so 
 hungry, Salome!" 
 
 He spoke in pleading tones, like a school- 
 boy, for he knew this would conquer her; 
 and it did. 
 
 " Very well," she said promptly, " light the 
 brazier then, and I will steep you a cup from 
 the chocolate beans you brought home yes- 
 terday. Then there are dates, oatcake, and 
 fish. Will these serve you?" 
 
 " Excellently well, sister; only make 
 haste." 
 
 And quite restored to good-humor now, 
 Salome skipped away on light feet to bestir 
 her one little slave, Persis, to these pleasant 
 household tasks. 
 
 Left alone. Hector threw himself on the 
 divan of sail-cloth, made in imitation of the 
 rich couches draped in silk and gold stuffs 
 much affected in the houses of the Roman 
 nobles, and was soon in sad reflection, which 
 plowed a deep line between his wide-set 
 blue eyes. Because he was a Wrestler, and 
 therefore used to sights of blood and suffer- 
 ing in the arena, did not seem, so far, to 
 make his heart less tender to his own; and 
 presently, as memory after memory of his 
 lost brother, Herklas, rose before him, long 
 sighs shook his close-knit figure^from head 
 to foot. 
 
 Herklas had been such a beautiful boy, 
 and only six months in the toga virilis. 
 which marked the Roman youth's coming 
 into man's estate at fifteen. To be sure, he 
 had never taken to the Olympic games, as 
 had Hector, and had shrunk visibly from 
 the often frightful spectacles which had 
 been introduced into them since the Romans 
 ruled; but he was no coward he had proved 
 that often enough in many an adventure of 
 boyish daring and skill. It was only his in- 
 stinctive good-heartedness that shrank from 
 blows and bloodshed, not because he himself 
 feared their hurt. 
 
 Then where could such a form be found in 
 these degenerate days, outside the statues of 
 the masters? Hector recalled him as he had 
 
 lain at meat, the last morning he was with 
 them. He had been full of his fun and non- 
 sense, selecting choice bits from the platter 
 for Salome, and laughing gayly as she 
 eagerly received them. He had never been 
 selfish, never sullen nor severe this well- 
 loved brother. But there had been times 
 when his whole nature seemed to revolt 
 against the license and wickedness of the 
 age, and he had dared sometimes even to 
 criticise the gods, and wonder at the 
 tyranny of emperor, praetors, and priests. 
 Could spies have listened and reported these 
 words, and was he in durance because of 
 them? Certainly thei'e could be no truth in 
 the suspicion of his master's that he had 
 been led away by the obscure and singular 
 sect they called Christians! 
 
 Hector turned himself nervously about, 
 the old couch creaking beneath his tall, 
 sinewy frame, and just then Salome's wel- 
 come face appeared, as she drew aside an 
 inner curtain and announced supper. He 
 rose with a quick motion, as if thrusting 
 sad thoughts far from him, and strode into 
 the next room, where a modest board was 
 laid in the shape of a crescent, with a broad 
 divan surrounding it, except at the opening, 
 which gave room for the servant to enter 
 and pass the dishes inside the half circle. 
 The brother and sister always ate together, 
 for Hector loved and tenderly cherished his 
 one female relative, who had indeed been 
 half spoiled by her doting brothers. 
 
 By mutual consent the subject of the 
 brother now gone for over a fortnight, was 
 not resumed at first, nor that of the lost 
 amulet. Instead, Hector told of a new throw 
 he had been practicing at the gymnasium, 
 and Salome grew cheerful chatting over a 
 call from an old playmate not before seen 
 for many moons. She had sketched in detail 
 her looks, her dress, and all she said, when 
 she suddenly broke off to cry: 
 
 " There! I know I had that amulet on when 
 she came, for I saw it gleam on my neck as 
 I glanced in the bit of steel mirror set into 
 the wall of our vestibule when I hastened to 
 admit her. Let me see!" 
 
 She buried her dimpled chin in her hand 
 and thought a minute, then sprang to her 
 feet. "I believe I have it! I followed dear 
 Theta across the court to the very street en- 
 trance and peeped out through the wall gate, 
 as we said farewell. Then I saw an escort 
 of soldiers, with some of those gay courtiers 
 from the Castle, coming close, and knew it 
 was best not to let them see me, as I was
 
 THE WEESTLEE OF PHILIPPL 
 
 unveiled, so I hastily shut the gate. And 
 now I remember that I caught the silken 
 tassel of my fillet in the latch, and had to 
 jerk it away perhaps it was then I dropped 
 my charm. Come, Hector, if you have fin- 
 ished your supper let us go and see." 
 
 He rose good-naturedly. " If it fell outside 
 It has been picked up long before this," he 
 said, chewing complacently on his last date. 
 
 away the food, satisfying her own hunger 
 with large mouthfuls as she did so. 
 
 Salome reached the wall door first, and 
 shuffled her sandals with gay impatience on 
 the smooth paving stones, as she awaited 
 her brother's leisurely approach. Their lit- 
 tle home was situated on one of the more 
 quiet streets of Philippi, and this was un- 
 lighted, except by a pale thread of a moon, 
 
 Instantly Hector was upon them, and his arena training stood him in good stead. See page 4. 
 
 " Yes, but it may be inside, you see, or 
 caught in a cleft of the wall, or brushed into 
 a corner. Bring a lantern, Persis, and let us 
 try. If I can find it again I shall take it for 
 a good omen." 
 
 The small iron censer, flat in shape and 
 swung from three chains, was brought and 
 lighted, Salome caught up a chlamys, or long 
 wrap, tossed it picturesquely over her head, 
 winding it about her chin and lips so that 
 only the brow and eyes were visible, then 
 crying impatiently, " Come!" started out 
 first, Hector striding more slowly after, 
 while Persis contented herself with clearing 
 
 low in the western sky. With the deliberate 
 movements peculiar to him Hector inserted 
 a clumsy key into the lock of the small por- 
 tal, turned it, and let one wooden leaf fall 
 inward upon its hinges. Then the two passed 
 through the aperture, and, lifting high the 
 lantern, began a search for the amulet, so 
 precious to this heathen girl. 
 
 Both bent low, Hector fairly on his knees, 
 searching the crevices of the stone pave- 
 ment, and Salome, doubled under the long 
 folds of her drapery, peering along the clear- 
 running ditch of snow-water, brought from 
 the mountains, which separated the side-
 
 THE WEESTLEE OF PHILIP PL 
 
 walk from the highway. They knew how 
 unsafe were the streets at night in these 
 lawless times, when the dissolute young 
 officers from the Castle sometimes chose to 
 steal out, disguised and masked, in search of 
 adventure, to say nothing of thieves and 
 rioters of lesser rank, who dared the galleys 
 and terrible dungeons to ply their vocation. 
 
 But what could happen so near home? A 
 step would place them behind the wall and 
 locked door of their own little castle, which 
 no one would dare to invade. So they con- 
 tinued to look about, oblivious of everything 
 but their own exclamations and remarks, 
 with which each spurred on the search. 
 
 Thus they failed to notice an outburst of 
 song and laughter on a side street close by, 
 or, perhaps, did not think it worth minding, 
 and both were startled when suddenly at 
 their very elbows appeared a tumultuous lit- 
 tle crowd of well-muffled men, one or two 
 bearing lanterns, and the rest reeling about 
 with noisy talk and laughter. 
 
 "Quick!" cried Hector. "Run, Salome, 
 run!" 
 
 But already the rioters had caught sight 
 of the slender, white-draped figure, and with 
 a loud laugh one tall young fellow leaped 
 into the open gateway, barring her passage, 
 while two more sprang to her sides, inter- 
 cepting her movements. 
 
 Instantly Hector was upon them, and his 
 arena training stood him in good stead now. 
 At every swing of his powerful arms some 
 one fell back with a howl of pain, and al- 
 most while one could tell it the whole party 
 had dispersed, hastened thereto by the cry 
 of one of the lantern-bearers: 
 
 "The bucket-men! The bucket-men!" 
 
 Breathing heavily, Hector looked about 
 him. The crowd had melted like the dew, 
 and Salome too was gone, having doubtless 
 fled to the innermost recesses of the house. 
 
 Hector had no desire to be interviewed by 
 the troublesome lictors, whom the populace 
 called " men of the bucket " because they 
 acted as a fire-patrol with tarred buckets of 
 water in hand, as well as guardians of the 
 streets. So he took advice of caution an.l, 
 slipping quickly inside, locked his gate 
 securely and hurried indoors, chuckling to 
 think how surprised those young brawlers 
 must have been to feel the weight of fists 
 as hard as iron, and as heavy as a sledge- 
 hammer. 
 
 The house was dark and still. As he 
 stepped within from the moonlit court it 
 struck a chill to his senses. 
 
 " Salome!" he called softly. " Salome!" 
 A frightened exclamation answered him, 
 and the little slave girl, her eyes big with 
 terror, confronted him. 
 "Oh!" she cried, "where is my mistress?" 
 " But do you not know?" he returned 
 quickly. " She is here, of course she must 
 be. She is hidden somewhere, too scared to 
 speak. Salome, dear! I am here. Your 
 brother protects you. Oh, Salome, for 
 Vesta's sake answer!" 
 
 But only the bare walls echoed his despair- 
 ing cry. He ran to and fro, calling, search- 
 ing, beseeching, groaning, cursing. He sent 
 the little slave hither and yon, fierce as he 
 had never been with her before, in his terri- 
 ble anxiety. He ran to the roof, gazing out 
 over the now silent street with great gasp- 
 ing breaths of despair. He sought in im- 
 possible nooks and crannies below, the tears 
 gushing unashamed from his manly eyes, 
 and then with a roar of rage and despera- 
 tion, like a lion rushing upon its tormentors, 
 he dashed out into the street, calling on tht 
 lictors for vengeance, utterly bereft of 
 sense or caution. 
 
 Poor little Persis, frightened nearly out of 
 her small wits, followed swiftly to the gate, 
 and shook her head in perplexity as she 
 slowly clanged it to behind him. Then 
 throwing herself down in a dark corner of 
 the wall, she crouched in a small heap, mo- 
 tionless with terror, and softly cried herself 
 to sleep. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 IN AN UPPER CHAMBER. 
 
 DURING this turbulent scene, so com- 
 mon in all pagan cities as to cause no 
 more than a passing thought to those 
 who, safely locked within their own home 
 walls, gladly turned a deaf ear to the brawLs 
 and crimes without, there was another scene 
 taking place, as unlike this as the still lake 
 of the mountains is unlike the sea in the 
 fury of a storm. In a small room dimly 
 lighted by flaring pine-knots, was gathered a 
 little company, possibly twenty in number, 
 who were noticeable only for their quiet 
 manners, plain dress, and serene and lofty 
 expression. 
 
 They were of all ages above young child- 
 hood, and they entered by twos and threes, 
 stealing noiselessly to the barred outer door, 
 there to give a peculiar knock which quickly
 
 THE WEESTLEE OF PHI LI PPL 
 
 gained them entrance. A password was 
 spoken in a whisper, that most common 
 being the Greek word " Ikthus," signifying 
 " fish." This, universally given as the sign 
 of the faith among believers, had a signifi- 
 cance dear to them all, for its initials, taken 
 in order, stood for " Jesus Christ, the Son ot 
 God, the Savior." It immediately admitted 
 them, this night, and once inside, a spirit of 
 delightful cordiality and brotherhood seemed 
 to prevail. 
 
 They clasped hands like friends who meet 
 after perils passed, and the gentle words, 
 " Peace be with you!" seemed a favorite 
 greeting. There* was little laughter, or loud 
 merriment, but smiles, serenity, and peace, 
 seemed to pervade the whole assembly. 
 For, strangely enough, here the patrician, 
 the freedman and the slave met upon terms 
 of seeming equality, and addressed each 
 other as " brother " and " sister." All this, 
 too, in a haughty Macedonian city that, in 
 imitation of great Rome, of which it was a 
 colony, disdained the rest of the world as 
 conquered slaves, drawing the lines of rank 
 so sharply that men had been thrown into 
 dungeons yes, even executed for daring to 
 presume upon certain privileges at banquet 
 or in council chamber, in a simple matter of 
 food, dress, or ornament, arrogated by those 
 of higher rank. 
 
 The meeting was well under way, a hymn 
 had been sung and a prayer offered, such as 
 had never ascended to a heathen deity, when 
 once more came the peculiar knock, this 
 time louder, more imperative and startling 
 tnan was customary. 
 
 The outer door having been opened, there 
 was an unusual commotion in the small 
 square vestibule, which caused the Pres- 
 byter, or leader, just beginning to address 
 the assembly, to cease speaking and look in- 
 tently that way. Every one's eyes followed 
 his. In each face was expectation and some- 
 thing of anxiety, but neither fear nor cring- 
 ing. They knew this might mean arrest, 
 imprisonment, possibly death, for each and 
 all, but they faced it steadily, as those who 
 rest upon a Power stronger than their own. 
 
 The door opened wide and two women and 
 a man entered, half leading, half carrying, 
 the figure of another female, well muffled in 
 white and apparently unconscious. 
 
 " Forgive our untimely interruption, breth- 
 ren." said the man in deprecating tones, 
 " but we found this woman lying in the deep 
 angle of the dooinvay, and she seems badly 
 hurt, or very ill. We cannot make her an- 
 
 swer, so far, and she appears dazed and 
 sick." 
 
 " Let the women care for her," said the 
 Presbyter in tones that were instinctively 
 commanding, though not with arrogance. 
 
 At once the women gathered about the 
 figure, which had been laid on a divan, and 
 putting back her chlamys, one said: 
 
 " Ah, but she is a girl only, and so fair!" 
 
 " Yes. and by her dress a modest one," put 
 in another. " Poor child! how came she out 
 at this hour?" 
 
 " See, she is hurt!" cried another, pointing 
 to a swelling rising rapidly above the 
 stranger's forehead. " She has had a heavy 
 blow there! her eyes are opening. Stand 
 back a little and do not frighten her with 
 so many strange faces." 
 
 Salome for our readers have guessed it 
 was she did indeed open her eyes and gaze 
 about. At first her expression was wild and 
 unnatural, but presently it became more 
 rational and only wondering in quality. 
 
 " Did they kill me?" she asked in a weak 
 voice. " Is this the Realm of Shades? and 
 you surely you are not the cruel Eumenides 
 come to harass me? You look too kind for 
 that!" 
 
 " No, no, child! you are still upon earth 
 and quite safe with those who mean you 
 well," said one of the women who had 
 assisted the girl in. " Are you feeling better 
 now?" 
 
 " My head aches," raising her hand feebly 
 to the swelled brow. " I remember it was 
 that blow! It must have knocked me sense- 
 less. Oh, did Hector get away? Were they 
 too many for him? How he did fight! But 
 I could not get inside the gate, there were 
 so many in my way. Where is Hector?" 
 
 The women looked at each other, and one 
 with a peculiarly sweet face answered 
 gently: 
 
 " He is not here just now. Who gave you 
 the blow, fair maiden?" 
 
 " I do not know, lady. I ran down the 
 narrow court close by our house to get 
 away, and soon I heard footsteps which I 
 thought were Hector's. I turned to speak, 
 and something came crashing down upon 
 my head that is all I can recall about it." 
 
 " Who is Hector?" asked the dame again, 
 as she tenderly bathed the wound, and 
 bound it up with her own kerchief. 
 
 " My brother. We were looking for my 
 lost amulet. Alas! it is as I said the gods 
 have given us over to destruction." 
 
 " No, my child. God has protected and
 
 THE WEESTLEE OF PHILIPPI. 
 
 spared you. You fell into the deep shadow 
 of our doorway, where no one else could see 
 you until our feet were guided hither by 
 grace." 
 
 "But Hector?" 
 
 " He too will be cared for fear not! Our 
 God is ' mighty to save.' " 
 
 "You mean great Jupiter, because he is 
 the protector of the Games? If only he 
 will!" 
 
 " No, child, we mean but wait! Her head 
 is troubling her again. Let her rest." 
 
 For even with the words Salome's eyes 
 took on a wild look and she was soon toss- 
 ing and muttering with fever. Finding she 
 was to prove an all-night's care, at least, 
 these kind Samaritans removed her to a pal- 
 let in a small room of the little house, and 
 left one of their number to sit beside her, 
 while the others reverently returned to the 
 meeting. Here, quickly putting aside the 
 interruption, they listened with rapture to 
 the words of hope, comfort and encourage- 
 ment spoken by their leader, and joined 
 eagerly in such prayers and hymns as 
 seemed to bring heaven into the plain little 
 room, hidden by its humbleness from outer 
 violence. 
 
 It was the middle of the next forenoon be- 
 fore Salome came to herself once more. All 
 night she had tossed in the grip of fever, 
 tenderly soothed and cared for by the sweet- 
 faced woman, who proved to be the occu- 
 pant of the house, and who was called Eliza- 
 beth. She was a young matron of a gentle 
 cast of countenance, yet one versed in faces 
 might have read in the brow, well de- 
 veloped above the eyes, and in the lips and 
 chin, fine-grained but firm, a power of endur- 
 ance and a force of will which the singularly 
 quiet ways and speech scarce hinted at. 
 The first impression she gave was entirely 
 restful. In her eyes was a peace passing 
 comprehension, Satome thought, as she curi- 
 ously watched her, and she wondered what 
 could give her that supreme content, for she 
 was evidently very poor, and her garments 
 were such as the pretty Greek girl would 
 have scorned to wear. Besides, her pallor 
 showed she was not well, and her husband 
 seemed a gruff, silent man who spoke 
 roughly, if at all. 
 
 Salome from her pallet watched every gen- 
 tle movement and puzzled much to learn 
 why, through all that was hard and trying, 
 she seemed still to hug some secret con- 
 sciousness of joy so close that no mere out- 
 ward happening could affect it in the least. 
 
 " Perhaps," thought the little pagan after 
 she had lain for an hour or two thus ques- 
 tioning, "perhaps she has received an 
 oracle from the Priest of Apollo at the tem- 
 ple. Perhaps she feels sure that, no matter 
 what may happen just now, she will have 
 good fortune later on, and so bides her time, 
 and scarcely knows anything is wrong. It 
 looks that way. Ah! I was happy till I lost 
 my amulet that is," as memory came fully 
 back, " I was as happy as people usually are 
 in this world. Of course I wanted to be 
 rich and noble, and it was a great trial to 
 have to walk instead of being carried in a 
 litter through the streets," but I had my 
 brothers." 
 
 She drew a long sigh, and Elizabeth came 
 quickly to her side. 
 
 "You are weary?" she asked with her 
 placid smile. " Shall I talk to you?" 
 
 " Please tell me about yourself, dear lady. 
 I wonder about you as I lie here, and that 
 tires me." 
 
 Elizabeth laughed brightly. " There is so 
 little to tell! You have guessed from my 
 dress that I am a Jewish woman, and I am 
 proud to say I was born in our beautiful 
 city Jerusalem. But my husband, Junius, 
 is a Roman, free born." 
 
 " Indeed?" questioned Salome with won- 
 der, for the marriage of a free-born Roman 
 to a Jew was extremely rare. Her hostess 
 smiled a little and asked with gentle irony: 
 
 " Do you think that so unlikely? Yet why 
 not, Salome? There is neither Jew, nor 
 Greek, nor Roman either, in the sight of 
 God all are equal and his children." At 
 which the girl, still too weak to argue, only 
 stared dumbly, amazed at such strange 
 ideas. 
 
 " But," thought she, " those Jews are all 
 queer. I have even heard they claim to 
 have a special god, who leads and cares for 
 them. I suppose, too, they really were rich 
 and powerful once, but now what miserable 
 creatures they are!" 
 
 For, though one of an enslaved nation her- 
 self, being a conquered Thracian, Salome 
 looked down upon the universally hated 
 Jew. Yet this was only as a class; in in- 
 dividual cases she often liked and even 
 honored them. So now she listened to Eliza- 
 beth, thinking how sweet her smile and soft 
 her voice, until sleep closed her eyes in rest, 
 which did much to restore her to perfect 
 health. 
 
 Seeing how very weak she still was, her 
 hostess left her to slumber and stepped out-
 
 THE WRESTLER OF PHI LI PPL 
 
 side into the narrow court of the humble 
 dwelling. Here she called softly, " Nadab ! 
 Nadab!" and presently a little boy, who so 
 closely resembled the fair Jewess that no 
 one could have mistaken their relationship, 
 came bounding in from the street. 
 
 " Well, mother?" he asked in a voice full 
 of loving respect, " what is it you need me 
 for now?" 
 
 " I will tell you. my son; but first, did you 
 wet up the flags as I bade you?" 
 
 " Yes, mother." 
 
 " That is right. And now I want you to go 
 to the second street south, and look along its 
 length until you come to a low house close 
 by a narrow walled court, and upon the 
 corner of a paved and covered footway lead- 
 ing east. Inquire there for a man named 
 Hector, and when he is found tell him his 
 sister is here and safe, though ill, and that 
 he may come and see her. if he please." 
 
 " Very well, mother." Then in a whisper, 
 "But is she a Christian?" and he nodded 
 his head toward the house to indicate the 
 guest of a night. 
 
 " No, Nadab, she is a pagan." 
 
 " But, mother, why then" 
 
 " My boy, have you not yet learned the 
 true spirit of Christ? Does he make any 
 distinction in his love and succor? Is not 
 our great Paul, whom we are soon expecting 
 here, constantly showing this to us in all 
 his teachings? Surely, Nadab, you know 
 this." 
 
 " Yes, yes, I was not meaning just that. I 
 was thinking of of our safety, mother." 
 
 " We can leave that with Jesus, child," 
 she answered with a smile that made her 
 pale face radiant. 
 
 The boy looked at her with a little wonder 
 and much admiration in his eyes. Then he 
 gave his head a wise shake. 
 
 " But father?" he asked archly. 
 
 Elizabeth's uplifted countenance clouded 
 swiftly over for an instant, then as swiftly 
 cleared. 
 
 " Let us trust he will be glad to have us 
 do the right thing. Nadab and until he 
 speaks we will take his consent for granted. 
 Now run along, my son, and raise no more 
 objections, I beg." 
 
 Her sweet smile softened the reproof, and 
 he waved his hand gayly to her as he started 
 briskly off upon his errand. But his mother, 
 left alone, stood a moment in thoughtful 
 silence, then bent her head and clasped her 
 hands. She was asking help for needs 
 which only she and her God could under- 
 
 stand. In a moment, cheered and strength- 
 ened, she turned away, sought out from a 
 little shed at the rear of the court a large 
 bunch of flags, and seating herself on the 
 stone pavement, was soon busily employed 
 weaving them into a basket. 
 
 It was not a great while before Nadab re- 
 turned, looking flushed from his run in the 
 blazing sunshine. As soon as he could catch 
 his breath he burst out with a long story. 
 He had been everywhere in the near vicinity 
 without finding any trace of the man, for 
 the little house she had told him of was evi- 
 dently deserted. He had knocked loud and 
 long without making any one hear, and 
 when some of the neighbors appeared, to 
 ask what he wanted, they had told him that 
 not one of the family had been seen this 
 morning. One of these, who had been wake- 
 ful last night, believed that Hector had been 
 dragged off by the " bucket-men " to prison, 
 and that Salome and her little maid had 
 fled to some friends in another part f the 
 city. 
 
 " And did you let them know where she 
 really is?" asked Elizabeth quickly. 
 
 Nadab looked at her with a merry expres- 
 sion on his face. " Do you think I am so 
 foolish?" he laughed. " No, I told them noth- 
 ing." 
 
 " It was not necessary," responded the 
 mother with dignity. " Though we must al- 
 ways be ' harmless as doves.' so must we b6 
 ' wise as serpents ' also, in these hard times. 
 We will do our best for the poor heathen 
 girl, but we cannot let her frieiids know all 
 the secrets of our home. Well, what next?" 
 
 " I had just finished talking with the man 
 and was turning away to come home, he 
 having gone inside, when a big boy with a 
 splendid face and figure came swinging 
 down the street. He passed me by and, as 
 I looked back after him, I saw that he, too, 
 had gone to the little wall gate, and was 
 knocking as if he fully expected to get in. 
 Finding nobody came, he stepped back and 
 looked the house all over with surprise, then 
 knocked again, this time in an odd way- 
 three raps, a rest two more, a rest then 
 one. But no one came. After a little he be- 
 gan walking slowly towards me, still look- 
 ing back as if he could not give it up. I 
 thought this might be the one I was looking 
 for, as he was a well-grown youth, so 1 
 stepped up to him and asked, ' Is your name 
 Hector?' He looked at me in a queer way 
 for a minute, then said, ' No; why do you 
 ask me that?' But you have taught me
 
 s 
 
 THE WBESTLEB OF PHI LI PPL 
 
 caution, mother, so I only said, ' No matter,' 
 and walked away." 
 
 "That was right, Nadab. Still" His 
 mother mused a moment. " No, she has 
 spoken only of the one brother, Hector. And 
 they really think he is in prison? Poor child! 
 What will she do? She seems to have no 
 other protector. I have talked with her a 
 little and she says they are orphans. But 
 come, while she sleeps we must hurry on the 
 weaving, that we may earn the more to 
 care for her. Sit right down here by me. 
 You will soon grow cool in this shade." 
 
 For this Christian woman and her son 
 eked out the scanty family purse by weaving 
 baskets, and thus were enabled to carry on 
 their charities without trenching upon what 
 was required by the master of the house, 
 the haughty Junius. He was, meantime, at 
 his post as driver of a gang of street-clean- 
 ers, called police, mostly convicts or run- 
 away slaves undergoing punishment, and 
 thus condemned to serve at hard labor, 
 chained together by twos, or fours, under 
 a task-master who kept them to their labor 
 with a whip of many thongs, called a 
 scourge. 
 
 It was an employment to brutalize any 
 man, and Elizabeth grieved in secret as she 
 saw her once kind and loving husband grow 
 daily more haughty, stern, and importunate 
 of his own rights and comforts. Junius was 
 not a Christian, nor in fact much of a pagan, 
 either. He affected the hard philosophy of 
 Seneca, Socrates, and lesser teachers, who 
 bade men endure because they must, until 
 endurance became impossible, when they 
 were pointed to but one relief the " opeu 
 door." 
 
 This door of death by one's own hand was 
 startlingly common. When a man lost 
 heart or fortune, favor at court, or the pre- 
 ferment he had been hoping for, he fell upon 
 his sword, or drank the poisoned cup, and 
 really thought himself brave because he 
 dared the dark unknown rather than suffer 
 defeat in the present life. As if one could 
 ever escape disgrace by added cowardice! 
 As if such a death were not the loudest 
 proclamation of utter defeat! As if it were 
 not always a braver thing to meet a foe face 
 to face than to turn the back and leap into 
 a pit to escape him! 
 
 Yet Junius was but one of many who, dis- 
 gusted with a religion which made the gods 
 but a more powerful humanity, controlled by 
 the every-day passions of every-day men, 
 set himself up as his own only god to wor- 
 
 ship as long as he could stan-l erect, and to 
 slay as soon as he was forced to yield to cir- 
 cumstances. 
 
 It was a dark, cold, and selfish belief, 
 warping both heart and understanding, and 
 Elizabeth's wifely heart yearned to bring 
 him to a knowledge of the warm, living, lov- 
 ing faith in which she joyed and triumphed; 
 but so far her efforts had been vain. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 WITH ELIZABETH. 
 
 BY and by Salome, waking from her long 
 nap, heard soft strains stealing from 
 the next room, apparently. She lay 
 quite still, hardly awake yet, and dreamily 
 listened. There were two voices, evidently- 
 one a boy's, and the other, with its smooth, 
 clear cadences, she felt certain belonged to 
 her sweet-faced hostess. 
 
 Salome smiled in quiet enjoyment. She 
 felt serenely comfortable; her head had 
 ceased to throb, her fever to burn. A re- 
 freshing breeze blew across her from a win- 
 dow close by, bringing the faint perfume of 
 jasmine blossoms, and the room in which 
 she lay was fresh and cool from a recent wot 
 sweeping and sanding. It was a tiny room, 
 and plain to meagreness. Yet it gave her 
 none of that repulsion she always felt in the 
 homes of the very poor with which she was 
 familiar, for its atmosphere was sweet with 
 cleanliness. 
 
 The room, her own white pallet, the per 
 fume, and the song, seemed somehow to melt 
 and mingle in a perfect harmony, and she 
 closed her eyes restfully, listening, while her 
 body basked in calm repose. To this mood 
 the music seemed to add its enjoyment, for 
 it was of a gentle, peaceful character, and 
 the voices, if untrained, were sincere and 
 sweet. She listened to the words: 
 
 " But God, who is so rich in grace." 
 
 " How queer!" she thought. " That means 
 kindness, good-will, generous giving. Not 
 rich in great countries, luscious fruits, or 
 beautiful garments and jewels no, nor even 
 in magnificent temples and many priests," 
 as she had always imagined her gods to be 
 rich. 
 
 " By His love, freely given." 
 
 "Oh, freely, indeed! No, no!" thought the 
 little pagan, " that is not quite true. We
 
 THE WEESTLEE OF PHI LI PPL 
 
 must win great Apollo's or Diana's favors by 
 gifts and sacrifices, and constant propiti- 
 ation in processions and offerings." 
 But the song went on: 
 
 " E'en while we yet were dead in sin 
 Hath raised us up to heaven." 
 
 "Dead in sin!" that struck her as a 
 singular expression. It made her think of 
 Pluto and the dark Nether World of helpless 
 Shades and wicked Daemons. But the next 
 line was beautiful" Hath raised us up to 
 heaven!" 
 
 She knew about Olympus, where the gods 
 dwelt in bliss, though, when hearing of all 
 their quarrels and heart-burnings, it often 
 occurred to her that they could not find it 
 entirely delightful there! But these singers 
 chanted as if fairly in heaven now and here, 
 gladness thrilling all along the sweet, slow 
 notes, as melody and merriment shake from 
 the quivering roulades of the mavis in the 
 loveliness of early morning. It made 
 Salome's heart beat to a freer measure, also, 
 and she rose up in bed, thinking: 
 
 " I must not lie here playing at illness 
 when dear Hector may not know where I 
 am. I will get up and put on my garments 
 as soon as they cease that sweet singing." 
 
 But it stopped, even with her resolve, and 
 in another instant the trim, small head of 
 Elizabeth appeared at the door. 
 
 " Are you awake?" she asked gayly, and 
 Salome noticed on her fair face a radiance 
 brighter than smiles. 
 
 " Yes," was the reply, ' and much better. 
 Has my brother come for me yet?" 
 
 Her hostess stepped closer. " My dear," 
 she said affectionately," I am glad you are 
 better; but you must keep quiet yet a little 
 while," (seeing the girl about to rise) " or 
 the fever may return and undo all the 
 benefit of this long sleep." 
 
 " But my brother?" 
 
 Elizabeth dipped a soft cloth in a jar of 
 water standing near, and placed it on the 
 wounded head. 
 
 "Peace, child!" she murmured, pressing 
 the eager little figure back upon her pallet. 
 " My Nadab has been to look for your 
 brother, but he is not at home, it seems, just 
 now. Can you not wait patiently a few 
 hours?" 
 
 " But it is so queer! Perhaps where is 
 Persis? Did he find her?" 
 
 " Your little slave girl? No, the door was 
 locked. They may both be out seeking for 
 you." 
 
 " Why, surely!" Salome caught at the 
 idea Avith relief. " I never thought of that. 
 Of course they would be. And how odd that 
 I should be lying here, perfectly safe, so near 
 home! Poor Hector! He will be in despair 
 about me." 
 
 " You are fond of your brother?" remarked 
 the gentle woman, bringing her weaving 
 and sitting down sociably close by. 
 
 " Of my brothers, you mean. Oh, yes!" 
 
 Elizabeth looked up quickly. " Then you 
 have more than one?" 
 
 " Yes, two Hector and Herklas." 
 
 " But you did not mention the latter." 
 
 " No, alas! for I do not know where he 
 Is." 
 
 Tears came into her eyes, and Elizabeth, 
 fearing new agitation, said quickly: 
 
 " I should not have asked we will speak 
 of other things." 
 
 " No, it will not hurt me to tell you. I 
 have longed to talk about him, often, but 
 Persis is so stupid, and Hector thinks it only 
 makes me more unhappy. Herklas is my 
 younger brother I am between the two in 
 age not yet sixteen and the dearest boy in 
 all the world." 
 
 " Dearer than Hector?" smiled the other, 
 pleased with the girl's animation. 
 
 " Well, Hector is a great, strong man- 
 more like a father, I often think, though a 
 boy too in many ways. Besides, he is gone 
 a great deal, for you must know he has 
 twice won the wreath at the Olympics for 
 wrestling. Thus he is ever thinking of his 
 gymnasium, his new throws, and his plans 
 for next year. But Herklas was almost like 
 a girl in some ways gentle and kind. He 
 . likes music better than fighting, and we used 
 to sing together by the hour to the merry 
 strains of his viol. He was in training for 
 the temple choir. He was away most of the 
 day at the shop, to be sure, but we always 
 had our evenings together, and we were 
 very happy." 
 
 " But you speak in the past, my child. 
 Surely you do not believe him to be dead?" 
 
 "Oh, I hope not! Yet how can I tell? 
 Madam," bending forward with an anxious 
 look, and speaking almost in a whisper, 
 " did you ever know any of those despised 
 people called Christians?" 
 
 Elizabeth started and the blood flushed her 
 whole face, then receded to pallor. 
 
 "Why do you ask?" she said sharply. 
 
 " Because I sometimes think Herklas has 
 in some way been drawn into their hands. 
 It is thus Vitellis, his master, hints, though
 
 10 
 
 THE WRESTLER OF PHILIPPL 
 
 he dare not come out boldly and say so. 
 They tell me they are very sly and cunning, 
 and that they stop at nothing." 
 
 " Who tells you so?" asked the woman in a 
 muffled voice, bending closer over her work. 
 
 " Oh, the priests and everybody. They 
 say they take in Jew or Greek, Cyprian or 
 Athenian, Persian or Cappadocian all is 
 fish that comes to their net." 
 
 A smile stole about the sweet, grave lips 
 of Elizabeth. " And what do they do then, 
 dear child, when thus they have become 
 ' fishers of men ' ?" 
 
 "Ah, that is just what I do not know! 
 Undoubtedly they are full of sorceries, and 
 they may have changed my poor Herklas 
 into an animal and sent him to wander dis- 
 mally among the hills, for aught I know. 
 Think! even should I meet him there I Avould 
 never know him." 
 
 The other's laugh rang out merrily. 
 " What nonsense! Do you actually believe 
 such things, and you nearly a woman 
 grown? Pooh, pooh, my dear! such super- 
 stitions are unworthy of you." 
 
 "But what so queer in that? Was not 
 Narcissus turned into a flowering tree? And 
 who, indeed, are the nymphs and naiads buv 
 wood and water clothed in human form? 
 We hear of many being punished, or made 
 immortal, by such transformations." 
 
 Elizabeth's answer was an arch glance 
 and the words: "You give the Christians 
 great power, Salome; as great as you ascribe 
 to your own gods. Yet they pretend to noth- 
 ing above other human beings, except a 
 clearer idea of the Love that is divine." 
 
 Salome was silenced. She could but feel 
 the force of this argument. Either she must 
 give up her assumption that the Christians 
 were a mean and despicable people, or else 
 the other, that they could work such terrible 
 changes as even the heathen gods, them- 
 selves, upon man. But before she could find 
 an answer Elizabeth broke out again: 
 
 " Salome, it is only ignorance that makes 
 people look upon us in this light " 
 
 " ' Us ' ?" interrupted the girl with a 
 startled look. " What do you mean?" 
 
 " Just what I say, for I too am a Chris- 
 tian." 
 
 She turned a trifle pale as she made the 
 bold assertion, and Salome drew back with 
 an expression of alarm indeed, almost 
 horror. She had heard such terrible things 
 of this new sect! In every oracle received, 
 in every address given at the forum, in the 
 private teachings of the priests, as well as 
 
 in their public ministry, she had listened 
 repeatedly to warnings of the most austere 
 nature leveled against this new worship. 
 She had heard the Crucified One alternately 
 named as a common criminal making un- 
 common claims, as a sorcerer whose arts 
 could not save himself, as a lunatic and 
 fanatic, as a common slave Jew, seditious 
 and troublesome as everything but the gen- 
 tle teacher of a God of love. Is it any won- 
 der she gazed upon her hostess as if she had 
 suddenly turned into a monster? But the 
 latter went on quickly, not giving her time 
 to voice her astonishment: 
 
 " It is to Christians you are indebted for 
 your escape, last night. Instead of doing 
 harm we are commanded to be kind and 
 loving, even to our enemies. This is the 
 first example set us by Christ, and nobody 
 can be truly one of His unless that rule of 
 conduct is carried out. Have I ill-treated 
 you? Did we show you insults, or neglect, 
 last night? Yet one and all of us are proud 
 to own ourselves followers of Christ." 
 
 Salome listened with almost breathless 
 surprise. 
 
 " It is true!" she acknowledged half inaudi- 
 bly. " It is all true, but" She raised her- 
 self upon one elbow and bent her large dark 
 eyes upon the fair woman beside her. " Tell 
 me more!" she said with unconscious im- 
 periousness. " Either they have lied to me, 
 or else you are far better than your own 
 God. Tell me more!" 
 
 A beautiful smile broke over Elizabeth's 
 flushed face. " Indeed I should love to!" 
 she answered heartily. " I always feel that 
 if one really understands our lovely faith, 
 he cannot help but embrace it. Yet alas! 
 these are troublous times and we are few 
 and feeble. Too often fear and self-interest 
 tie our tongues when we should speak out 
 boldly for the right. I risk something in 
 thus talking to you, even, Salome, but I am 
 resolved to think no more of that only of 
 your soul's happiness." 
 
 Then, beginning with Christ's beautiful 
 life and continuing until His marvelous 
 death, she told in plain and simple words 
 the story of the Cross. Salome lay back on 
 her pillow, but scarcely took her eyes from 
 the speaking face opposite during the whole 
 of the recital. Once or twice, she inter- 
 rupted by a question or two, and Elizabeth 
 noticed that these questions were shrewd 
 and thoughtful. Not a word was lost upon 
 her; not a thought came into the mind of the 
 relator that did not seem instantly reflected
 
 THE WRESTLES OF PHILIPPL 
 
 11 
 
 in that of the listener. They were in perfect 
 accord, except for the overwhelming sense 
 of doubt and mystery that shadowed the 
 girl's understanding. 
 
 Could it be true? Could the great and 
 majestic God of all the universe come down 
 to our needs, into our homes and our hearts, 
 to work, to heal, to suffer, and to die, just 
 for us? And all this for what? To teach us 
 the better way of living; to make sacrifice 
 and self-surrender divine, and self-seeking 
 and worldly honors contemptible; to make 
 us His friends instead of servants; to bring 
 heaven to us here upon earth if we would 
 but look, listen, and live as He taught us! 
 Surely, no god, from great Zeus to the weak- 
 est Erynne of mischief, ever conceived of 
 an idea so tender, and so filled with blessing 
 to man. Salome drew a long sigh as Eliza- 
 beth ceased, then murmured in a faint voice: 
 
 " It is a marvelous legend, but do you ex- 
 pect me to believe it literally?" 
 
 " Assuredly," replied the other. " Am I 
 not risking my own safety in telling you? 
 And would I do that for a mere senseless 
 tale?" 
 
 Salome lay very still. She was as white as 
 the cover of sail-cloth on which she re- 
 clined. Strange, half -formed ideas, too great 
 for her undeveloped intellect to grasp so 
 quickly, surged through her brain. Eliza- 
 beth, glancing at her, saw the wistful, dark- 
 ened eyes and the pallor, but only half 
 guessed at the emotion they signified. 
 
 " Poor little girl!" she said pitifully. " You 
 are harassed and troubled, and One is wait- 
 ing to help. Cast all your care upon Him." 
 
 Suddenly Salome sat upright. " My care? 
 It is anxiety for my brothers. How can He 
 bear that for me?" 
 
 " Ah, do you not see? If you trusted Him 
 as I do, you would not worry. You would 
 know they were safe with Him, and that 
 He cares for them even more than you do. 
 So whatever came, in life or death, you could 
 rest pon that knowledge and be at 'peace." 
 
 " Oh!" breathed the girl, sinking back once 
 more, " it sounds so restful if it is true. If 
 only I could be certain!" 
 
 She nestled her head lower and closed her 
 eyes. She wanted to think in quiet; but 
 Elizabeth, looking at her, believed her 
 wearied, and reproached herself for talking 
 so much, and upon subjects so exciting. So 
 she said softly: 
 
 " Well, then, rest now. And be sure it is 
 all true. When you are stronger we will 
 talk again." Then she left her guest to the 
 
 sleep or musings which she felt sure would 
 follow. 
 
 Salome was a mere child, as yet. in wis- 
 dom and discretion, even if, by Oriental com- 
 putation, a woman in years. She had been 
 most tenderly cherished, having received a 
 larger share of attention and petting thau 
 often fell to the lot of a girl among the lower 
 classes. She was inclined to be petulant and 
 vain, in consequence, but her heart was lov- 
 ing and faithful and there were capabilities 
 in her nature which might develop stronger 
 traits with time. 
 
 Just now, lonely, homesick and wounded, 
 she longed only for consolation, and Eliza- 
 beth's sweet words had fallen upon her soul 
 with tenfold power. Had they come when 
 all was fortunate she might have overlooked 
 them now she clung to every sentence, re- 
 peating it again and again, longing to make 
 this faith her very own. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 IMPRISONED. 
 
 WHEN Hector rushed so madly into the 
 street he knew well enough that he 
 was risking his own safety. It was 
 not for any common citizen to disturb the 
 sleepers of Philippi, whatever the gay nobles 
 at the Castle might do. As he went tearing 
 along after those who, he felt sure, had 
 carried his sister off to a slavery which, 
 however gilded by wealth, was at best horri- 
 ble and degrading, he did not cease to howl 
 out threatenings and curses, not only loud 
 but deep. Such high-handed deeds had been 
 comparatively unknown in this beautiful 
 mountain-walled town, except when a tem- 
 porary residence of some of the dissolute 
 Roman court brought the practices of that 
 metropolis to its quiet streets, and Hector 
 felt all the indignation of a man unused to 
 oppression and tyi'anny. 
 
 For amid the industrioiis Philippians the 
 Games, both Olympic and Isthmian, were 
 held in high repute, and a well-trained par- 
 ticipant such as Hector, was always treated 
 with respect. Unlike the Roman gladiators, 
 who were almost invariably criminals, or 
 captives, condemned to death, and whipped 
 on to their feats of valor by lictors in the 
 pay of the government, the contestants in 
 the Greek Games must be free-born, unsul- 
 lied by crime, and of good reputation in the
 
 12 
 
 THE WRESTLER OF PHILIPPI. 
 
 community. Their only reward was sup- 
 posed to be the golden wreath bestowed by 
 the judges, but in reality a successful run- 
 ner, or wrestler, was scarcely ever in want 
 of money. Many of the city's privileges 
 were open to him, and the wealthier citizens 
 were proud to make him the object of 
 bounteous gifts and favors. 
 
 No wonder he felt himself in some sense 
 superior to his neighbors. Thus, amid all 
 Hector's rage to-night, was a strong feeling 
 that, had these people known just who he 
 was, they would not have dared thus to 
 molest him, and this added an extra smart 
 to his fears and doubts. 
 
 He did not cease his raging till he reached 
 the very gates of the Castle, where he was 
 promptly challenged by the sentinels. 
 
 " My sister!" cried Hector, the only pass- 
 word he could think of then. " Where is 
 that mad party of drunken men? I saw 
 their rich robes under the togas I saw 
 their link-bearers and forerunners I know 
 who they are well enough. Let the wretches 
 give me back my sister or " 
 
 " Peace!" muttered the outer sentinel, an 
 honest fellow who did not care to see this 
 venturesome yoiing Thraoian run his neck 
 into certain trouble. " Peace! You will 
 rouse the garrison, and what will they care 
 for you and your sister?" 
 
 Even as he spoke came a ringing shout 
 from one of the narrow slits of windows in 
 the nearest tower. 
 
 " Arrest that brawler and fling him into 
 prison! If that will not stop him, try the 
 stocks or the scourge." 
 
 The tone was authoritative, and before 
 Hector could make his escape, even had he 
 tried to do so, he was seized by half a dozen 
 soldiers, who soon beat him into tractability 
 and dragged him down the hill to one of the 
 loathsome dungeons of the prison in the 
 forum, reserved for slaves and criminals of 
 lowest rank. These dungeons were wet, 
 cold, noisome, and rotting underground 
 holes, full of pestilential odors, and with no 
 windows except perhaps an inch-wide slit 
 in the wall far above the head of the un- 
 happy occupant. Here, chained to the moldy 
 floor, with no bed, unless by special favor a 
 heap of rotting straw, his condition was 
 such as to kill all life and hope, if not the in- 
 tellect, entirely. 
 
 Hector's manful resistance to his captors 
 only increased his punishment, for finding 
 him so lusty a fighter the keeper thoxight 
 best to double-chain him that is, secure 
 
 both feet instead of one, and have an extra 
 chain run from foot to hand. He had been 
 almost beside himself during his capture, 
 and when his dazed senses returned he 
 found himself unable to move and in utter 
 darkness, a prey to the most anxious 
 thoughts anxious not only for himself, but 
 for the sister he so fondly loved. 
 
 But in such a situation there was nothing 
 to do but wait upon the will of others with a 
 patience born of helplessness, and he lay 
 back immovable and silent, though every 
 heart-throb was a groan of wretchedness. 
 
 Meanwhile, a few days later, Salome found 
 herself well enough to get about, and, beg- 
 ging the company of her hostess, the two 
 sallied forth to see what had happened at 
 the little house within the wall. It was hard 
 for Salome to keep her steps down to a sober 
 pace, so anxious was she to be at home 
 again, and though she was still weak, and 
 her head sore from the heavy bruise, she felt 
 all the exhilaration of a convalescent out 
 once more in the fresh air and sunshine. 
 
 It seemed to her that her adopted city had 
 never been so beautiful since she had come 
 to it, a tiny child, from the adjoining country 
 of Thracia. And indeed there was ground 
 for her raptures. Philippi, this fair city of 
 Macedonia, seemed endowed with every gift 
 of art and nature. 
 
 If not actually a seaport, it shared honors 
 with Neapolis on the coast, and was scarcely 
 ten miles inland, while the approach over a 
 ridge of high land and across the wide his- 
 toric plain, crossed and recrossed by numer- 
 ous runlets of clear water, was really beau- 
 tiful. To the west and north loomed the 
 mountains forming the border line between 
 Macedonia and Thracia, and from their pure 
 snows came the precious water in such 
 quantities it had once been called the 
 " Place of Fountains." It was a garrisoned 
 city, and the walls of the fort and castle rose 
 massive and white against the south-west- 
 ern horizon, while its being a colonia of 
 Rome gave it especial privileges, and free- 
 dom from most of the oppressions naturally 
 expected in a conquered town. 
 
 When the two women reached the little 
 house, somewhat aloof from the business 
 portion, Salome knocked loud and long at 
 the gate, but without response, and finally a 
 neighbor appeared to say: 
 
 " The family have all gone away and 
 why, Salome, is that you?" 
 
 " Yes, indeed!" said the girl quickly. " But
 
 THE WRESTLER OF PHIL1PPI. 
 
 13 
 
 what do you mean? Where is Hector? 
 Where is our slave girl, Persis? Has no one 
 been here since I left?" 
 
 " No one except your brother Herklas, and 
 he could not gain entrance." 
 
 "Herklas? My brother Herklas the 
 younger are you sure?" 
 
 " Certes! My daughter saw him from the 
 roof and said he seemed much troubled be- 
 cause he could make no one hear." 
 
 " When was that?" interposed Elizabeth 
 quickly. 
 
 He named the morning, and she felt sura 
 it was this lost brother whom Nadab had 
 seen when searching for Hector. Should she 
 speak about it, or would it only add to the 
 girl's regrets and sorrows? Salome inter- 
 rupted her musings by asking sharply: 
 
 "But where is he now? Did he leave no 
 word ?" 
 
 " Not with any of my house. I know noth- 
 ing more about him. Thirza told me he 
 went away soon, as if in haste, and has not 
 been seen again." 
 
 " Strange! And oh, how unfortunate that 
 I was not here! I am fated to lose all I 
 love." She caught Elizabeth's eyes fixed 
 upon her in mild rebuke, and added more 
 gently, " But let us hope all will yet come 
 right. Can you tell me nothing of Hector, or 
 Persis?" 
 
 By this time a group of women, many with 
 water-jars upon their heads, just as they 
 had come from filling them at the public 
 fountains, had gathered around the two. 
 One of these shook her head and muttered: 
 
 " I know what the men think, well 
 enough." 
 
 The remark was not intended for Salome's 
 ears, but she caught it and turned with the 
 quick question: 
 
 "What, then?" 
 
 The woman hesitated; but another, bolder 
 or perhaps less tender-hearted, blurted out: 
 
 "They all say he is in prison!" 
 
 "But why why?" Salome's eyes were 
 wild with terror. " What has my good 
 Hector done? You all know his honesty, his 
 high standing. Why, he is a twice-crowned 
 Olympionic!" 
 
 Her voice rang with indignation and pride. 
 
 " We know," said one sorrowfully, " but 
 you forget some of the Court are here." 
 
 "The Court? But what of that? A con- 
 testant is exempt from imprisonment for any 
 cause for a month before the Games, and to- 
 morrow the month begins." 
 
 " What do these Roman patricinns care 
 
 for that?" asked one young girl with the 
 dark, spirited face of a Syrian Jew. " Little 
 they stop for your sacred games and cus- 
 toms." 
 
 Salome turned from one to another, her 
 face pallid. 
 
 She was trembling all over with the dread- 
 ful sense of outrage and helplessness. 
 
 " How have they dared!" she broke out in 
 a deep voice as unlike the petulance of all 
 former griefs as her present emotion, en- 
 tirely for the dishonor done to another, was 
 unlike her former selfish tears. " How have 
 they dared to imprison my noble brother!" 
 Then, turning swiftly towards the house, 
 she added, " Wait! There is a locksmith 
 near by whom I know. I will have him open 
 this door, and see for myself what is 
 within." 
 
 She was off on swift feet, for anxiety lent 
 her wings and lost her all sense of weakness, 
 and the women stood looking after her, their 
 sun-browned faces full of consternation and 
 pity. Very soon she appeared once more, 
 accompanied by a man whose loose tunic 
 was gathered up in a bag-form and thrust 
 beneath his girdle to hold a lot of small 
 jingling tools. As soon as the door was open 
 Salome rushed inside, followed by the whole 
 group, whose curiosity would not be balked 
 by any sense of delicacy. 
 
 Salome, running on ahead, was confronted 
 only by the silent rooms, and suddenly her 
 heart failed- her. She turned back and 
 grasped Elizabeth's hand, her own coVd as 
 ice. " Come with me," she whispered. " I 
 am afraid of what I may see. Oh, pray to 
 your Christ to spare me now!" 
 
 " He is with us even here," whispered the 
 Christian woman, her face growing bright 
 with inner radiance. " He knows your 
 grief, dear, and will give you strength to 
 bear it." 
 
 Salome looked at her and caught some- 
 thing of her divine faith. She ceased to 
 tremble, a warmer rush of blood set her 
 heart to more natural beating, and. stilled to 
 endurance, she led her companion forward. 
 
 After all there was nothing to see. It was 
 at once apparent that no one had occupied 
 these rooms since the strange night of so 
 many happenings. The table, but half 
 cleared of that late supper, was now given 
 over to flies and odors, and upon the stone 
 floor of the apartment, where Salome had 
 been lying when Hector came in. a yellowed 
 rose, which her friend had dropped upon her 
 afternoon visit, lay crumbled into dust.
 
 14 
 
 THE WEESTLEE OF PHILIPPI. 
 
 Could it be she had ever thought herself 
 unhappy here? In the shadow of these 
 darker griefs those seemed but summer 
 clouds, almost transparent to the glory be- 
 hind. 
 
 As she looked around her she gave a sob 
 and turned to Elizabeth, who seemed at that 
 moment her only friend. 
 
 " What shall I do? Where shall I go?" she 
 cried bitterly. " The gods of my fathers 
 have abandoned me." 
 
 " The blessed Christ, who is yours as well 
 as mine, Salome, will never leave us nor for- 
 sake us. Come to Him, poor tired heart, and 
 come with me. Until your brother is found 
 you shall share my home." 
 
 " But you are not rich," objected Salome, 
 " and I am a useless girl." 
 
 " You need not be. You shall help me with 
 the basket-weaving, and we who follow 
 Christ always share with each other. Be 
 one of us in every way, and you shall not 
 want." 
 
 They were quite alone by this time, the 
 others having fully satisfied their curiosity 
 and returned to their neglected tasks. 
 Salome stood in thoughtful silence a mo- 
 ment. 
 
 " Does this mean I must abandon all hope 
 of finding my brothers?" she asked. 
 
 " No, I trust not. My husband, Junius, 
 sometimes has opportunities to learn who 
 are in the prison, though the keeper has no 
 right to tell. Let us go to the market-place 
 and see if we can find him there." 
 
 It seemed indeed the only thing to do. 
 With quivering lips Salome turned away 
 from the deserted place which had once been 
 warm with the feeling of love and home, but 
 was now like the tomb of hopes departed, 
 and sadly followed her guide into the street. 
 The locksmith, who had stopped for a chat 
 with one of the men living near, responded 
 to her signal to come and fasten up the gate 
 once more, and paying him out of the few 
 silver pieces she had in her possession, the 
 two women at length left the now gloomy 
 precinct, to turn into a wider street beyond, 
 leading directly to the forum, or market- 
 place. 
 
 Like the more imposing forum of Rome, 
 this was built in the shape of a parallelo- 
 gram, the stone wall surrounding it being 
 fashioned into massive arches. Within the 
 unroofed space were the booths of the mar- 
 ket gardeners, the shambles of the butchers 
 and the pretty stalls of the flower-and-herb 
 sellers. Near the center was a raised dais 
 
 for public speakers, often occupied by travel- 
 ing showmen or jugglers, surrounded by 
 stone benches always plentifully filled w T ith 
 loungers and lookers-on. At one end was the 
 court of justice, roofed with tent-cloth, with 
 a raised divan for the judges' seats, and be- 
 yond it, well walled and with gates of 
 bronze, was the prison court, beneath which 
 were the dungeons and off from which were 
 the keeper's living apartments. At the 
 further end of the forum were the religious 
 houses namely, the various temples, the 
 homes of the priests, the blocks of sacrifice 
 and the votive offerings. In close connec- 
 tion, though outside its many arches, were 
 the palaces of the Duumvirs, the two 
 mayors of Philippi, who received their 
 authority direct from Rome, and were al- 
 most kingly in their pride and state. 
 
 Thus in this great oblong space centered 
 all the civil and religious life of the city, to 
 say nothing of its business. Here honest 
 traders bought and sold; here dishonest 
 magicians, fakirs and sorcerers plied their 
 low arts, and sought to draw the idle crowd; 
 here rich brokers in purple togas talked of 
 finance, or borrowed and lent their money; 
 here poets sang their songs, and philosophers 
 told their new systems of belief which were 
 to revolutionize the world; here beggars dis- 
 played their sores; here the camel-trains 
 from Damascus halted with their rich goods, 
 while the air was filled with spices as they 
 rested, and bits of gold stuffs gleamed from 
 their wrappings; here were gold- workers 
 from Thessaly, silversmiths from Ephesus, 
 and dyers from Thyatira. Among these 
 last there was great emulation to see how 
 many shades of purple or crimson each could 
 show, without trenching upon the sixteen 
 shades reserved for royalty, and one who 
 commanded great admiration for her ex- 
 qxiisite tints was, as Elizabeth informed 
 Salome, a friend of her own, and a woman. 
 
 As the two approached this great hive of 
 industry to-day they saw it, as usual, teem- 
 ing with a lively crowd of every nationality, 
 while its babel of cries, laughter, and loud- 
 voiced gabble came to their ears long before 
 they reached its first open archway. Just 
 as they entered this a large group appeared, 
 surrounding some figure off at the right, 
 whose child-like voice, strained to an un- 
 natural pitch, was chanting out long sen- 
 tences with the measured cadence of an 
 oracle in the temple. These sometimes called 
 forth laughter, again sudden silences, 
 thrilled with shudders of dread.
 
 THE WEESTLEE OF PHILIPPI. 
 
 15 
 
 The voice was a girl's, and pressing closer 
 to her companion Salome whispered: 
 
 " Oh, who is it? I had just a glimpse of 
 her through the crowd, and she seems no 
 older than I! But she looked so strange! 
 Her eyes were glassy and set, and her black 
 hair tossed about in wild disorder. Who can 
 she be?" 
 
 " A poor slave girl," returned Elizabeth in 
 a low voice, hastening her steps. " Let us 
 not get into the crowd. Her masters call 
 her a prophetess, and say she is possessed 
 by Python, the serpent of Apollo; but alas! 
 I fear it is only an evil spirit that holds her 
 mind in subjection. What brutal-looking 
 men those are who own her! I have heard 
 they make several denarii a day from her 
 utterances poor degraded creature!" 
 
 Salome turned upon her quickly. " What! 
 When she is instructed by the sacred 
 Python? Surely you do not understand, 
 Elizabeth." 
 
 The latter's sweet lips curled with scorn. 
 " Does your god, Apollo, think it then a 
 noble thing to inspire a half-crazed girl to 
 make a spectacle of herself, that her brutal 
 masters may carouse upon her gains? 
 Surely I would worship a purer, higher 
 Deity than that!" 
 
 Salome looked astonished at her expres- 
 sion, but had no answer ready for her argu- 
 ment. Like most of her sex and rank, she 
 knew little of her own mythology, outside 
 the customary rites and ceremonies, so she 
 could not reply to the higher learning and 
 better sense of this well-instructed Chris- 
 tian. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 MARKET-DAY IN PHILIPPI. 
 
 THEY hurried to the other side where 
 were the buildings devoted to justice, 
 and here they timidly stood about for 
 some time, hoping to catch a glimpse of 
 Junius, or to see some one of whom they 
 could make inquiries as to his whereabouts. 
 His wife knew he was not apt to be out 
 with his chain gang of street workers at 
 this hour, it being near the close of the 
 afternoon, but it would not have been 
 seemly for these veiled women to address 
 upon the street any man who was not a near 
 relative. They fortunately, however, came 
 upon Nadab, who, with a beaming face, was 
 minding a fruit stall while its owner was 
 
 off on some errand, and who greeted his 
 mother's well-known figure with a boyish 
 shout of pleasure. 
 
 "Ah! mother," he exclaimed joyously, 
 " you see I am selling fruit for /Ebulus, and 
 he is to give me a penny if I sell anything, 
 and a quadrans if I do not. Do buy sonic 
 dates for supper!" 
 
 " Indeed I shall have to!" laughed his 
 mother, pleased at her boy's pleasure; " and 
 meanwhile you run on swift feet and find 
 yoiir father while we in turn mind your stall. 
 Do you know where he is?" 
 
 " Yes, indeed! See, he is over there by the 
 wine-stall talking with two Romans from 
 the Caetle. Look! He is just raising the 
 gourd to his lips." 
 
 Elizabeth looked, and a shadow fell upon 
 her placid brow. 
 
 " Go, call him to come to me," she said 
 gently. 
 
 Nadab went on the run, and the two 
 women, watching, saw that Junius turned 
 somewhat impatiently as the boy caught at 
 his tunic, and motioned him away. But 
 Nadab persisted, and after listening to him 
 a moment, the father at length put down 
 his empty gourd and reluctantly followed. 
 
 "Well?" He greeted his wife churlishly, 
 as he approached with a stiff and dignified 
 air. " What would you with me?" 
 
 " Junius," she returned, dropping her veil a 
 trifle that she might smile up into his rugged 
 face, " I would not have disturbed you, but 
 this poor damsel has lost all track of her 
 brother, and the neighbors think he has been 
 arrested and flung into prison. Could you 
 find out for her what prisoners are now in 
 the dungeons?" 
 
 He gave a short, hard laugh. " How little 
 women know! The only prisoners I have to 
 do with are those of the chain gang. I am 
 not a jailer, but a keeper of the streets." 
 
 " I know." Elizabeth's voice was quite 
 unruffled. " Yet you are such friends with 
 all these men in power, that I felt sure you 
 would have some way of finding out this 
 matter, if you chose." 
 
 The implied compliment pleased the man. 
 Nothing so delights a petty tyrant as to feol 
 that his women-folk think him of great in- 
 fluence in the community. 
 
 " Oh, I could, to be sure," he returned 
 pompously, " only you know how it is with 
 prisoners of the lower ranks they are put 
 down deep!" chuckling amusedly. " Most 
 likely, though, they will have him in my 
 gang beiore long."
 
 18 
 
 THE WEESTLEE OF PHIL1PPL 
 
 cried wistfully, and passing quickly indoors, 
 shut herself away in her bit of a room. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 LYDIA'S VISIT. 
 
 IT transpired that the woman who had 
 talked with Elizabeth at the meeting 
 was the one whom she had mentioned as 
 a successful dyer, with a good business of 
 her own. She had formerly lived at 
 Thyatira, where she belonged to the ancient 
 guild of dyers, but her business had grown 
 until she felt it best to come to the larger 
 town of Philippi. 
 
 She had a comfortable home, and her em- 
 ploys were mostly slaves, quartered upon 
 her own premises. She had made a specialty 
 of dyeing in purple, having succeeded in 
 producing some new tints that were much 
 admired, and was a thoroughly successful 
 woman. But she had her griefs and troubles, 
 and she never ceased to mourn the loss of a 
 husband who had been very dear to her. 
 Her reputation for good works was of the 
 best, but she was slightly exclusive in her 
 friendships, and, some thought, felt her 
 consequence more than was agreeable. 
 Elizabeth was not of those who said so. 
 Between her and the good woman was a 
 strong attachment, and she knew that often 
 a certain air of hauteur in Lydia was sim- 
 ply a shutting of herself away in closer com- 
 munion with her own heart. Elizabeth loved 
 and respected her, and the sad, successful 
 woman often sought the joyful, unsuccessful 
 one to pour out her griefs and troubles, and 
 to receive of that sweet faith and peace 
 which made the other so blessed. What 
 Elizabeth had said of Stephen or more 
 properly the tone in which she had said it- 
 stayed by Lydia all that evening, and made 
 her resolve that she would try to hear the 
 new Apostles who were soon coming. Being 
 a Pharisee of the strictest sect, she found 
 it difficult to believe that any Messiah could 
 be other than a great King and Deliverer, 
 who would restore Jerusalem, and make the 
 Jewish nation once more a power among 
 men. 
 
 In all these respects Jesus of Nazareth 
 had seemed to fail. Yet, when Lydia's sweet- 
 faced friend talked to her of His greater 
 mission to elevate and save all men, be they 
 of whatever nation, and to establish a king- 
 
 dom " not made with hands," certainly, yet 
 " eternal in the heavens," it appealed to 
 something high and pure in her own nature, 
 though it could not quite bring her into full 
 accord with Him. 
 
 She felt restless the next day, however, 
 and suddenly resolved to go to Elizabeth 
 and ask her to relate the story of Stephen's 
 death, and explain why it had affected her 
 so deeply. So she left her shop in the care 
 of a trusted overseer, took a last look at her 
 bubbling vats, each stirred continuously by 
 a nearly naked slave, then started to cross 
 the forum toward the same gate at which 
 our two friends had entered the day before. 
 It was not so crowded now, this not being 
 a regular market-day, but within the gate 
 was quite a concourse of people around a 
 young girl, who seemed chanting something 
 in imitation of the oracles in the temple, 
 while her evil-looking companions greedily 
 gathered up the mites and quadrans that 
 were thrown into their uplifted tunics by 
 the astonished listeners to whom she had 
 promised some exceptional fortune. 
 
 Presently, as Lydia lingered, curiously 
 watching the proceedings, she saw, crossing 
 the forum, two men whose dress showed 
 them to be traveling Jews. They carried 
 themselves with a certain free dignity which 
 at once attracted the noble woman, and she 
 observed upon their enkindled countenances 
 that same serenity which had always at- 
 tracted her in Elizabeth. The older of the 
 two men held her gaze longest. He was not 
 tall, though his dignified presence made him 
 seem so, but his brow was broad and clear, 
 and the eyes below were keen, bright, 
 searching, and above all kindly. As they 
 turned casually upon her for an instant, they 
 seemed to flash new life and hope into her 
 heart. 
 
 " Who can they be?" thought she, and al- 
 most with the question came its answer: 
 "They must be- the expected Apostles!'' 
 Still more eagerly, then, she watched them. 
 As they approached the slave girl she, too, 
 stopped her chanting and turned towards 
 them. Her eyes were set in the glassy stare 
 of a sleep-walker, and her hands were 
 clinched nervously at her sides. She stood 
 quite still, the people about watching her in- 
 tently, while the two strangers passed by in 
 such earnest conversation that they did not 
 seem to notice the excitement in the least. 
 All at once her face flushed warmly, and a 
 new light came into her eyes. Wheeling 
 quickly, she followed after and began to cry
 
 THE WEESTLER OF PIT I LI PPL 
 
 19 
 
 aloud, but not in her high-pitched sing-song 
 rather in the sincere accent of assured be- 
 lief: 
 " These men are the servants of the Most 
 
 ignorant of great religious truths as she 
 must be? No wonder everyone looked after 
 her with astonishment, and followed to see 
 what she would do, or say, next. But the 
 men whom she had thus designated kept 
 upon their way, taking little note of the mat- 
 ter, apparently. Lydia, debating all this in 
 her mind, started on at a rapid gait, which 
 brought her abreast of the girl's two mas- 
 ters, who had so suddenly found their occu- 
 
 
 "Who can they be?" thought she; and almost with the question came the answer, 
 "They must be the expected Apostles." See page 18. 
 
 High God, who show unto us the way of sal- 
 vation." 
 
 The words thrilled Lydia. How did this 
 pagan know, if indeed she spoke the truth? 
 Who had revealed it to a poor demented girl, 
 
 pation gone. They were scowling fiercely 
 after the girl, yet seemed held back by some 
 impulse stronger than their greed of gain. 
 They did not beg of the.se she had so 
 strangely singled out; they rather slunk back
 
 20 
 
 THE WEESTLEE OF PHILIPPI. 
 
 as If to avoid them, though evidently all 
 their evil passions were roused at having 
 their dupes so summarily dispersed by this 
 singular interruption. Lydia threw them 
 but a glance, then hurried out and up the 
 street, to her friend's. 
 
 She found the Christian woman sitting in 
 the shade in her little court, busy with her 
 weaving. She greeted Lydia with cordiality, 
 calling her to a seat on the mat at her side, 
 and presently Salome appeared from an 
 inner room, carrying another bundle of damp 
 osiers for which she had just been sent, and 
 with which she joined the two. Lydia began 
 by relating the incident of the morning, 
 which Salome heard with eyes grown large 
 and wondering. 
 
 " Surely," she remarked, " it must be true 
 if the soothsayer has declared it." 
 
 Elizabeth laughed in her sensible fashion. 
 " It is true," she said, " but not because this 
 possessed girl says it. No doubt, though, 
 even the evil spirits recognize God's elect- 
 but who could fail to note that these men 
 are better and higher than most? I, too, 
 saw them this morning, Lydia, when I was 
 at the market. Does not the love of Christ 
 shine from their souls through their faces? 
 They reminded me of Stephen," she added 
 softly. 
 
 " Stephen? He is the very one I came to 
 ask about. You mentioned him so reverently 
 the other day that I long to hear all about 
 him. Was he not stoned because of this new 
 faith?" 
 
 Elizabeth nodded, then said in a far-away 
 tone: " I was young, but I have never for- 
 gotten it. Such eloquence, such sweetness, 
 one can hope to hear but once! That day I 
 was with my father in the market-place 
 when some excited men of his acquaintance 
 came along and touched his shoulder, saying, 
 ' Come, quick, to the council chamber! They 
 have arrested a man of Christ and are going 
 to try him for blasphemy.' 
 
 " Now, my mother had been greatly inter- 
 ested in the new doctrines, and was anxious 
 to hear and see all she could of the followers 
 of Christ. This, however, my father had op- 
 posed up to that time, and as she was obedi- 
 ent and true, she had said little, while per- 
 haps thinking the more. So, this day, father 
 laughed lightly as the men called him, say- 
 ing, 'What! Has another king of the Jews 
 arisen?' and started after them, entirely for- 
 getting me. But, child-fashion, I followed 
 close at his heels. We pressed as near as 
 possible to the judges' seats, where the San- 
 
 hedrim was convened, and my father, sud- 
 denly perceiving me, began to chide me for 
 following; but when I begged and cried, 
 saying I was afraid to go back through the 
 crowd alone, he laughed good-naturedly, and 
 bade me be quiet then, kindly lifting me to 
 a jutting bit of stonework close by the steps, 
 that I might see better. 
 
 " There was a man standing in the prison- 
 er's place, talking, and young as I was, I 
 listened to every word, for I thought I had 
 never heard the story of our nation told so 
 plainly and so well, even by my mother's 
 tender lips. Besides, the man's voice and 
 presence were full of power and spirit. His 
 eyes kindled with enthusiasm, his lips grew 
 sweet with love and pity, and though he said 
 some severe words to the scowling rabbis 
 glowering upon him, his own countenance 
 was so lighted by love to the Christ that it 
 shone like the face of an angel. 
 
 " As he closed with words that accused the 
 priests of killing the prophets and rejecting 
 God's Holy Spirit, they grew so angry that 
 they gnashed their teeth and snarled at him 
 like a pack of unclean dogs; yet still he 
 stood there in perfect peace, calm, smiling, 
 serene as a messenger from heaven. 
 
 " I remember how my father's arm gripped 
 me as he held me on the stone balustrade, 
 and how his face worked with admiration 
 and doubt. For my father was a strict 
 Pharisee and had come here in perfect sym- 
 pathy with the Sanhedrim, yet he could not 
 listen to these words, spoken with such 
 serene conviction and heavenly w r isdom, 
 without being impressed. Even I, a child, 
 felt tears rolling down my cheeks, and I 
 longed to cry out to the angry Doctors of 
 the Law to wait and listen, for there could 
 be no wrong in this man. 
 
 " Even at that moment, while the tumult 
 about him was loudest, I saw him raise his 
 eyes heavenward, where the canvas roof 
 was rolled back, 'and fix his gaze on the deep 
 blue sky. A great and glorious light came 
 into his face, he reached up his right hand, 
 and cried in a voice that thrilled me through 
 and through: 
 
 "'Benold! I see the heavens opened, and 
 Jesus standing on the right hand of God.' 
 
 " Instinctively I, too, gazed up, as did all 
 that multitude who had been gathering 
 through the long discourse, and it has al- 
 ways seemed to me that through the deep, 
 clear blue I also could faintly see forms of 
 light and whiteness floating in gloi-y. But 
 who can tell? The imaginings of the young
 
 THE WEESTLEE OF FIJI LI PPL 
 
 21 
 
 are great, and surely such a wondrous vision 
 would not be granted to a simple child. 
 
 " Certainly those rabbis saw nothing, for 
 in their anger they began a tumult so out- 
 rageous that I stopped my ears, and cowered 
 close to my father in terror. And then oh! 
 then I saw them fall upon the speaker, 
 fairly struggling with each other in their 
 haste to seize him and drag him away. He 
 made no resistance, nor answered a word to 
 their curses and imprecations, but as they 
 surged by us I peeped out from behind my 
 father and caught one more glimpse of 
 Stephen's face pale, still, and peaceful, not 
 at all as if he were in the grasp of a furious 
 mob bent on his destruction. 
 
 " Then father caught me up in his arms, 
 muttering, ' What are they going to do? 
 Will they kill that just man?' and ran after 
 as fast as he could go. It was to the place of 
 execution in the ravine of Joshaphat, just 
 without the gates, that they hustled him by 
 a short way back of the Temple, and we had 
 to take a longer way around. All the crowd 
 went with us. Some cried, ' Stone the blas- 
 phemerstone him!' and others urged, 
 ' Wait! wait! Let him have a word for him- 
 self. He has done nothing worthy of death!' 
 And among the latter I was glad to hear my 
 father's lusty voice, for my whole child's 
 heart had gone out to this ' just man,' as 
 father rightly named him. 
 
 " When we reached the ravine we saw 
 they had already thrown him from the wall, 
 as was the custom when a man was con- 
 demned to be stoned to death. But the fall 
 had not mercifully killed him, as it some- 
 times did; and already the fiercest of his ac- 
 cusers were throwing off their abbas, and 
 piling them in a heap at the feet of a young 
 man whom I scarcely noticed then, I was 
 so intent on the martyr; but now I know it 
 was who do you think, Lydia? The very 
 Paul you and I saw this morning." 
 
 "Ah!" cried the other. "It is passing 
 strange. But go on they threw off their 
 upper garments, you say" 
 
 " Yes. His adverse witnesses, you under- 
 stand, for they were privileged to cast the 
 first stone. Each sought out the largest he 
 could find oh! friends, one bore a red stain 
 already, as if it had been an instrument of 
 death in that dreadful place before and 
 though I shrank and hid my eyes, I had to 
 look again, and then my gaze seemed riveted 
 upon that man in the midst, fallen, bruised, 
 torn, and despised, yet who still bore in his 
 face the look of a conqueror. 
 
 " For even as I gazed he feebly raised him- 
 self to his knees and fixed his eyes upon the 
 sky above, which was not more peaceful 
 than his own expression then. I thought he 
 had forgotten us all and had thoughts only 
 for the Holy One he loved and was dying 
 for, but that was all I knew. Because he 
 did love the blessed Christ he must have 
 had thoughts for all of us. One cry he gave 
 for his own soul, ' Lord Jesus, receive my 
 spirit!' then, as the stones began to hail 
 about and upon him, he looked with love 
 even upon his tormentors, and cried aloud 
 in a voice so sweet that it thrills me yet: 
 
 " ' Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.' 
 
 "Oh, the wonder of it! the wonder of it, 
 Lydia! He could forgive those murderers 
 in his dying agony! I had heard that this 
 was true of Christ and had felt that He was 
 God, or life could not have done it. Now I 
 saw that for love of Him a poor weak man 
 might die like Himself. 
 
 " As the words ended, a great stone 
 crashed against Stephen's breast, and he 
 sank gently back and seemetl to fall asleep, 
 with a smile like that of a child in its 
 mother's arms. And as we looked on, al- 
 most wistfully, at one who had overcome 
 death with faith, a man close by whispered 
 solemnly, ' He sleeps in Jesus.' 
 
 " I did not fully understand his meaning, 
 but my father reverently bowed his head in 
 prayer, and I did likewise. 
 
 " Even those fierce rabbis grew still, and 
 moved away in sullen self-disgust. Then 
 father turned to the whisperer and asked 
 hoarsely, ' Whp was this man?' 'Stephen,' 
 answered the other, lingering on the sylla- 
 bles as if he loved them. Father gazed at 
 him. ' The word means a crown,' he said in 
 a reverent tone. ' Yes,' was the reply. ' His 
 is the martyr's crown, most glorious of all.' 
 And father nodded, consentingly. 
 
 " Still holding me close, father then turned 
 homeward in silence, and when there told 
 my mother all, while great tears ran down 
 his rough brown cheeks. Ah! how I loved 
 him then! Nothing makes a father so dear 
 to a child as the display of deep and pure 
 emotion. I could not let go his hand, and, 
 taking my mother's also, he said earnestly, 
 ' I can no longer doubt that Jesus of Naz- 
 areth was the promised Deliverer.' So the 
 day of Stephen's glorious death was the be- 
 ginning of our new life." 
 
 She stopped, half choked with emotion, 
 while both Salome's and Lydia's tears flowed 
 freely. The woman was thinking, " If these
 
 22 
 
 THE WEESTLEE OF PHILIP PL 
 
 things be so, is not this Jesus indeed the 
 Messiah?" while the pagan girl mused: 
 
 " Our gods do not make their followers 
 like this. Surely this is the strangest of 
 all religions, yet the most beautiful, too. 
 And I have feared Herklas was drawn away 
 by the Christians! Now I could almost wish 
 he had been!" 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 LIGHT IN THE DUNGEON. 
 
 A DAY or two later was the Sabbath, 
 and Salome, whose interest was thor- 
 oughly aroused, gladly accompanied 
 her hostess to the river-side synagogue, hop- 
 ing to hear and see something more of this 
 n/ew faith. Nor was she disappointed. Paul 
 and Silas were both there, and, being courte- 
 ously treated, sat among the rabbis, and 
 were requested to address the assembly. 
 This was a small one, mostly women, and 
 they heard the good message which was 
 presented with eloquence and power, as a 
 call from God to " come up higher." 
 
 Elizabeth, strengthened and confirmed in 
 faith, listened with a shining countenance; 
 Salome with eager, wide-open eyes, wonder- 
 ing, hoping, yet still half doubting because 
 it seemed too good to believe; and Lydia 
 with powerful conviction and trust. But the 
 Greek girl was almost as glad as Elizabeth, 
 herself, to see this proud, yet sincere, woman 
 rise modestly in her place to profess belief 
 in this beautiful doctrine, and to ask baptism 
 for herself and household. The little con- 
 gregation had partly dispersed, afterwards, 
 when Lydia came towards them, her head 
 bowed in thoughtful humility. Elizabeth 
 stepped quickly to her side, saying in a glad 
 voice: 
 
 " Dear sister Lydia, welcome! T am so 
 glad so glad!" 
 
 Lydia took her hand and pressed it. Her 
 eyes were moist with tears and her lips 
 tremulous. 
 
 " Not so glad as I !" she whispered back. 
 " Nobody can tell the peace and joy I feel." 
 
 " Will you not come home with us and talk 
 more of this?" asked Elizabeth, much moved. 
 
 " I would, but I am waiting for these good 
 men. They have promised to honor me by 
 lodging at my house while they remain here. 
 I will see you soon, however." 
 
 She left them, but, lingering to watch her, 
 they soon saw her start towards her pleas- 
 
 ant home with the two Apostles, and Eliza- 
 beth turned to Salome with the words: 
 
 " I am glad they will be so comfortably 
 housed. They looked weary this morning, 
 and indeed their lives are very often hard 
 and fatiguing." 
 
 " Have they ever suffered persecution?" 
 asked the girl. 
 
 " Oh, many and many a time. Paul has 
 been even stoned, like Stephen, and left for 
 dead, though in fact he was only senseless 
 for a while; and from many places they have 
 had to flee because of their persecutors." 
 
 " Yet they never think of giving it all up 
 and settling down to a quiet life?" 
 
 Elizabeth looked at her with a singular ex- 
 pression. " You do not understand," she 
 said. " When your heart has opened to the 
 truth you will not ask such a question." 
 
 " But does your God command these 
 things, Elizabeth? We believe our gods like 
 us to enjoy, and escape hardships if possible. 
 All they ask of us is to give them due honor 
 and listen to the oracles." 
 
 " Then why do hardships come?" asked the 
 older woman quickly. " Are not your gods 
 powerful enough to make you happy, if that 
 is their desire for you?" 
 
 Salome hesitated for an answer, and Eliza- 
 beth continued rapidly: 
 
 " Our Creator does mean us to be happy, 
 and Christ came to show us the right way. 
 But, my child, happiness is a state of mind, 
 not a possession. One who truly loves God 
 is happy anywhere if feeling His presence. 
 It is only alienation from Him that is 
 wretchedness." 
 
 " But, dear friend, could you be happy, 
 say, in prison in those dreadful dungeons 
 that your husband tells us of. where there 
 is no light, and scarcely any air?" 
 
 " If Christ were with me yes." 
 
 " Ah, that is too much to believe!" cried 
 the girl emphatically. " They are such 
 horrible places and there are the tortures 
 too! If you had to suffer those?" 
 
 " I cannot tell," shuddering a little. " My 
 flesh creeps to think of such things, but the 
 Christ will not let me be tried beyond my 
 strength. I rest on that assurance, and do 
 not worry- The one thing I could not do 
 would be to deny Him!" 
 
 Salome glanced at her. They had just en- 
 tered the home court and Elizabeth had 
 dropped her veil. Upon her serene face was 
 a joyous smile of confidence, and in her eyes 
 an expression of perfect peace. 
 
 Salome's young heart went out towards
 
 THE WEESTLEE OF PHILIPPI. 
 
 23 
 
 her in affectionate appeal. She wished, 
 whimsically, that there were some way of 
 absorbing from her a little of that lovely 
 personality which made her so winning and 
 so enjoyable to herself. The girl put out her 
 hand and touched the other's long robe. 
 
 " Dear Elizabeth," she said wistfully, " I 
 wish I were like you!" 
 
 " Nay, Salome," answered the other, clasp- 
 ing the hand warmly, " rather wish you were 
 like Christ, the One ' altogether lovely.' " 
 
 Meanwhile, poor Hector was learning more 
 of the dungeons that haunted his sister's 
 mind, than she could even imagine of them. 
 So dark was the pit in which he lay that he 
 could scarcely distinguish the bare walls 
 around him, and the only alleviation of his 
 fate was the healthy power to sleep long 
 and often. Then, for a time, he forgot his 
 sufferings, and again wrestled in the arena, 
 strolled outside the gates by the pretty 
 brook-sides with Herklas and Salome, or 
 romped through some game in the court, a 
 little boy again. 
 
 When the soldiers delivered him over to 
 the keeper of the prison he had made one 
 more effort to defend himself, though not 
 with fists this time. But before he could 
 tell who he was, and how guiltless of offence, 
 a sudden blow from the knotted scourge 
 had silenced him. 
 
 " Hold your peace, fellow!" cried the 
 keeper shortly, as he turned with an impre- 
 cation. " It is nothing to me whether you 
 are guilty or not. On with you there!" and 
 he drove Hector before him with the relent- 
 lessness of fate. The latter saw it was of no 
 use to remonstrate, but his whole soul rose 
 up in rebellion against such undeserved 
 treatment, and he could have cursed all 
 the gods in turn when the surly keeper left 
 him chained to the moldy stone floor of his 
 fetid cell. 
 
 Hector was brave in his own way, and in 
 the arena dared to stand up in the wrestling 
 matches with any one who might be pitted 
 against him. But his strength was phy- 
 sical, not moral, and he had no religion, no 
 philosophy even, to sustain him now. For a 
 time he howled with rage and despair, beat- 
 ing his head against the cruel stones until 
 its dull ache but added to his misery, and 
 sent him into a sort of stupor, which was 
 but the sullen quietude born of despair. He 
 had no way of counting time except by the 
 intervals between his wretched meals. 
 When this interval was doubled he knew it 
 
 must be night, when halved it must be day, 
 and he thus managed to keep a tolerably 
 correct idea of the flight of time. 
 
 In this manner he calculated that the sixth 
 night had arrived, and was feeling indignant 
 that precious sleep did not, as usual, come 
 with it, when a sound unlike any he had 
 heard here before fell upon his ears. He 
 had been several times aroused by the 
 clanking of heavy chains outside his door, 
 or by loud voices. in strife or ribaldry, and 
 he had twice been sickened by the shrieks 
 of those under torture. But this was none 
 of these. 
 
 It was the voice of music, peaceful, joyous, 
 and swelling from the deep throats of men 
 who sang with all the heart in an absorption 
 of enjoyment. He raised himself upon his 
 elbow and listened breathlessly. This could 
 not be the song of those too far gone in 
 liquor to care for their surroundings! No, 
 these steady, sustained cadences meant con- 
 trolled joy, triumphant worship. Astonished, 
 cheered, and longing to hear more, he crept 
 to the thick door and placed his ear close 
 against its smooth surface. 
 
 The singing came, evidently, from the next 
 cell, where he had become convinced were 
 kept the stocks and other instruments of 
 torture. Could these men be in those fiend- 
 ish wooden things which held the limbs dis- 
 tended and the head and neck contracted, 
 until every muscle was like a tortured nerve 
 with its agony? It seemed incredible! So 
 men might burst out into swelling strains 
 on a triumphal march after some great vic- 
 tory. But what could prisoners in such a 
 hole know of victory? 
 
 He soon assured himself that they were in 
 the stocks, however, which were placed al- 
 most against his door, and presently the 
 singing ceased, and he heard a voice speak- 
 ing in the Greek tongue, with which he was 
 so familiar. Straining his attention, he 
 caught words of praise and devotion mingled 
 with supplication, all seemingly addressed 
 to one great God who was powerful over all 
 others. 
 
 " How they believe in Him!" was Hector's 
 thought, as he held his breath to hear. 
 " How certain they seem of His presence 
 and care! When I call upon great Zeus, or 
 Apollo, they are so far away my cry seems 
 lost in air; but these men appear to think 
 their God is with them in this very prison." 
 
 Presently the tones sank to lower mur- 
 murs, in which he could distinguish no 
 words. Disappointed at hearing no more,
 
 24 
 
 THE WRESTLER OF PHI LI PPL 
 
 and wearied with confinement and grief, he 
 finally sank into a deep sleep just where he 
 was, his head against the heavy door. 
 
 How long he had slept he did not know, 
 but he awoke instantly and completely, with 
 the knowledge that the door had given way, 
 letting him fall outward into the other cell, 
 which was heaving, trembling, rocking, and 
 cracking around him. Terrified, he raised 
 himself amid the falling stones and mortar, 
 to find, with amazement, that he was freed 
 from his shackles, and to see, in a sudden 
 glare of lightning, that the doors were all 
 wide open, even that into the outer court, 
 while the stars, half concealed by turbulent 
 clouds, were shining in. 
 
 All around were other prisoners, their eyes 
 wild with affright, for the building was 
 rocking to its foundations, and the rending 
 walls gave out sharp sounds with horrible 
 meaning. All were indeed too paralyzed to 
 move for an instant, during which the 
 keeper, who had been asleep, suddenly ap- 
 peared in the outer door, and at one glance 
 saw that his captives were all at liberty. 
 With a cry of fright and despair he drew his 
 sword, not for defense or punishment, but 
 for self-destruction. This was the universal 
 resort of the desperate. The lack of all jus- 
 tice among those in power led such philoso- 
 phers as Seneca, such generals as Brutus 
 and Cassius, to prefer what they believed 
 the oblivion of death to the debasements of 
 tyranny. 
 
 But something stayed this man's rash 
 hand, and also held back the lawless prison- 
 ers, who might easily have fled held even 
 Hector, who felt himself so unjustly im- 
 prisoned here. A voice cried loudly through 
 the gloom: 
 
 " Do thyself no harm, for we are all here!" 
 
 Calling loudly for assistance, the keeper 
 soon had re-inforcements and light, though 
 he did not seem to have needed them. All 
 were present, and the two men still sat in 
 the stocks, though the heavy beams had 
 split apart from the great screws and left 
 them at perfect liberty. The keeper, shak- 
 ing with excitement and terror, now threw 
 himself before these strange prisoners and 
 cried in anguish, " What must I do to be 
 saved?" He felt that here was some Power 
 before which his petty tyranny was impo- 
 tent, and if the cry was selfish it was cer- 
 tainly sincere. 
 
 He had always bowed before his masters, 
 and exacted every concession from those 
 over whom he ruled. Yet here were two, 
 
 who had meekly submitted themselves to 
 his scourgings and tortures since early yes- 
 terday, whose power was evidently beyond 
 that of most men. It must then be from 
 some Being who could control earthquakes 
 to His own purposes. It must be from God! 
 
 He was ready to acknowledge His power 
 and to worship at His feet He could fear 
 and respect Him now; perhaps later he 
 would learn to love Him. At all events he 
 was anxious to become His follower without 
 delay. 
 
 One of the men answered with prompt de- 
 cision: " Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, 
 and thou shalt be saved." 
 
 Hector listened in astonishment. He could 
 not yet quite understand what had kept him 
 from rushing outside to certain freedom in 
 that one moment when all was open and un- 
 guarded. But, strangely enough, he had not 
 cared to go; all thought of safety seemed 
 merged into a desire to see and hear more 
 of these wonderful men, whom even chains, 
 stocks, and prison doors could not affect in 
 body, or in spirit! 
 
 He listened breathlessly to the talk that 
 now followed. First one, then the other, in 
 an emulation of eagerness, told of a love, a 
 hope, a joy, so great that no prison walls 
 could damp them. The time fled swiftly. All 
 the prisoners were gathered close about the 
 two, and their unkempt, haggard faces soft- 
 ened into wistfulness as they listened. As 
 for the keeper, his manner was transformed. 
 Consideration and sympathy took the place 
 of cold indifference and sullen cruelty. He 
 said presently in a voice subdued to gentle- 
 ness, " Come with me, please," then turning 
 his eyes from one to another of the remain- 
 ing prisoners, he called to Hector, " Here, 
 boy, I need your help." 
 
 Hector went at once. 
 
 " I want you to help me care for these 
 holy men," he said with reverence; and the 
 Greek was glad to obey. . 
 
 He led the two into the inner, walled court 
 where was a well, and while the young man 
 drew water, the keeper with his own hands 
 softly washed their stripes, cleansing the 
 raised welts from the coagulated blood, 
 which added so greatly to the smart and 
 fever of the wounds. His family stood 
 around, thoroughly roused by these strange 
 happenings, and when this act of mercy, the 
 first fruit of the new Gospel in that hard- 
 ened jailer's heart, was ended, one of these 
 " holy men " baptized both him and his 
 whole family.
 
 THE WEESTLEB OF PHI LI PPL 
 
 25 
 
 Hector looked on, greatly impressed by the 
 solemn ordinance, though secretly longing to 
 hear the men speak again of the Christ they 
 so dearly loved. But the ceremony was no 
 sooner over than the keeper, bowing rever- 
 ently before them, begged they would honor 
 him by coming into his own apartments, 
 and led them away. Hector, being con- 
 ducted into the large common room of the 
 prison by an attendant, was left there un- 
 chained until the morning. Throwing him- 
 self upon the bare floor, he leaned against 
 the wall in a state of mind far different from 
 that of yesterday. 
 
 What words were these he had heard to- 
 night? There was but one God, and He had 
 been lately living upon earth in the form of 
 man! This was a part of what he had gath- 
 ered, and the idea was not wholly strange to 
 him, as he had been taught that the deities 
 used to come down from Olympus to live 
 among men, and he had always believed it. 
 But this God came for but one purpose- 
 only one! Not for His amusement; not to 
 witness the fairness of the daughters of 
 earth; not to disport Himself in sylvan 
 groves, nor enjoy the triumphs of great pro- 
 cessions, but to redeem man from his sins. 
 To teach him His own grace and love, until 
 sin became hateful to him, and the beauty 
 of holiness desirable. To show him the 
 glory of self-sacrifice and the might of 
 love. To be to him a Friend, an Elder 
 Brother! 
 
 In these surprising thoughts Hector forgot 
 he was a prisoner, did not notice that he had 
 no bed but the bare stones, and finally 
 dropped to sleep in a blissful calm that 
 made patience a thing of course, and happi- 
 ness, even here, more than a possibility. 
 
 He was wakened by a dazzling light, and 
 looked up to see the keeper and several 
 other men walking about in earnest conver- 
 sation, while they examined the damaged 
 walls. The brilliant light was caused by a 
 large crack at his side, into which he could 
 easily thrust his hand, and through which 
 one ray of blessed sunshine fell directly upon 
 his face, as if with a morning greeting. It 
 cheered him inexpressibly, and he sat up 
 with a smiling face, ready to meet the day's 
 troubles in a new spirit. 
 
 The earthquake had done considerable 
 damage to the prison, but the inmates 
 seemed like other beings under the influence 
 of last night's events and this morning's 
 light. They were all gathered in this large 
 common room, and the question of their 
 
 further disposal was now agitating these 
 magnates, whose purple togas showed their 
 high rank and dignity. One came and 
 looked down at Hector, as he sat upon the 
 floor. Instantly the youth bounded to his 
 feet, and bowed with the grace of a well- 
 knit figure and courteous training. 
 
 " Ah, my fine fellow, and what are you in 
 here for?" asked the magnate, smiling a lit- 
 tle, as he slowly measured Hector with his 
 eyes. 
 
 The latter looked at him frankly. He saw 
 a tall, handsome young man with the clus- 
 tering curls which the royal boy, Nero, was 
 making the fashion, and with a dress richer 
 even than that of the Duumvirs, who had 
 given Hector his ideas of royalty up to this 
 time. He saw also a carelessly kind expres- 
 sion, a rather bored droop to the handsome 
 mouth, and prow's-feet about the eyes, that 
 spoke of dissipation rather than of age. 
 
 The keeper took the answer from Hector's 
 lips: " For a night brawl, sire. Then he 
 was violent, and had to be double-chained." 
 
 The young patrician glanced down at 
 Hector's feet, and the other men turned to 
 look, also. 
 
 " But he is unchained now, I soe." 
 
 " Yes, sire, as all the rest. The fetters 
 were all broken by the earthquake." 
 
 " Yes, so I heard. Rather remarkable, 
 that!' 
 
 He turned and began talking with the 
 others of something which had seemingly 
 just occurred that Hector found himself 
 deeply interested in. 
 
 Evidently those strange prisoners of last 
 night had turned out to be free Romans, 
 therefore exempt from scourgings and tor- 
 ture, unless by the decree of royalty itself. 
 In their fright at what might result from 
 this insult to the strangers, the magistrates 
 had sent word at dawn to release them. 
 But when the keeper gladly brought the 
 word he was amazed at the dignified an- 
 swer of the two prisoners, that having been 
 openly disgraced they would not accept of 
 secret pardon! The magistrates must them- 
 selves come and set them free. And they 
 had been obliged to do it that was evident. 
 Hector wanted to chuckle as he heard their 
 low talk, half chagrined, half amused at 
 their own mortification, and saw their an- 
 noyed faces. He only wished he had been 
 awake to see it all! The young man who 
 had spoken to him seemed to be enjoying 
 the situation greatly, and did not cease his 
 raillery at the discomfited officers.
 
 26 
 
 THE WBESTLEE OF PHILIPPL 
 
 Presently, however, the others passed on 
 and he turned back to Hector. 
 
 " A night brawler, eh ?" said he with a 
 laugh. " I thought we of the Castle re- 
 served all such sport to ourselves in quiet 
 Philippi. You must have been very drunk, 
 though, or you could have held your own, 
 my man!" running his eyes admiringly over 
 Hector's well-developed figure. " There are 
 not many with such muscles as those;" and 
 his fingers closed over Hector's massive 
 biceps. 
 
 " They are flabby now from disuse, sire," 
 the latter spoke up quickly with professional 
 pride, making them as tense as possible. 
 " But indeed I was neither drunk nor quar- 
 relsome until goaded to madness. I de- 
 fended my sister from a crowd of your own 
 castle people, sire, and supposed she was 
 safe in the house when they dispersed. 
 Then I found they had carried her away, 
 and what could I do but run after them 
 with cries of fury and revenge?" 
 
 "'They'? You don't mean our Roman 
 bacchanals?" 
 
 " Yes, sire, I do." 
 
 " No, no! I should have heard how long 
 since?" 
 
 " By my reckoning, which is uncertain in 
 these holes, six nights ago. sire." 
 
 " Six?" The patrician mused a second, 
 then looked up with a start. " Why, I" 
 Then he stopped. "Who arrested you?" he 
 asked next, 
 
 "The Guards of the Castle. Some one 
 called from a turret window and they at 
 once surrounded me. I felled three with my 
 bare fists, but they tripped me up and fell 
 upon me, so that I was overpowered and 
 nearly senseless." 
 
 "I should think so! Jove! it was a feat! 
 Felled three full-armed guards, and you 
 half-naked, while they had spears and 
 breastplates! Pretty well, pretty well! But 
 tell me more. Why did you think your sis- 
 ter was carried off to the Castle, my youth- 
 ful fighter?" 
 
 Hector now told the story in detail, and 
 the young lord listened with evident inter- 
 est, waving off the Duumvirs when they 
 approached, with the words: 
 
 " Presently, presently! Go on and wait 
 for me in the hall of justice. I think I have 
 found another case of misguided zeal, and 
 you are not the victims this time;" ending 
 with a taunting laugh. 
 
 They hurried out, red and warm, but did 
 not answer the arrogant young lord as he 
 
 deserved, and this convinced Hector that his 
 rank must be greater even than he had at 
 first supposed. The noble turned to the in- 
 teresting prisoner again. 
 
 " Your tale is true of that I am certain 
 but in some way you have made a great 
 mistake. Your sister was not carried away, 
 nor is she at the Castle. She escaped into 
 the darkness somewhere, and is doubtless 
 awaiting you, safe and well, at home." 
 
 " Oh, would I could go to her!" sighed 
 poor Hector from his very heart. 
 
 "You shall!" was the quick response. "I 
 know who ordered that is, I have an idea 
 of the manner of your arrest, and am sure 
 you have been simply forgotten. But you 
 have suffered enough. In a few moments 
 you shall be free. And here," the young 
 patrician drew from his finger a ring of 
 peculiar workmanship " when you have 
 found and comforted your pretty sister, 
 come to the Castle, show that ring, and ask 
 for its owner. It will admit you. Will you 
 remember?" 
 
 " Certainly, O gracious prince. Accept 
 the thanks of one who has twice won the 
 Olympic crown, and therefore is perhaps 
 not entirely unworthy of your clemency." 
 
 " Hah! Is that true? I thought you were 
 no common prisoner the moment my eyes 
 lighted on you. Well, well!" smiling with 
 easy kindness, " put this upon your finger 
 and mope no longer. You will soon be free, 
 and there may come a time when you will 
 not regret this short imprisonment. I will 
 see you again." 
 
 He turned quickly, waved his hand in re- 
 turn to Hector's deep salaam, and hurried 
 on after the magistrates. The delighted 
 young Greek gazed after him, wondering 
 if he were really awake, or if this whole 
 strange night were not some bright and 
 vivid dream from which he must awaken to 
 his dismal inner dungeon once more. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 THE SOOTHSAYER AT HOME. 
 
 NEAR the outer wall of Philippi was a 
 quarter given over to the very poor. 
 It was squalid and dirty beyond de- 
 scription. The low, mud-walled houses, 
 crowded together and running over with 
 human life, were set flat on the ground, 
 guiltless of drainage or paving. Here gar- 
 bage collected until the hot air was reeking
 
 THE WRESTLER OF PHILIPPL 
 
 27 
 
 and poisonous. Here starving curs wan- 
 dered in bands and fought for a seldom- 
 found bone; here women cooked over their 
 tiny braziers, and scolded their crying chil- 
 dren; here men sold and squabbled over 
 their small, unclean stocks of goods; here 
 they all ate and drank, dressed and slept, 
 lounged and worked, in the open street, or 
 on the flat roofs of the hovels they called 
 home. 
 
 A group of men of evil aspect and in the 
 ragged garb of traveling mendicants was 
 squatted in front of one of the vilest of 
 these hovels, busy at some game in which 
 dice were thrown and mites and quadrans 
 changed hands frequently, and with heads 
 close together in consultation at every pause 
 in the gaming. Whenever they stopped to 
 talk they ate of a sort of cake, made of a 
 hash of mixed ingredients highly spiced and 
 flavored, and drank largely from a common 
 gourd of fermented liquor, sour and sting- 
 ing in taste, but with strong intoxicating 
 properties. 
 
 " I tell you," said one, whose features 
 spoke of Roman descent, " she must go if 
 we have to carry her! She has been the 
 best speculation we ever handled, and if I 
 .Lad had any luck at play, and you had not 
 been so greedy, Alois, we could have called 
 ourselves rich by now." 
 
 "What aileth her, anyhow?" asked one of 
 the group, quickly, with intent to divert a 
 quarrel, for the " greedy Alois " had started 
 up with clenched fists; but he slowly 
 dropped to his place again, and leaned back 
 indolently as the Roman explained: 
 
 " Oh, she is feigning some ailment only. 
 Since that affair with those two would-be 
 priests, the other day, she has been as weak 
 as water, and as clear in her brain as you 
 are to our hurt!" 
 
 " She looks it rightly enough," put in an- 
 other, taking a long draught of the rank- 
 smelling liquor. 
 
 " Oh, she is always white as the snow up 
 on the range," returned the Roman, pointing 
 carelessly to the mountains beyond the city, 
 " but that is nothing. I wist she is sullen 
 only. She declares she can not prophesy 
 any more. She bewails her ' wickedness,' 
 the jade! and begs just to be let alone. She 
 ought to have a good beating, but" 
 
 He hesitated, and Alois, who wore a 
 Phoenician's headgear, added coolly: 
 
 " Peradventure that would end the busi- 
 ness. It would be poor policy, Flavius. 
 Better glut your temper some other way. 
 
 Your little plan did not seem to work very 
 well with the prophets, though!" and he 
 laughed tauntingly. 
 
 The two men glowered at each other, but 
 Alois grew more cheerful. He had. avenged 
 his partner's insulting epithet, and felt bet- 
 ter. Indeed, the two men never ceased to 
 snarl and bicker; yet while each feared and 
 hated the other, they were so bound by 
 mutual infamies and mutual distrust, that 
 they clung together the more closely the 
 greater their longing to pull asunder. It 
 was a vile and terrible bond, which indeed 
 had become a very chain of fret and tur- 
 moil, wearing into their sin-laden souls. 
 
 Flavius, once a seaman and more likely 
 than not of the galleys at any rate an off- 
 scouring of Rome was cruel, unscrupulous 
 and brazen, a coward at heart, though 
 capable of hardships almost incredible; 
 Alois, the Phoenician, his junior by many 
 years, w r as brave in action and had generous 
 instincts, but self-indulgence had buried 
 these better qualities till he was little more 
 than a glutton and wine-bibber, getting the 
 means to satisfy his appetite where and as 
 he could. Yet, beneath his bloated ex- 
 terior beat a heart which might even yet be 
 stirred to pity, if the brain were not too 
 stupefied to control it. 
 
 The helpless victim of these two wretches 
 now lay upon her mat on the roof of the 
 house, a bit of soiled tent-cloth stretched be- 
 tween her and the sun, which beat down hot 
 and relentless at this hour. Yet it was bet- 
 ter here than in the small furnace-like 
 rooms below, always close and odorous, for 
 an occasional breath of air touched her 
 white cheek and lifted the dark locks from 
 her burning brow. She was a young girl of 
 delicate form and features, but so pinched 
 with famine and worn with travel and ill- 
 usage that little beauty remained to her. 
 Yet her eyes, large, soft, and heavily shaded 
 by the black lashes, could never be less 
 than beautiful. 
 
 Presently a woman, deformed and hag- 
 like, came up the outer stair, and, stepping 
 to the side of the girl on the mat, bent over 
 her. The great dark eyes opened and looked 
 up with a troubled gaze. 
 
 " Well, Agistha," said the woman in a 
 high, cracked voice, " how do you feel 
 now?" 
 
 " No better," said the girl faintly, shut- 
 ting her eyes again, while her brows con- 
 tracted in a frown. " Why can't I be left 
 in peace?"
 
 28 
 
 THE WRESTLER OF PHI LI PPL 
 
 "'Peace'! She talks of peace!" cackled 
 the crone, apparently to the sky. " And that 
 when she has been lying here a stretch of 
 thirty-six hours, at least! But who is to 
 earn the mites while she is taking her peace, 
 I want to know?" 
 
 Agistha made an uneasy movement on 
 her hard bed. " I am too ill," she muttered. 
 " Oh, for rest, rest, rest!" 
 
 Tears began to ooze out beneath her white 
 eyelids and fall over her sunken cheeks, 
 while her lips, already lined by misery, 
 quivered like a child's. 
 
 The woman muttered something and 
 turned quickly away. She had had a 
 daughter years ago, she had a grand- 
 daughter now, and a mother cannot be quite 
 dead to feeling. She turned back, and with 
 a sudden, half-shamed movement caught up 
 her girdle and wiped Agistha's face with a 
 not ungentle touch. " There, rest!" she said. 
 " Sleep! I'll keep those wolves at bay. 
 Sleep, I tell you, and fear not." Then, be- 
 fore the dazed girl had fully caught her 
 meaning, she was slipping down the rotten 
 old steps, her face set and stern. 
 
 The men were still throwing dice outside 
 in the street, their voices raised and rapid 
 In their ceaseless quarreling. But the 
 woman only threw them a contemptuous 
 glance, and shrugged her shoulders as she 
 went about her work. 
 
 By and by Flavius peered in at the door 
 and called out: 
 
 " Say, Phryne, where lyeth the girl? Did 
 you arouse her, as I bade you, and tell her 
 to be ready for the evening hour when the 
 rich idlers gather at the forum, waiting to 
 be amused?" 
 
 " Oh, I told her yes." 
 
 ''You told her well, is she up? She must 
 have some food, I suppose, and by that 
 time" 
 
 The old woman looked at him, showing 
 two long fangs of teeth in a horrible smile. 
 " What a fool you are, Flavius!" she re- 
 marked in an abstracted fashion. " Know 
 you not the creature is dying? Why cannot 
 you let her go in peace?" 
 
 He started and stared at her. Alois, too, 
 set down his dice box and came forward, 
 while the other men glanced up from their 
 gambling to peer through the open door, 
 their throws suspended in air. 
 
 " Dying? Who says so? How do you 
 know?" shouted Flavius, hoarsely. 
 
 "Hush! I would not tell her of it were I 
 you though, Pluto knows, she must be glad 
 
 to go! Yes, she has one chance in twenty, 
 perhaps, to live." 
 
 "One chance! You're lying, witch!" 
 
 She chuckled. "That is a bit of foolish- 
 ness I lay no claim to lying just for the 
 sake of lying. I keep it for occasions when 
 it will serve. Usually it is quicker to tell 
 the truth. It is now. She is dying, unless 
 something I do not expect turns up to save 
 her. Go see for yourself, go ask the best 
 leech in Philippi, go consult any soothsayer 
 they will tell you the same. It is written 
 on her face it looks out of her eyes; but 
 there is alwaj*s a chance." 
 
 Flavius scowled fiercely, seeing his easy 
 gains about to desert him forever; for 
 though Agistha had not been able to 
 prophesy since the two strange men, whom 
 she had persisted in following to designate 
 them as " servants of God," had commanded 
 the evil spirit to come out of her, yet he had 
 fully expected the power would return as 
 soon as she was well enough for him to 
 once more subdue her by famine, fright, and 
 the force of his own will. Could it be that 
 death was to steal her from him, and leave 
 him bankrupt? 
 
 As he stood thus, filled with evil musings, 
 Alois asked with a touch of real concern in 
 his voice: 
 
 " But the one chance in twenty, Phryne; 
 what is that?" 
 
 She looked from Flavius to him. and 
 laughed maliciously. " What an interest 
 you have in her you two! Why should I 
 help keep her alive to make a living for you 
 two lazy louts? She does not care to get 
 well, I will warrant you." 
 
 " Do you not share our gains, you old imp 
 from Tartarus?" cried Flavius in a fury. 
 " Do we not buy your rotten fruit and 
 spoiled wine, you old cheat and usurer? Do 
 we not " 
 
 Phryne burst into a louder laugh, and 
 shook a long, bony finger in his face. 
 " Who asks you to buy my wares, you galley 
 slave? Take your trade elsewhere, if you 
 like there are plenty to buy and next 
 time you come whining around for credit. 
 just remember my fruits are rotten, will 
 you?" 
 
 She turned her back on him and spoke to 
 Alois. " Her one chance?" she repeated, as 
 calmly as if she had not just been screaming 
 at the top of her voice. "It is this that 
 she be left to sleep undisturbed till the moon 
 is full. That is all that will save her. She 
 is literally worn out."
 
 THE WRESTLER OF PHI LI PPL 
 
 29 
 
 "And it is but a crescent now!" cried 
 Alois. "What will we do meanwhile?" 
 
 "Work, you dogs!" said the woman in a 
 fierce tone, " and I will keep the girl. She 
 will not eat while her fever is on, and my 
 little Persis can sit by her at times." 
 
 " I will have a look at her myself!" said 
 the man suddenly, and stepped to the stair- 
 way. 
 
 Flavius instantly followed him. Nobody 
 could tell what plan this precious partner 
 might have in mind to defraud him. Per- 
 haps he and the old woman were in con- 
 spiracy together. 
 
 Alois reached the roof first. The sun was 
 setting and the low housetop, overhung by 
 higher walls beyond, was quite in shadow. 
 In his bare feet he stepped across the rough 
 flooring of dried sticks and mud, to the re- 
 clining figure on the mat under the tent- 
 cloth. She must be asleep, for she was very 
 still. He bent over her, gave a startled cry, 
 and touched her cheek then sprang back 
 and turned to see his partner close behind. 
 
 " She is dead already!" he said in an awe- 
 struck tone. "And look! See how she 
 smiles. She is glad to go, poor little thing! 
 Flavius, we have been hard with her." 
 
 He watched her with a softening expres- 
 sion for an instant, while the other man, 
 after one look, turned away with a curse. 
 
 " Peace!" said Alois. " She was a meek, 
 docile creature. I am glad' she can smile 
 now I thought she had forgotten how. 
 Why, she is really comely, Flavius!" 
 
 He looked around, to see his partner's 
 brows met in a black frown. 
 
 " She was worth a half-dozen denarii a 
 week!" he muttered, setting his teeth to- 
 gether with a curse. " That was beauty 
 enough for me. And it will cost at least 
 one to bury her. I thought the omens bad 
 enough when I heard those wretched priests 
 had got out of prison in such a strange way, 
 and in high feather, but this is worse! Cover 
 her face, Alois; she looks as if she was 
 laughing at us curse her!" and, turning 
 hastily away, he flung himself down the 
 stairway in the blackest of even his black 
 moods. 
 
 Alois lifted the end of the girl's ragged 
 girdle and laid it gently over the white face, 
 stopping another instant to place the hands 
 together on her breast. 
 
 " I wish we had been a bit kinder to you, 
 little one!" he muttered, then turned and 
 followed his partner, leaving the poor girlish 
 soothsayer to sleep in peace. 
 
 Burials were never long delayed, espe- 
 cially among the very poor, who had no 
 money for embalming cloths and spices. 
 That evening, not two hours later, Phryne 
 wrapped the child she was little more in 
 an old white chlamys made into a grave- 
 cloth and wound about over her chiton of 
 rouglily-wovon cotton, then with the help of 
 Alois, carried her below. 
 
 Flavius had left the house immediately, 
 and did not return for a day or two. A 
 rough bier was procured, and a few neigh- 
 bors gathered with torches. Some one had 
 secured a permit to allow of their going 
 without the walls to the place reserved for 
 the pauper dead, and amid a procession of 
 not more than half a dozen, four of whom 
 bore the light burden and two the blazing- 
 torches, Agistha was borne to her tomb. 
 Some one with a charitable heart slipped be- 
 tween her stiffened lips the obolus, or silver 
 bit of coin for the payment of Charon when 
 he should tow her over the Styx, and as 
 they set down the bier before the rude cave, 
 one sang a wailing chant in lieu of a flute. 
 The toryib was poor and shallow. As the 
 men rolled away the entrance stone, a cloud 
 of bats flew out and circled about the flar- 
 ing torches, startled by their smoky glare. 
 
 The men had just turned to take up the 
 bier, and stood to repeat an incantation be- 
 fore shoving it into the tomb as a baker 
 shoves a tin of loaves into his brick oven, 
 when there came an interruption. A band 
 of marauders, who lived in the fastnesses 
 of the mountains, had stolen down into the 
 plain just without the gates, in order to pick 
 up whatever spoil in the shape of stray 
 sheep, goats, or unprotected travelers they 
 might come across. Seeing the lonely little 
 funeral train, they, in pure wantonness, 
 came dashing down upon it, yelling in their 
 savage manner, and ripe for plunder. 
 
 As with one accord the bier was dropped, 
 the torches thrown down and extinguished, 
 and the frightened mourners who were in 
 no real sense mourners at all hastened to 
 hide amid the thickets close by, thence to 
 creep tremblingly back by varying routes. 
 Thus slinking and crawling between clumps 
 of weeds and outcropping rocks, they 
 gradually drew nearer the walls, until they 
 dared make a dash for the gates, leaving the 
 laughing raiders to ride away. 
 
 But the body of Agistha lay on the bier 
 out under the pale stars, in the dark shadow 
 of her tomb, unprotected by even its rude 
 stone from prowling beast or unclean bird.
 
 30 
 
 THE WEESTLEE OF PHILIPPL 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 SOME MEMORABLE MEETINGS. 
 
 IT had been a hot day, but the night was 
 cool, and by midnight the condensed 
 vapors fell in a brisk shower, sudden and 
 drenching, though brief. A small party of 
 travelers, hastening across country, made a 
 quick rush for the bluff off to their right, 
 hoping to find an empty cave among the 
 tombs therein, and at any rate a partial 
 shelter from the driving storm, amid its 
 rocks and bushes. 
 
 It had grown intensely dark, and as they 
 stumbled along, their footsteps and voices 
 drowned in the roar of the heavy rainfall, 
 one of the young men became separated 
 from the others and groped his way in an 
 opposite direction, as he followed the bend 
 of the cliff. Here he was glad to find that 
 by squeezing between two tall boulders, 
 fallen together in tent shape, he could secure 
 shelter. 
 
 As we have said, the storm was brief 
 though severe, and presently the driving 
 sheets of rain grew thin, as if torn into 
 strips, then fluttered into mere rags of 
 vapor, and finally cleared entirely away, as 
 though blown quite out of existence. 
 
 Almost immediately the moon broke forth, 
 bright as a golden crown still unjeweled. 
 Seeing the storm was entirely past, the 
 youth was about to crawl out from his 
 cramped quarters, when, with a thrill of 
 superstitious terror, he noted that just be- 
 yond him, quite close to the honeycombed 
 bluff, was a rude bier, and that the white- 
 enshrouded body upon it, which should have 
 lain motionless, was sitting up, eerie and 
 solemn against the moonlight. 
 
 As he watched it, awe-stricken and chilled 
 at the ghostly sight, he saw its head turn 
 slowly like a child's just wakened from 
 deep sleep, and then, still slowly, as if from 
 weakness or cumbering garments, it rose to 
 its feet, and looking in every direction, with 
 hastier and more confused motions, it broke 
 into a pitiful little cry: 
 
 " Oh, where am I? Help! help!" 
 
 The youth, being of better sense than some 
 of the superstitious multitude, saw at once 
 that the child (the voice sounded like a 
 child's) had not been dead, as supposed 
 when hastily borne to the tomb, and had 
 been roused by the stinging rain to full life 
 and consciousness, only to suffer an agony 
 of terror in that gruesome place. 
 
 He quickly answered the sharp, feeble 
 wail by the brisk words: "Do not be 
 frightened I am here. I will help you 
 wait!" For he knew that her feet must be 
 bound together with the grave-cloths, and 
 that if she should stumble in that rough 
 place, it might injure her seriously. 
 
 Still thinking her a mere child, he hurried 
 to the trembling figure, telling himself that 
 it looked so tall only because of the clinging 
 white garments and the moonlight at its 
 back, which set it out like a picture never 
 to be forgotten by the beholder. 
 
 " Wait!" he kept urging as he clambered 
 across the boulder-strewn space to her side. 
 
 And she answered: " Oh, who are you, 
 and where am I? Have I waked in Hades, 
 and are you sent from Pluto to bear me 
 into the Eternal Shades?" 
 
 " No! no!" cried the youth cheerily, yet 
 half shrinking from the spirit-like figure 
 too, "no, indeed! Do you not see the moon? 
 This is good old earth yet, and I am a 
 traveler who happened along just in time. 
 When did you die go to sleep like this? 
 Do you know?" 
 
 Agistha looked at the stranger wonder- 
 ingly, for the bright light, falling full upon 
 his face, made it quite plain to her. He 
 was ruddy and fair to look upon, like David 
 of old, and from his blue eyes beamed a 
 kindliness not so common but that Agistha 
 noted it at once. She watched him silently, 
 without attempting to answer a question 
 she had not yet fully comprehended, as he 
 loosed her feet and hands. Then a long 
 shiver went over her she was beginning to 
 remember. 
 
 " Where is this?" she whispered. " Are 
 Flavius and Alois near by? Did they do it 
 to punish me? Am I outside the city gates? 
 Where is Phryne oh! is this the place of 
 tombs?" 
 
 These rapid questions were poured forth 
 so eagerly that the youth really caught but 
 one name which was in any sort familiar. 
 
 " Phryne?" he repeated. " I know a 
 woman but then, it is a common name. 
 Yes, this is near the tombs. You have been 
 in a deep sleep that they took for death. 
 But no one else is here, and the city gates 
 are now locked for the night. Be patient, 
 however, and I will conduct you hence in 
 the dawning. Look! Already the moon is 
 near its setting, and it will soon be quite 
 dark. I have friends near by who will help 
 me care for you. Come!" 
 
 The girl looked at his outstretched hand a
 
 THE WRESTLES OF PHI LI PPL 
 
 31 
 
 minute, as if slow of comprehension or re- 
 luctant of friendliness. But soon she slipped 
 her own into it with a gesture of trust that 
 pleased the youth. 
 " It is a good child, but hardly a bright 
 
 " Thallus, is that you?" 
 
 An eager voice answered at once: " What, 
 Herklas? We were frightened about you. 
 We thought but whom have you there?" 
 
 " It is a child, brought here while still 
 
 He quickly answered the sharp, feeble wail by the brisk words, "Don't be 
 frightened I am here. 1 will help you." See page 30. 
 
 one," he thought, as he led her carefully 
 amid the roughnesses. He refrained from 
 calling aloud for his friends, however, as he 
 had no desire to attract the notice of lurking 
 thieves, or animals. 
 
 Presently, as they stumbled along in the 
 dimming light, he saw a body moving be- 
 yond him in the thicket and, after a sharp 
 look, ventured to call out restrainedly: 
 
 alive, for burial, and left, for some reason, 
 outside on her bier. A fortunate thing for 
 her, too, as the rain evidently revived her." 
 " Dreadful! This smacks of crime. How 
 she shivers, poor thing! She must be wet to 
 the bone, and frightened into the bargain. 
 Come, we have found a dry and empty 
 cavern. The others are kindling a fire, and 
 we will have something warming before we
 
 32 
 
 THE WRESTLER OF PHILIP PL 
 
 go farther. Let the child come in and dry 
 herself." 
 
 Still clinging closely to the hand of 
 Herklas, Agistha was led into the cavern, 
 and as they stooped to enter the low door- 
 way a bright tongue of flame shot up 
 against its inner concave wall. Some one 
 glanced up from blowing ft, to ask: 
 
 "Did you find him, Thallus? Ah!" He 
 looked hard at Agistha, while the two other 
 men who were crouched near by, talking in 
 low tones together, stopped and turned to 
 gaze. 
 
 In a low tone Thallus explained, and at 
 once the other three became gentle and at- 
 tentive in manner. They made room for the 
 girl close by the fire, and one laid his abba 
 on the rough stone floor for her to sit upon, 
 while another wrapped his, freshly warmed, 
 around her shoulders. 
 
 All this was so unusual that Agistha was 
 speechless from sheer astonishment. When, 
 presently, they passed her plain hot food 
 and drink, she took it in silence, eating and 
 drinking ravenously, but speaking never a 
 word of thanks or acknowledgment. 
 
 She felt that she must, somehow, have got 
 into another world, or country, even if she 
 Lad not died. She noticed that, before the 
 others ate, one spread his hands above the 
 food and begged of God to bless it. He did 
 not speak the name of one of the Penates, 
 either, but seemed to address some great 
 and glorious Being for whom his heart was 
 filled with love. Agistha gazed and won- 
 dered, but she felt strangely weak and 
 sharply hungry, so she attended closely to 
 her meal. She was on the lookout, how- 
 ever, for what might come next, and mar- 
 veled to see that these men neither quar- 
 reled nor threw dice, but only talked in gen- 
 tle tones of some dear and lost Companion 
 whom they seemed to think God-like in all 
 his attributes. 
 
 Enjoying it all with a restful sense of 
 safety and comfort, basking in the warmth 
 of the firelight, and feeling without knowing 
 it the first effects of that broad. Heaven- 
 born love-light which was to flood the world 
 in beauty, she soon fell asleep once more 
 and "rested" poor, weary maiden! as she 
 had not for years. 
 
 It was indeed a haven for the little slave 
 girl. Three of those with whom she found 
 herself were Christian Jews from the 
 mother church at Jerusalem: the fourth and 
 youngest was, as we have seen. Herklas, the 
 lost brother of Salome and Hector. The 
 
 reasons for his continued disappearance 
 were as follows: 
 
 One day the old worker in metals, Vitellis, 
 to whom he was apprenticed, sent the boy 
 to Neapolis to inquire for a consignment of 
 gold, which he had ordered shipped from 
 the island of Thasos some time before, and 
 over the delay of which he was growing 
 thoroughly uneasy. 
 
 Herklas had no time to let the home 
 friends know of this jaunt, but thinking he 
 would of course be back by evening, he set 
 off briskly on foot for the seaport, between 
 eight and ten miles away. The well-built 
 Roman road, leading to Neapolis. first 
 crossed a plain thickly traversed with rivu- 
 lets and larger streams, and famous as the 
 battle-ground where Antony and Octavius 
 defeated Brutus and Cassius, after which 
 the two latter, despairing of restoring 
 " honor to Rome," both committed suicide. 
 Beyond this, Herklas came to a ridge of 
 highlands from which fine views of city and 
 coast broke upon his view. But to-day he 
 was thinking neither of the historic battle 
 plain, nor of beautiful scenery, as he 
 trudged lightly along, whistling in boyish 
 fashion. He w r as reflecting, as he often did, 
 that this might be a much brighter and bet- 
 ter world if only a few things were differ- 
 ent. He looked about on the green and 
 beautiful country, then up at the blue sky, 
 and mused: 
 
 " It would not need any prettier world 
 than this to make an Aideii, if we who live 
 in it were different. There are days when I 
 feel like being kind and helpful to everyone, 
 and then everything about me looks fairly 
 radiant; even my master unbends and 
 ceases to growl at me. Then there are other 
 days oh, how they drag! I feel dissatisfied 
 with everything. My work all goes wrong, 
 my graving tools slip and work mischief, I 
 feel almost like murdering old Vitellis, and 
 will not even praise the nice dish Salome 
 has helped prepare for my supper! Yet 
 everything is just the same as it was the 
 day before, only I am different. So it is 
 plain enough to see that when I feel right 
 all is right. I must consult the oracle about 
 that and see if there is nothing no charm 
 or talisman I can use to keep me feeling so. 
 But alas!" he ceased whistling, to sigh, 
 " those oracles are so vague I cannot half 
 the time make out just what they mean. 
 They tell me to ask the gods, and so I de- 
 but there are so many! I sometimes think 
 I have never really hit upon my special
 
 THE WRESTLER OF PHILIPPI. 
 
 33 
 
 patron, because they do not seem to hear 
 when I call. I suppose, if I had gone into 
 the priesthood, as I once thought of doing, 
 I should know more about all these things, 
 but they do puzzle me now." 
 
 He reached Neapolis some time before 
 noon, and found that the galley which was 
 to bring the gold had been detained off 
 Samothracia by a pestilence that had 
 broken out among the slaves at the oars, 
 and had just been permitted to enter the bay 
 and discharge its freight by means of light- 
 ers, this very morning. So, until the small 
 barges had accomplished their work of un- 
 loading, he had nothing to do but lounge 
 about, and secure a porter to help him carry 
 the gold and protect it, in its conveyance to 
 Philippi. 
 
 For a long time he stood on the high 
 promontory overlooking the sea, and 
 watched the busy harbor a brilliant sight 
 to see on a fair summer's morning. But, at 
 last, hunger called him back into the town, 
 and he was soon munching his bread and 
 fruit at an open booth, on the lookout for a 
 certain Nubian porter whom he knew. 
 
 He had not long to wait before the tall, 
 massively-built fellow came down the 
 street, his white turban towering above all 
 those he met, his good-natured face like an 
 ebony carving below it. 
 
 " Salve! Welcome!" cried the boy, run- 
 ning to meet him. " Come, Aram, I have 
 business for you. and we can get about it 
 soon now, I think." 
 
 " 'Tis well," said the black slave, showing 
 a set of perfect teeth in his broad smile. 
 " It has been a dull time, Master Herklas, 
 and I am glad to earn a stater. What will 
 there be to carry?" 
 
 " Gold in the nugget," said the boy. 
 
 " Ha! Then let us hasten, that we may 
 have full daylight for the journey, for they 
 say the mountain brigands have been out 
 in force lately, and I want no meetings with 
 them." 
 
 " Well, come on then," said Herklas care- 
 lessly. " We will see if the freight is all 
 in by this time. As for the brigands, if they 
 know anything they will keep in the shade, 
 for there is a fresh troop of guards at our 
 Castle, just brought by some Roman gen- 
 eral, and they will give sharp chase to those 
 marauders some day." 
 
 Still talking, they returned to the pier, 
 where, after an hour or two of delay, they 
 were enabled to secure the gold and start 
 out for Philippi, with the treasure well hid- 
 
 den in their loose girdles, beneath which 
 they also carried dirks of tempered edge. 
 
 It was late afternoon when they left the 
 seaport town. As usual, at that hour, the 
 broad Roman highway close to the city 
 gates was well filled. Merchant traders 
 carrying their goods up into the interior, or 
 agriculturists bringing their products for 
 shipment to south and west; soldiers who 
 had been on a furlough of a day, hastening 
 back to the fort before evening roll call; 
 pagan priests in perpetual journeyings to 
 and fro, looking well after their offerings; 
 workmen seeking employment; pleasure par- 
 ties; and always the ragged, filthy, traveling 
 mendicants, begging or stealing their way. 
 
 As they trudged along over the rising 
 ground, Herklas fell into conversation with 
 two other young men whose looks pleased 
 him. They were from Jerusalem, and talked 
 intelligently of their magnificent home city, 
 while Herklas listened with open ears, 
 being a youth who was glad to pick up in- 
 formation whenever and wherever he could. 
 He soon found they were of the sect called 
 of late, for brevity's sake, " Christians," the 
 name having been first used at Autioch, 
 whence it rapidly spread in all directions. 
 He had heard such distorted accounts of 
 them hitherto, that he was surprised to find 
 these men exceptionally courteous, well-in- 
 formed, and friendly, and he began to ask 
 some questions concerning their faith. 
 
 He soon learned they were of the number 
 who had been " scattered abroad upon the 
 persecutions that arose about Stephen," and 
 who, after Barnabas had taken charge of 
 the growing church in Antioch, determined 
 to press on farther, carrying wares to sell 
 through the upper country, and telling the 
 glad tidings as opportunity offered by the 
 way. They were not Apostles, nor ordained 
 Evangelists, like their more learned breth- 
 ren soon to arrive at this port, but humble 
 followers of their beloved Christ, who could 
 find no happier task than telling the story 
 of the Cross to any who would listen. 
 
 Herklas heard it this day, as they kept 
 pace together, their long shadows stretch- 
 ing at their sides where they kept the 
 northerly direction, with the fresh sea 
 breeze at their backs, while they crossed the 
 ridge and entered the famed battle-field of 
 nearly a century before, rich in its running 
 streams. He listened and his boyish heart 
 received an impression such as had never 
 reached it before. 
 
 To think that God should take upon Him-
 
 34 
 
 THE WEESTLEE OF PHILIPPI. 
 
 self the form of man! And for what? To 
 prove He could feel for the poorest, the 
 humblest, the most sinful! for did not these 
 men say that Jesus confessed to being 
 " tempted like as we are " ? To show us 
 there is no glory like that of giving, no 
 power like that of loving; to save us not 
 from the wrath of gods like Vulcan or Pluto, 
 but from our own wretched, torturing 
 selves! To bear our burdens, to heal our 
 infirmities, to understand our sore trials and 
 temptations. 
 
 " Why, we need not fear such a God as 
 that! We yes, we could be real friends 
 with Him, even!" cried Herklas suddenly, 
 in a tone of wondering awe. 
 
 The young men smiled, and one whom his 
 companion called Amasa, said gently: 
 
 " ' Henceforth I call you not servants; I 
 have called you friends.' " 
 
 "Who said that?" asked Herklas quickly. 
 
 " Christ, our Lord," was the reverent an- 
 swer. 
 
 To some, belief comes slowly and pain- 
 fully, born of the throes of doubt and diffi- 
 culty; to some in despair and shrinking, 
 with Fear whipping the reason into sub- 
 jection; to some instantly, fully, and with 
 joy, like the sunburst through a gray cloud. 
 In this way it came to Herklas. He had 
 long questioned of his own gods, his heart 
 hungry after truth, and now he threw his 
 soul wide to the welcome Light, and cried: 
 
 "Oh, may I be His friend? May I love 
 Him, walk with Him; help Him do for men 
 as He did when here in the body? May I, 
 Amasa?" 
 
 The young man turned and looked into the 
 enraptured face of the youthful questioner, 
 glowing in the pink glory of the sunset 
 radiance. The thought thrilled through him 
 that here was one who had not come, like 
 so many, dragged by pains and infirmities, 
 but rather bringing treasures of youth, 
 hope, work, and life to offer. The boy must 
 fully know what he was doing, so Amasa 
 slowly, gravely, told him what would be ex- 
 pected of Christ's friends that they must 
 even drink the cup that He drank of the 
 cup of sacrifice, loneliness, poverty not only, 
 but of persecution and possibly death itself. 
 Was he ready? " Could you endure all these 
 for the sake of the Christ?" asked the man 
 in a deep voice. " Remember He said, 
 Himself, ' He that loveth father or mother, 
 brother or sister, more than me, is not 
 worthy of me.' And again, ' He that taketh 
 not up his cross and followeth after me, is 
 
 not worthy of me.' Can you forsake all- 
 business opportunities, pleasures, family, 
 home, and perhaps life, for Christ?" 
 
 Herklas did not answer at first. Truly 
 these considerations were weighty with a 
 lad happily surrounded, well loved, and with 
 brightest prospects for the future. Gravely 
 he paced along with his now silent compan- 
 ions, the Nubian toiling after, well loaded 
 with the gold, and some rich stuffs from 
 Damascus, consigned to a Philippian mer- 
 chant. 
 
 But the love that had so suddenly sprung 
 into life within the boy's soul was no feeble 
 plant, to die with the first breath of cold 
 air. He felt it grow stronger, surer, more 
 steady, and pure, with every step he took. 
 They were now on the plain, and here 
 Herklas met the tide in his affairs for time 
 and eternity which would lead to God. 
 
 He turned presently, stopping in his walk, 
 and the others stopped also, listening for 
 what he might say. His ruddy cheek had 
 paled a little, but in his eyes shone a clear 
 and steady light. 
 
 " I am young," he said, " and not very 
 bold, nor strong, but " he drew in a long 
 breath " for such a Friend I can risk all. 
 Yes, I accept the work. I will be His!" 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 HERKLAS AND HIS COMPANIONS. 
 
 THE little company had lingered as they 
 talked, and the Nubian was growing 
 impatient. 
 
 " I want to get by the place of tombs be- 
 fore darkness falls," he said, " for that is a 
 favorite lurking-ground for these hill folk, 
 and we are but a small party, Master Herk- 
 las." 
 
 " We are stronger than you think for, 
 Aram," was the boy's significant answer to 
 this low-spoken warning. 
 
 " Yes, with these two but will they 
 fight?" asked the practical Nubian. 
 
 Herklas smiled. " I was not thinking of 
 them," he said, " but I believe they would 
 help us defend life and property, surely." 
 
 Even as he spoke the silent Jew, whom 
 they called Thallus, suddenly raised a hand. 
 
 "Listen!" he said; and responsive to his 
 gesture, each one stopped and stood intent 
 and watchful. "You hear it?" he asked in 
 a quick, low tone, " the thud of horses' feet
 
 THE WRESTLER OF PHI LI PPL 
 
 35 
 
 on a run? It is no caravan train. Come into 
 this clump of willows and wait." 
 
 He led them down the sloping bank of the 
 stream they were still following, into the 
 little thicket of half-grown trees, all yellow- 
 green in their spring livery, which had not 
 as yet deepened into summer's hue. They 
 had scarcely entered its soft twilight shade 
 when the thunder of hoofs grew louder, and 
 in another instant a swarthy band, armed 
 with lance and spear, went dashing by on 
 the run. They looked neither to the right 
 nor left, but were making straight for the 
 highlands, where, protected by the ridge, 
 they could work their way in roundabout 
 fashion to their home caverns in the moun- 
 tains. 
 
 Their faces were stern and set, but among 
 them Herklas saw one that made him shud- 
 der, for he was a captive and young. His 
 long hair swept back from a face gray as 
 ashes, and his teeth glittered between lips 
 tense and parted. He was bound to his 
 horse, which was led by a fierce-looking 
 brigand, and he swayed to and fro in the 
 saddle, rigid as a corpse, held only by the 
 thongs, for pain and fright seemed to have 
 bereft him of his senses. 
 
 It was but a glimpse and they were gone! 
 
 "They are pursued!" whispered Thallus, 
 as soon as the fleeing riders had been swal- 
 lowed up in the twilight shadows; "but let 
 us keep still until we see what it all means." 
 
 A moment later came a second troupe, all 
 agleam with bronze and steel, as could still 
 be noted in the fading light evidently a 
 portion of the Roman guard from the 
 Castle. They too had been pressing straight 
 forward, but just here made a detour to the 
 right, across plain and intersecting streams, 
 evidently with the intention of cutting off 
 the robber band at some opening in the 
 hills, as it was manifestly impossible to 
 overtake the daring riders on level ground. 
 
 When both troupes had disappeared in a 
 cloud of dust, our four travelers emerged 
 from their retreat and proceeded in security, 
 but not a quarter of a mile beyond they 
 came upon a scene which made even the 
 Nubian cry: 
 
 "Well for us we were detained!" 
 
 A small party, like themselves, had evi- 
 dently been lately plundered. The ground 
 was strewn with fragments of their mer- 
 chandise, and the proofs of a fierce struggle 
 were many. No doubt some of this company 
 had escaped to rouse the garrison, but one, 
 at least, had been taken, and their goods de- 
 
 stroyed, or plundered. It was certain now, 
 however, that all danger was over for that 
 night, and our friends soon entered the wel- 
 come gates of rhilippi, without further ad- 
 venture. 
 
 Here Herklas dismissed the Nubian, pay- 
 ing his price, and bade his new friends a 
 brief good-by, for he felt that before joining 
 his fortunes with theirs, he must report to 
 his master, Vitellis, deliver the gold, and in- 
 form him of his intention* to leave his ser- 
 vice. This, somewhat to the boy's surprise, 
 proved a rather difficult task, for Vitellis, 
 who was old and deliberate, could not seem 
 at once to comprehend, and was very loth to 
 let him go. Herklas had not supposed he 
 would care for the goldsmith had often cen- 
 sured, but seldom praised his work and 
 was now both gratified and troubled to see 
 that he really clung to his late apprentice. 
 
 "What would you?" he cried sharply, as 
 he eyed the youth with an astonished gaze. 
 " You have your holidays, one suit a year, 
 and your wage, do you not? You are not 
 bound to me by law, so I never beat you; 
 and at the meal you eat with my family are 
 you not one with them? Do you think your- 
 self called and chosen of the gods, that you 
 give this up so easily?" 
 
 The eyes of Herklas lit up at this expres- 
 sion. It was common enough, to be sure, 
 but it meant a great deal to him this day. 
 
 " Yes," he said gravely, " I am called of 
 God." 
 
 Vitellis started. "Would you be a priest? 
 'Tis foolish!" The old man spoke with 
 warmth. " You have no learning no money. 
 You would be but a mendicant, footsore, 
 weary, and homeless. It is not a comfort- 
 able lot, and there are many. Let those go 
 who will not work. Good tradesmen are al- 
 ways needed to keep their scrips supplied. 
 I never refuse my offering to the wandering 
 priests, but I I do not envy them." 
 
 Herklas shook his head. " You do not un- 
 derstand me, master. I shall be no priest. 
 I am going with honest traders, and I too 
 shall work as they do; but I have a message 
 to take a message for Jesus the Christ." 
 
 He brought out the name boldly, and his 
 master fairly jumped. 
 
 "For Christus? For that sorcerer of 
 Jerusalem, who was crucified with thieves? 
 Are you mad? Know you not our great 
 Claudiup Caesar has a horror of these new 
 sects and their pretensions? Do you court 
 imprisonment, torture perhaps death, my
 
 36 
 
 THE WRESTLER OF PHI LI PPL 
 
 Herklas felt he was making his first stand 
 in the new life. " I do not court them no, 
 master but if they come I shall be ready. I 
 love Christ. He lived for me He died for 
 me. I wish to follow the example He set, 
 and give all in return; for in giving all, do 1 
 not receive all? Let me go, master, with 
 your blessing." 
 
 The old man gazed at him. He was no 
 enthusiast in his pagan belief. He was a 
 hard-headed busftess man, not given to fine 
 words or deep thoughts, but with a simple 
 creed of minding his own affairs and letting 
 the rest of the world mind theirs. It never 
 occurred to him that these might be in one 
 sense his affairs, also. Such an idea as re- 
 signing his shop, his home, his daily round 
 of narrow duties and pleasures, for the mere 
 purpose of winning people to better ways of 
 thinking and living, could never occur to 
 him. But in the face of this young proselyte 
 he saw something that awed him and kept 
 back the ironical laughter which Herklas 
 had expected to hear. 
 
 "Well, well!" he muttered at last, "the 
 world progresses! If, at your age, I had 
 had your chance, not all the religions on 
 earth could have drawn me away. But you 
 are different." 
 
 " Good-by, then," said Herklas gently, 
 making a salaam full of reverent affection. 
 
 " Farewell," said the old man gravely. 
 Then raising his hands above the bowed 
 head, he murmured: 
 
 "The gods your God counsel you, boy!" 
 and turning abruptly, walked away into his 
 own apartments behind the smithy, leaving 
 Herklas free to depart forever. 
 
 Fi'om thence the boy expected to go 
 directly home, but as he sped through a 
 narrow street near by, he met Thai! us and 
 Amasa again, also hurrying along, with 
 anxiety upon their faces. 
 
 "Ah, here he is!" cried the latter, adding 
 quickly and joyfully, "Well met, Herklas! 
 We must depart at once for Amphipolis, we 
 find, and we were about seeking you to ask 
 if you would join us." 
 
 " Now this minute?" cried Herklas. " I 
 hare not told my brother and sister yet." 
 
 " It must be now," said Amasa; " the mer- 
 chant train is ready to start, and we must 
 ti'avel with it this night for safety." 
 
 " But" began the boy again, when 
 Thallus sternly interrupted: 
 
 " Jesus said, ' No man, having put his 
 hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit 
 for the kingdom of God.' " 
 
 Herklas bowed to the rebuke. " I go," he 
 said briefly; " lead on." And after a mo- 
 ment he added, " I have neither a change of 
 raiment, nor have I money." 
 
 " Fear not," said Amasa, in his bright way; 
 " we Christians always share with each 
 other. ' The earth is the Lord's, and the 
 fullness thereof.' Will He not see that your 
 body is cared for, when your heart and life 
 are given to Him? Come with us and fear 
 nothing." 
 
 So Herklas went, consoling himself with 
 the thought that Hector would inquire for 
 him of Vitellis, who would let his brother 
 know that he was alive and well, at least. 
 
 " And Amphipolis is only thirty miles 
 away," he murmured. " I shall soon re- 
 turn." 
 
 But it was over a fortnight that Herklas 
 spent wandering along that populous sea- 
 coast with his new friends, the trio being 
 soon joined by a fourth, a Syrian named 
 Cyrus, who was as unlike Thallus and 
 Amasa as they were unlike each other. 
 
 He was between them in age, small, keen, 
 brave, and ardent, yet with a vein of 
 shrewdness which made him resent impos- 
 ture, or oppression. He had been slow to 
 believe, but having given himself, the sur- 
 render was complete; even Herklas had no 
 greater zeal. Yet in many ways the lad far 
 surpassed his companions. He had an inde- 
 finable charm of manner, which, added to a 
 face and figure such as even the usual 
 Greek famed the world over for perfection 
 of form might envy, gave him a subtle 
 power to attract and win friends. Then he 
 was a natural orator. All untrained though 
 he was, the street crowds listened eagerly to 
 his every word, and the slow, stern Thallus 
 and plain, good-natured Amasa even the 
 keen, witty Cyrus watched with wonder his 
 compelling power and resistless energy. 
 
 But while recognizing this, they felt no 
 envy. Each gave his all to Christ. If his 
 endowments were not so great as another's, 
 that was not for him to worry over. God 
 had created him as he was for some wise 
 purpose, and if he could not do one thing, 
 he could another. W T hen one's life becomes 
 in its possessor's eyes but a part of a great 
 plan, conceived by Wisdom far surpassing 
 his own, such trifles as envy, disappointed 
 ambition, and failing powers are as nothing. 
 
 The time slipped by quickly enough to the 
 youth more so than to his friends at home, 
 who could get little information out of the 
 taciturn old Vitellis, except that Herklas
 
 THE WRESTLER OF PHI LIP PI. 
 
 37 
 
 had left his service, and was well when he 
 did so, always ending his gruff answers to 
 anxious questions by the words, which they 
 could not rightly understand at that time: 
 " Ask the Christians not me. Perhaps they 
 have bewitched him!" after which he would 
 turn back to his work, and refuse to speak 
 further. 
 
 Amid a roving people, in an equable cli- 
 mate, where private correspondence is al- 
 most unknown, family bonds are readily 
 made and easily broken. The poor have lit- 
 tle to anchor them, and when work fails in 
 one locality, it is no trouble to drift to an- 
 other. Herklas had often been sent up- 
 country for days at a time, and he had no 
 thought that his dear onos would feel 
 anxious; nor did they until Salome conceived 
 the idea of his being bewitched, as we have 
 seen. Still, the affectionate boy was glad 
 when word was passed to return to Neapolis 
 for a time, in order to meet Paul and Silas 
 there, and he took the occasion to hurry 
 away at the break of dawn to his own be- 
 loved Philippi, bounding with light steps over 
 the few intervening miles, because he was 
 once again to see his dear Salome and brave 
 Hector, and beg their sanction of his new 
 plans. But it was while Salome lay ill and 
 poor Hector was in prison that he thus 
 hastily returned and could find no one to tell 
 him a word of either, though little Nadab, 
 had he but spoken, might have enlightened 
 him concerning his sister, at least. 
 
 For the few hours he had to spare he wan- 
 dered about, vainly seeking them, to leave 
 word with a neighbor, finally, as to his own 
 whereabouts before he returned to his new 
 friends. This neighbor, however, had also 
 left the city when Salome was seeking her 
 brothers, and so it was that a series of petty 
 accidents, apparently, kept the three apart. 
 
 Herklas and his companions were in the 
 surrounding country several days, and it 
 was as they were returning to Neapolis, 
 after a short tour amid the farmers of the 
 foothills, that they w r ere overtaken by the 
 storm and sought shelter in the cave, just 
 in time for Herklas to come to poor, shiver- 
 ing, scared Agistha's aid. 
 
 When, the next morning, the girl awoke 
 from her sound, sweet sleep it was to find 
 herself alone, with the bright sunlight shin- 
 ing into the low opening of the cave. She 
 sat up and looked about her in the strange 
 daze that one feels on awakening in an un- 
 accustomed spot. But slowly memory re- 
 
 turned, and bit by bit she recalled the chain 
 of incidents which had terminated in this 
 cavern. 
 
 It seemed to her as if for years she had 
 been wandering in a sort of evil dream, 
 in which impure influences made her say 
 and do things she neither desired nor under- 
 stood. She felt she had been sadly abused, 
 and that always worse when she tried to re- 
 sist the influence and be her better self. 
 When her masters told her she was losing 
 her power, they beat and starved her until 
 the strange trances enwrapped her again 
 and she was ready to shout her crazy utter- 
 ances as they desired. It had been a dread- 
 ful time! All the more dreadful because 
 away back ages, it seemed to her, she 
 could vaguely remember such different 
 things a garden, a cool court with a fount- 
 ain, and a little child was it herself ? play- 
 ing happily about its marble basin. 
 
 No, that part must be either a dream or 
 something she had once seen in those weari- 
 some journeys they were always taking from 
 place to place. How wretched they were! 
 
 But worse than all, was that trouble in her 
 head; those long, dazed spaces when she was 
 not herself, but some one else, yet when by 
 snatches she realized that everything was 
 wrong. Before she could right herself, how- 
 ever, she would again lose the thread she 
 had barely caught, and sink off into chaos 
 once more. Now, for the first time her head 
 was clear and cool, and had been growing 
 so for many hours; in fact, ever since the 
 day she could not place the date when, as 
 she was ranting at the top of her voice, two 
 men had passed by on the street, and she 
 had seen them in a flash of sense and reason 
 and been impelled to cry out: "These men 
 are the servants of the Most High God." 
 
 She had thus followed them more than 
 once until was it yesterday, or the day be- 
 fore, or a week ago? one had turned, and 
 in a stern voice commanded the evil spirit 
 to come out of her. She only knew that 
 something seemed to snap and rend in her 
 brain, after which she had, as it were, 
 awakened, her head and sight clear, her un- 
 derstanding bright, while a great loathing of 
 her former state took possession of her. 
 From that minute she could not " prophesy," 
 no matter how her masters might coax, or 
 scold. Her understanding was too clear, 
 she saw realities too plainly for visions or 
 lunacies, and they were left to lament her 
 lost power. But she was like a new crea- 
 ture, though weary oh, weary unto death, it
 
 38 
 
 THE WRESTLER OF PHILIP PL 
 
 seemed! "Rest I must have," was all she 
 could say. " Rest!" And she had sought 
 the roof of their miserable lodging-house to 
 lie down and sleep, too ill to mind threats 
 or kicks, in that utter exhaustion of body 
 and spirit. 
 
 She could remember no more until that 
 dreary awakening on the bier, in the moon- 
 light. He fatigue must have thrown her 
 into a sleep so near like death that no one 
 could tell the difference, and what had it 
 brought her to? 
 
 She looked around again, and her eyes, 
 accustomed now to the dim light, saw there 
 was food close at her side, spread neatly on 
 a bit of scrip-cloth. She partook with relish 
 of the wafer-like bread, dried fish, and fruit, 
 and felt the better for the meal, which was 
 abundant and satisfying. " But," thought 
 she, gaining courage with strength, " I am 
 thirsty now. I will go outside and see if 
 water can be found near by; learn too, if 
 possible, where I am and what next I must 
 do. One thing I will not return to my 
 wicked masters if I can help it, for some 
 great Spirit stronger than the Python, even, 
 has broken their evil dominion over me, and 
 given me clear sight and sense again." 
 
 She rose, crawled to the cave opening, and 
 looked timidly around. It was a glorious 
 morning, and the blue sky was scarcely 
 broken by a cloud. Directly before her lay 
 a plain, stretching away into gently rising 
 ground at her right. At her left were the 
 city walls, no long distance off, rising 
 sturdily against the soft background of an 
 undulating range of mountains, and clos6 
 about her was a rough bit of ground, bushy 
 and boulder-strewn, leveled from the cliff- 
 like hill in which these tombs and caves 
 were excavated. 
 
 A little spring issued from the hillside near 
 by, and trickled away in a tiny rill into a 
 larger stream crossing the plain. But no 
 person was near. Even the highway built 
 by Rome, which gleamed white in the near 
 distance, was quite deserted at this minute. 
 She was all alone. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 AT THERMAE AND CASTLE. 
 
 WHEN Hector found himself free once 
 more he could have leaped for joy, 
 though his limbs were stiff from 
 long confinement, and sore from the rusty 
 
 fetters. As he drew in long breaths of the 
 outer air and blinked his half -blinded eyes in 
 the glorious sunshine, his heart bounded in 
 gratitude, and half involuntarily he said to 
 himself, as he looked upward: 
 
 " For this I could thank the great God 
 who loosed my fetters and those of the two 
 men of Christ, last night. I could even 
 thank the Christ who seems to be their 
 Friend. He must be greater than our gods, 
 and certainly He is nearer and dearer to 
 their hearts than any go'd has been to mine." 
 
 Hector walked away from the busy forum 
 full of these thoughts, his feet making 
 straight for home, where, ever since his talk 
 with the young lord in the prison, he had 
 fondly hoped to find Salome. But when he 
 reached the tiny house within the wall he 
 found it empty and chill. Salome was not 
 there. Upon investigation, however, he 
 found that her clothing was gone, which was 
 proof positive that she had been back since 
 that dreadful night, unless a surmise oc- 
 curred to him which darkened his face again 
 unless Persis, the slave girl, had taken the 
 garments and fled. If so, that young 
 patrician had not been right about Salome's 
 escape, after all. And indeed how should he 
 be so certain? Could he know everything 
 that went on inside those garrisoned walls? 
 Of course not! 
 
 There seemed but one thing left him, and 
 that was to go, as directed, to the Castle, 
 show his signet ring, and see what good or 
 ill fortune awaited him there. But before 
 doing that, he must remove the marks of 
 the dungeon; he must visit the baths and 
 provide himself with fresh raiment. 
 
 He found his own clothing undisturbed, 
 and, selecting his best sleeveless undervest, 
 the loin cloth, toga, and buskins, which 
 formed the street attire of one of his station, 
 he betook himself to a great building adjoin- 
 ing the forum, in which were the public 
 baths of Philippi. These were under the 
 same roof with the gymnasium in which 
 Hector was a pupil, and he therefore had the 
 privilege of private baths, with an attend- 
 ant free, while ordinarily the poorer classes 
 must content themselves with the great 
 swimming pool, or natatorium, and depend 
 upon their own exertions for the showerings, 
 rubbings, and scrapings, which accom- 
 panied, or followed, the immersion. Even 
 the smaller towns boasted fine baths, and 
 that at Philippi was modeled upon those at 
 Rome, though far smaller, less pretentious, 
 and freer from ornamentation.
 
 THE WRESTLER OF PHI LI PPL 
 
 39 
 
 As Hector reached the large stone struc- 
 ture he entered first an open court, fitted 
 with long stone benches at either side, which 
 were shaded from the hot sun by a portico 
 supported on Doric columns. Here were 
 always groups of men lounging and gossip- 
 ing as they awaited their turn to enter the 
 thermae. Hector recognized several of them, 
 this morning, but feeling ashamed to be 
 seen in his present woeful condition, he hur- 
 ried by with bent head through a vestibule 
 and short corridor, into a small room beyond, 
 called the frigidarium. Here pegs in the 
 wall offered a convenient place for hanging 
 one's garments, but as it was only for the 
 use of those going into the natatorium, or 
 large common bath, Hector hurried through 
 into an apartment close by, serving the same 
 purpose for a private bather who wished the 
 hot tank, with an attendant's service, for 
 which a small fee was demanded. 
 
 Here a young page was in charge who. 
 after saluting Hector with a wondering look, 
 hurried off at once to summon the attendant 
 he knew was desired, for the gymnavSt being 
 an almost daily frequenter of the baths, the 
 boy needed no directions in his service. 
 
 Hector hurriedly disrobed, kicking his 
 stained and ill-smelling garments into a cor- 
 ner for the boy to burn, then passed into the 
 next apartment. Soon his attendant ap- 
 peared, smiling and ready. He wore nothing 
 but a breech-cloth, and over his arm hung 
 the great rough towels used by all bathers. 
 
 "Ah, Hermes!" said Hector pleasantly, 
 " hurry with your ointments, for I am stiff 
 and sore." 
 
 "Indeed!" cried the other briskly, begin- 
 ning to set out a row of tiny phials, pots, 
 and pestles, with thin, crescent-shaped 
 articles of shell, upon the marble slab jut- 
 ting from the wall. "Indeed! Been wrest- 
 ling again, have you? I hope you were not 
 thro hah! What's this?" 
 
 He looked up keenly. Those red welts on 
 wrists and ankles never came from wrest- 
 ling. 
 
 Hector flushed warmly. "Be gentle, boy! 
 Your lightest touch is painful. I see you 
 understand. Yes, I have been in prison." 
 
 "But why? I cannot understand that! 
 Hector, the Olympionic, in a dungeon! That 
 is passing strange." 
 
 Our friend briefly explained, and the 
 youth, while tenderly anointing the raw 
 parts, looked the sympathy and indignation 
 he felt, for he was fond of this bather, and 
 greatly admired his splendid strength and 
 
 courage. As the narration ended he broke 
 out bitterly: 
 
 " It is of no use to be honest in these days 
 that does not serve! Let one try all his 
 life and yet by ever so little offend some 
 patrician, and click! the dark doors shut 
 you in. and there you lie to rot, forgotten. 
 ' The gods have memory only for the great, 
 and the great have memory only for those 
 who can serve them,' that's the truest thing 
 Seneca has said yet." 
 
 Hector was silent. Should he tell about 
 this God of whom he had heard so lately, 
 who sought out the poor and walked with 
 them who chose them out of all the world 
 for His friends? But just then Hermes rose 
 to his feet, his task accomplished, and Hec- 
 tor was ready for the caldarium. 
 
 This long and narrow apartment was en- 
 tirely of marble, its walls being laid double, 
 that the space between might serve as flues, 
 to conduct the hot air from the furnace be- 
 neath to every inch of the chamber. At its 
 further end was the bath-tub, a shallow cis- 
 tern twice as long as a man, and about four 
 feet wide. It was raised above the floor so 
 that Hector had to mount two steps to reach 
 it, the top step forming a seat, while all 
 around the inside ran a ledge, which also 
 served as a resting-place. 
 
 Upon this the young man placed himself, 
 while Hermes poured over his head and 
 shoulders large vases of the warm water 
 from the great cauldrons opposite, which 
 were placed directly over the furnace. 
 
 "There, that's enough!" cried Hector at 
 last, as he plunged gayly into the now well- 
 filled tub. " Oh. this makes me feel like a 
 new man! It has taken all the smart out of 
 my body, and the stiffness too. Be prepared, 
 Hermes; I must have such a scraping and 
 pounding as you do not often give me, I tell 
 you!" 
 
 The attendant laughed. " I am ready for 
 you," he said, as Hector stepped from the 
 tub, or alveus, into the labrum, a huge 
 saucer-like receptacle of white marble into 
 w r hich led a pipe which threw up a forceful 
 stream of cold water that descended in a 
 spray upon his shoulders. Its cold dash was 
 allowed but for an instant, then Hermes 
 caught up his great toAvel and quickly dried 
 the bather, afterwards placing him upon a 
 marble slab at full length. Here he first 
 plied the horn or shell scrapers, thin half- 
 rounds that left the flesh smooth as ivory, 
 and then added the poundings, punchings, 
 shippings, and rubbings, which gave both
 
 40 
 
 THE WBESTLEB OF PHILIPPL 
 
 flesh and muscle the pliancy and perfection 
 of an infant's, with the hard endurance of 
 the man's. 
 
 Thoroughly refreshed, and clean in every 
 pore, his hair cut short in gymnast fashion 
 and daintily perfumed, Hector finally issued 
 from the great building feeling that the 
 prison taint was removed from body, if not 
 from soul, and stepped off at a brisk pace, 
 prepared to pusn his fortunes with energy. 
 
 It was something of a walk to the Castle, 
 which connected with the fort that guarded 
 the south-western wall, but he enjoyed every 
 step of the way, feeling as never before the 
 beauty of earth and sky, and the blessing of 
 simple freedom, with pure air to breathe, 
 and sunshine to bask in. 
 
 He climbed the ascent and reached the 
 outer gate, guarded by two stalwart soldiers, 
 whose helmets and spears glistened in the 
 sunlight. As he approached they crossed 
 spears before the gate, and awaited him. 
 He made known his somewhat vague 
 errand: 
 
 " I was bidden by a young lord to call 
 here this morning. Here is his signet ring 
 that I was to show." 
 
 He handed it to one of the guards, who 
 gave it a glance, nodded, and passed it over 
 to his fellow. 
 
 " Aulus Clotius!" said he, and rang a sud- 
 den call by striking spear and breastplate 
 sharply together, even as the other threw 
 one leaf of the bronze gate wide open and, 
 returning the ring, bade Hector pass in. 
 
 A page now stood before him who ex- 
 amined the ring, said briefly, " Follow me!" 
 and conducted the visitor across a broad 
 court to an outer stair leading to an entrance 
 in one of the many turrets of the Castle. 
 
 Up these marble steps the richly-clad page 
 lightly tripped, then opened a heavy door 
 into a tiled vestibule. Across this Hector 
 followed him into a large apartment with a 
 raised, richly-covered dais nearly surround- 
 ing it, and a small fountain playing in the 
 center. Several curtains of Tyrian purple, 
 heavy with embroidery of gold thread, indi- 
 cated entrances into adjoining rooms, while 
 between gleamed exquisite marble statuary, 
 shown off the better by pedestals of 
 malachite and ebony. All the light there 
 was filtered through many-tinted sheets of 
 mica in the great dome above, and surround- 
 ing this tower-room at a goodly height was 
 a gallery guarded by a balustrade of richly- 
 carved cedar, from which like apartments 
 seemed to open. 
 
 Hector, who had been bidden to wait in 
 the large, round room, decided these must 
 be small, probably mere alcoves serving for 
 private apartments, and lighted by the slits 
 of windows he had observed without. Was 
 it from one of these the voice had ordered 
 him to prison? He was just considering the 
 rather startling suggestion, when one of the 
 curtains on the gallery was flung aside and 
 the young man of the prison came out and 
 leisurely descended the stairs, which began 
 in two flights, to meet in a few broad steps 
 at the base. He was carelessly dressed and 
 his long curls were tumbled, as if he had 
 been lying down. In fact, he looked sleepy 
 still. Hector concluded he had been mak- 
 ing up for an unusually early rising by a 
 forenoon nap. And he was right. 
 
 "Well, my man, you are prompt!" said 
 the patrician, half pettishly, as if not relish- 
 ing the disturbance. " But "looking him 
 over with critical admiration" you can 
 never be the prisoner with whom I left my 
 ring?" 
 
 " I am he, sire," said Hector, salaaming. 
 
 The other laughed. " To be sui-e it was 
 too dark to see plainly there, but well, 
 well! who would believe that mere externals 
 could make such a difference? I thought 
 you a big, strong fellow; now you look like 
 a statue by Phidias but there! I must not 
 make you vain. And now tell me, you found 
 your sister safe at home, of course?" 
 
 " No, sire, she was not there." 
 
 " What? Really, this surprises me! She 
 certainly is not here, and never has been. I 
 have made diligent inquiries, and no one has 
 seen her since that night." 
 
 " Her clothing is gone," said Hector, look- 
 ing thoughtful, " though that might have 
 been stolen by the slave girl. I believe she 
 was none too honest. But I begin to hope 
 Salome has found protection somewhere. I 
 will make inquiries among the neighbors." 
 
 " Yes, that will be best. I understand you 
 are a Wrestler, and have twice won the 
 Olympic crown." 
 
 " It is true." 
 
 " And is this glory so much to you that you 
 could never exchange it for any other?" 
 
 " What other?" asked Hector quickly. 
 
 " That of a soldier." 
 
 Hector's eyes flashed. " This has served 
 me, sire, so long as I could down all who 
 were pitted against me," showing his white 
 teeth in a broad smile; " but the soldier's 
 glory that is lasting! And Rome is liberal 
 to her brave men on the field."
 
 THE WRESTLER OF PHI LI PPL 
 
 41 
 
 "True! 'Tis pity, though, you were not 
 Roman born, for you would make a soldier 
 to delight Mars, I wager. You are a Mace- 
 donian by birth?" 
 
 " A Thracian, sire." 
 
 " Of Greek parentage?" 
 
 Hector bowed, while the other looked him 
 over with a lingering glance. " I should 
 hate to spoil you by making a mere courtier 
 of you," he finally remarked, as if he were 
 speaking about his guest to some one else. 
 " And yet, I like you. I would gladly at- 
 tach you to my household by the way, do 
 you know who I am, boy?" 
 
 " I overheard the guard at the gate mut- 
 ter ' Aulus Clotius,' and I hoped you might 
 indeed be that gallant young officer of whom 
 the people say, ' He is bright, but he never 
 knows when he is beaten.' " 
 
 The other laughed and flushed, well 
 pleased at the rough compliment. " The 
 people know something, if I do not!" he 
 cried, gayly. " But that is only one side of 
 the tale. Do they not also say this foolish 
 soldier is rusting in inaction and becoming 
 simply a weak favorite of his master, 
 Claudius?" 
 
 It was Hector's turn to flush, now. He 
 hesitated an instant, then answered: " They 
 say, sire, your talent for music is as great 
 as for fighting, and that pleases the young 
 Nero so well that he would keep your sword 
 rusting if he could. Yet Aulus Clotius is 
 again the soldier, is he not?" glancing about 
 the Castle chamber significantly. 
 
 " Ah, you'll make a courtier after all!" 
 laughed the other. " But be not too ready, 
 my boy; the real warrior has no fine phrases, 
 you know. And, bah! do these look like sol- 
 dier trappings?" waving a hand over the 
 rich apartment. " No, no! Nowadays luxury 
 creeps even into garrisons like this, and the 
 days go by idly enough when Rome has 
 nothing to do but count her kingly prisoners 
 and celebrate her too easy triumphs." He 
 gave a quick sigh, shook back his disordered 
 locks, frowned a little, then burst into a gay 
 laugh. "But come! we will make the most 
 of it all wherever we may be. Say, boy, will 
 you go with me to Rome?" 
 
 To Rome! Hector's eyes grew large. It 
 was the dream of his life to visit that mag- 
 nificent capital a dream he had never ex- 
 pected to realize. He thought' of Salome, 
 of Herklas both apparently lost to him; 
 then he let his thoughts center on self. To 
 go to Rome with Aulus Clotius! to see its 
 wealth, grandeur, gayety! To be one of a 
 
 patrician household perhaps a favorite! To 
 be at Court and a part of that regal, luxuri- 
 ous existence! 
 
 "Will I go, sire?" he cried with a laugh of 
 delight. "But give me the chance and see!" 
 
 " It pleases you so?" eying him with a 
 sort of scornful surprise. " Is it the thought 
 of its luxury or its glory. I wonder? Well, 
 both are myths to a great extent. But why 
 should I moralize over the foolish boy, when 
 I am as like him as one javelin is like an- 
 other? Yes, Rome is a great city and a 
 wicked one. No wonder the idea delights 
 you! What is your name, boy? I foi'get." 
 
 " Hector." 
 
 "That promises well for a hero, anyhow; 
 but nobody ever does live up to a heroic 
 name, more's the pity! I am to start to- 
 morrow with a large escort. Be re.acly, and 
 meanwhile but have you breakfasted?" 
 
 " In the prison, sire;" making a rueful 
 face. 
 
 The patrician laughed amusedly. " Its 
 memory is not enchanting, I see. But we 
 can mend all that. My favorites do not 
 starve on lentils and dried fish, I promise 
 you!" 
 
 He clapped his hands, and the page en- 
 tered, bowing low before his master. 
 
 " tsee that this man is well fed and 
 lodged," he said briefly; then carelessly wav- 
 ing them away, he departed into one of the 
 adjoining rooms. 
 
 Hector followed the page down the outer 
 stair and around the tower, to a court in 
 the rear, where a row of shed-like buildings 
 bespoke the quarters of the men. At the 
 end of the row was the kitchen, a large open 
 place, covered only with tent-cloth, its sides 
 entirely open to the breeze. He was sharply 
 hungry, and the smell of the pottage steam- 
 ing in a great kettle over a fire built in the 
 depression made in the hard paving, came 
 with most agreeable sensations to his nos- 
 trils. He was about to stop and take a seat 
 on the stone bench near by, where two 
 guards, just relieved from duty, were enjoy- 
 ing a gourd full of the soup, sipping it in 
 great gulps, when the page called him on- 
 ward. 
 
 " Is that a place for one of Aulus Clotius' 
 favorites to eat?" he asked disdainfully, 
 and, turning through a narrow door in an 
 intervening wall, finally stopped before the 
 fine bronze door of a long building well 
 arched and windowed. It was two stories in 
 height, and above it was a dome-like sky- 
 light similar to that in the tower. It was,
 
 42 
 
 THE WEESTLEE OF PHILIPPL 
 
 in fact, the banqueting hall reserved for 
 special suites from imperial Rome, its 
 second story being a gallery for dancing and 
 music, or for spectacles and athletic games, 
 if desired. 
 
 Hector took in at a glance the noble apart- 
 ment, finished in carved woods highly pol- 
 ished, with a raised dais at one end, where 
 the half-round table was surrounded by rich 
 couches, and the longer, plainer board below, 
 with benches at the sides. 
 
 " Sit here," said the page, placing him a 
 short distance below the dais, " and I will 
 call some one to serve you." 
 
 Hector obeyed in a sort of daze. Soon the 
 page returned with a white-capped attend- 
 ant, who, in an obsequious voice, began 
 naming over the dishes at the new-comer's 
 disposal. The somewhat bewildered young 
 man modestly mentioned a few which had 
 always seemed great luxuries to him, and 
 soon found them smoking before him. The 
 page meanwuile lolled indolently near by, 
 and asked questions, which Hector managed 
 to answer between mouthfuls with the good- 
 humor engendered by satisfaction. 
 
 "Have you finished at last?" he cried 
 saucily, as Hector swallowed the final 
 crumbs of his repast, and wiped his lips. 
 " If you have, I will show you where the 
 men of our company sleep. It is in the left 
 wing." 
 
 He hurried Hector along from this build- 
 ing to another, which joined the Castle it- 
 self. It was a long wing divided into 
 small apartments. 
 
 " Here," said he, " is where my master's 
 special suite lies. You will of course have 
 a bed-fello^ may he prove a pleasant one! 
 Make yourself at home, and keep .your own 
 counsel. That is the rule at Court." 
 
 Still laughing, he turned, and, throwing 
 up his hand in the fashion of the Bedouin 
 who meets a friend in the desert, he sped 
 briskly away to his light but often galling 
 duties in the tower. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 THE HOME OP A ROMAN PATRICIAN. 
 
 HECTOR'S day passed rapidly, and but 
 a short time was left for making his 
 inquiries about Salome, which, not 
 being rightly directed, proved futile. As he 
 
 came back towards the Castle he acain saw 
 the two Christians of the prison. They were 
 across the street, walking rapidly towards 
 one of the city gates, being on their way to 
 the little synagogue beyond the walls, for 
 the second service of the market day. Had 
 he seen them in the early morning nothing 
 could have kept him from their side, but 
 since then, all-engrossing worldly plans had 
 stepped in, and while he stood hesitating 
 they disappeared. 
 
 ij.ad he spoken to them they would doubt- 
 less have invited him to the service, and had 
 he gone he would have met his sister there, 
 and his whole after-life might have been 
 different. But his new ambitions held him 
 captive, and he was led by them and not by 
 God. 
 
 Early the next morning Aulus Clotius and 
 his train started on the long journey to 
 Rome. They made the short march to 
 Xeapolis, and there took ship for the re- 
 mainder of the distance. Hector found him- 
 self hastily fitted out with a uniform and 
 horse, and he was proud to see that he 
 formed one of the special body-guard of ten 
 who rode in close proximity to the young 
 chief, at the head of the train. 
 
 Just behind this gleaming cohort of 
 spearsmen were two or three litters, also 
 specially guarded, in which Hector learned 
 there were ladies, and behind them marched 
 a large band of slaves, porters, and attend- 
 ants, to the number of perhaps a hundred, 
 while still beyond trailed a miscellaneous 
 company of laden asses, camels, and pedes- 
 trians, merchant traders or mendicants, who 
 gladly joined the cavalcade for sociability 
 and protection. 
 
 The garrison band accompanied them for 
 a mile or so, waking the echoes with its 
 stirring strains, and as Hector rode leisurely 
 along, carried so easily by his trained animal 
 that he almost forgot he did not know how 
 to ride, he felt that life was opening most 
 brilliantly before him, and his pulses 
 bounded in time with the stirring beat of 
 drum and blast of trumpet. 
 
 Every one they met on the broad highway 
 stopped to gaze at the brilliant sight, and 
 many a cheer greeted the brave young leader 
 who rode so proudly at their head. 
 
 In this pride Hector participated. If he 
 was not the sun he was certainly close to it, 
 and as a satellite he absorbed some of the 
 adfhation. and swelled with pride and vain- 
 glory. Thus they rode into Neapolis, the 
 town turning out to view the brave sight,
 
 THE WRESTLER OF PHILIPPI. 
 
 43 
 
 and took their way directly to the pier, 
 where lay the galleys in readiness to convey 
 them to Rome. Hector had never taken a 
 sea voyage, and the very sight and smell of 
 the blue, billowing waves stretching far as 
 sight could reach, filled him with delight. 
 The wide harbor, glittering in the morning 
 sunshine, was filled with every sort of craft, 
 from the blunt-prowed junks of the fisher- 
 men to the graceful Roman ships, with their 
 great gilded figure-heads and pointed bows. 
 
 " This is to live!" the youth thought, as, at 
 a quickly-spoken order, he brought his horse 
 around alongside several others to help form 
 the double line through which the company 
 were to pass as they embarked. 
 
 But after he had sat motionless as a statue 
 in the blazing heat for nearly an hour, his 
 raptures were modified. In fact, he con- 
 cluded that so much ceremony was 
 monotonous and unnecessary! First, the 
 ladies were embarked. There were several 
 of these the young wife of Aulus, Julia by 
 name, his mother, Pamphylia, and their 
 ladies-in-waiting who were led across the 
 gang-plank into a finely-appointed galley 
 which floated the imperial colors. Next the 
 house slaves and stores were placed in a 
 second less pretentious boat, and lastly the 
 guards were divided between the two. Hec- 
 tor being among those consigned to the royal 
 galley. 
 
 It was a relief *to quit the saddle and take 
 his place in the stern, on a level with a bank 
 of oarsmen, where he could watch their 
 every motion. Yet often during the journey 
 he turned away, sick at heart, from this 
 sight, for their broad bare backs were scored 
 with the lash, and down their haggard faces 
 the sweat of their arduous toil poured like 
 rain. 
 
 " It is a hard world for them," he mut- 
 tered often, " even if they deserve their pun- 
 ishment. I wonder what they are thinking 
 behind those brown, sullen faces all these 
 long hours of labor, when they bend to the 
 oars like machines rather than men. Does 
 hope still beckon them on, and do they count 
 the days till they are released? But if the 
 release comes only with death" 
 
 Then sometimes came the flashing memory 
 of those two Apostles in prison. Under 
 scourging and torture they were not only 
 brave and patient they were triumphantly 
 glad! It was a puzzle beyond his solving. 
 He wished now he had sought them out and 
 talked with them. There were so many 
 things he would like to ask in these lung, 
 
 lazy hours when there was little to do but 
 speculate and dream. 
 
 But when he reached the great metropolis, 
 such musings vanished in the wonder and 
 delight of looking and living at this center of 
 the world. As he once more rode by his 
 master's side and gazed out over the teem- 
 ing streets, with their magnificent buildings, 
 giving every evidence of unlimited wealth 
 and power, he again swelled with exulta- 
 tion at being one of the gorgeous mass, and 
 cared little for the sufferings of other atoms. 
 
 The stately palace reserved for the use of 
 Aulus Clotius and his household formed a 
 part of that great agglomeration of build- 
 ings known as the " royal mansions," and 
 was- directly guarded and officered by the 
 Emperor himself. It was now 52 A. D., and 
 Claudius had been eleven years upon the 
 throne, a welcome successor of the detested 
 Caligula, who during his short reign man- 
 aged to make himself hated by all sects, but 
 especially by the Jews, whom he had perse- 
 cuted from Jerusalem to Joppa, with every 
 form of indignity his evil mind could con- 
 jure up. If Claudius was not much more of 
 a man, in many particulars, he was at least 
 not a monster, and his faults were those 
 of weakness rather than tyranny. Indeed, 
 he was entirely under the control of his wife, 
 Agrippiua, the beautiful but unscrupulous 
 daughter of the brave old general, Ger- 
 mauicus, and she was already plotting to 
 make Nero, her son by her former husband, 
 his successor, rather than Claudius' own 
 boy, Brittanicus, who was a few years 
 younger than his step-brother. 
 
 Nero was fifteen, a fair, curly-haired youth 
 of a seemingly amiable disposition, and with 
 some talent and great taste for music and 
 poetry. He had been well taught by his 
 tutor, the wise Seneca, and was the idol of 
 his mother, for in him she thought she saw 
 the docile instrument of her most daring 
 ambitions. 
 
 For a few days Hector found little to do 
 beyond settling himself in his new surround- 
 ings. He was not lodged with the other 
 guards in the barracks, but had a room in 
 the palace which was comfortably fitted up, 
 and ate at the table in the great hall, where 
 he. with several other favorites, among 
 whom were the page Lucian, the secretary 
 Theophilus, a poet or two, and a centurion, 
 occupied the raised dais at one end of the 
 long table, surrounded by couches, the rest 
 of the household being accommodated a step 
 below, upon stone benches. Occasionally
 
 44 
 
 THE WEESTLEE OF PHILIP PL 
 
 their young lord condescended to eat with 
 them, but not often. He was, indeed, fre- 
 quently a guest at the Emperor's table, and 
 when at home liked best to sit at meat in a 
 smaller room, most luxuriously fitted up, 
 where only his immediate family and friends 
 were present. It was a special mark of favor 
 to be invited to join him at these informal 
 but exquisitely served meals, and one thus 
 singled out was puffed up with pride for a 
 week, at least. 
 
 In order to introduce Hector into his 
 household, Aulus had appointed him to an 
 office similar to that of groom of the cham- 
 bers, which really meant, in this case, that 
 the young Greek daily trained his ambitious 
 lord in athletics, and wrestled with him' till 
 the latter was fain to cry, "Enough!" In 
 the two or three hours thus spent Hector 
 always felt that he well earned all these 
 favors, for while the brave Aulus was con- 
 stantly crying to him to " Lay on!" and come 
 at him harder, the Greek knew that he must 
 not leave so much as a small bump on that 
 fair flesh, and the effort to " seem " and yet 
 not to " do " became a real penance, beside 
 which the hearty blows he received in return 
 were as nothing. 
 
 In fact, these words might fitly describe 
 all Hector's life, now, and that of most of 
 those around him. It was brave seeming, 
 but alas, such feeble doing! Even Seneca, 
 the grave and reverend philosopher, soon be- 
 gan to show himself insincere in the youth's 
 keen eyes, or else how could he so con- 
 stantly write and talk of the doctrine of ex- 
 treme simplicity, extolling its delights by the 
 hour, and yet revel in every attainable 
 luxury? Did he not own those much-prized 
 tables of citron wood ending in ivory feet, 
 not by the dozen or score, but by the hun- 
 dreds? and was not his villa set down amid 
 gardens which on one occasion had even ex- 
 cited the envy of an Emperor? Then there 
 was Nero, the young aspirant to the purple. 
 It was the fashion everywhere to praise his 
 beauty, his voice, his poems, his good judg- 
 ment, and his amiable disposition. Yet Hec- 
 tor soon discovered that his talents were 
 but mediocre; and as for his disposition, it 
 happened one day that a slave was being 
 whipped in the court-yard just as the young 
 prince started to cross it, before mounting 
 his horse. 
 
 Hector, watching, saw Nero follow the 
 movements of the lictor and his whimper- 
 ing charge, a mere child, then stop to watch 
 with a look of intense satisfaction the prep- 
 
 arations at the stake. Hector turned away, 
 tnen, for the first scream of the poor crea- 
 ture was enough for him, but a moment later 
 he was startled by a laugh, and glanced 
 around to see the " amiable " young prince 
 laughing and clapping his hands at every 
 blow of the cruel lash, in a perfect ecstasy 
 of evil enjoyment. 
 
 From that day the boy's softly-colored 
 face, though wreathed in smiles, was to 
 Hector but a mask for a cruel heart, and no 
 one could convince him that the idol of 
 Rome and the toast of the poets was not 
 pitiless to the core. More: he was certain 
 that Aulus Clotius felt the same, though self- 
 interest closed his lips. For, like all the 
 others, Aulus was brave only upon the 
 surface. He could fight like a tiger, but in 
 this courtly atmosphere he was weak and 
 cowardly where he should have been strong, 
 effeminate where he should have been bold 
 and manly, silent where he should have 
 spoken out in thunder tones. All these 
 things the Greek felt keenly, and they often 
 made his easy life a burden of discontent 
 and self-disgust. 
 
 Ere long he had so completely won the 
 confidence of his master that he was given 
 the honorable post of special knight to the 
 women of the household, whenever they 
 went abroad. At the head of from two to 
 four guards he attended their chariot, or 
 basterna, and in this office the faces of 
 Pamphylia and Julia soon became familiar 
 to him. 
 
 The first-named was a dignified, gray- 
 haired matron with dark, sad eyes, but a 
 beautiful smile, and her voice was plaint- 
 ively sweet. She was always gentle, and it 
 was evident that the gay, bright Julia, the 
 bride of a year, loved her well. They were 
 constantly together, and usually accom- 
 panied by Julia's nurse, a little woman full 
 of chatter, and Pamphylia's companion. 
 This latter was a young captive maid from 
 Gaul, slender, dark-eyed and agile, with the 
 grace and also the timidity of a fawn. Some- 
 thing about her vaguely suggested Salome to 
 Hector, and this made him watch her more 
 closely than he might otherwise have done, 
 and as he soon became a great favorite with 
 all the ladies, he often found opportunity to 
 exchange a word or two with her. 
 
 One day, after a boxing contest with his 
 lord, which had been unusually exhausting, 
 Aulus threw himself, panting, upon the 
 couch and, after watching Hector, still fresh 
 and full-winded, for a long minute, said:
 
 THE WRESTLER OF PHILIPPI. 
 
 45 
 
 "Well, my boy, that was pretty well! 
 Dost note how much stronger I am getting? 
 I shall make you puff too before many 
 days." 
 
 Hector only smiled slightly at the banter, 
 which he was used to, and the other, seeing 
 
 was naturally kind-hearted when kindness 
 was no trouble so he said gently: 
 
 " You miss her. I see." 
 
 " Yes, I do," breathed Hector under his 
 keen eyes. 
 
 " I know I understand!" spoke up his 
 
 ' No, sire; I was thinking one does sometimes, you know." 
 
 his absent manner, went on: "Why, what 
 megrim have you now? Are you regretting 
 the Olympic games?" 
 
 " No, sire; I was thinking one does some- 
 times, you know of my old home and 
 friends." 
 
 "Ah, of that sister, eh? Verily, it is 
 strange where she hath gone; is it not, 
 lad?" 
 
 Hector nodded. The homesick tears were 
 so close that he could not speak. Aulus saw 
 his emotion and respected it. The patrician 
 
 master quickly. " You need not be ashamed. 
 Did you never hear about my sister, Hec- 
 tor?" 
 
 " Yours, my lord? I did not know you 
 ever had one." 
 
 " Yes, it was years ago." Aulus threw his 
 arms above his head and gazed up at the 
 ceiling. " I can just remember her. She 
 was three years my junior, and I thought 
 her my special charge, for she was a tiny 
 creature, dainty as a bird. It nearly killed 
 my mother Avhen she "
 
 46 
 
 THE WRESTLER OF PHILIPPL 
 
 " Died?" cried Hector compassionately. 
 
 "No, no! I think that would have been 
 easier to bear. She disappeared. That is 
 all we know. One day we were playing in 
 the court, and I ran into the house for a toy 
 boat I wished to sail in the fountain's basin. 
 "When I came back she was gone, and 
 though we sought her high and low, spend- 
 ing money freely, we could never find a 
 trace of her. Perhaps, if my father had 
 been living, he could have done better at the 
 search, but we had been orphans nearly a 
 year, and my mother was young and inex- 
 perienced. Her hair turned gray that twelve- 
 month, though she was not yet twenty-five." 
 
 " Such are terrible griefs!" said Hector 
 feelingly. "How old -was the child?" 
 
 " Barely four," responded Aulus sadly. 
 " The sweetest baby in the world. We called 
 her Cleone." 
 
 Hector, looking sympathetically at his 
 young master, thought no less of him be- 
 cause he suddenly brushed the back of his 
 hand across his eyes, and their common 
 grief seemed to draw them more closely to- 
 gether. He stepped to his side and said 
 feelingly: 
 
 " The brave and favored must have their 
 troubles as well as the humble, my master. 
 And this accounts for the young face and 
 white locks of your beautiful mother." 
 
 Aulus turned and looked at him affection- 
 ately. " Is't not a dear woman, Hector? I 
 am glad you admire her, for she likes and 
 trusts you. So, too, does my merry Julia." 
 
 " Ah! she should make your heart sing for 
 joy. my lord. Her very glance is sunshine." 
 
 " True, true! I hope I shall never sadden 
 her with my wild ways." 
 
 At this moment Lucian the page appeared 
 with a message for the master. " Sire, if 
 you are ready. Prince Nero wishes to con- 
 sult you in regard to the musicians' stand 
 they are erecting for the spectacle. Can you 
 attend him at once?" 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 JUNIUS FAB ASTRAY. 
 
 > ALOME was now thoroughly domesti- 
 ^S cated with the family of Junius and 
 ^^ Elizabeth. She had no more hope of 
 seeing her brothers, for though Junius 
 finally exerted himself enough to make some 
 inquiries as to the occupants of the prison, 
 
 the keeper knew no one there answering to 
 his description. This was not strange, for 
 the summary manner in which Hector had 
 been assigned to him, without name or com- 
 plaint, had given him the impression that 
 this unruly prisoner was a slave, an impres- 
 sion confirmed by his abrupt release without 
 trial, all at the command of one man for, 
 as the reader has possibly divined, it was 
 Aulus Clotius who had sentenced as well as 
 released him. To the jailer, therefore, Hec- 
 tor was simply the Roman slave undergoing 
 punishment. Thus the inquiries of Junius 
 were answered most decidedly in the nega- 
 tive the more so because this man was no 
 favorite with the official. 
 
 After a time Salome decided to give up the 
 rental of the little house and remove her 
 few belongings to her new home, where the 
 addition made a bright and pleasant change. 
 At first Junius had demurred at taking in a 
 new member, but as days passed and Salome 
 proved helpful and quick to learn the trade, 
 he made no further objection, and the 
 maiden, having never known of his hostile 
 attitude, was as unconscious of his favor- 
 able one, for Elizabeth from the first treated 
 her as a dear and welcome sister. 
 
 The visit of Paul and his companions, with 
 the exciting circumstances attending it, had 
 greatly strengthened the little church of 
 Philippi, and nearly doubled its member- 
 ship. The converted jailer and Lydia proved 
 active and influential members, bringing 
 fresh means and renown into the assembly, 
 and Elizabeth, though so quiet and humble, 
 made her beautiful beliefs real in her calm, 
 consistent life. 
 
 Almost insensibly Salome imbibed her 
 ideas and began to rule her conduct by 
 them, and as in their frequent talks the real 
 meaning of Christ's life and death became 
 instilled into her brain, so did its divine 
 spirit and power take possession of her 
 heart, until she was almost startled, one 
 day, to find that her gods had become mere 
 myths to her, and that Jesus was all-in-all. 
 
 The summer was nearly over when she 
 started out with Nadab one afternoon, to 
 help him carry a lot of broad and shallov/ 
 baskets to Lydia, she having ordered them 
 for the bestowal of her various cloths after 
 dyeing, pressing, and rolling into bales. Al- 
 most daily there were processions and offer- 
 ings in acknowledgment of the bountiful 
 harvests, and one of these blocked their way 
 for some time, not at all to their regret, for, 
 though neither of the two felt any religious
 
 THE WEESTLEE OF PHILIP PL 
 
 47 
 
 Interest in It, they liked to watch it simply 
 as a spectacle. 
 
 " See, Nadab! There come the Vestals all 
 in white and wreathed with wheat-ears 
 are they not pretty!" cried Salome. 
 
 " Yes and look! Is not that a fine car all 
 covered over with corn and grain? Is that 
 Ceres sitting under the canopy?" 
 
 " Of course. And that figure with the up- 
 lifted horn is Fortuna, and that on the oppo- 
 site corner with the fruit is Pomona, while 
 Dionysus has the grapes and wine cask, 
 and" 
 
 " Oh! there, there! Is not that Pan with 
 the horns and goat's beard and hoofs? What 
 a noise he makes! And who are those, 
 Salome?" 
 
 " They are Nymphs and Dryads. They 
 look lovely in their sea-green and grass- 
 green robes. What a pretty contrast to 
 those rosy Hours!" 
 
 As the procession moved by, there was a 
 constant din of pipe and timbrel, with the 
 ringing of tambourines and the clashing of 
 cymbals. Into the midst of this somewhat 
 irregular music the grotesque Pan broke, 
 occasionally, with a hideous bellow, partly 
 from his own strong lungs, partly from an 
 oddly-shaped wind-instrument of several 
 reeds fastened together, which he held to his 
 lips, meanwhile cutting some clumsy capers 
 on his hoofs that sent all the children lining 
 the way into shrieks of laughter. 
 
 He who represented Dionysus (or Bacchus, 
 as the Romans called him.) had also a part 
 to play in this strange religious ceremony, 
 for every little while he drew from his well- 
 filled wine cask a gourd full, either for him- 
 self or some favored one in the shouting, 
 surging crowd, and then he would reel, and 
 leer, and drivel, in the disgusting semblance 
 of an intoxicated man. 
 
 Salome grew thoughtful as she watched 
 the long line file by, beginning with the gay 
 group of the Hours, dressed all in rose 
 color, and ending with a dancing trio of 
 Graces, weaving long gayly-colored sashes 
 in and about themselves as they kept up a 
 sort of swaying movement, in time to the 
 music. These constantly changed places to 
 form new groupings, bewildering the eye 
 with their airy postures and kaleidoscopic 
 hues. When the last of the brilliant pageant 
 had vanished in the dust-cloud kicked up by 
 their many dancing feet, she walked silently 
 along with Nadab. 
 
 " What is there in all that to help one in 
 the real cares and sorrows of life?" she was 
 
 thinking, for loss and disappointment were 
 aging the girl rapidly. " It is a pretty show, 
 it amuses for a moment at least some of it 
 but that Dionysus made me shudder! I am 
 glad Elizabeth did not see him. I fear it 
 would bring back the look I saw on her face 
 the other night, when Junius reeled home 
 so queer and cross. How can people laugh 
 at anything so sad and low! How can they 
 make a god of drunkenness! Oh, what di.l 
 you say, Nadab? I was not paying atten- 
 tion." 
 
 " I was saying that your people seem to 
 think it is cunning to be overcome with 
 wine, but mother does not. She thinks it is 
 a sinful, dreadful thing!" 
 
 " Do not say ' my people,' " said Salome 
 quickly. " I belong to you now." 
 
 " That is well, sister! You are ours to 
 keep, art not? And I will be both brothers 
 in one. But I hope father will not see that 
 procession, Salome." 
 
 " I fear he will, Nadab; how can he help 
 it? It will pass around and through the 
 forum, and you know he is there so much." 
 
 " Yes, of course. And I know how it will 
 be. He will look on and laugh, and then he 
 and the other men will think they want 
 some wine, too, and they will go to old 
 ^Enau's shop and drink till they are not 
 themselves at all. It is too bad, Salome!" 
 
 "It is too bad! I see that plainly enough, 
 child. How can anybody think such prac- 
 tices are right? Yet a few months ago I 
 firmly believed in them, myself. But once 
 having known of Christ, such impurities re- 
 volt me." 
 
 They found Lydia seated in the large, cool 
 family room of her house. Its latticed win- 
 dows in front overhung the street, and in the 
 rear opened upon a terrace leading down 
 into the garden. Its floor was tiled, but a 
 few rich rugs were laid about, on which 
 cushions were piled invitingly, while, follow- 
 ing the outward curve of each overhanging 
 window, was a broad, well-cushioned divan. 
 A marble slab, resting upon bending figures 
 cut in bronze, was in the center and held a 
 rose jar of East Indian workmanship, well 
 filled with blossoms. The two or three 
 oddly-shaped chairs were sti'aight and trim, 
 with a quantity of carving, but evidently 
 more for show than use, as the cushions, 
 couches, and low curving ottomans invited 
 to easier positions, while the stately throne- 
 like chairs were seldom used except in en- 
 tertaining with greatest ceremony persons 
 of exalted rank.
 
 48 
 
 THE WRESTLER OF PHI LI PPL 
 
 Lydia, who was seated among a heap of 
 cushions near an open terrace window, spin- 
 ning fine wool with a small distaff and 
 wheel, looked up with a pleasant greeting, 
 as the two were ushered in by a tiny slave 
 boy. 
 
 "Ah!" she cried, beckoning Salome to a 
 seat close by, " I was just thinking of you. 
 First, because we need the baskets at once; 
 and second, because I need you." 
 
 " I am at your disposal," laughed the 
 maiden, dropping easily into a nest of 
 cushions by the other window. " But first 
 let me tell you my errand. Elizabeth says 
 you are to keep out two denarii of the money 
 for the baskets, to send to our Apostles, 
 Paul and Silas, at Thessalonica. It is all we 
 can possibly afford this time, for trade is 
 dull, and" She did not finish her sentence, 
 but with a hasty glance at Nadab changed 
 confusedly to something else. 
 
 " And what, Salome?" asked the boy curi- 
 ously. 
 
 " Oh, nothing much. It will soon be win- 
 ter, and then there is fuel to buy, and Nadab 
 here needs another tallith, naughty fellow!" 
 shaking her finger at him merrily. 
 
 The answer satisfied him, but Lydia, look- 
 ing keenly at the girl, read between the 
 lines. She too turned gayly to Nadab. 
 
 " I see you are getting restless indoors, 
 like all boys," she observed with a laugh. 
 " Go down the terrace, my son, till you find 
 my pretty Persian cat, Alanna, and have a 
 play with her. She will chase a ball and 
 bring it back in her teeth, or lie flat on her 
 back and pretend to be dead." 
 
 Nadab was off before the sentence was 
 fairly out, and the woman nodded with 
 satisfaction. 
 
 " I thought that would dispose of him. 
 He sees too much!" Then more gravely, 
 " Salome, what is the trouble at your house? 
 You know I ask from friendship, not idle 
 curiosity. Is it anything I can help about?" 
 
 " It is the same thing, Lydia, only growing 
 worse all the time." 
 
 " You mean Junius? Has he been already 
 discharged, then?" 
 
 "Discharged?" The girl started. "What 
 do you mean?" 
 
 " Then it has not come yet. I am glad for 
 that! But it will, Salome. He is certainly 
 going to lose his position." 
 
 "Oh, oh! Who told you?" 
 
 " Our friend, the jailer. He says it will 
 have to be. Junius neglects his chain-gan^ 
 for the wine shop, and leaves them to do 
 
 poor work, or none at all. The street com- 
 missioners are full of complaints. Then, of 
 course, the poor wretches are likely to es- 
 cape, when they comprehend his constant 
 condition, and that menaces public safety. 
 I should not be surprised any day to learn 
 they had risen up and overpowered him." 
 
 Salome shivered. " Poor, poor Elizabeth! 
 But does he know he is to lose his place, 
 Lydia? Would he not do differently if he 
 was warned?" 
 
 " He has been warned and threatened, but 
 I do not think he fully understands just how 
 much is implied. Remember, I am telling 
 you in confidence, that together we may do 
 something in the matter. I do not want 
 Elizabeth to know, yet. She is deeply 
 troubled as it is or would be but for her 
 perfect trust in the wisdom of Christ, who 
 would not willingly afflict her and I would 
 spare her further worry." 
 
 " But what can we do?" 
 
 " I intend to talk to him, to begin with," 
 said Lydia with decision. " It is not a com- 
 mon thing for a woman to admonish a man. 
 I know, but for that very reason it may 
 prove effectual. As for you, simply be good 
 to her relieve her of all you can in work 
 and care, and keep up her spirits by con- 
 stantly recalling the one subject she so 
 dearly loves. I see nothing else, only," she 
 rose and stepped to a tiny cabinet of ebony 
 upon the wall, and, unlocking its wee door, 
 drew forth a silken purse. " Here," she 
 said, " is the money for the baskets all of 
 it. Tell her I ask as a favor to send her con- 
 tribution this time." 
 
 " Oh. she will object!" said the girl. 
 
 " She ought not. Are we not one in Christ? 
 I have been prospered of God, only that I 
 may assist those who have heavier burdens 
 to bear. Surely you remember Christ's com- 
 mand ' Bear ye one another's burdens'? 
 That is binding upon her as well as me, 
 for how can I share her burden if she will 
 not let me so much as touch a corner of it?" 
 
 " Ah, Lydia, if she could hear you she 
 must submit! I will tell her, at any rate, 
 just what you say. But alas! I fear I am 
 but an extra burden upon her." 
 
 " Nay, I do not think so. You have not 
 failed to make yourself useful, and she loves 
 you. But be more, even, now. Be cheerful, 
 be gay, be constant in kindness and affec- 
 tion. Help her to live so close to the loving 
 Christ that she will forget her cares, or hide 
 them in His breast. It is the only way for 
 the Christian. Each morning should be a
 
 THE WEESTLEE OF PHI LI PPL 
 
 49 
 
 new birth into God's good world, with the 
 soul rising like a lark to sing His praise and 
 learn His will. Thus trouble will catch the 
 sun's rays and become a shining thing, and 
 peace will be where we had thought was 
 care." 
 
 Salome gazed at Lydia with astonishment. 
 It was a new thing for the often sorrowful 
 woman to speak like this, and her face 
 seemed to shine with the uplifting thoughts 
 within. The girl resolved to be worthy of 
 such friends and to stand by Elizabeth 
 through good and evil report. 
 
 A burst of laughter from Nadab, who had 
 found the cat, and was racing up and down 
 the paths with the pretty yellow fluff of fur, 
 floated in to them on the soft air. 
 
 " He has noticed, too," said Salome in a 
 low voice. " He sees his father at the wine 
 shop, and it distresses him." 
 
 "I thought so, poor child! I misdoubt 
 hard times are coming. But we will not 
 borrow trouble that is distrusting God. 
 While we keep close to Him we are safe, 
 whatever comes." 
 
 Salome went home with a new sense of 
 her responsibilities, and grew daily more 
 womanly with the sweet desire to shield and 
 serve her friend, so that Elizabeth often 
 thought, "Dear girl! What would I do 
 without her?" 
 
 For her heart was sore over her husband, 
 who grew cold and cruel as the strong drink 
 gained more and more complete mastery 
 over him. She listened to Lydia's arguments 
 in regard to the donation, and after a mo- 
 ment's pondering bowed her head. 
 
 " She is right," she said gently. " It would 
 be only pride in me to refuse;" and felt that 
 the loving gift sent by the growing church 
 was partly her own, while all were one, and 
 God looked only at the heart. 
 
 Yet another month slipped by before the 
 blow fell. Several times during these few 
 weeks Junius had lain all day upon his mat. 
 too besotted to leave the house, and then 
 the trembling wife was obliged to send word 
 by Nadab that he was unable to attend to 
 his duties. At length, one day, the boy came 
 home almost crying. 
 
 " I wish you would not send me with that 
 message again!" he whimpered to his 
 mother. " The men in the forum gates laugh 
 and nudge each other, and father's captain 
 looks grave and stern. He turned and mut- 
 tered something to the jailer to-day that 
 sounded like 'This cannot go on!' but I am 
 not sure. What did he mean?" 
 
 Elizabeth's face blanched, and Salome, 
 who was passing through the court where 
 they stood, stopped at the word and stepped 
 hastily to her side. 
 
 " Never mind, Nadab!" she said, cheerily. 
 " I will go along next time the father is ill, 
 and if they laugh at us we will laugh back- 
 laughing hurts nobody. Dear Elizabeth, let 
 us sing while we weave. There is that lovely 
 air you taught me the other day. When I 
 sing that it seems as if nothing mattered 
 here. To be ' forever with the Lord 'just 
 think of it! He who comforts everybody, 
 who helps everybody, and who knows ex- 
 actly how to do it. Come, you start it, dear." 
 
 The other smiled, and the color crept back 
 to her cheek. She began with a faltering 
 note or two, then gained strength and steadi- 
 ness, until presently the two wei % e singing 
 with well-blended voices, their souls far 
 above all earthly sorrow. 
 
 Junius awoke from his deep, bestial slum- 
 ber and at first wondered what paradise 
 he had been transported to. Then he recog- 
 nized the voices and began to feel his own 
 aching head, furred tongue, and general 
 wretchedness. 
 
 " I wonder what is the hour?" he thought. 
 " Probably I shall be late at my post agaiu, 
 and get another rating from the captain 
 surly wretch! Elizabeth! Elizabeth!" 
 
 The singing ceased suddenly, and a mo- 
 ment later she appeared in the doorway, her 
 face still shining with its inward light. 
 
 " Oh, you heard at last, did you?" he 
 grumbled. " I never knew such people to 
 keep up a noise as you are! How can any- 
 body sleep in such a hubbub? What are you 
 doing?" 
 
 " Weaving," answered his wife in her low, 
 sweet voice. 
 
 " And why are you not getting breakfast?'' 
 he snarled. 
 
 She hesitated, glanced at the outer open 
 door an instant, then pointed to a narrow 
 sunbeam that lay upon the floor. He fol- 
 lowed her glance and caught its meaning. 
 The sun ray had passed the noon mark by 
 many minutes. He raised himself hastily, 
 then dropped back so giddy and sick that 
 he could not sit up. 
 
 " It is past midday?" he questioned falter- 
 ingly. " Did did you send word to my 
 superior?" 
 
 His wife nodded slowly. " I did, Junius. 
 I tried to rouse you first, but" She shook 
 her head to show the hopelessness of the 
 attempt, and he muttered an oath.
 
 50 
 
 THE WEESTLEE OF PHI LI PPL 
 
 "You ought to have made me get up, 
 woman! They told me if it happened again 
 Well, get me something to eat, will you? 
 Do not stand there staring like an image of 
 Hecate! I must hasten, I tell you, before 
 the working hours are quite over. Perhaps 
 then all will be right." 
 
 At his first angry call Salome had run to 
 prepare food, and in a trice Junius was off; 
 but he did not come home for the evening 
 meal, and the two women, listening and 
 longing, felt with a sickening dread that all 
 was not right, and might never be again. 
 
 It was nearing midnight when he re- 
 turned, so noisy and beside himself that 
 Elizabeth hastily and imperiously ordered 
 Salome away to her couch. 
 
 " No, no," she vsaid as the girl tried to in- 
 sist upon remaining. " This is my trouble. 
 You must not bear it more than is neces- 
 sary. Go quickly! I can manage him best." 
 
 How she did it the frightened girl, listen- 
 ing for abuse, perhaps blows, never knew, 
 but in a short time all was quiet in the little 
 home, and for one night more they might 
 sleep in peace. But the next morning when 
 Nadab, accompanied by Salome, went to 
 make his excuses to his superior, they found 
 it was unnecessary. 
 
 " He is discharged," said the captain 
 bluntly. " We have no need for such as he." 
 
 Then his eyes met Salome's, above her 
 veil, and their sadness softened him. 
 
 " I am sorry," he said more leniently, " but 
 the place has been given to another. Junius 
 might have retained it if he had kept him- 
 self in order, but he would not. Let 
 Dionysus look after him now!" And turn- 
 ing on his buskined heel, he left them. 
 
 " Oh, Salome, what shall we do?" said the 
 boy, half -crying. " Winter is coming on and 
 we have nothing ahead, for you know father 
 has not helped at all lately. Mother and you 
 have been doing everything. What will we 
 do?" 
 
 The girl sighed. " I must learn to be still 
 more of a help," she said musingly. " But 
 what is there beside the weaving hark, 
 Nadab! Who is calling us?" 
 
 They looked around and saw the captain 
 hastening towards them. He was a young 
 man of a good disposition, and his pity had 
 been touched by their evident distress. He 
 hurried to their side and said hastily: 
 
 " Fair maiden, would you like to earn a 
 gold-piece?" 
 
 Salome looked up, startled. " Why, yes, 
 sir," she said quickly. "How?" 
 
 "We want one or two more beautiful 
 Bacchantes for the Lensea, or Feast of 
 W T ine-pressing," he explained, " and you 
 would do well. Each is furnished her gauzy 
 costume, her flower wreath, a measure of 
 wine, and the gold-piece." 
 
 During this speech Salome stood perfectly 
 still, and the young man could see, even be- 
 neath her veil, the color surging into and 
 out of her expressive face, as the thoughts 
 surged to and fro in her awakened soul.' 
 Once she would have considered this a com- 
 pliment, if not an honor, for only beautiful 
 girls were chosen for this service, and 
 though Hector might not have allowed his 
 orphaned sister to join in the mad revel, 
 which all the better class of pagans looked 
 upon with doubt, yet he would have been 
 pleased that she was given the chance to 
 refuse. Now, however, the very thought of 
 its lewd songs and dances sickened her. But 
 just as she was about to utter an emphatic 
 " No! came another suggestion: 
 
 " Here is an opportunity to earn more 
 money than I can make in many days at 
 the weaving. Ought I not to put my per- 
 sonal feelings by and do this for Elizabeth?" 
 
 Seeing the agitation and hesitation of the 
 maiden, the young pagan began gently urg- 
 ing her. 
 
 " You need not join the closing revels if 
 they offend you. Only show yourself in the 
 procession, the libations, and first dance to 
 the gods; then you can slip away before the 
 wine has begun to work and the crowd grow 
 mad with gayety. Come, think of it!" 
 
 Salome did think of it, and recoiled more 
 and more. She had not yet fully learned 
 the horror of these unholy rites that all 
 Christians felt, but his last words called up 
 a scene which banished her unselfish wish 
 to help her friend. Even her good motive 
 could not condone such an act! Why, what 
 would she be doing but countenancing 
 Junius in his sin but uplifting his degrada- 
 tion into a religious ceremony? How incon- 
 sistent! How hideous! 
 
 She drew herself up proudly and lookod 
 straight into the captain's eyes, her own 
 flashing with indignant feeling. 
 
 " Be a Bacchante!" she cried scornfully. 
 "I, a Christian maiden? Sir, you greatly 
 mistake me if you think I could do such a 
 thing, even to keep us from starvation. And, 
 furthermore, it seems to me singular enough 
 that an officer of your rank and judgment 
 should discharge a man for too fond worship 
 of Bacchus in one minute, and in the next
 
 THE WEESTLEE OF PHILIPPL 
 
 51 
 
 try to win a pure maiden to bis service. 
 Such inconsistencies may belong to the gods 
 .you serve, but not to the Holy One whom I 
 love." 
 
 She bowed low, gathered her veil closer, 
 ^nd turned proudly away. The captain 
 watched her graceful figure till it was hid- 
 den behind one of the booths in the forum. 
 .an almost dazed expression on his face. 
 Then he slowly turned, gathered himself to- 
 gether, and strolled thoughtfully back to the 
 hall of justice. 
 
 " A doctor of laws could not have put it 
 better!" he muttered. " I never should have 
 looked at it in that way, certes and what 
 glorious eyes she has! I have a great mind 
 not to join the procession myself, now. 
 Something in her look made it suddenly 
 peem horrible to me and it does leave a bad 
 taste behind, 'tis true. But to think that 
 little girl should have reasoned it all out so 
 quickly!" And, laughing inwardly, he re- 
 turned to his duties, the first Christian sug- 
 gestion of his life having found lodgment 
 where it must remain, until it could grow 
 into something either a stunted plant, or a 
 spreading, all-embracing tree. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 THE WANDERINGS OF AGISTHA. 
 
 WHEN, a few months before this, 
 Herklas and his three Jewish com- 
 panions left the cave at the first 
 glimmer of daylight, they hastened on their 
 way to Amphipolis, from whence, by 
 leisurely stages, they meant to pass on to 
 Thessalonica, nearly a hundred miles south- 
 west of Philippi; a free city governed by its 
 own politarchs, or magistrates, without in- 
 terference from Rome. 
 
 It was a populous seaport and quite a Jew- 
 ish center, a large share of its population 
 Tbeing of that nationality. The wise Paul 
 had quickly discovered its advantages for 
 spreading the truth abroad, as upon its 
 streets could be seen representatives from 
 every country, consequently the gospel told 
 in this market-place was likely to be carried 
 to all parts of the known world. 
 
 Our four friends had news that Paul in- 
 tended to be there shortly, so they desired to 
 make it their own headquarters during their 
 daily journeys among the agricultural peo- 
 ple back from the coast. For, as traveling 
 
 traders, they visited the remotest farms 
 along their route, bringing to them not only 
 needed goods, but spiritual help and glad- 
 ness. 
 
 It was a busy yet happy life in many 
 ways. Each morning they rose at early 
 dawn, and after a cold lunch from their 
 scrips, tramped for two hours or so in the 
 cool of the day, to eat a hearty meal with 
 some family who was glad to exchange 
 food for merchandise. Then, during the 
 noonday heats, they sought shade and rest. 
 Sometimes they slept in a welcome grove; 
 oftener they gathered a few farmers also 
 taking the noon rest, in vineyard or 
 orchard, and conversed with them upon the 
 subject close to their hearts, starting on 
 their way once more as soon as the fresh 
 afternoon breezes began to blow in from the 
 sea; and from thence till late in the summer 
 evening they journeyed, sold, and taught. 
 
 They had a common purse, and Herklas, 
 being a good accountant, soon became their 
 purser. Nor was it a troublesome position, 
 for money really meant almost nothing to 
 them. Their lives were already " bought 
 with a price," and they cared only to supply 
 each day's needs, that they might not be- 
 come public burdens in a strange country. 
 Thus casting all care upon their Lord, and 
 walking in the constant glow of love, hop a , 
 and consecration, the little worries and hard- 
 ships of a day were swallowed up in a lofty 
 purpose and a holy joy, which gave their 
 homely lives dignity and peace. 
 
 They had supposed that the girl, Agistha, 
 would upon waking return to her people 
 within the city walls, so dismissed her from 
 their minds when they had supplied her 
 with a good breakfast, and stole softly out, 
 leaving her in a sound, refreshing sleep. She, 
 however, had no such intention. Starting 
 out with only the vaguest idea of distances 
 or directions, she determined to go to 
 Neapolis, in hope of finding some work to 
 do there, but took the wrong road, and pres- 
 ently found she was in a part of the country 
 quite strange to her. 
 
 She was not specially troubled by this, 
 however, for so long as she kept to the 
 Roman highway she knew she must in time 
 reach some populous town. She had, indeed, 
 taken the route to Amphipolis, thirty miles 
 distant, and long before the day ended was 
 glad to stop at a small hamlet on the way, 
 and seek food and counsel. 
 
 It was not an inviting spot a few low, 
 dirty-looking huts of mud, with outlying
 
 52 
 
 THE WEESTLEB OF PHILIPPL 
 
 fields and orchards poorly kept. But seeing 
 a girl coming from one of these, with a 
 water jar upon her head, the traveler ven- 
 tured to accost her. The girly stared at hor 
 a moment. Agistha was but scantly clothed, 
 and had no veil except the linen grave-cloth, 
 which she had managed to wind about her 
 head and shoulders for a chlamys, while her 
 pale, sad face, visible above the eyes, lacked 
 the deep sun tan of a professional beggar. 
 
 "What do you want?" asked the girl 
 finally, when she had gazed her fill. 
 
 " Food," said Agistha, " if you will be so 
 kind. I am starving, and I have lost my 
 way. I started for Neapolis, but" 
 
 The girl laughed. " You are far from the 
 road, then! This is the direct route to Am- 
 phipolis." 
 
 "Oh!" cried poor Agistha. "But that is 
 far away, is't not?" 
 
 "About eighteen miles from here, yes. 
 How far have you come?" 
 
 " From Philippi." 
 
 The girl's heavy face brightened with sud- 
 den interest. Evidently she had heard of 
 Philippi before; perhaps she knew some one 
 there. 
 
 " You have had a long walk, and must be 
 warm and tired." 
 
 " I am," said Agistha. 
 
 " You look as if you had been sick, too." 
 
 " Yes, I have." 
 
 " Well, sit down there in the shade, and I 
 will see what I can do for you." 
 
 The girl placed her tall jar on the ground 
 and went into the house, from which she 
 presently brought some coarse food to the 
 weary traveler, who was so hungry and so 
 unused to better fare that she received it 
 eagerly. While she ate the girl lingered, and 
 began to talk again. 
 
 " If you live at Philippi you must have 
 heard about the two Christians whose chains 
 were loosed by the earthquake a few nights 
 ago; have you not?" 
 
 Agistha looked up listlessly, and shook her 
 head. " No," she said, " I have been ill I 
 heard nothing." 
 
 " It is a strange tale," continued the girl, 
 "and I wonder you did not hear it. Some 
 traders came along this morning and told 
 us one was such a handsome young Greek, 
 but the others were Jews, and they were 
 Christians, too." 
 
 At this Agistha looked up quickly. Could 
 they be her helpful friends of last night? 
 The girl babbled on, detailing, with some 
 variations, the story of Paul and Silas, and 
 
 as the escaped slave girl began to compre- 
 hend that it was her own story she was 
 listening to in this remote hamlet, she forgot 
 to eat and sat with parted lips, taking it all 
 in. It was the first she had known of the 
 imprisonment of Paul and his companions. 
 She had been hurried away after the solemn 
 adjuration of the former, and had been so ill 
 subsequently that she knew nothing of the 
 tumult her masters stirred up later, nor the 
 suffering which came upon those good men 
 in consequence. 
 
 For they must be good! Else how had 
 their God loosed their chains in so wonder- 
 ful a manner? And these kind men of the 
 cavern were their friends and of the same 
 faith, also! How she wished she had known 
 it when with them! How she would have 
 forced herself to keep awake and glean from 
 their conversation some bits of knowledge 
 about all these mysteries! 
 
 She began asking the girl questions as to 
 the direction they had taken, and learned 
 with joy that it was the same as her own. 
 
 "I will follow them!" she said to herself, 
 with a quick resolve, the vague intentions of 
 the morning having now crystallized into a 
 definite plan and undertaking. 
 
 She said nothing to the girl, however. She 
 would not have dared let her know how 
 closely she had been associated with those 
 events, lest by this her former masters 
 might be able to track her. 
 
 She warmly thanked the girl, bade her 
 farewell, and hastened onward, her goal 
 Amphipolis, and her wish to know more of 
 the followers of Christ. Yet try her best, 
 she could not reach there that night, but 
 again sought rest and shelter by the way. 
 The next day, as it was nearing the noon 
 hour, she entered the city, weary, footsore, 
 and almost despairing, w r here, dragging her- 
 self to the market-place, she sank down in 
 the shade of one of the booths, wondering 
 what she w r as to do next. 
 
 At present she was too exhausted to do 
 anything but rest. She huddled herself up 
 under her once white mantle, now dingy with 
 the dust of the road, and simply watched and 
 waited. One or two compassionate passers- 
 by threw her a mite or two, which she treas- 
 ured securely until food should become 
 necessary again. So the long day slid into 
 evening, with nothing accomplished. She 
 had just risen to her feet, finally, faint with 
 her long fast, and was about to buy a small 
 oat-cake with her bits of money, when she 
 started to see coming towards her at a brisk
 
 THE WEESTLEE OF PHILIPPL 
 
 53 
 
 pace the youth who had been in her thoughts 
 all day Herklas. He was about to pass her 
 by unobserved, when the desperate feeling 
 that she might again lose sight of her only 
 friend gave her courage to address him. 
 
 " Sir," she said, " I beg you will pardon 
 my boldness, but are you not the young 
 man who rescued a frightened girl from the 
 place of tombs but lately?" 
 
 Herklas looked at her with astonishment. 
 She had her face well muffled, but the slen- 
 der figure and weak, childish voice were the 
 same. 
 
 " Yes," he answered quickly, " the maiden 
 of Philippi. But surely you are not she! 
 How came you here so far away?" 
 
 " Oh, sir, I have escaped from cruel perse- 
 cutors to whom I could not return. I am 
 hunting for work for something to keep me 
 that shall be honest and you were all so 
 kind to me before, I thought perhaps " 
 
 She stopped, for Herklas began to knit his 
 brows in perplexity. Coming and going as 
 they did, how could they stop to find em- 
 ployment for this poor girl? Even now he 
 was hurrying to purchase supplies for the 
 morrow, that they might be off that night. 
 But Herklas had learned much of Christ's 
 spirit in these last few weeks, and the words 
 which had been so often repeated to him, 
 " Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of 
 the least of these, ye have done it unto me," 
 had a literal meaning for him. To have 
 passed this poor girl by unassisted would 
 have been to neglect his Lord. 
 
 "If only you were in Thessalonica now!" 
 he said with a smile. " We have friends 
 there, and are ourselves going soon, but" 
 
 " Oh, I will go there!" said Agistha 
 quickly. " It is a large, busy city, is it not? 
 I could surely find something to do." 
 
 " But it is nearly seventy miles away, 
 and wait! let me think. I have it. I be- 
 lieve we can arrange for you. Wait here a 
 few minutes till I go to see about it." 
 
 Herklas had walked many miles that day 
 in the hot sun, burdened by his pack of 
 goods, and still had much to do before the 
 morning, but this was " for Christ," and 
 those magic words dispelled fatigue. As 
 the good soldier, weary with a hard march, 
 is aroused to fresh zeal by his captain's call 
 " To arms!" so Christ's follower held his 
 personal feelings in abeyance whenever 
 there was a special call for his service. Not 
 only his soul, but his body also, was the 
 Lord's; if it must be taxed unduly, that was 
 His matter and He would make it right. 
 
 Herklas hurried to the lodging-place of the 
 four and sought out Thallus, who, as the 
 oldest and most sedate, was the acknowl- 
 edged leader of the group. To him he 
 rapidly described his late interview, and the 
 idea which had occurred to him for the girl's 
 assistance, and Thallus, after some rellec- 
 tion, answered: 
 
 " I think it will do. Go and speak to the 
 steward of the noble lady, while I return to 
 the maiden and see if she be fed sufficiently. 
 It is more fitting that a man of my age con- 
 duct her to the lady's presence." 
 
 Herklas acquiesced and hastened away to 
 a large caravansary some squares distant, 
 where, crossing the court, which was well 
 filled with a motley collection of men and 
 beasts making ready for their start in the 
 cool of the day, he sought out the host and 
 asked for a certain man. 
 
 Upon being conducted to his presence, 
 Herklas bowed low before the somewhat 
 gorgeously-attired individual, and said: 
 
 " Sir, your proclamation for a female ser- 
 vant, to take the place of one fallen ill in 
 your lady's train, was called early this 
 morning in the market-place. Did you find 
 one to your liking?" 
 
 " No, but we ceased the proclamation be- 
 cause the slave, Lucilla, seemed better, and 
 we hoped would be ready to attend her mis- 
 tress by night." 
 
 " Then you no longer wish a maid?" 
 
 " Yes, because she is suddenly worse 
 again, and must be left behind w"hile my 
 lady presses onward. She wishes to reach 
 Thessalonica by the day after to-morrow." 
 
 " Then, sir, I have in mind a young maiden 
 who would be glad to go with her. She is 
 docile in speech and manners, but not over- 
 strong, yet" 
 
 " Her duties will be light. Where is the 
 girl?" 
 
 " My friend, Thallus, will soon bring her, 
 I think. She has been sadly neglected and 
 is so poor her clothing is in rags." 
 
 " Oh, well, my mistress can supply cloth- 
 ing. What is her native tongue?" 
 
 " Greek." 
 
 " Very good! And you say she is of gentle 
 manners?" 
 
 " Yes, sir." 
 
 While they were talking together, Thallus 
 was announced, and behind him, well 
 wrapped in her chlamys, appeared the slave 
 girl, shrinking timidly in his shadow. The 
 steward questioned her a few minutes, 
 learning that she was from further east,
 
 54 
 
 THE WEESTLEE OF PHILIPPL 
 
 arrl had been abandoned when very ill and 
 left to die; that she wished to leave the old 
 life behind and earn a respectable living; 
 that she was willing and as he saw for him- 
 selfmodest and soft of speech. Presently, 
 then, he led her to the apartments of his 
 lady, who was of exalted rank, and whose 
 name was ^Enone. 
 
 She was hastening home to Thessalonica 
 after a visit among friends at a mountain 
 resort, and was hurrying in order to see her 
 husband before his departure for Rome upon 
 official business. She traveled with a long 
 train of guards and slaves, as did all of high 
 rank, but her special maid, upon whom she 
 depended for personal attentions, had fallen 
 seriously ill. 
 
 The steward, Cleophas by name, formally 
 presented Agistha as an applicant for the 
 situation, then at a sign from his mistress 
 withdrew, leaving the two together. 
 
 ^Enone was a young matron of fine pres- 
 ence and keen, bright eyes. She was loung- 
 ing upon a couch playing with a beautiful 
 boy of perhaps three summers, but as the 
 man retired she sat up and beckoned Agistha 
 forward. 
 
 " Come nearer," she said in a pleasant, de- 
 cided sort of voice; " let me see your face." 
 
 The girl obeyed, dropping her apology of a 
 veil, and stood meekly before the grand 
 dame. 
 
 " You do not look very strong, yourself," 
 said the latter presently. 
 
 " I am only weary, madam. I have walked 
 so far. You will find me industrious, and 
 stronger than I look." 
 
 " Well, perhaps so. Your face is honest, 
 at least, and I have no time to be particular, 
 as we must start inside of a half-hour. Take 
 her, Chloe," turning to a dark-skinned slave 
 woman who was plying a great fan above 
 her mistress' head, " and give her clothing 
 befitting my attendant. But remember, 
 there is no time to lose." 
 
 The slave bowed low, and passed the fan 
 to a small page not over eight years old, 
 who had been crouched on the rug by the 
 couch, and now scrambled to his feet. He 
 was fair-haired and sturdy of build, and, 
 Agistha learned later, a little Briton, re- 
 cently bought from the new importation of 
 captives sent from that unhappy country, 
 whose king, Caractacus, was now languish- 
 ing in chains at Rome. He had been sent to 
 ^Snone as a choice gift by a friend in that 
 city. 
 
 After a brief delay the women returned. 
 
 Agistha so greatly improved in appearance 
 that her new mistress broke into a pleased 
 laugh. 
 
 " Why, you are truly fair!" she cried, 
 frankly. " I am glad, for I like bright an-1 
 charming things about me." 
 
 As she ceased speaking Cleophas appeared 
 to say that all was in readiness for his mis- 
 tress to depart. At this Chloe made Agistha 
 a sign and placed in her hand a long veil 
 and mantle, the former of finest Indian 
 lawn, the latter of silk from Persia, woven 
 with gold thread till it glittered with every 
 movement. 
 
 " Go wrap the mistress carefully in these, 
 then follow her to her litter and see that she- 
 has everything she needs. I follow with the 
 little master, Ian, for I am his nurse." 
 
 Agistha, trembling a little, obeyed, but 
 as she began her unusual task it seemed as. 
 if some former knowledge came to her. She 
 could remember some other lady standing 
 thus to be wrapped in silken garments, and 
 herself in some far-gone time looking on 
 with a feeling of impatience at the delay. 
 Only once or twice did JEnone correct her, 
 and then by no means harshly, though with 
 a decision which enforced obedience. 
 
 " There, that will do," she said presently, 
 pulling the veil a trifle looser about the 
 mouth and nostrils. " Follow me with the 
 baby. Chloe. Where is Harold?" 
 
 She beckoned to the Briton boy, who as 
 yet understood but few words of Greek, 
 though he was learning rapidly, and the lit- 
 tle train proceeded to the court-yard. 
 
 Here several laden camels and asses were 
 slowly filing out to the road, and others 
 stood waiting. Forming a line on either side 
 of the doc. >vay were eight mounted guards 
 in handsome liveries of blue with steel trap- 
 pings, who remained like so many statues 
 while the somewhat fussy Cleophas assisted 
 his lady and her women to their places. 
 
 First JEnone entered a litter of dainty 
 shape and lightness, mostly built of bam- 
 boo, the cushions and curtains displaying 
 her special colors, blue and steel. In another 
 lectica scarcely less handsome Chloe and 
 her little charge was seated, while Agistha 
 and the page, Harold, were placed upon the 
 houdah, or covered saddle, of a kneeling 
 camel just beyond. 
 
 Agistha watched the four Nubian bearers, 
 white-turban ed and naked to the waist, lift 
 the poles of their lady's lectica to their 
 cushioned shoulders and step to position; 
 the others, bearing the little Ian and nurse,
 
 THE WRESTLEE OF PHI LI PPL 
 
 55 
 
 followed; then her camel rose swaggering! y 
 from his bended knees with a long-drawn 
 yawn, and like clock-work the eight guards 
 formed a hollow square about the precious 
 family, one in front, one in the rear, and 
 three on each side. 
 
 With a last look, to be sure all were com- 
 fortable. Cleophas mounted and rode up and 
 down, getting the whole train in motion, for 
 this was but its head, and the rest of the 
 long, serpent-like body was waiting to fall 
 into line outsi 'e. As they trailed out 
 through the city gates in the twilight 
 Agistha had just a glimpse of four men, 
 foot-pa sseiigers with packs on their backs, 
 walking in the same direction, and was 
 pleased to see that they joined the pedes- 
 trians in the rear, having evidently put 
 themselves under the protection of this 
 caravan for the short night journey to the 
 next caravansary. 
 
 But the following morning when she 
 looked for them they were nowhere to be 
 seen. They had doubtless risen at day- 
 break and gone their way. Would she meet 
 them at Thessalonica? 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 THE POLITARCH'S FAMILY. 
 
 7r~~* NONE w r as the Greek w r ife of one of 
 ZJ"" 1 the politarchs who ruled the city of 
 *T ' Thessalonica, Gaius by name, and 
 was a woman of marked individuality and 
 exceptional talents. She was musical, play- 
 ing both the lyre and the viol, to which she 
 sang enchantingly, and she was learned in 
 the history and philosophy of her nation. 
 She had studied thoughtfully the compli- 
 cated and poetic mythology of both Greece 
 and Rome, and, having considerable reason- 
 ing powers, she always felt they lacked the 
 elements necessary to control her heart and 
 life. She could not readily yield up her con- 
 science to beings who were constantly 
 liable to errors, and who were capable of 
 the follies and petty foibles of humanity. 
 She felt that the god she worshiped must 
 have some greatness other than power, and 
 must above all things be perfectly pure and 
 true. She even went so far as to say that 
 this being must be so above every human 
 passion as to express a love that was uni- 
 versal and impartial, yet intense and per- 
 sonal as well, and a justice so absolute it 
 could not err, either on the side of mercy or 
 
 severity. Gods who could love and hate, 
 stoop to retaliation and bickerings, spy upon 
 each other and show childish envy and 
 malice, excited only her ridicule, though they 
 might be the accepted deities of her country. 
 
 She could talk well on these subjects, and 
 liked nothing better than to entertain her 
 husband's friends at dinner, and enter iut:> 
 their deep discussions afterwards. She was 
 looked upon as a skeptic, in consequence, 
 and was in great disfavor with the pagan 
 priests, who knew her influence was all 
 against them. One or two Jewish rabbis 
 who had been admitted to her home, claimed 
 that she was greatly attracted towards their 
 religion; though this she did not quite con- 
 firm. She explained that while its funda- 
 mental ideas were based on great truths, 
 speaking to the inmost soul of man, yet 
 these had become so overloaded with trivial 
 forms and ceremonies as to have all 
 spirituality smothered out of them by ex- 
 actions as belittling as the superstitions of 
 her own Greek religion. So, like most edu- 
 cated pagans of the day, she held herself 
 aloof from all creeds, and gave only an out- 
 ward respect to the rites of her priests. 
 
 Her suite made the journey to Thessa- 
 lonica rapidly, reaching there the next morn- 
 ing but one, and Agistha watched with great 
 interest their progress through the busy 
 streets of the populous city overlooking the 
 blue sea. 
 
 It being situated upon a jutting tongue 
 of high, rocky foundation, the streets rose, 
 terrace-fashion, directly from the shore, and 
 the rolling land back of the city swept away 
 into hills and peaks, whose green sides were 
 divided into large and beautiful gardens, 
 while the white houses of the lower city 
 nestled amid the deep green foliage of palm 
 and date trees, relieved occasionally by the 
 cold gray-green of the olive. 
 
 To one of these suburban gardens our 
 party took their way, but long before reach- 
 ing it were met by another little company 
 of half a dozen mounted men, whose rich 
 costumes, half civic, half military, bespoke 
 their rank. The foremost was Gaius him- 
 self, a tall, slender man of proud carriage, 
 who rode like a centaur. He now dashed 
 forwards, his face alight with joy, to greet 
 wife and child, and was soon riding by the 
 side of the first litter, his boy lifted to the 
 saddle in front of him, while JEnone leaned 
 eagerly out to watch the two with love- 
 lighted eyes. 
 
 The other men, friends and relatives, hav-
 
 56 
 
 THE WRESTLER OF PHI LI PPL 
 
 Ing greeted her also, considerately held back 
 their horses a little, leaving the two to their 
 rapid interchange of question and comment. 
 
 " You are late; I expected you last night," 
 said Gaius. 
 
 " Yes, and we should have been here but 
 for Lucilla, who was taken ill on the road 
 and delayed us some hours at Amphipolis. 
 I found another maid, however, so I left her 
 to be cared for by two of the pack slaves, 
 who will bring her on as soon as she is able 
 to travel. But tell me, dear, why must you 
 go to Rome?" 
 
 " Oh, it Is on account of these Jewish 
 troubles, I believe." 
 
 "Jewish? I thought they had been very 
 quiet ever since their outbreak under Cali- 
 gula." 
 
 " So they have, but they are a seditious, 
 uneasy set, and Caligula's persecutions only 
 quelled, not subdued them. We always have 
 to keep a close eye upon them, and there are 
 rumors afloat that seem to need looking 
 into." 
 
 " I see. But so many of them are good 
 friends of ours! I do hope you will not be 
 called upon to work them any mischief." 
 
 "'Mischief! Really, my lady, that is an 
 odd way to speak of your Emperor's rule." 
 
 She laughed with him. " Well, you know 
 well enough what I mean. I have, somehow, 
 a natural antipathy to the stirring up of 
 such things. What is claimed against them 
 now? That same matter of a new king?" 
 
 " Probably. I really do not know. And 
 as likely as not this is only another of 
 Claudius' annual scares one never knows. 
 If he had half the bravery of his wife, he 
 would be quite a man." 
 
 " Have a care, Gaius! We are in the open 
 street. . You would not wish him to possess 
 her wickedness, too?" 
 
 " No, but sometimes weakness is worse 
 than wickedness in a ruler. How Ian has 
 grown bless his little heart! And you are 
 looking charming, my wife. The mountain 
 air agrees with you." 
 
 " I am glad you think so, Gaius. With 
 your presence, our little trip would have 
 been perfect. It seems too bad we should 
 have to be separated again so soon. When 
 do you start?" 
 
 " To-morrow." 
 
 " So soon?" 
 
 "Yes, it must be. So you have had to be 
 your own maid?" 
 
 " Oh, no; I found another at Amphipolis, 
 and she has proved a real treasure. She was 
 
 brought me by some traders such a pale, 
 frightened little creature, and in rags but 
 she is really growing fair to see, with good 
 food and treatment. You must oh, Gaius! 
 is that safe? How your horse plunges! Do 
 give me the baby!" 
 
 " Entirely safe," laughed her husband. 
 " Why, this is Selim, my new Arabian, price- 
 less for fidelity, though full of his play at 
 times. Is he not a beauty?" 
 
 " In truth he is! His coat is like satin. 
 Ah, there is the dear old home! How beau- 
 tiful it is! I never so realized it before. 
 Do tell my bearers to stop at the gate, t 
 want to walk up the terraces and see how 
 the roses are doing though it is late for 
 them, I know." 
 
 " Yes, they are past their prime, but very 
 fine yet. I will walk with you. Yes, yes, 
 my boy; you shall ride still, if you like, and 
 father will lead the pony for his little man. 
 Now hold tight, my son." 
 
 Agistha, watching the trio, felt her heart 
 contract with a sudden spasm of pain. It 
 was not envy she rejoiced in their joy but 
 more as if she had witnessed something of 
 which she ought to be a part. It appeared 
 for an instant to transport her into another 
 existence, where she beheld like scenes of 
 refined love and happiness, amid pleasant 
 surroundings. There ought to be a fourth, 
 though a little girl, who seemed mingled 
 with her own identity, clinging to the lady's 
 gown, and with breathless interest watch- 
 ing the boy on the big horse. 
 
 These strange, dream-like suggestions 
 came to her only at such moments, when 
 all about her were grace, beauty, and affec- 
 tion, and she felt sadly that they could not 
 be memories, unless of some former life in 
 a sphere brighter and better than she had 
 ever known here. 
 
 When the company had entered the wide 
 villa-like mansion, surrounded by broad, pil- 
 lared galleries, Agistha hastened forward to 
 wait upon her mistress, a task she was 
 learning through affection to perform deftly 
 and well. For ^Enone won the hearts of 
 those who served her. She was even in 
 temper, decided in her commands, and jr.st 
 in judgment. She did not expect impossibili- 
 ties, but quietly insisted upon conscientious 
 service, and while her slaves were never 
 publicly, and seldom privately punished, her 
 friends said they were more faithful than 
 most slaves. Be that as it may, the mere 
 threat of being sold brought the most un- 
 ruly of them to terms, and their only idea
 
 THE WRESTLER OF PHILIPPI. 
 
 57 
 
 of a promotion was to be given a service 
 nearer the mistress. Agistha felt that she 
 had been fortunate in securing such a place, 
 and was most grateful to the Christian men 
 for it. She kept a sharp lookout for them 
 every time her duties called her upon the 
 street, and longed inexpressibly for a chance 
 to thank them in person. 
 
 She saw nothing of them, however, and 
 had almost given up expecting to do so, 
 having settled down to her pleasant life 
 amid these new surroundings with little de- 
 sire for change. Several weeks had passed 
 when one Sabbath her mistress came in 
 from a drive in the new chariot with the 
 baby and his nurse, and said: 
 
 " Agistha, I wish you to accompany me 
 out after the noon meal. Have on your 
 street attire." 
 
 Agistha watched the sun-dial eagerly that 
 afternoon, pleased at the prospect, and when 
 it marked the ninth hour she and JEnone, 
 closely veiled and plainly wrapped, started 
 off on foot, an unusual proceeding for the 
 somewhat luxuriously-inclined lady. They 
 walked rapidly, Agistha keeping respectfully 
 an arm's length behind, and after crossing 
 several streets, made their way into a large 
 structure built of marble from one of the 
 quarries not far distant, and rich in gilding. 
 
 The pagan girl thought it could not be a 
 temple, however, for it lacked the many 
 statues and images she was used to seeing, 
 so was puzzled when they had entered, to 
 find herself in the latticed gallery of a place 
 where people had evidently congregated for 
 worship. 
 
 It was, in fact, a magnificent Jewish syna- 
 gogue, very unlike the small structure at 
 Philippi. ^Enone made her way to a seat 
 with the deftness of one familiar to the 
 place, and they were soon comfortably set- 
 tled close behind the gilded lattice-work, 
 almost overlooking the raised seats of the 
 rabbis just below the dais and desk of the 
 Presbyter. 
 
 Agistha looked curiously at the symbols 
 about the altar, none of which had any sig- 
 nificance to her; admired a long, richly-em- 
 broidered curtain just behind a white-draped 
 table, and wondered over a tiny door in the 
 wall behind the desk. But as she glanced 
 towards the rabbis' seats she caught her 
 breath in astonishment. There, conspicuous 
 among the bearded elders, were the two good 
 men of Philippi! 
 
 Even while she gazed one rose the very 
 one who had commanded the evil spirit to 
 
 come out of her and stepped to the desk. 
 An attendant brought him one of the Scrip- 
 ture rolls from the niche in the wall (thus 
 relieving Agistha's curiosity about the little 
 door), and, unrolling it, he began to read. 
 
 His voice was full, sonorous, and majestic. 
 Agistha felt rather than saw her mistress 
 press closer to the grating, and she too bent 
 forward eagerly. He read but a short time 
 from the psalms and prophecies, then began 
 to talk in a conversational and winning tone, 
 setting before his hearers in a confident 
 manner the true understanding of the Mes- 
 siah " that He must suffer and die, and rise 
 again from the dead," and after presenting 
 this to his listeners most convincingly, he 
 declared in a fearless tone: 
 
 " And Jesus whom I preach unto you is 
 this Messiah!" 
 
 A murmur ran through the assembly as 
 he wound up the roll and returned to his 
 seat. At once another rabbi sprang to his 
 feet, asking questions and raising doubts, 
 while from that time till the closing benedic- 
 tion the first speaker was kept busy answer- 
 ing, denying, persuading and correcting, all 
 with a calmness and decision that made 
 every word forcible. 
 
 Through the whole Agistha listened almost 
 as intently as her better-informed mistress, 
 for though a great deal of it was beyond her 
 comprehension, she could and did. under- 
 stand that this Jesus, the Messiah, was He 
 whom her friends of the cave worshiped 
 and loved. Knowing this, and believing 
 fully that Paul was " a servant of the Most 
 High," she accepted Jesus with the faith of 
 a little child. Once she turned to look at 
 ^Enone, and saw that her gray eyes above 
 the veil were intent and almost tearful. 
 
 At length the service was over, and as 
 the two women lingeriujrly turned to go, 
 Agistha felt sure she had just a glimpse of 
 the youth Herklas, and another man a 
 small, bright-eyed person pressing forward 
 as if to speak to Paul and his companion; 
 but the next instant they were lost in the 
 crowd and she was obliged to hurry after 
 her mistress, lest they be separated, for the 
 synagogue was large, and to-day filled to its 
 utmost capacity. 
 
 After they had reached home and Agistha 
 had ordered some refreshment for her mis- 
 tress, they wandered out to one of the wide 
 galleries opening upon the inner garden, and 
 the maid began playing with the little Ian, 
 while his mother watched them thoughtfully. 
 At length she said, suddenly:
 
 58 
 
 THE WRESTLER OF PHILIPPI. 
 
 "Agistha, where were you brought up? 
 You really seem to have no religion. You 
 pray neither to the gods nor the fates, you 
 wear no amulets, you never consult the 
 oracles, nor study the stars. What are you, 
 I would like to ask?" 
 
 Agistha blushed and looked almost fright- 
 ened. This seemed, even to her unawakened 
 mind, a grave charge. 
 
 " I fear I am nothing, my lady," she said 
 very humbly. 
 
 ^Enone burst out laughing. " You need not 
 look so frightened! Do you feel too humble 
 to address yourself to any god? That is the 
 way you act It is not a common attitude, I 
 assure you. No matter how low a man may 
 fall, he always seems to think he has a 
 special claim upon his gods!" 
 
 Agistha during this speech had been try- 
 ing to collect herself. She was fond of her 
 mistress, but somewhat afraid of her, too. 
 At length she answered timidly: 
 
 " I mean I was never taught, madam. No 
 one told me anything except how to chant 
 the oracles, so " 
 
 "The oracles? You chant the oracles! 
 What do you mean, child?" 
 
 " I was possessed of the spirit of Python, 
 my lady so my masters said and they 
 made me do it. Sometimes I could not then 
 they beat and starved me; then my mind 
 would get all confused and I would say 
 whatever Flavius willed, and then they 
 treated me better; but I was wretched all 
 the time, and in my clear moments I knew 
 it was a lie." 
 
 "You poor child! And did you run away 
 from them?" 
 
 " Oh, no; they took me to the tombs, 
 and" 
 
 "What:' 
 
 " And left me there for dead. But for 
 some reason they did not bury me." 
 
 " Horrible! Horrible!" 
 
 " When I woke from the long sleep I lay 
 on the bier and I was frightened, for it had 
 been raining, and now everything glistened 
 under the moon, and all was so still and 
 strange I thought I must be in some other 
 world. Then some one told me not to be 
 frightened, and came to my aid. It was the 
 young man who helped me get my situation 
 with you. madam" 
 
 " Indeed!" 
 
 " And he took me to a cave where were 
 three other good men who were very kind 
 to me. They gave me food, and spread their 
 abbas down for me to rest upon before the 
 
 fire, then talked low and gently till I fell 
 asleep; and when I woke next day they had 
 gone, leaving me a nice meal to break my 
 fast. I was following them here when I saw 
 Herklas, as they called him, in the market- 
 place, and begged his help. Then he and the 
 stern elderly man brought me to you. I 
 have found since that they are Christians, 
 my lady, and if you please I would like to 
 be a Christian too." 
 
 " How strange this all seems!" said ^Enone 
 musingly, with only a passing smile at the 
 girl's simplicity. " What then did you think 
 of the Christian Apostle who spoke to- 
 day?" 
 
 " Oh! madam, that is strangest of all." 
 And Agistha, warmed to a communicative- 
 ness unexampled in her previous experience, 
 then told the tale of her first meeting with 
 these Apostles in Philippi, throwing herself 
 upon the protection of her mistress to keep 
 her from those bad men, her former masters. 
 
 ^Euone listened with many a sharp ques- 
 tion and exclamation. The narrative in- 
 tensely interested her. At once her specu- 
 lative mind began to question and assert. 
 Why had it been so clearly revealed to this 
 childish person that the men were divinely 
 appointed? She remembered something she 
 had once heard in regard to the prophecies 
 of Jesus, the crucified Nazarene, and tried to 
 recall it now. What was it? That certain 
 things should be hid from the wise and 
 made clear to babes? Something like that, 
 surely. Strange how constantly His utter- 
 ances returned to her, when once she had 
 heard them! He had certainly not suc- 
 ceeded in establishing a Jewish kingdom, 
 but what if this Paul was right, and the only 
 kingdom his Master wished to bring upon 
 earth was that governing men's hearts and 
 lives? 
 
 She looked up and broke into a gay laugh, 
 as if shaking off some mental disquiet. 
 
 "How foolish you are, Agistha!" she 
 cried. " You certainly must be better taught! 
 One can not put on religion like a garment. 
 And so it was a Christian youth who helped 
 you in your extremity? Was he a Jew?" 
 
 " I think not, my lady. He spoke and 
 looked like a Greek, though the others were 
 Jews. He was like the statue of Apollo, tall 
 and shapely, but w r ith a more beautiful 
 face, madam, for his whole look meant kind- 
 ness and good-will." 
 
 " Well, well, bring me the baby now, and 
 call Harold to take away this salver. Come, 
 my boy come to mother. I declare,
 
 THE WRESTLER OF PHI LI PPL 
 
 59 
 
 Agistha, you are nearly as much of a baby 
 as lie." 
 
 The girl stood meekly before her, the color 
 coming and going in her cheeks. 
 
 "There! Mind me not!" cried her mistress 
 relentingly. " But you shall have teachers. 
 To-morrow bring your sewing and sit with 
 me while Hipparchus reads to me. He is a 
 learned eunuch who can teach you what 
 religions there are, and then you may make 
 a choice." 
 
 " I have made it, my lady." 
 
 " So be it! Perhaps you have done a wise 
 thing, too how can I tell? Only, those 
 who embrace this belief seem so common." 
 She had evidently forgotten the girl and was 
 thinking aloud. " Even their Messiah Him- 
 self was low-born and died a criminal's 
 death. Yet what sublime ideas He had! 
 Supreme love expressed in supreme sacri- 
 fice what could be more godlike, more 
 unmanlike! Its force and beauty haunt me, 
 and I never feel it so strongly as when my 
 heart is filled with love for my dear ones. 
 Perhaps" 
 
 She looked up suddenly, catching herself 
 in her monologue, and colored as she saw 
 Agistha gazing at her, vaguely trying to 
 follow her thoughts. 
 
 " Do not stare so, child!" she cried crossly, 
 then smiled and gave the flushing cheek a 
 friendly pat; and before Agistha had quite 
 comprehended either mood, the mistress was 
 engaged in a merry frolic with her baby, 
 waking all the echoes of the garden with 
 their laughter. 
 
 But the slave girl, slow of thought, crept 
 away behind a rose tree and tried to recall 
 all she had heard in the synagogue, like 
 another humble woman, whose name even 
 was as yet unknown to her, " pondering 
 these things in her heart." 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 TO THE HELP OF THE CHRISTIANS. 
 
 EVERY day when there was service at 
 the synagogue the two women might 
 have been seen in the gallery, listening 
 eagerly to the words of the Apostles 
 Agistha with a simple faith that asked no 
 questions, dared no doubts; 2Enone with con- 
 stant internal argument and resistance, yet 
 with the persistent feeling that here might 
 be the solution of all her difficulties: if only 
 it were not such a wound to one's pride to 
 
 acknowledge one's self pledged to a religion 
 unpopular and ill-considered enough to have 
 to keep itself in the background, that it 
 might escape constant persecution! Yet she 
 continued to go and listen, and sought oppor- 
 tunities, afterwards, to talk with her hand- 
 maiden about what they had heard, wonder- 
 ing meanwhile at the latter's simplicity and 
 faith, yet half envying her, too. 
 
 While Paul and his fellow-workers were 
 still in the city, Amasa and Herklas one day 
 called at the politarch's house, with some 
 exquisite linens from Egypt, and also some 
 of exceeding fineness, enwoven with purple 
 threads giving almost the effect of em- 
 broidery, brought from Tyre and Sidon. 
 
 Amasa was intent only upon the sale of his 
 wares, but the youth, knowing this was the 
 home of the Lady ^Enone, was secretly 
 hoping he might see once more the poor 
 maiden whom he had twice rescued from 
 suffering and privation perhaps from death. 
 The traders, being known to the slave peo- 
 ple as honest, courteous men, were readily 
 admitted by the porter, who only smiled at 
 them from the doorway of his little room be- 
 side the vestibule, and kept his hand upon 
 the good dog, Fides, who assisted him in his 
 duty of guarding the door. 
 
 At the request of ^rEuone. who allowed 
 herself many privileges not common among 
 the Greek women she having learned to 
 follow Roman fashions somewhat they 
 were ushered into her apartments, where 
 she sat with her maidens in what was called 
 the " winter room." This delightful apart- 
 ment, now made habitable by the cool morn- 
 ings and evenings of late autumn, faced the 
 south, so that through the gilded latticework 
 of one whole length of wall the brilliant sun- 
 shine poured in, lying in broad checkered 
 patterns upon the floor, only partially 
 shaded by the inside vines that climbed 
 around and over the diamond-shaped panes 
 of mica, setting each in a frame of living 
 green. Thick rugs, divans, cushions, and deep 
 couch-like chairs, were scattered about, and 
 at the end furthest from the sun stood a 
 wide, oval-shaped charcoal brazier, its outer 
 shell of steel carved into lace-like designs. 
 This was supported upon griffins of bronze 
 and gilt, whose tongues, in some way colored 
 red, lolled out of their open mouths like 
 those of dogs panting with the heat a de- 
 vice which always suggested warmth 
 whether there was any fire in the receptacle, 
 or not. 
 
 Agistha, down on a rug in a nest of
 
 60 
 
 THE WRESTLER OF PHILIPPL 
 
 cushions, frolicking with the baby, whose 
 prime favorite she had become, looked up as 
 the door curtain swung aside, and fairly 
 turned white when she saw that the traders 
 were Amasa and Herklas. 
 
 The young Greek's eyes sought hers at 
 once and she knew she was not forgotten, 
 while he felt, with something akin to 
 
 "And you are Christians!" she exclaimed. 
 " But you," turning in her quick way to 
 Herklas, " you are a Greek, are you not?" 
 
 " I am, my lady." 
 
 " I am not surprised that the Jews, who 
 have always looked for a Messiah, should 
 be taken with the tales of this Jesus, whose 
 life seems so full of good and whose death 
 
 Agistha bounded to her feet with the cry, "Oh, dear mistress, they are my friends of the cave!" 
 
 triumphant joy, that her emotion was for 
 him alone. 
 
 ^Enone received the two men graciously, 
 but when Agistha bounded to her feet with 
 the cry, " Oh, dear mistress, they are my 
 friends of the cave!" she became interested 
 at once, and soon the four were busily talk- 
 Ing, all. forgetting for the moment that 
 there was any difference in rank between 
 them. ^Enone eagerly asked questions, and 
 the others respectfully answered them, satis- 
 fying her curiosity in regard to their present 
 life and purposes, and thus naturally ap- 
 proaching the subject of their religion. 
 
 was so sublime, but it strikes me it is a 
 long step for a worshiper of Apollo to take." 
 
 She was smiling at him, and the youth, 
 flushing under her half-satirical gaze, an- 
 swered modestly: 
 
 " It did not seem far to me, lady. I had 
 been long discontented and doubtful. I fe)t 
 that our gods were in many respects no bet- 
 ter than I, and it seemed to me they must be 
 far too busy with their loves, hates, and 
 quarrels, to care for any one in humble life. 
 So when I was told of the God who loves 
 even the humblest, I was in a hurry to re- 
 ceive Him and give my love in return."
 
 THE WBESTLEE OF PHI LI PPL 
 
 61 
 
 " It seems, indeed, a religion for the lowly 
 and the burdened," said the lady. " And in 
 these troublous times who knows when one 
 may not be in sore straits himself, however 
 fortunate now? But come, open your packs 
 and let us see what the looms of Egypt and 
 Phoenicia have to offer us." 
 
 The display proved tempting, and ^nono 
 bought, though not largely, saying as she 
 put aside one or two rolls of the finest 
 linens: 
 
 " I will not take much to-day, but when- 
 ever you are in the city call again, as I may 
 want more presently. My husband is now 
 absent in Rome, and he likes to select the 
 cloth for his own tunics." 
 
 The two men had been several times to 
 the pleasant villa with their wares, when 
 one day, as it was nearing sunset, and 
 Agistha was attending her mistress in a 
 stroll to and fro through the long, many-pil- 
 lared peristyle which formed one of the en- 
 closed courts of the great house, Herklas 
 was announced, and presently stood making 
 his salaam before them. He had no goods 
 with him, and looked both hurried and 
 agitated. 
 
 " Madam," he began quickly, scarce wait- 
 ing for the lady's kindly greeting, " I have 
 come to beg your help, if possible. But first, 
 has your noble husband, Gaius, the politarch, 
 returned?" 
 
 " No, and will not for a day or two. What 
 would you with him?" 
 
 " Oh, madam, have you heard nothing of 
 the tumult in the lower city?" 
 
 " Tumult? No! About what?" 
 
 " Concerning our friends, the Apostles, 
 lady. I do not know what will come of it 
 all, but the streets near their lodgings are 
 filled with a crowd, shouting and threaten- 
 ing. It seems that some of the Jewish 
 rabbis, angry and envious because they can- 
 not answer Paul, and because notwithstand- 
 ing them he keeps making converts among 
 our best citizens, have stirred up the popu- 
 lace against the Apostles, and are urging it 
 on to bloody deeds." 
 
 " Where do they lodge?" asked ^Bnone 
 quickly, becoming at once the stern, self- 
 controlled woman of authority, while 
 Agistha sank back trembling with fright. 
 
 " With his kinsman, Jason the Jew, 
 madam." 
 
 "I know him a fine, honorable man! But 
 surely he will not give those good men up to 
 the rabble?" 
 
 " No, lady, they are well hidden and safe, 
 thus far, but now we are trembling for 
 Jason, who may suffer from the fury of the 
 mob. He is one who would let himself be 
 torn in pieces before he would betray a 
 friend and oh, if you could see the wolfish 
 crowd! They are the lowest of the low, and 
 ripe for any mischief." 
 
 " This must be looked after at once!" cried 
 yEnone with decision. " You did well to 
 come to me. Order my lectica, Harold; and 
 Agistha, come with me." 
 
 " But, my lady," began Herklas re- 
 monstratingly, " the streets all around there 
 are blocked with the mob, and" 
 
 "Would they dare stop the wife of a 
 politarch? You know his power is supreme 
 here, Herklas. Even Rome does not inter- 
 fere with it, unless to advise and caution. 
 But call out my body-guard the people will 
 recognize and respect their livery, and wait! 
 You shall have a horse and be our leader. 
 Can you ride?" 
 
 " I can, madam." 
 
 " Very good. We will go at once to the 
 house of Jason." 
 
 The little cavalcade was soon under way, 
 the two women in the litter, guarded by ten 
 soldiers and led by Herklas, also mounted 
 and hastily armed. But when they reached 
 Jason's home, nearer the shore, only an ex- 
 cited group of neighbors and friends stood 
 about, who hastened to inform the noble 
 lady that Jason had been dragged to the 
 justice hall before the politarchs, for trial. 
 
 " We will go there at once," said ^Enone, 
 and her stalwart litter-bearers broke into 
 the swinging trot habitual to them, keeping 
 well up with the horsemen. 
 
 As they turned into the forum gates they 
 could see what a mob had arisen, for the 
 whole space around the steps of the judg- 
 ment hall was filled with their excited, 
 clamoring faces, swinging arms, and bob- 
 bing turbans. At ^Enone's word the guards, 
 with Herklas as forerunner, began clearing 
 a passage through the surging and compact 
 mass; but though they spurred ruthlessly 
 amid the people without a care where the 
 horses' hoofs struck, yet their progress 
 seemed terribly slow to the anxious women 
 inside, consisting, as it did, of a series of 
 jerky advances and long stops. 
 
 While they were in the thick of the crowd, 
 Agistha gave a low cry and sank back, half 
 fainting, against her mistress. 
 
 " Silly child, to be so frightened at this 
 mob!" whispered yEnone through set teeth.
 
 62 
 
 THE WEESTLEE OF PHILIPPL 
 
 But she too started and looked anxiously 
 around when Agistha murmured in return: 
 
 " Oh, it's my master Flavius the cruel 
 one. See! He is urging those men at the 
 left to cry ' Down with the Christians!' 
 That man in a frayed yellow tunic, with the 
 dark, scarred face. What, oh! what if he 
 should look this way?" 
 
 "And suppose he does, girl? Would he 
 ever think of finding his wretched slave in a 
 litter bearing the colors of Gaius, the 
 politarch? Be quiet, I say, and stop whim- 
 pering! He will never see you behind your 
 veil, and if he did, you are so changed he 
 could not recognize you. Ah, here we are 
 at last! Herklas, come hither." 
 
 The youth rode close. 
 
 " No, stay! You will not do. It must be 
 one of my own men whose livery is known 
 to him. Here, Andrea!" 
 
 One of the guards spurred forwards. 
 
 " Dismount and go into yonder hall, and 
 get speech with Hipparchus. Tell him I 
 wish to see him at once." 
 
 After an interval of impatient waiting, 
 during which Agistha leaned back, muffled 
 to the eyes, and shiveringly watched the 
 active Flavius as he kept the crowd keyed 
 up to its work, ^Enone watching also with 
 keen intentness though in haughty quiet, 
 Andrea appeared with the old lawyer, Hip- 
 parchus, a learned eunuch belonging to the 
 family of ^Dnone. 
 
 Scarcely waiting to greet him, she broke 
 out: " What is this, Hipparchus? I hear 
 the worthy Jason is under condemnation. 
 Is that true?" 
 
 " Yes, he is being examined now, my 
 lady." 
 
 "And for what, pray?" 
 
 " For harboring some seditious men who 
 are stirring up the people about a new king, 
 and" 
 
 "Bah! The same stupid old story that is 
 made the cause of every unjust persecution 
 of these Jews. Have you heard these 
 Apostles speak, yourself? If you had, you 
 would see the absurdity of such a charge, 
 for they preach only peace, love, good-will, 
 and self-sacrifice never the seditions of pub- 
 lic or private conspiracy. And Jason, too! 
 You know his honesty, and what a good 
 friend of ours he has been. Oh, if only 
 Gaius were here! Is there no sense among 
 the other politarchs, that they let them- 
 selves be ruled by a mob?" 
 
 " But you see, my lady, our loyalty has 
 been questioned especially that of our Jew- 
 
 ish neighbors in the city. It was for that, 
 as you know, that Gaius was called to Rome 
 for counsel, and it will not do to let it be 
 said that we harbor among us even the 
 thought of a new king." 
 
 "No more! I am ashamed of you! Oh, 
 were I a man! or were my husband, who is 
 worth any two other men in Thessalonica, 
 but here to speak for the right! Yet stay! 
 Can they imprison Jason if security be 
 offered for his person?" 
 
 " Not on this charge, lady." 
 
 " And the Apostles have not been found?" 
 
 " Not yet." 
 
 "Ah, ha! This simplifies things!" She 
 laughed gayly. " Go offer security at once, 
 Hipparchus. You understand that I will be 
 responsible. Have our good Jason dis- 
 charged, and we will argue the right of this 
 thing later. Will you do this for me?" 
 
 He looked refusal for a minute; the lady 
 ZDnone was really too bold for a woman, 
 though as fine a creature as ever lived! She 
 was as dear to him as an own child, indeed, 
 and when he looked up bravely to say " no," 
 he met a winning smile that drew forth a 
 reluctant " yes." 
 
 As Hipparchus slowly remounted the 
 stately steps of the hall, JEnone gave the 
 word Home!" and looked after him with a 
 merry glance. She was as gay over her 
 victory as she had been angry at the cause 
 for it. Her moods were subtle and change- 
 able as the stirrings of the wind, but per- 
 vading them all was the fine perfume of a 
 generous, large-hearted nature. She now be- 
 gan to banter Agistha upon her pale cheeks 
 and frightened eyes, dimly visible through 
 her veil. 
 
 " Come, no longer fear!" she said with 
 sunny imperiousness. " Let Flavius claim 
 you if he dare! I only wish he would. I 
 watched him narrowly, Agistha, and I have 
 made a discovery. Let me whisper it he 
 has been a galley slave!" 
 
 "Oh, my lady! How can you tell?" 
 
 " I saw the brand upon his cheek. It has 
 been cleverly concealed by a sabre stroke, 
 leaving a cross scar above it, but it is there; 
 I cannot be deceived. And furthermore, it 
 is the brand given for a life sentence. The 
 man is an escaped criminal of that I am 
 certain. How you look at me, child! Do 
 you wonder how I know all this?" 
 
 " Ah, my lady knows everything; but this 
 does seem a strange thing for you to under- 
 stand." 
 
 " Yet the explanation is simple enough. I
 
 THE WEESTLEE OF PHILIPPI. 
 
 63 
 
 Lave a sailor cousin who is in charge of one 
 of the government galleys, and he has told 
 me much. I used to go on board frequently 
 when we were in Rome, and I learned each 
 brand by heart. It was through curiosity, 
 only I always will be learning, and often, 
 too, concerning matters that seem of little 
 use to a woman of rank. But, Agistha, I 
 have noticed already that curiosity is the 
 key to wisdom, and wisdom, of whatever 
 variety, is never wasted. It is like my coffer 
 of odds-and-ends at home. Give a hasty 
 glance beneath the lid and one would say 
 the contents are useless. But wait! One 
 <Jay I need a silken tassel for my girdle, and 
 I find it there; another day my sandal laces 
 break never mind; more are forthcoming. 
 Or perhaps Chloe needs a bit of stuff to 
 mend her tunic, or one of my crisping-pins is 
 missing a few minutes' search helps us 
 both to what we need. So every bit of 
 knowledge proves useful, no matter if it be 
 but the brand upon the cheek of a galley 
 slave and here am I turning the coffer of 
 my wits wrong side out for you!" 
 
 She ended with a laugh in which Agistha 
 feebly joined, her fears vanishing in the 
 warm atmosphere of protection and sup- 
 port which every one must feel when suc- 
 cored by this great-hearted, clear-headed 
 Lady ^Enone. 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 THE BRIDE OF HERKLAS. 
 
 HERKLAS did not accompany the 
 women home. A whisper from Mnoae 
 had sent him off, still mounted, upon 
 some other business over which Agistha 
 dared ask no questions. But after the de- 
 layed evening meal had been served and the 
 mistress had spent an hour or more playing 
 softly on her lyre, and occasionally breaking 
 into sweet, low singing, there was a stir 
 in the peristyle outside the women's apart- 
 ments, and presently the page appeared to 
 say that Herklas requested a short audience 
 with the Lady JEnone, if she were pleased 
 to see him that night. 
 
 She sprang up at once, flung her lyre upon 
 the divan and started out; but catching a 
 glimpse of her handmaiden's wistful face, 
 she hesitated an instant, then said gra- 
 ciously, " You may attend me, Agistha," at 
 which the latter rose to her feet and quickly 
 followed. 
 
 They found Herklas somevrhat dusty and 
 disordered, as if from a long ride, and as he 
 salaamed low lie said apologetically: 
 
 " I waited for nothing, madam, but came 
 to report to you, as you bade me." 
 
 "Yes, that is right. And what is the re- 
 port V" she asked eagerly. 
 
 " The Apostles are safe on the road to 
 Berea, lady. We went with them until sure 
 they were not pursued, and then left them 
 to other friends as trusty." 
 
 "That is well! And Jason?" 
 
 "The politarchs discharged him after 
 security had been given, and he is in his own 
 house, somewhat bruised and shaken, but 
 not seriously injured." 
 
 " And the other." 
 
 She shot a glance from under her lids at 
 Agistha, but Herklas did not allow his 
 gaze to wander. 
 
 " I have done your bidding, madam, and 
 he is now in the inner prison, arrested on 
 the charge of theft, and" 
 
 "Theft?" 
 
 " Yes, lady. He was caught robbing a 
 booth by the officers I sent to arrest him. 
 After he is tried on that score, however, 
 your testimony can be given against him." 
 
 "You have done well, Herklas! You have 
 my sincere thanks, and more. But of that 
 later." 
 
 She clapped her hands sharply, and Harold 
 appeared from behind a curtain. 
 
 " Conduct this guest of mine to the small 
 triclinium," she said briskly, " and tell my 
 women of the culina to serve him with the 
 best meal possible on such short notice. And 
 you, Agistha," turning with a careless air 
 to the girl, " may see that he is properly 
 served." 
 
 She dismissed them with a wave of her 
 hand, and returned to her private apart- 
 ments, where, with a smile curling her lips, 
 she once more resumed her lyre and her 
 singing. 
 
 " One can see they are made for each 
 other!" she murmured; then after freshly 
 tuning the stringed instrument, she began a 
 sighing little love song. 
 
 Herklas, scarcely believing in his good for- 
 tune, followed Harold, while Agistha. trem- 
 bling, blushing, yet not reluctant, followed 
 him. Neither spoke at first. He took his 
 easy attitude upon one of the couches with 
 a half-deprecating air, and she stood by, 
 ready to minister to his slightest want, as 
 was the attitude of most women to their 
 lords in that day. Presently, however, the
 
 64 
 
 THE WEESTLEE OF PHILIPPL 
 
 rich viands loosened the young man's 
 tongue, and Agistha softly answered his re- 
 marks, her mood responding to his as clear 
 crystal tingles to the touch of a golden bar. 
 
 He told her of his new life, with its be- 
 liefs, hopes, and work, to which she added 
 the glad news that she, too, had taken the 
 Christ into her heart. Finally, after much 
 talk about themselves, which was not, there- 
 fore, selfish, since it also reached out to the 
 help of others, he said: 
 
 " Agistha, to-night I have been told some- 
 thing which may change all my future 
 plans. If events shape themselves, under 
 God, as I believe they will. I shall remain 
 permanently in Thessalonica, and it will be 
 fitting that I should have a wife and a 
 home." 
 
 Agistha dropped her eyes and trembled. 
 
 " I think your mistress favors me," he was 
 continuing, but at the word " mistress " she 
 broke into a cry of despair. 
 
 "Oh, yes, yes! But I had forgotten! It is 
 my master I have to fear my real master. 
 Flavius! How dare I think of any future, 
 when he is likely to claim me at a moment's 
 notice?" 
 
 " Flavius?" cried Herklas, staring at her. 
 " The suspected but no, I must not betray 
 the Lady ^Enone's matters. But is he your 
 master?" 
 
 " I know what you would say, Herklas 
 the suspected galley-slave. Alas! yes, that 
 wicked man is the master I escaped from." 
 
 " Say rather who left you as dead without 
 burial the brute! He will never claim you, 
 Agistha, never. Not only because he thinks 
 you dead, but because no, I have no right 
 to tell you. Only, ask the kind Lady ..Enone, 
 and perhaps she will explain what I cannot. 
 But one question more before I go." 
 
 He asked it so softly that even Harold 
 could not hear, and her answer must have 
 pleased him, for he left the house with a 
 firm, quick tread, and a proud smile on his 
 face. 
 
 As for Agistha, she soon appeared before 
 her mistress so subdued in manner that 
 the lady broke into merry laughter. 
 
 " What ails the girl?" she cried banter- 
 Ingly. " One would think she had been 
 caught stealing sweetmeats!" 
 
 At which Agistha called up courage 
 enough to ask: "My lady, is it true I need 
 no longer fear my old master? and why?" 
 
 " Ah, the young trader told you that, did 
 he? And of course explained everything." 
 
 " No, madam. He said they were your 
 
 affairs and he had no right to do so, but 
 bade me ask you, who are so kind." 
 
 " What is it to him, Agistha, whether you 
 are free or not? Ah, ha! your blushes an- 
 swer. W T ell, well! it is all right, I am sure. 
 He is true and good and beautiful. I will 
 give you your wedding, my girl, and it shall 
 be one suitable for the favorite of a 
 politarch's wife." 
 
 " But Flavius? You forget that I am a 
 slave yet, lady." 
 
 "I forget nothing, child! Your master, as 
 you call that wretch, is now in prison, and 
 will soon be returned to his proper service 
 under government." 
 
 The girl smiled broadly. It was the first 
 time she had really felt secure. Then her 
 face clouded over. 
 
 "Ah!" she sighed, "the blessed Christ, 
 whose follower I would be, forgave even his 
 enemies, who were still more cruel than 
 Flavius. I ought to do the same." 
 
 JEnone looked at her with astonishment. 
 "Forgive him?" she cried. "He who beat 
 and starved you, and, not content to ruin 
 your present life, left you unburied, that 
 even your soul should never have rest? For- 
 giveness for such a creature is an impossi- 
 bility!" 
 
 But at that moment came to the speaker's 
 mind the accounts not only of Christ and of 
 Stephen, but of later martyrs also, who had 
 sublimely forgiven under the tortures of a 
 cruel death, and she grew thoughtful. 
 
 " Yes, even that does seem to be demanded 
 of us," she murmured at last. " If Christ 
 came to save sinners, surely this Flavius is 
 one; and if the Christian's God can forgive 
 such, should not the Christian as well?" 
 
 The lady shook her head as if it were a 
 problem beyond her, then looked up with her 
 merry glance. 
 
 " Yes, forgive him, Agistha, that is right. 
 But let us be thankful that even your par- 
 don cannot free him now!" 
 
 A few days later, Gaius having returned 
 meanwhile, the once galley slave was called 
 up for examination and fully identified as a 
 murderer who had escaped years before dur- 
 ing a frightful storm in the Tyrrhenean Sea, 
 when the galley had capsized. He was sup- 
 posed to have been drowned at that time, 
 but by superhuman efforts managed to reach 
 the shore. He was now " put to the ques- 
 tion," and forced by torture to confess that 
 he had not acquired Agistha by purchase or 
 inheritance, but had stolen her from a palace 
 in Rome, soon after his escape from the
 
 THE WRESTLER OF PHI LI PPL 
 
 65 
 
 shipwreck, intending to negotiate with her 
 wealthy parents for a ransom, but being 
 afterwards in danger of recognition, had 
 carried her with him to Nicopolis in Greece, 
 still meaning in time to demand a ransom 
 which would set him up independently for 
 life. Meanwhile he left her, still a small 
 child, in the care of a woman there. Later 
 he took her with him to Macedonia, think- 
 ing that now he would sell her as a slave, 
 for he believed it too late to try and restore 
 her to her parents. But not readily getting 
 his price for the puny, haggard, half-starved 
 little creature, he kept possession of her, 
 though leaving her for weeks at a time to 
 pick up a living, as best she could, among 
 his associates in poverty and crime. 
 
 At length the child fell seriously ill, and 
 though she received only the precarious 
 nursing of charity, was finally able to be 
 about again, but with a disordered brain. 
 Her singular powers of divination then first 
 showed themselves, and gained her new in- 
 terest, for the unscrupulous Flavius at once 
 saw money in this acquisition. He had be- 
 fore this been connected with Alois, the 
 Phoanician, in more than one questionable 
 proceeding, and now the two resolved to go 
 into partnership in exhibiting the girl, hop- 
 ing to make a fortune out of her ambiguous 
 utterances. 
 
 All this was literally forced from Flavius 
 bit by bit, but nothing could make him re- 
 veal the name of Agistha's parents. Through 
 severe suffering he persisted that he did not 
 know, and when his tormentors turned the 
 screws tighter he shrieked out names at 
 random, evidently on'y to shorten the agony. 
 Thus they became convinced that he really 
 did not know, but his description of the 
 house proved that it must be one of the 
 palaces, for its vast peristyle was sur- 
 rounded by marble columns and costly 
 statuary, while a large fountain, beautifully 
 shaded by flowering plants, played in its 
 center. Other courts, smaller but as luxuri- 
 ous, he spoke of seeing in vista, and all 
 showed enormous wealth in their plenishing. 
 
 He had gained entrance to this peristyle 
 through the narrow fauces or passages lead- 
 ing from the garden to the peristyle, past 
 the kitchens. The gate in the wall surround- 
 ing this garden had been inadvertently left 
 ajar, and he had slunk in, hoping to steal 
 something within the luxurious enclosure a 
 gay wrap carelessly flung across a seat per- 
 haps, or a piece of silverware left from some 
 banquet. But he found nothing portable, 
 
 so, seeing no one, he kept on until he reached 
 the peristyle, where only a wee child was 
 playing about the fountain. Obeying his 
 first evil instinct of thievery, he quickly 
 threw his girdle over her head to stifle her 
 cries, and ran off with her wrapped close in 
 his tunic, escaping without rousing a pf>r- 
 sou, as it was the hour of the siesta, and all 
 Home lay asleep for the time being. 
 
 From this story he would not deviate, and 
 was finally released from further torture, 
 though only, subsequently, to be returned 
 to the cruel galleys and his hopeless life of 
 hard labor and degrading servitude. 
 
 While Gaius each night repeated to his in- 
 terested wife these glimpses of crime wrung 
 from the wretched man by rack and screw, 
 she grew more and more engrossed in her 
 little handmaiden, and a doubt began to 
 assail her. 
 
 " Surely, Gaius, this points to the noblest 
 parentage, and thus disarranges all my 
 plans," she said once. " I had meant to 
 marry her to young Herklas, but he is only 
 a trader, and " 
 
 "Ah! my wife, the trades are growing 
 more honorable every day. Men must make 
 money to keep up with the ruinously ex- 
 travagant fashions. But how can you be 
 certain that she is of noble birth? She 
 might have been the child of some favorite 
 slave, for aught we know." 
 
 " But you say Flavius confessed that she 
 was beautifully clothed, so " 
 
 " The most extravagantly dressed baby I 
 saw in Rome was the Gallic slave boy, but 
 four years old, of our brave young general, 
 Otho. He looked like a little prince, and 
 had his special nurse, as our own Ian." 
 
 " I know. It is the silly fashion of the 
 times. But how can we know aught con- 
 cerning Agistha? His description of the 
 mansion would apply to so many." 
 
 "Truly. It throws little light upon the 
 subject; and besides, the occupants are apt 
 to change with the caprice of the emperor. 
 The best way would be to make a list of all 
 the patricians of twelve years ago and find 
 if any sustained such a loss but that would 
 be a herculean task. You say she knows 
 nothing of all this?" 
 
 " Not a word." 
 
 " Then what good can it do to tell her? It 
 may make her discontented, and spoil a 
 sweet disposition, to no purpose." 
 
 " But have we a right to keep it?" 
 
 Gaius thought they had, and they debated 
 the question some time. At length
 
 66 
 
 THE WEESTLEE OF PHILIPPL 
 
 sensibly broke up the discussion by asking 
 abruptly: 
 
 " Which of the patricians did you see most 
 of, Gaius?" 
 
 " Well, Aulus Clotius, I think. He is very 
 civil to strangers, and I have met him be- 
 fore when he was in this city." 
 
 " Let me see he is the officer who was 
 conspicuous in the last triumphal procession, 
 is he not?" 
 
 " Yes, the son of Aleutius, who died about 
 thirteen years ago, some think by his own 
 hand, because Caligula had a grudge against 
 him. At any rate, for a time his widow 
 and orphans, though not banished, lived in 
 great seclusion and were not recognized in 
 Court circles." 
 
 "There were other children, then?" 
 
 " Yes, one other; a daughter, I think?" 
 
 "And where is she now?" 
 
 " She must have died early. Pamphylia 
 referred to her only indirectly, as if long 
 since lost to her. Certainly she now has but 
 the one son, Aulus." 
 
 A few weeks later Herklas and Agistha 
 were married at the home of their kind pro- 
 tector. Before this event Herklas fully ex- 
 plained to both Gaius and his wife his future 
 plans. These were, that he was to be in- 
 stalled at Thessalonica as deacon of the new 
 church of Christ, and instead of traveling 
 about the country, was to remain perma- 
 nently in the city in charge of a shop of his 
 own, the necessary funds having been lent 
 him by wealthy friends in that body. 
 
 January was chosen as the time for the 
 marriage, that being a favorite nuptial 
 month with the Greeks, and before the day 
 set, Gaius, in a talk with Herklas, revealed 
 what he knew of Agistha's early history, 
 leaving it to the young husband to repeat 
 this singular story to her, or not, as he chose. 
 Herklas was not ambitious in a worldly 
 way, nor did he wish to awaken such am- 
 bitions in his wife, so after much thought 
 he decided at present not to stir up the 
 placid waters of her mind with such discon- 
 certing ideas, fearing like Gaius its effect 
 upon her peace. Thus, ignorant of all but 
 the blessed fact that she " had been bond 
 but now was free," both bodily and spirit- 
 ually, Agistha entered into her new life. 
 
 It was a simple ceremony that changed 
 the Greek girl into the matron, partaking 
 still of many pagan rites and ablutions, but 
 transfused and glorified by Christian sacred- 
 ness and depth of feeling. Herklas secured 
 
 a modest house in the gardens back of the 
 villa, and one evening, dressed in brave at- 
 tire, with a new tunic of finest linen and a 
 girdle of silk from India, he entered a 
 chariot drawn by mules and gayly decorated 
 with vines and flowers. 
 
 This was the nuptial car, and a low couch 
 gorgeously trimmed in honor of the bride 
 who was soon to be borne upon it, occupied 
 its entire length. On one side sat Herklas: 
 on the other Amasa, who acted as master of 
 ceremonies. In great state, to low and win- 
 some music, they were driven slowly 
 through the streets, the people turning out in 
 throngs to shout their greetings; and thus 
 even before they were in sight, Agistha, 
 tremblingly receiving the last touches to her 
 rich attire, lavishly furnished by JEnone, 
 heard the eager shout, " Behold, the bride- 
 groom cometh!" and begged her maids of a 
 day to hurry. 
 
 Soon she stood within the atrium, veiled 
 from head to foot, her delicately-clad per- 
 son emanating perfumes, her arms supported 
 by proud mothers of boys (that thus might 
 their happy fortune attend her new life), 
 and awaited her groom. The car drew 
 nearer, stopped. The music grew louder, 
 more insistent. The groom entered with the 
 violence of a love that would take every- 
 thing by storm, and demanded the bride of 
 her parents, making as if he would tear her 
 away; all mere acting of course, for Gaius, 
 who stood this night in the place of father 
 to the blushing Agistha, readily seconded 
 the groom and placed her hand in his, which 
 simple ceremony of demanding and giving 
 made them one. 
 
 The young husband then led his bride to 
 the chariot, seating her on the couch-like 
 throne, and placing himself at her side, 
 while Amasa sat behind and diverted the 
 crowd, who were full of the tricks and 
 merriment common at a wedding. 
 
 All the younger people of the household 
 formed a procession with torches, garlands, 
 bells, and musical instruments of every de- 
 scription, and amid a merry din they left the 
 old home for the new. The doorposts of the 
 latter had been decorated with garlands and 
 ivy leaves and laurel, and as the procession 
 drew near it the custom was to sing a song 
 to Hymen; but to-day Herklas had begged 
 the singers to substitute a Christian hymn, 
 and to its sweet notes of praise they entered 
 their future home as man and wife. 
 
 Here in the hall, or ostium. stood Jason's 
 wife, representing the groom's mother, and
 
 THE WRESTLER OF PHILIPPL 
 
 
 67 
 
 
 room to banquet with her female com- 
 panions, while her husband received his 
 special friends in the larger triclinium. 
 
 The feasting lasted several days, and 
 sometimes grew wearisome to stomach and 
 purse. The day following the marriage the 
 bride and her maidens were kept busy open- 
 friends, not only, but by sycophants, and all 
 who had private ends to gain with her lord, 
 if such there were. The most of Agistha's 
 gifts were sent in real affection, however, 
 for she had endeared herself to more than 
 were found in the household of Gaius, while 
 Herklas was a universal favorite. 
 
 So passed a few days, until no one could 
 depart saying the master of the feast had 
 been niggardly in the entertainment, and 
 then came a still, home-like day which must 
 have been very welcome to the loving 
 couple. All the guests had departed, all the 
 turmoil and confusion were at an end, and 
 the two were left at last alone to prove each 
 other, and to set up their own family altar, 
 undisturbed by friend or foe. 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 HAPPENINGS IN PHILIPPL 
 
 THE faithful at Philippi did not once 
 lose sight of Paul in his wanderings, 
 and with the liberality born of true 
 love often sent him such sums as they could 
 raise for his relief, which were carried over 
 the road by devoted brethren, who gladly 
 undertook the journey in order to see and 
 converse once more with the beloved 
 Apostles. 
 
 These donations were wholly voluntary, 
 as Paul, no matter how weary with the day's 
 toil, often worked far into the night at his 
 trade of tent-making, in order not to be a 
 burden upon his hearers. 
 
 Truly, in the best sense, Paul in his re- 
 markable journeyings at this time proved 
 that he was " all things to all men "courte- 
 ous among the refined, wise among the 
 learned, tactful among the disputatious, 
 busy where industry told, and with the 
 greatest patience in inaction, when waiting 
 was the will of the Lord. 
 
 1 -i I ** ou*_ 1.1 4. U UC"11 
 
 kindly taught by Lydia. Junius, deprived 
 of his office, had dropped easily into the 
 Despicable role of an idler of whom there 
 were far too many in every Grecian town 
 and sat about in the market-place all day, 
 " hearing and seeing every new thing," dfs- 
 cussing public affairs with others of like 
 habits, and growing daily a little more in- 
 temperate, more ragged, and more un- 
 ashamed, than the day before. 
 
 Elizabeth seemed much the same, calm, 
 serene and sweet, but the contour of her 
 face sharpened rapidly, and its pallor in- 
 creased. She depended more and more upon 
 Salome and Nadab. The latter was growing 
 fast and promised to be her greatest solace 
 and support in time. Thus working and lov- 
 ing together, they might have been almost 
 comfortable but for the fact that everything 
 in Philippi its business, pleasure, home life, 
 and public events was based upon pagan 
 ceremonies, and as Christians our little 
 family found themselves debarred much that 
 was otherwise desirable. 
 
 Even in the basket-weaving the question 
 of expediency or brave right-doing often 
 came up. Many wished the symbols of the 
 gods woven into the baskets, or ordered such 
 as had special uses in and about the temple 
 services, and these orders Elizabeth felt she 
 could not in conscience execute, while 
 Salome was hindered from preparing the 
 best and finest fabrics because they were 
 for the use of priest, or Vestal, or to adorn 
 those who joined in the processions to the 
 gods. No Christian could in the slightest 
 manner assist at such worship, and thus the 
 calling of each often suffered, apparently, 
 because of that higher calling which placed 
 the kingdom of heaven first, and the ac- 
 quisitions of this world last and least. 
 
 Then, too, it was almost impossible to ap- 
 prentice Nadab to a good trade, for on the 
 one side the heathen master preferred a boy 
 of his own faith who would work, worship, 
 and take his holidays exactly as he bade 
 him, while on the other Elizabeth could not 
 bear to place her son under the legal con- 
 trol of a master who " loved not Christ and 
 his righteousness." 
 
 But God did not leave them desolate. In 
 their own congregation they were loved and 
 honored, and when help was absolutely
 
 63 
 
 THE WEESTLEE OF PHILIPPL 
 
 needed it always came. If Junius had been 
 one with them they would have considered 
 themselves well off in their humble way, but 
 he chose to attribute to the score of their 
 " fanaticism " all the misfortunes resulting 
 from his own conduct, shifting the blame 
 from his own weak shoulders, where it be- 
 longed. 
 
 But even as things were, they did not re- 
 pine. For a time, indeed, after the man's 
 dismissal Elizabeth was very grave, and 
 each morning her swollen lids betrayed the 
 night's weeping; but one day she came forth 
 from her chamber with bright eyes, a smil- 
 ing mouth, and an air of such lightness and 
 joy that each one noticed and said something 
 in laughing approval. But when alone with 
 her, Salome hastened to ask: 
 
 " What is it, dear? You look so glad, so 
 happy! Has Junius promised better things?" 
 
 Elizabeth shook her head. " No, little sis- 
 ter, it is our Lord who has promised, and I 
 have been shutting my ears that is all. 
 Last night, as I lay weeping, it all came to 
 me with the sharpness of a rebuke. Why 
 should I weep and repine? W T hy should I 
 bear this trouble as if it were my trouble 
 alone? Have I not been expressly com- 
 manded not to do so? I remember how 
 Jesus once said that we ' would not come to 
 Him that we might have life,' and I began 
 to wonder, was it I w T ho was holding aloof 
 instead of Him, as I had felt? Then kept 
 recurring many, many words: ' He that 
 cometh to me shall never hunger,' ' It is the 
 w T ill of my Father that all who believe shall 
 have everlasting life,' ' He that followeth 
 me shall not walk in darkness,' and that 
 beautiful request, ' Come unto me, all ye 
 heavy laden,' and little by little everything 
 grew clear. I had no right to agonize thus 
 over my husband it was distrusting Christ. 
 It was as if I were bent double with some 
 heavy load and a stronger offered to carry 
 it, saying. ' It is really my load give it to 
 me!' yet I would still persist in clinging to 
 the dreadful weight, staggering and groan- 
 ing at every step, yet blaming that other 
 even while refusing to yield the burden; and 
 I said, ' Forgive me, Lord! Junius was 
 yours before he was mine, and you love him. 
 I give him to you to carry and to save. I 
 will do my human best, and I will trust 
 your heavenly wisdom and await your time. 
 I have brought my burden give me your 
 comfort!' And oh! Salome, such rest, such 
 peace as I felt! I turned over and slept like 
 a little child. I rose like a glad maiden with 
 
 no care, for I know that my Lord is carry- 
 ing my burden, that I may rest in His peace. 
 Junius is His now, and He is ' mighty to 
 save.' " 
 
 But Salome sometimes felt it would take a 
 stronger faith than hers to be certain that 
 Christ would save the surly, stupid man who 
 seemed drifting further from them and from 
 all good with every passing month. The 
 young pagan captain was the only one of 
 his old associates who seemed to have any 
 notice or care for him, and he still con- 
 tinued to show a friendly interest in his 
 affairs. 
 
 Cleotas, as the latter was called, could not 
 readily forget Salome's spirited refusal to 
 take part in the Lenoea, and, with his mind 
 thus stirred to questioning, he watched that 
 feast to the gods with new eyes, when it 
 took place. The result was that its wanton- 
 ness and license fairly confounded him, and 
 he went home afterwards (with a clearer 
 head than ever before) to ponder over this 
 and the corresponding spring festival called 
 the Bacchanalia, in which he had always 
 thoughtlessly joined, sleeping off the fumes 
 of strong wines and excitement later, with- 
 out further thought than perhaps to boast 
 of his ability to keep up the carousing longer 
 than some men. 
 
 In his new perplexities he naturally sought 
 counsel among his friends, and of these the 
 converted jailer, now an officer of the 
 church, came first to mind as he saw him 
 almost daily in the way of business. 
 Through him he was led to seek Luke, the 
 beloved physician, who had personal care of 
 the little flock in Philippi at this time, and 
 ere long Cleotas became a true believer and 
 helpful member of this body. 
 
 In the assemblies, held oftenest in private 
 houses, he constantly met Elizabeth and 
 Salome, and soon learned to look upon them 
 as special friends. He was a brave, athletic 
 fellow, with the strong man's instinct for 
 protecting all helpless creatures, and the in- 
 side knowledge of their trials which had 
 come to him made him anxious to help in 
 every way. So, whenever possible, he gave 
 Junius employment by the day, and secured 
 public orders for the women, such as weav- 
 ing mats for the justice halls and offices, or 
 cloth for awnings and door curtains. 
 
 In this manner he won his way into their 
 hearts, and no one thought it strange or un- 
 suitable when, three years after Salome be- 
 came a part of Elizabeth's household, she 
 left it to go with Cleotas to a much finer
 
 THE WRESTLER OF PH1L1PP1. 
 
 69 
 
 home, as his honored wife. It was, even in 
 the eyes of Lydia, who always took a 
 motherly interest in the girl, a desirable 
 marriage, for Cleotas was not only a sincere 
 Christian, but an official in higli standing, 
 who had both means and influence. 
 
 Salome could now show her gratitude, and 
 so generous was she that Elizabeth's cares 
 were greatly lightened. More than ihis, 
 Cleotas was able to help Nadab onwards in 
 the difficult upward climb of a drunkard's 
 son, and soon after the marriage made the 
 youth his deputy, with fair pay, and every 
 chance for promotion. 
 
 During all this time Junius seemed 
 steadily declining, and Elizabeth still 
 " waited upon the Lord " for his salvation. 
 She was always gentle, and as loving as 
 she could be with one of his disposition, 
 while her treatment of him at his worst 
 was courteous and considerate. 
 
 Once Salome, stung to anger by an exhibi- 
 tion of his brutality and Elizabeth's patience, 
 cried out sharply, after he had stumbled 
 from their presence: 
 
 " How can you treat him like that, Eliza- 
 beth? You really act as if you respected 
 him!" 
 
 Elizabeth turned to the speaker, her face 
 radiant with a great thought. 
 
 " I do," she said gently. " He belongs to 
 God; he is one of the sinners bought with 
 a great price, for all innocence, all virtue, all 
 faith, suffer through his degradation. But 
 Christ loves him, and it is His will to save 
 him. I must respect him then, Salome; I 
 dare not do otherwise!" 
 
 And Junius, through the slow deterioration 
 of heart and brain, felt this, and secretly 
 clung to it as a sailor submerged in deep 
 and surging waters clings to the rope thrown 
 from the stately, steady ship- riding calmly 
 above him. 
 
 " I am a man!" he would tell himself with 
 a thickened tongue. " I am Elizabeth's hus- 
 band, and she looks up to me. I will have 
 to get the better of this sometime yes, I 
 certainly will." 
 
 But the days slid by and his resolves with 
 them. The line seemed very slack now, and 
 he hardly felt its \n\\\ in those thick, slimy 
 waters. But ofttimes, on the ship, the cap- 
 tain can both feel and clearly see the rope 
 which the half-drowned sailor scarcely 
 knows has been thrown to him. Elizabeth 
 knew it must be plain to the All-seeing Eye, 
 and, groping by faith, she felt it too, and 
 never ceased to pray and to believe. 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 A GLIMPSE AT COURT LIFE IN ROME. 
 
 AS the intrigues, splendors, amusements 
 and successes of his life at court tilled 
 Hector's time and thoughts, so did the 
 holy influences, once powerfully felt, suffer 
 neglect and decay. The virtues, especially 
 those of truth and love, were not in demand 
 among that inner circle of patricians who 
 occupied the royal mansions. These per- 
 fectly understood that the Emperor Claudius 
 was a drunkard; his wife Agrippina a 
 shameless intriguer whose hands were not 
 free from the stain of blood; her son Nero 
 while outwardly a brilliant and beautiful 
 boy in reality an ambitious tool without 
 conscience or compassion; and even Burrhus 
 and Seneca, statesman and philosopher, 
 though the brightest stars in that night of 
 sin, were often found stooping to hypocrisy 
 and time-serving, hopeless to hasten the 
 dawning. 
 
 How then could a young man entirely de- 
 pendent upon courtly favor do otherwise 
 than follow the lead of his betters and learn 
 to close his eyes and ears, repress natural 
 right feeling, and simply do as he was bid- 
 den, neither asking questions nor making 
 comments? 
 
 So thought Hector: for looking about, he 
 found no Daniels in Ctesar's household, and, 
 failing either outward or inward moral sup- 
 port, he grew nearly as reckless and ready 
 in crime as the rest. 
 
 He had not been two years in Rome when 
 there was a complete change in the govern- 
 ment. The weak Claudius was dead, having 
 been poisoned by his wife, and Nero, her 
 son, had been declared Cfesar by the Prae- 
 torian Guards before Brittanicus, own sou 
 of the murdered emperor, fully knew that 
 his father's sudden illness was fatal. So per- 
 fectly and secretly did the subtle Agrippina 
 lay her plots and mature her plans. 
 
 Aulus Clotius was naturally a strong ad- 
 herent of Nero's, and the accession brought 
 him new honors. He was made Tribunus 
 Celerum. commander of the Royal Guards, 
 and he and his household were invited to 
 live under the Imperial roof, which was 
 large enough to house over a thousand peo- 
 ple in roomy luxury. Hector advanced with 
 him and won favor with the amusement-lov- 
 ing Nero because of his wrestling powers. 
 Many a time, after a surfeiting banquet, the 
 Greek was called in to amuse the company.
 
 70 
 
 THE WRESTLER OF PHILIPPL 
 
 and was pitted in private combat against 
 some gladiator famed for his skill in the 
 arena. Aulus sometimes told his client 
 laughingly that Caesar only sought a good 
 opportunity to consign him to the same fate, 
 and that if ever he lost the favor of the 
 court he might know what his punishment 
 would be death in the amphitheatre. 
 
 At present, however, Hector stood well, 
 and any disgrace seemed far away. He had 
 been made a centurion in the Imperial 
 Guards, and had a suite of apartments in one 
 of the palace wings called the Praetorium. 
 Here he lived in luxury w r ith his family his 
 wife Celeste, once the pretty Gallic slave 
 girl, now a freedwoman through the gener- 
 osity of her mistress, and his two little chil- 
 dren, a boy and a girl. During Nero's early 
 reign Aulus had been out upon one long 
 campaign in which Hector accompanied him, 
 proving so brave and sturdy an adherent 
 that the tie between them grew brotherly in 
 its strength. 
 
 Pamphylia and Julia, hearing how, in close 
 combat, Hector had twice interposed his 
 body and shield between their lord and the 
 spear of a fierce barbarian, felt they owed 
 him much, and when the warriors returned 
 gladly promoted the marriage between him- 
 self and the favorite Celeste, making her 
 free that she might not dishonor him by a 
 misalliance. 
 
 So everything went smoothly on the out- 
 side for Hector but how was it within? A 
 house left to perfect tranquillity through 
 disuse should, it would seem, be better pre- 
 served than one kept in constant service, 
 with childish feet pattering about, and a 
 busy family giving it hard knocks. But this 
 Is not true. The disused house begins a 
 slow, silent deterioration from the minute 
 the family departs. Wind, sun, rain, and 
 worm, take arms against it, to batter, scorch, 
 rot, and burrow, from roof to foundation, 
 and unless bright, active life comes into it 
 again, the house is doomed. 
 
 So it is with a man's soul. When busy 
 care, anxiety, temptation even, beset it with- 
 out and within, while the love of Christ fills 
 every part, it grows only stronger and better 
 for the attrition; but let the love-light die 
 out, let prosperity slowly smother it in out- 
 side beauty, and it surely tends to extinc- 
 tion. The soul of Hector was thus rapidly 
 falling into ruin because too inactive and too 
 empty, till deeds which had at first thrilled 
 him with horror caused but a shrug of the 
 shoulders, perhaps. 
 
 It was popular to join in the processions, 
 so he and his family were sure to be promi- 
 nent in these events, however immodest or 
 grotesque they might be; for the same reason 
 he was always at the cruel gladiatorial con- 
 tests in the amphitheatre, watching them 
 with an interest possible only to one who 
 understood what strength and skill they in- 
 volved, and too often he would not turn 
 down his thumbs to save a poor overpow- 
 ered wretch, because in his own proud 
 strength he felt that the defeated gladiator 
 had been too easy a prey. 
 
 Besides all these comparatively innocent 
 employments, were many he never spoke of 
 even in his own home, for was he not, with 
 his one hundred men, always at the beck of 
 Nero? What this secret service meant under 
 his guidance, made Hector at first recoil and 
 perchance try to withdraw from active par- 
 ticipation. But to what purpose? He was in 
 a net, and its meshes tightened with every 
 crime committed. 
 
 Hector, however, salved over his con- 
 science with the law made applicable to 
 slaves, " A servant can do no crime when 
 he fulfills only the will of his master," 
 though he could not at all times stifle his 
 self-disgust. 
 
 Thus passed the first five " good years." as 
 they were called, of Nero's reign, because, 
 with all their extravagance and crime, they 
 were as nothing to what followed. During 
 this era the young Nero found enough satis- 
 faction in the license and power of his posi- 
 tion to leave the governing of the Empire 
 mostly to his wise counselors, Burrhus and 
 Seneca, hence the outside world had little to 
 complain of. But within the palace were all 
 forms of wickedness. The young Brittan- 
 icus. whose only crime was that he belonged 
 by right on the throne, was poisoned as his 
 father had been; and his girl sister, who 
 drew every breath in fear, was set aside for 
 a slave woman, though her marriage with 
 Nero gave her the empty title of Empress. 
 
 Of all these events Hector had a superficial 
 knowledge, of some a conviction so deep 
 that the stains rested heavily on his own 
 soul, and yet each passing year greeted him 
 as " a prosperous man." 
 
 It was nearly fifty-nine, over six years 
 since the memorable night when Hector, a 
 brave, unsullied youth, tore through the 
 streets of Philippi calling aloud for his sis- 
 ter. He had just risen from his banqueting 
 couch after the evening meal, and was play-
 
 THE WEESTLEE OF PHI LI PPL 
 
 71 
 
 ing with his youngest child, a sweet little 
 girl, named in that sister's memory, Salome, 
 when the door opened to admit a page, who 
 announced Aulus Clotius, always a welcome 
 guest. 
 
 Hector laughingly rose from his somewhat 
 undignified posture on the rug, and put the 
 baby by to greet his friend and patron. 
 
 " Ah, my lord tribune, you have caught me 
 without my visor!" he cried merrily: to 
 which Aulus quickly made reply: 
 
 " But thank the gods I am not an enemy!" 
 
 Their greeting was warm and brotherly, 
 and they placed themselves side by side, 
 ready for intimate discourse. 
 
 Age had not greatly changed cither's ap- 
 pearance. Hector had broadened, and his 
 bearing was distinctly military. Aulus was 
 lined more with dissipation than with years, 
 but his easy, carelessly good-natured air 
 still clung to him. Both were handsome 
 men, and, one in his official purple, the other 
 in his military scarlet, attracted admiration 
 everywhere. They flung a kiss after the 
 grieving child, as she was ruthlessly borne 
 away by her nurse, then Aulus turned and 
 fixed his keen eyes directly upon Hector 
 with the abrupt question: 
 
 "Have you heard the news?" 
 
 " No; what is it?" 
 
 " Nero Caesar and his mother, the Augusta, 
 have had another bitter quarrel this even- 
 ing, and she has threatened to leave the pal- 
 ace this very night. She is now in her apart- 
 ments talking excitedly with her maids, and 
 I have been privately requested to bring you 
 to the triclinium, where Nero still remains, 
 that he may give you some orders." 
 
 " To what purpose?" asked Hector quickly, 
 knitting his brows. " What would he with 
 the mother who raised him to the throne of 
 the Caesars?" 
 
 " I know not," answered Aulus gloomily, 
 " but he is purple with rage and drinking 
 more heavily than usual. I am told it went 
 so far that he even snatched off a precious 
 amulet she gave him the night he was de- 
 clared Emperor, and flung it in her face, 
 saying he would have none of the good for- 
 tune it brought if she must be always taunt- 
 ing him with having received it through 
 her." 
 
 "Bah! He was intoxicated." 
 
 " No, the meal had scarcely begun. He 
 has been gracious all day, and sent for 
 Agrippina and his poor little wife to ban- 
 quet with him. I presume it is the same 
 trouble. He wanted some favor for Poppoea, 
 
 and that always makes the Augusta furious. 
 But come, the Emperor awaits you." 
 
 While thus conversing Hector had been 
 swiftly exchanging his easy, uugirdled 
 house-tunic for the military costume he must 
 always wear on duty or in the presence of 
 the Court, and soon, trimly girdled, hel- 
 meted, and buskined, he followed his noble 
 friend across numerous courts and gardens 
 of artistic beauty to the rose terrace, a mag- 
 nificent enclosure near that part of the pal- 
 ace occupied by its head. Connecting with 
 this was a small court, palm-shaded and 
 fountain-cooled, and before entering this 
 Aulus stopped and took from his bosom a 
 large kerchief. 
 
 " I am ordered to blindfold you," he re- 
 marked quietly. 
 
 "What?" cried Hector, drawing back with 
 the quick suspicion engendered by the trick- 
 ery of the age. " Why say you that?" 
 
 Aulus smiled at the other's manner, and 
 went on calmly folding the linen square. 
 
 " Do you not trust even me. Hector?" he 
 asked with a hint of sadness in his tone. 
 " But then, why should you?" he added 
 quickly. " Who is to be trusted here? Well, 
 friend, I must cover your eyes simply be- 
 cause I am to take you in by a secret pas- 
 sage which you are not to know that is all." 
 " secret passages lead to dungeons and 
 worse!" Hector muttered. 
 
 " Oh, come, my bold soldier, you have 
 nothing to fear. You are not yet high enough 
 to excite the jealousy of Caesar, so be at 
 peace, and thank Mars that you are only a 
 centurion. Bend lower, please; I cannot 
 reach you." 
 
 Hector obeyed, but still with dissatisfac- 
 tion, and after being tightly bandaged, was 
 led some distance and by many turns to a 
 small door in the wall, guarded only by one 
 sentinel, who stood inside, and admitted 
 them after hearing a peculiar knock four 
 slow, distinct taps for the word Nero, and a 
 loud and imperative one at the end for his 
 title, Caesar whereupon the door flew open. 
 Traversing what was, could Hector have 
 seen, a long and narrow corridor, with no 
 light except from lamps kept ever burning, 
 they turned into another at right angles to 
 it, crossed this obliquely, and stopped at a 
 door, where Aulus whispered the password 
 into another sentinel's ear, then pressed his 
 thumb upon one of the panels, at which the 
 door flew open. The sentinel stepped re- 
 spectfully aside, Aulus drew his companion 
 through the narrow aperture, and it clicked
 
 72 
 
 THE WEESTLEE OF PHILIPPL 
 
 to behind them. Hector drew in his breath 
 a little at the sound. He had heard that 
 ominous click many a time when he had 
 been on the right side of the door, and some 
 poor wretch upon the other, and it thrilled 
 him now to the finger tips. 
 
 " Take off your bandage," said Aulus in 
 his reassuringly calm voice; and the Greek 
 obeyed. 
 
 He looked about upon a rather small apart- 
 ment, surrounded by statuary, the panels 
 between the full-length figures being cut into 
 niches. These were fitted with doors of rich 
 citron-wood carved into the fineness of lace- 
 work, through which he could catch 
 glimpses of rolls and mounted sheets of 
 papyrus, the former slipped into cases of 
 burnished gold, delicately-carved ivory, 
 satin-wood, or embossed leather, the latter, 
 called tablets, stacked up and held in place 
 by weights of carnelian, agate, or malachite. 
 It was, indeed, the tablinum, or room for the 
 preservation of the family archives, and was 
 approached by this secret passage from one 
 side, while from the other it opened into the 
 larger bibliotheca, or library, a handsome 
 apartment, more for show than use in this 
 palace. At right angles was a curtained 
 archway which gave a long vista of rich 
 apartments for family use, and opposite that 
 was the door leading into Caesar's private 
 triclinium, or dining-room. 
 
 The secret door through which the men 
 had entered was now invisible. Hector's 
 roving gaze could neither place it nor con- 
 jecture where it might be, for before re- 
 moving the bandage he had been given a 
 whirl or two, and knew not which way he 
 was faced upon entering. The door, in fact, 
 was what appeared to be one of the niches 
 for the books, and was known to only a very 
 few in the palace. Even the guards in the 
 passage were led thence blindfolded, by a 
 trusty officer, and had little idea of its situ- 
 ation. 
 
 Our friends stepped along the tablinum to 
 the door of the banqueting room, from 
 which issued sounds of an angry voice, and 
 occasional laughter. Aulus swept aside 
 its heavy curtain, motioned to the page, and 
 the two were at once ushered into the pres- 
 ence of that Emperor whom a fawning 
 populace was taught to worship as a god. 
 He looked little enough like it now. He lay 
 sprawling on a couch gorgeous with gilding 
 and Persian stuffs, evidently satiated with 
 food and helpless with wine. Upon other 
 couches scarcely less splendid were stretched 
 
 two of his favorites, their garments and 
 jewels vying with his own in richness, and 
 their countenances bloated with overfeeding 
 and drinking. The room was softly lighted 
 with gilded lamps, and a shower of per- 
 fumed waters fell in a soft spray from a 
 small fountain just within the half-circle 
 made by the crescent-shaped table. This 
 table was heaped with every delicacy, 
 served on gold and silver plate, and velvet- 
 shod slaves passed to and fro, handing about 
 the viands and instantly removing the stains 
 of wine carelessly spilled by the intoxicated 
 men. Nero was talking fast and furiously, 
 while the others sometimes laughed, some- 
 times applauded, with drunken gravity. 
 
 The couches on which the women had 
 rested for the short time their presence was 
 allowed, were pushed back out of the way, 
 and just as our friends entered, Nero was 
 amusing himself and ending a sentence by 
 flinging at the Augusta's a full wine-glass, 
 which shattered against its woodwork and 
 ruined its gold-embroidered cushions. 
 
 This ought to have relieved him, but evi- 
 dently did not, for, seeing the two new-com- 
 ers bowing low before him, he jerked him- 
 self to a sitting posture and began swearing 
 at them, while each inwardly fnming 
 though he was could only bow the deeper, 
 and meekly submit to the indignity. 
 
 When Nero's fury had expended itself 
 somewhat, he cried abruptly: 
 
 "Well, speak, can you not? What have 
 you come for, Aulus?" 
 
 " To bring the centurion Hector, as Crcsar 
 commanded," returned the patrician as 
 shortly as he dared. 
 
 " I commanded? Who says so?" 
 
 Evidently the fumes of wine had be- 
 clouded his memory for the moment. 
 Tigellinus, boldest of his favorites, laughed 
 and said ironically: 
 
 " How convenient is a short memory! 
 Has Caesar forgotten his grievance, also?" 
 
 " No!" bellowed the royal son, as he 
 thought of his mother's defiance of his 
 wishes, and stern admonitions of his folly. 
 " No, and now I remember all. I sent for 
 Hector because he belongs to my guards." 
 
 " Assuredly, Cresar." 
 
 " But I ao not need you, Aulus. Get out, 
 will you?" 
 
 The coarse command made the haughty 
 young patrician turn white, but he must 
 needs swallow his chagrin, bow low, and 
 back out, almost prostrating himself at 
 every step. He accomplished the feat with
 
 THE WBESTLEE OF PHI LI PPL 
 
 outward equanimity, but Aulus Clotius 
 never forgot that thickly-uttered order, nor 
 the sneering laugh from the two favorites 
 that followed his withdrawal. It was per- 
 haps his first real rebuff, but by no means 
 his last, for Nero was already growing 
 jealous of his musical talent, which threat- 
 ened to surpass his own. He had been 
 vaguely made to feel the royal displeas- 
 ure in various ways, but this was the 
 
 73 
 
 sionless, under the imperial scrutiny. Long 
 practice as a guard had made it possible for 
 him to seem more like a statue than a man. 
 " Well, you will do, methinks," said Nero 
 at last, with a laugh. " My beloved mother, 
 the Augusta," (the words were a sneer) 
 " wishes to leave the palace to-night, and I, 
 Caesar, desire that she should do so. She 
 must of course be properly attended. See 
 that she is. Do you understand V" 
 
 "Then act! A good servant does not need specific directions; he allows circumstances to 
 aid him." See page 74. 
 
 first actual rebuff, and even Nero would not 
 have gone so far but for his inflamed con- 
 dition, which made him scarcely account- 
 able for what he said. 
 
 " Come forward!" he commanded as Aulus 
 disappeared; and Hector, fired with indig- 
 nation for his friend, slowly approached the 
 royal couch. 
 
 " I want to look at you," said the Emperor 
 with a hiccough. " I want to see what stuff 
 you are made of." 
 
 Hector stood motionless, almost expres- 
 
 Hector bowed low, his hand at his visor. 
 Given permission to speak, he asked defer- 
 entially: 
 
 " Does Caesar desire that the Augusta shall 
 have a guard in addition to those in her own 
 employ V" 
 
 " Yes, Csesar does!" mimicked the em- 
 peror in the tone of a hectoring child, for 
 Nero could not be kingly when he was in- 
 toxicated. " If her guards should grow quar- 
 relsome on the road and the Augusta be in 
 danger, overpower them with your stronger
 
 74 
 
 THE WRESTLER OF PHILIPPI. 
 
 guard and make her safe and quiet. Do you 
 follow ine?" 
 
 Hector repressed a shiver of loathing, and 
 bowed assentingly. 
 
 " Then act! A good servant does not need 
 specific directions; he allows circumstances 
 to aid him. Given a lonely night road, one 
 or two women in litters, and a lot of drunken 
 guards ready for a fight, and what chance 
 will there be for those women, eh?" 
 
 The leer which accompanied these words 
 filled Hector, hardened as he was, with hor- 
 ror. For an instant his fingers fairly tingled 
 with the desire to throttle the ruffian who 
 could so coolly plan for the death of a 
 mother who had been the sole instigator of 
 his present elevation. 
 
 The Greek swallowed his wrath, glad that 
 he had no cause to speak and thus betray 
 himself, and bowed to the ground. Nero 
 beckoned him nearer, spoke a few rapid sen- 
 tences in a lower tone, then with a careless 
 wave of his jeweled hand dismissed him, 
 after which he lifted the richly-colored glass 
 of Falernian wine to his lips with as much 
 unction as if he had not just ordered the 
 murder of the mother who bore him! 
 
 Hector bowed himself from the room, the 
 obsequious, well-trained servant outwardly 
 the disgusted, rebellious officer within. But 
 luckily for him Nero never looked below the 
 surface, and at that date had not dreamed 
 that any would dare defy him. 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 CLEOTAS. 
 
 AULUS was waiting in the tablinum, 
 still white and cold from his rebuff. 
 Silently he again bandaged Hector's 
 eyes before leading him outside, and not a 
 word was spoken until in the outer court 
 once more, when, snatching off the kerchief, 
 he asked with a grim smile: 
 
 " Well, is she to be murdei-ed?" 
 
 Hector started. It was an ugly word to 
 use in reference to a royal commission. But 
 he answered as bluntly: 
 
 " That is the substance of it yes. I am to 
 attend her with my guards, and when they 
 get into a tumult " 
 
 " Who get into a tumult?" 
 
 " Her soldiers and mine." 
 
 "Oh, I see!" laughing shortly. "Well, 
 when they do?" 
 
 " Then she and her women are to be dis- 
 patched," was the gloomy answer. 
 
 "It is a nice commission!" observed 
 Aulus sarcastically. "I do not envy you. 
 How will you do it? The knife or the bat- 
 tle-axe?" 
 
 " The latter. It will look more as if the 
 men did the deed in desperation, simply to 
 stop their screams. Her guards are then to 
 be overpowered, bound, and brought back 
 to be charged with the crime, while my men 
 receive a sestertium apiece for their brave 
 defense of her." 
 
 Aulus laughed outright. "How ingenious! 
 Nero never thought that out it came from 
 the fertile brain of Tigellinus. And the cen- 
 turion of this brave band, my friend Hector, 
 how much does he receive?" 
 
 " Ten sestercia," was the prompt reply; 
 but in the tone was all the self-loathing Hec- 
 tor felt over the horrid deed. 
 
 Aulus turned and looked at him. " It is 
 not the work for soldiers, friend." 
 
 " No, I can meet the lances of the Bedouins 
 with coolness, but this work gives me a 
 horror," assented the Greek with fervor. 
 
 " Do you know," said the tribune in a dif- 
 ferent tone, " I believe there is only one man 
 in this palace who cannot be bought by 
 Nero's gold." 
 
 "And who is that?" 
 
 " He is an officer lately sent here with dis- 
 patches from Philippi, and his name is 
 Cleotas a tall, brave, honest-eyed fellow. 
 Nero, as you know, enjoys brow-beating 
 these ministers from the provincial towns, 
 so he began asking him about the Christians 
 there, and said in that hateful, tantalizing 
 manner of his, ' I hear you have a large and 
 flourishing church of that sect how is this?" 
 Cleotas answered him respectfully that they 
 were indeed flourishing, and it was doubt- 
 less owing to the fact that some good men 
 had labored there, converting many. Then 
 Caesar began telling him that such a report 
 put the city in a bad light with the govern- 
 ment, and added, ' We shall expect you and 
 your Duumvirs to see that this religion does 
 not spread further, for we have no sym- 
 pathy with it; and as for these " good men " 
 you speak of, if they are like that Paulus 
 of whom we are constantly advised as stir- 
 ring up the people all through that region, 
 the less we hear and see of them the better. 
 Put all such seditions down with a firm 
 hand.' And then what does that bold Mace- 
 donian do but answer, ' Then let Csesar ap- 
 point a new officer to serve in my place, for
 
 THE WEESTLEE OF PHILIPPI. 
 
 75 
 
 I, Cleotas, am a Christian also.' The words 
 fairly took us off our feet! Even Nero 
 started on his throne. Everybody looked to 
 see the foolhardy ambassador ordered to a 
 dungeon at once, and the guards grasped 
 their short swords involuntarily, when, to 
 the astonishment of the whole assembly, 
 Nero burst out into a good-natured laugh. 
 ' You evidently are not used to courts, my 
 rustic friend,' he said leniently, ' and Caesar 
 will appoint when and whom he chooses. 
 For the present Cleotas of Macedonia holds 
 the office, and must exercise it in all justice 
 to our advantage.' The man bowed low, 
 but before he could speak again, I, who had 
 attended him to the audience room, began 
 my retreat, making him an imperative sign 
 to follow, for I had no notion to stay there 
 till I saw the bold, true-hearted fellow con- 
 signed to the torture. When I had him 
 safely outside I muttered, ' For Jupiter's 
 sake, Cleotas, how dared you? Men have 
 been flung to the beasts for less!' " 
 
 "And what did he say?" asked Hector, 
 deeply interested. 
 
 " He coolly told me he knew that perfectly 
 well, but he had no fear; his Master was a 
 greater than Caesar, and ' Him only should 
 he serve.' " 
 
 " But the strange thing is that the Em- 
 peror should take it in that way," mused 
 Hector. " He is not wont to be so easy with 
 men." 
 
 "True enough! I heard, however, that he 
 said afterwards to Burrhus that he was so 
 sick of fawning and flattery that the fel- 
 low's boldness seemed quite refreshing; and 
 he certainly is letting him go without fur- 
 ther instructions against the Christians." 
 
 "Is the man still here, then?" asked Hec- 
 tor quickly. " I would like to see a country- 
 man once more, and such a brave one! 
 Where can he be found, my lord?" 
 
 " He is lodged in one of the towers I can 
 show you the place. But have you the 
 time? When does the Augusta start?" 
 
 " Of that I cannot be certain. One is ap- 
 pointed to watch and let me know. Mean- 
 while I have but to order my guards to be in 
 readiness, and wait in my rooms for the 
 word. If only he would come to see me 
 there!" 
 
 "And why not? I will apprize him of 
 your wish, and, if he is not too hurried, 
 bring him with me." 
 
 " Ah, my lord, you are always more than 
 kind to me." 
 
 " And take it out of you in return when- 
 
 ever possible!" laughed Aulus, as with a 
 wave of his hand he hurried away. 
 
 Hector had not been long in his own 
 atrium when, with a flourish, the little pasre 
 announced the two guests. With his heart 
 beating unaccountably our centurion arose 
 and stepped forward to greet his fellow- 
 townsman. He saw a tall, frank, keen-eyed 
 man of something over thirty, with an ex- 
 pression denoting good-humor and firmness 
 in about equal proportions. The two greeted 
 each other with warmth and soon were deep 
 in talk, Hector eagerly asking, and Clotas 
 fully answering, questions about Philippi in 
 general and some of its inhabitants in par- 
 ticular. 
 
 When they had talked some time Hector 
 observed slowly, \vith a long sigh: 
 
 "I was very happy there! I should never 
 have left, but for the loss of my sister." 
 
 " She died, then?" asked Cleotas sympa- 
 thetically. 
 
 " I could almost say I hope so, though I 
 do not know," returned Hector in a tone of 
 deep sadness. Then, as if impelled by some 
 impulse stronger than his usual reticence 
 about private matters, he repeated in detail 
 the story of that eventful night. 
 
 The two men listened in perfect silence 
 Aulus with the peculiar air of deprecating 
 sympathy he always wore when the matter 
 was referred to; Cleotas with his keen eyes 
 fixed upon Hector, wonder and conviction 
 growing in their depths. The latter had 
 barely finished when the Philippian broke 
 out excitedly: 
 
 " You say this happened over six years 
 ago? Her name what was your sister 
 called?" 
 
 " Salome," was the answer. 
 
 " And you why, of course, you are Hec- 
 tor!" 
 
 He sprang to his feet, and, his host hav- 
 ing also risen in a vague astonishment, 
 clasped him in a close embrace, after the 
 warm oriental fashion. 
 
 " My brother!" he cried. " Know that 
 Salome lives, is well and happy, and is my 
 own loved and honored wife!" 
 
 Hector could not believe his senses, and 
 for a minute the demonstrations of joy and 
 relief from Aulus Clotius quite overpowered 
 his own. 
 
 " Do you not understand, Hector? I have 
 always told you she was not abducted that 
 she must have escaped to safety. Where is 
 your tongue, friend can you not speak?" 
 
 No, for a time Hector, strong man that he
 
 76 
 
 THE WEESTLEE OF PHILIPPI. 
 
 was, had all he could do to battle with his 
 emotions, and it was Aulus, full of excite- 
 ment and interest, who asked the questions 
 trembling on his lips. 
 
 When Hector learned all, and fully 
 realized that Salome owed rescue, care, pro- 
 tection, maintenance, and a marriage far be- 
 yond his expectations for her, to the de- 
 spised Christians alone, he was deeply 
 touched, and the softening influences of that 
 almost forgotten night in prison, when the 
 earthquake proved a friend, returned to him. 
 Their talk was long, rapid, and absorbing. 
 For a time Hector even forgot the hideous 
 commission which soon must claim him. A 
 messenger from his company, who came to 
 ask special instructions regarding the armor 
 to be worn, brought it all back once more, 
 and he was obliged to turn with an awful 
 sense of wretchedness and loathing from the 
 life of purity, love, simplicity, and faith, 
 which Cleotas had been depicting, to the 
 depths of deceit and crime in which he him- 
 self had so long been submerged. 
 
 In that moment of tenderness, of revived 
 affection, of intense longing, his life stood 
 out clear in all its wickedness, and his in- 
 most soul recoiled. Yet to-night he must 
 compass a crime more horrible, more un- 
 natural, more revolting, than any yet re- 
 quired of him. He must murder a woman, a 
 mother, at the behest of a son who owed to 
 her alone the imperial power he was now 
 wielding against her. While still tingling 
 with the delight of finding his own sister 
 safe and well, he must steel himself to make 
 way, by brutal means, with another man's 
 mother! The thought grew unbearable, and 
 cold drops stood out upon his brow as he 
 realized the hideousness of his position. 
 
 Of course, to Cleotas this emotion was ac- 
 countable only as the result of his own sur- 
 prising news; but Aulus, knowing all the 
 facts, felt it must be more than that, and 
 was not astonished when the sudden appear- 
 ance of the little page, to announce another 
 messenger in waiting, made Hector leap 
 from his place, and exclaim in broken ac- 
 cents: 
 
 "Oh, I cannot, cannot do it!" 
 
 Aulus looked after him with concern, 
 Cleotas with mild surprise, as he hurried 
 from the chamber to the anteroom, to confer 
 alone with the man. 
 
 Shortly he re-entered, his face now radi- 
 ant, his manner filled with joyful relief. 
 Aulus stood up quickly, a question in his 
 eyes what could have happened? 
 
 Hector threw him a look. " Something I 
 have been dreading is averted." he said 
 aloud in partial explanation, for Cleotas 
 also seemed curious; then as he passed close 
 by Aulus he managed to whisper: " She is 
 not going the auguries were not pro- 
 pitious!" 
 
 Aulus understood, and his face broke into 
 smiles of amused relief. 
 
 " Another case of a woman's changing her 
 mind!" he thought in his satirical fashion. 
 " For once it has worked well, I must own." 
 Then aioud, and in a careless tone: " No 
 one can tell how many disagreeable duties 
 occur in the life of a centurion and not the 
 least of these are his long night services. I 
 am glad for you, Hector, if you can rest to- 
 night." 
 
 Hector bowed his head comprehendingly, 
 and turned to Cleotas. 
 
 " I shall see you on shipboard to-morrow, 
 but you must come in the morning and with 
 us break the fast. I want you to see my 
 wife and children, and take to Salome our 
 love, and whatever gifts we can secure in 
 the short time allowed us. And to-night, 
 brother, when you pray to your God in the 
 name of the Christ, remember me, for I am 
 beset with temptations, and life is hard for 
 a soldier who is at the beck of royal mas- 
 ters!" 
 
 Cleotas nodded brightly. " I know all 
 that, and I used sometimes to feel I was as 
 much a slave as any bondman of them all. 
 But now it is different, for Christ has made 
 me free. I do what I know is right, and no 
 man, be he Caesar himself, can make me do 
 otherwise." 
 
 " But how dare you? Here the least word 
 of rebellion will doom us to scourgings or 
 torture." 
 
 " I take the risk," said Cleotas calmly. 
 " For I do all through Christ who gives me 
 strength. Ah! if you could talk with our 
 beloved Luke, or with our brave and glorious 
 Paul, or indeed with sweet Elizabeth, sister 
 and friend of our Salome, you would quickly 
 understand. For, you see, it is God working 
 in us, and we have only to let him influence 
 us, and leave all results in his hands. I 
 am but a bluff official, not given to elo- 
 quence, and so can best honor Christ by 
 sturdy deeds; but these I have mentioned 
 not only act the Christian part, but win 
 others with loving and appropriate words. 
 However, brother, I can pray for you, as 
 Jesus taught us how to do that; and when I 
 ask each day that you be ' led not into temp-
 
 THE WRESTLER OF PHILIPPL 
 
 77 
 
 tation, but delivered from evil,' my prayer 
 will be heard and answered. Only hold your- 
 self in readiness to be blessed and helped." 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 TREACHERY IN THE HOME. 
 
 TIME did not improve matters in the pal- 
 ace. Nero's peace with his mother, 
 after the disgraceful scene of the ban- 
 quet, was not long-lived, and less than four 
 months later, in the spring of the same year, 
 the poor woman fell a victim to his hatred 
 and her own ambitions. 
 
 Nero had managed, by alternately coaxing 
 and harassing, to induce her to depart to 
 her country seat at Antium, where, after 
 plotting her death by drowning which plan 
 proved a failure through her quickness and 
 knowledge of swimming she was put to the 
 sword by Caesar's minions; a murder in 
 which Seneca was unwillingly involved, to 
 his lasting discredit, but from which Hector 
 escaped as participator, he being just then 
 needed in Rome to help quell a riot among 
 the people. 
 
 A little matter of that kind was soon 
 crushed out, however, and Nero, relieved of 
 his most daring admonisher, his mother, pre- 
 pared to assert his will and give rein to his 
 passions without a thought of consequences. 
 His divorce of Octavia, his pure and fair 
 young wife, and the attempt to cover her 
 with public dishonor, which even he could 
 not carry through against the outraged 
 sense of the people, was the next event in 
 the reign of this tyrant, and was almost im- 
 mediately followed by his mock marriage to 
 Poppoea, the beautiful but unscrupulous 
 woman who proved the bane of all who 
 loved her. 
 
 Poppoea did not favor Aulus Clotius. She 
 had an old grudge against him, and was 
 quick to perceive Nero's jealousy of the man. 
 This she used every subtle art to inflame 
 into hatred. Nero was ready enough to re- 
 spond to all ungenerous impulses, but the 
 young patrician stood too high to be lightly 
 thrust aside just now, when the temper of 
 the multitude had been greatly tried, so the 
 Emperor contented himself with dealing 
 him one or two blows that greatly hurt his 
 pride and crippled his ambition. Aulus, who 
 had been for some time commander of a 
 cohort, fully expected to be made general of 
 a legion as soon as cii'cumstances rendered 
 
 the promotion possible, and great was his 
 chagrin to see a far less able man given the 
 command, while he was appointed praetor 
 instead, an office civil rather than military, 
 which confined him in Rome, and was to 
 him an almost empty honor; for, being the 
 youngest of the praetors, he would have lit- 
 tle voice even in judicial matters. 
 
 Though the pill was coated with fair 
 words and the assurance that it was given 
 only to keep him a fixture at court. Aulus 
 thoroughly understood it, and felt all its bit- 
 terness, as he put aside his helmet and 
 donned his robe of office, for he knew that 
 from this hour his fortunes would begin a 
 sure decline. Besides, he loved his soldier's 
 life and loathed the squabbles and defeats 
 which made up the judiciary councils of the 
 day, and his soul grew sick at thought of the 
 degradation there must be in pretending to 
 rule under a tyrant who was also devoid of 
 common sense. But his wife and mother 
 secretly rejoiced that he was thus spared to 
 them in safe citizenship, not appreciating 
 the inner circumstances which made the 
 civil life galling to a man like himself. 
 
 The next rebuff was a curt order to vacate 
 his apartments in the palace, as they were 
 required for a friend of the new empress; 
 and the family made haste to repair to the 
 old home near by. 
 
 Hector loyally requested permission to go 
 with them, and even as Aulus admonished 
 him for thus jeopardizing his own fortunes 
 by clinging to an unpopular master, his eyes 
 glittered with moisture while he wrung his 
 henchman's hand, touched to the heart by 
 his devotion. To repay him, Aulus fitted up 
 some of the best apartments in one of the 
 quadrangles about the inner peristyle, where 
 the fountain was always playing, the rooms 
 occupied by Pamphylia and her women 
 being opposite, while the family and state 
 apartments were nearer the street and 
 opened upon a larger court. 
 
 After the visit of Cleotas Hector could not 
 rest until he had managed to bring him. with 
 Salome and the three little ones, to Rome, 
 and Aulus now kindly furthered the plan by 
 offering to appoint Cleotas his lictor primus, 
 or head attendant and man of affairs, who 
 would give orders to the rest of the house- 
 hold, assist in judicial proceedings, and al- 
 ways ride at the shoulder of the praetor, in 
 distinction from the two common lictors 
 who ran In advance, to clear the street and 
 command the respectful homage of the 
 crowd for their master.
 
 78 
 
 THE WEESTLEE OF PHILIPPL 
 
 It was a great day for the little household 
 at Philippi when Cleotas received, by special 
 courier, letters from Aulus Clotius and Hec- 
 tor, detailing this plan, and furthering it by 
 sending a special guard to conduct them 
 hither, and Salome could scarcely await the 
 necessary delays of preparation when she 
 remembered that she was really to see her 
 beloved Hector once more. She hurried to 
 tell Elizabeth the news, and was astonished 
 to have it received with a burst of tears. 
 
 "Why, Elizabeth sister what is it?" 
 cried Salome, in real distress. " Surely you 
 must be glad to think I shall be re-united to 
 one of my dear brothers at last." 
 
 "Oh, indeed indeed I am!" cried Eliza- 
 beth, struggling with her tears. " Only, I 
 shall miss you so, Salome! You cannot 
 realize how dear you have become to me." 
 
 " Dearest friend," whispered Salome, 
 kneeling beside the older woman, and draw- 
 ing the weary, weeping face to her breast, 
 " I can, because I know how much you are 
 to me. Would that you might go with us! 
 If" She checked herself, then went on 
 quickly: " We will leave Nadab in a po- 
 sition to assist you in every way, and we 
 shall not forget you, even if so far off, Eliza- 
 bethyou know that?" 
 
 " Yes, I know. You were going to say, ' If 
 Junius were different'?" looking up with a 
 glance that she tried to make composed. 
 " Salome, God is long in answering me, but 
 I feel sure He will sure! But just now I 
 am greatly cast down, for my husband has 
 been away two days and nights, and though 
 I sent Nadab, he could not find him in the 
 usual haunts. I fear I scarcely know what." 
 
 " Elizabeth," said the younger woman, 
 after a thoughtful silence, " you remember 
 what I told you of Nero Csesar's words re- 
 specting the Christians here, when the ill- 
 ness of Tuerna caused Cleotas to be sent to 
 Rome with the dispatches?" 
 
 " Yes, I remember. Caesar has never liked 
 our worship, and persecutions have been fre- 
 quent; but so far here in Philippi we have 
 been unmolested." 
 
 " Yes, so far. But see what the good Paul 
 has been made to suffer. Then, too, there 
 are rumors that many have been put to the 
 question in Rome. Cleotas, who knows all 
 that is taking place here, says there are peo- 
 ple acting as paid spies to discover some- 
 thing against us ever since the last edict for- 
 bidding our assembling together, or practic- 
 ing our ceremonies. He does not know just 
 who they all are, but" 
 
 Elizabeth started and turned a pallid face 
 upon her. The eyes of the two met in one 
 an agonized question, in the other a sad and 
 reluctant affirmation. Elizabeth clutched 
 her friend's arm and shook it in a passion of 
 denial. 
 
 " No, no, Salome! He could not he would 
 not! He has had money lately, but he de- 
 clares he earned it tending the wine shop 
 for Ha?ram. Do not tell me " She sank 
 back, half fainting. 
 
 Salome's eyes had not withdrawn their 
 assertion; they had only drooped with regret 
 and sorrow, and Elizabeth knew from her 
 manner that the unspoken charge was but 
 too well founded, or it would never have 
 been brought up. But the wife could not 
 talk of it, and quickly changed the subject 
 by asking some question regarding Salome's 
 departure. 
 
 This took place a few weeks later, and 
 when Elizabeth who, with Nadab, had ac- 
 companied them as far as Neapolis watched 
 the dingy lateen-sail spread to the breeze 
 and slowly clear the harbor, she turned 
 away forlorn and lonely, feeling that life 
 would be but the more difficult in future. 
 But the sensation could not secure a firm 
 hold upon her even then. Before she and 
 her son were half way back to Philippi she 
 was again resting on the promises of Christ, 
 and behind the impenetrable armor of her 
 faith was serenely facing all that life might 
 have in store for them. 
 
 " ' I will never leave thee nor forsake 
 thee,' " she whispered in her loneliness; and 
 feeling for the hand of Christ, was com- 
 forted. 
 
 Lydia was now about the only friend to 
 whom she could turn in trouble, and she was 
 denied frequent communication with her be- 
 cause Junius so disliked her. He had never 
 pardoned the severe reproof the strong 
 woman had given him about the time his 
 insignia of office was taken from him, and 
 he sullenly resented every favor she be- 
 stowed upon his needy household, secretly 
 cursing her because of her good fortune, in- 
 dependence, and honesty, and well knowing 
 how poor a thing he must seem in her ener- 
 getic eyes. So Lydia seldom came to the lit- 
 tle home, except for the religious services 
 often held in its upper room, while Elizabeth 
 rarely ventured to arouse the wrath of her 
 husband by going to her friend. 
 
 The new fear that now tortured the poor 
 woman day and night lurked in the ques- 
 tion: "Is Junius really spying upon us?"
 
 THE WRESTLER OF PHI LI PPL 
 
 79 
 
 She wished, now it was too late, that she 
 had asked questions, had insisted on know- 
 ing why Cleotas suspected him, had indig- 
 nantly denied it all to the end. She looked 
 at Junius often as he came and went, taci- 
 turn, gloomy, and forbidding in expression, 
 and wished she dared broach the subject 
 and have all these tantalizing doubts set at 
 rest. But she was always dumb before him, 
 afraid to evoke the surly temper which 
 never lost its power to wound her. 
 
 So passed some little time, during which 
 Junius was away often for days together, 
 while his wife, sick with doubts and torn 
 with conflicting duties, could live only by 
 creeping closer to the heart of Jesus and 
 resting her burden upon Him. If there was 
 danger, she felt she ought to warn the little 
 congregation; but how could she tell them 
 she suspected her own husband of being a 
 spy? In her anguish, one day, she forgot her 
 gospel of trust, and, growing terrified in hoi- 
 human weakness, sought out Lydia and, on 
 some flimsy pretext, begged her to have the 
 meetings held in her home for a time. 
 
 She hoped in this way to avert the vague 
 danger, but she simply hastened what she 
 meant to hinder. The man had means of 
 learning what he wished to know, and when 
 he found that the Christians assembled at 
 the house of the woman whom he hated, he 
 felt that he now had everything in his own 
 hands. He could ask no better revenge than 
 causing the arrest in Lydia's house. 
 
 But as time went on and nothing hap- 
 pened, Elizabeth began to feel more secure. 
 She told herself that Salome had mistaken 
 her news, or Cleotas had suspected without 
 cause. It was always easier for her loving 
 heart to exonerate than to blame her hus- 
 band, and now in her remorse at doubting 
 him, she grew kinder and more forbearing 
 than ever. She had not given up attending 
 the meetings when possible, though she 
 would never go when Junius was at home, 
 lest he should follow and do mischief. One 
 night, after he had gone out as usual, she 
 rose to wrap herself in her chlamys, then 
 stopped, hesitating and nervous, scarcely 
 knowing whether to go or stay. On one 
 hand was the command of the Master, 
 " Cease not the assembling of yourselves to- 
 gether;" on the other, an intangible reluc- 
 tance which had seized upon her so strongly 
 as for the moment to smother her serenity 
 and trust. 
 
 While in this state of indecision Junius 
 suddenly stood before her. She had not 
 
 heard a sound until she looked up to meet 
 his gaze, that seemed to burn her with its 
 intensity. She felt a glad relief at the sight 
 of him, then quickly noted two tilings he 
 was not intoxicated, he was excited. His 
 eyes were bright, sharp, restless, his manner 
 alert and watchful. 
 
 " Were you going out?' he asked abruptly, 
 glancing at the long scarf which she had 
 thrown across the couch in her moment of 
 indecision. 
 
 She thought that he suspected her meant 
 to follow her, perhaps and she answered 
 truthfully: 
 
 " No. I had thought of it, but was about 
 giving it up. I am a little tired and 
 nervous." 
 
 He nodded. " I shall not be back to-night," 
 he said in a crisp voice, utterly unlike his 
 usual slow, thick utterance. " Do not sit up 
 for me. Bar the door carefully, and put 
 your lights out early. Some of the garrison 
 are making holiday over news from Home." 
 
 He left as abruptly as he had entered, and 
 she thought sadly: 
 
 "Ah, I see! He has been asked to sup 
 with the officers and is pleased with the 
 honor. He means to be out with them all 
 night. What will he be to-morrow?" 
 
 She sighed, and threw herself down on the 
 couch. She was lonely, sad, heai't-broken. 
 Tears welled up into her eyes and over- 
 flowed; sighs rose to her lips and broke in 
 sobs. She needed consolation, companion- 
 ship. She longed for the little service 
 where, if even two or three wei-e gathered 
 in His name, they were assured of His pres- 
 ence in their midst. " Why should I not 
 go?" she thought desperately. " I am not so 
 afraid of the streets as of those in my own 
 home. Junius will never know nor care 
 where I am while he is feasting and drink- 
 ing." 
 
 She rose, dashed aside the tears, and 
 quickly wound herself in the long chlamys, 
 covering head and face except the eyes, 
 then, locking the door behind her, slipped 
 like a shadow through the quiet streets, 
 until Lydia's house was reached. 
 
 But Junius was not at a banquet. Through 
 a treacherous slave in Lydia's employ he 
 knew all that was necessary to his purpose. 
 The Christians were to have a forbidden 
 meeting there, that night, and the leader 
 of the service was to be the keeper of the 
 jail, whom Junius hated as he did Lydia, 
 and for much the same reason. He would 
 have an opportunity to strike a blow at
 
 80 
 
 THE WRESTLER OF PHILIPPI. 
 
 them both Ly betraying them to certain 
 Roman officers who had orders against this 
 " seditious sect," and by betraying them he 
 could fully avenge his wounded self-esteem 
 the one really strong characteristic left to 
 him after years of besotting indulgence. 
 Only, he must be certain Elizabeth was not 
 there. Low as he had fallen, morose and 
 cruel as he often was, the nobler part of 
 him still loved and honored his wife, fully 
 appreciating that she was his best earthly 
 friend. Elizabeth must be spared. 
 
 So, before communicating with the officers, 
 he had hastened home to assure himself 
 of his wife's safe presence there, and upon 
 leaving her had gone at once to the Romans. 
 
 The immunity which Nero had previously 
 granted the Christians had been rather 
 through indolence than tolerance. He was 
 too busy with his spectacles and personal 
 competition in the musical festivals to care 
 for so obscure a sect. But Poppcea, whose 
 influence was now supreme, had her reasons 
 for favoring the Jews, and the influential 
 of these were constantly stirring up the gov- 
 ernment to steraer measures against the 
 followers of the Christ they had repudiated. 
 They told the most shocking stories of the 
 Christians' rites and practices. The break- 
 ing of bread and drinking of wine " in re- 
 membrance " were construed into an actual 
 feeding upon human flesh and blood, and in- 
 fants were said to be stolen for this revolt- 
 ing ceremony. Other dark practices were 
 imputed to them, and the constant charge of 
 conspiracy against the throne was waved in 
 Nero's face whenever he needed special rous- 
 ing. A late edict had forbidden the Chris- 
 tians every privilege of worship, and the de- 
 cree had been lately brought to Philippi by 
 Roman couriers, while Roman officers were 
 instructed to enfoix-e it to the uttermost. 
 Hence what Junius looked upon as his op- 
 portunity. 
 
 When, after leaving Elizabeth, as he 
 thought, safely housed for the night, he hur- 
 ried back to the Castle, it was but to meet 
 with unexpected delays. The decurion who 
 led the men detailed for this work was not 
 at first to be found, and an hour slipped by 
 before the detachment was ready for ser- 
 vice. But at length, guided by this new 
 Judas, they started on a brisk march down 
 into the city, choosing little-frequented 
 streets to avoid stirring up a crowd. 
 
 When they were near the pleasant home 
 of Lydia they broke ranks, and after a short 
 consultation with the treacherous slave who 
 
 had been won by bribes, they were one by 
 one secretly admitted into the enclosed gar- 
 den, where they could surround the house. 
 
 Here, as they stood in the deep shadow 
 awaiting furtaer orders, the men could 
 plainly hear the sound of soft, sweet singing 
 from some upper room, at which they won- 
 dered, for it scarcely seemed a suitable ac- 
 companiment to the hideous ceremonies im- 
 puted to the obscure sect. 
 
 Elizabeth had found only few at the meet- 
 ing, but the moment she had received their 
 gentle greeting, " Peace be with you," her 
 sore spirit felt lightened of its griefs, and she 
 was thankful she had come. 
 
 The jailer did not, for some reason, appear 
 to take lead, and his chair was occupied by 
 a young brother from Thessalonica, who 
 had come to visit the church in Philippi and 
 bring news of the brethren further west. 
 He was a fine-looking man, ready of speech, 
 easy of manner, and with such a genuine 
 love of the Christ that it transfigured all he 
 said and did. As he told them what Paul 
 had suffered through misrepresentation, 
 envy and malice, Elizabeth felt that her 
 troubles were not worthy to be mentioned in 
 comparison, and meekly asked forgiveness 
 for her depression when she knelt in prayer, 
 after the humble and devotional method 
 growing more in favor daily. 
 
 The little group rose from their knees con- 
 soled and strengthened, and were in the 
 midst of a low and tender hymn when the 
 doorkeeper suddenly sprang into their midst, 
 AviM-eyed and white as death, with the terri- 
 fying words: 
 
 "Fly! Fly! The soldiers are upon us." 
 
 In an instant some quick-witted brother 
 had extinguished the lights as the hasty 
 tramp of armed men and the clashing of 
 their spears sounded in the room, but in that 
 one instant some had escaped. As the 
 guards poured into the place, the torches of 
 the link-bearers lighting the scene smokily, 
 it was seen to be nearly deserted. A few 
 were cowering behind benches, or fleeing 
 madly into corners, but two or three knelt in 
 the center, motionless and unresisting. 
 Among these were Elizabeth and the 
 stranger. 
 
 The would-be fugitives were quickly se- 
 cured, the worshipers dragged to their feet, 
 and a scene of horror followed as the guards 
 went from room to room, striking down 
 those who resisted, and dragging others 
 from their hiding-places. But Lydia was not 
 among these. She, with a very few who fol-
 
 THE WRESTLER OF PHILIPPI. 
 
 81 
 
 lowed her, escaped by a secret way of which 
 she only had knowledge, and were over- 
 looked by the soldiery, who supposed all had 
 been secured. 
 
 Elizabeth from the instant of warning 
 had made no sound, offered no resistance. 
 She simply dropped to her knees, recom- 
 mending herself to Christ, and calmly 
 awaited what might happen. Presently she 
 felt herself being dragged across the floor, 
 and looked up to say: 
 
 " I can walk, sir; do not exert yourself. I 
 am not faint." 
 
 The rough praetorian, used to scenes of 
 blood, but not expecting calm courage in a 
 woman, looked at her in astonishment and 
 relaxed his grasp. 
 
 " Can you?" he asked almost gently, and 
 simply held her arm without gripping it. 
 
 She walked beside him firmly, but scarcely 
 in the full possession of her senses. It 
 seemed like a dream, and she could not 
 realize it all. But she felt no fear, she had 
 no wish to cry out. Something sustained her 
 so that what might have been a horror, mak- 
 ing every nerve to quiver with fright, be- 
 came but a weird, shadow-like proceeding in 
 which nerves were dumb and spirit steeped 
 in calm. She always afterward remembered 
 the night as one might recall a trance-like 
 dream, and she called the " something " 
 which so stayed her soul the presence of her 
 Lord. 
 
 She knew there had been a hurried march, 
 in which chains clanked and arms gleamed 
 in the moonlight, then an assembling of the 
 trembling little company on a wharf, where 
 they sat huddled together in the night chill 
 until they could be consigned to some galley 
 not yet at the landing. 
 
 This appeared towards dawning and they 
 were hustled aboard, driven like sheep into 
 a corner of the hold, and left there to groan 
 out their fright and despair through the rest 
 of that night of agony. But Elizabeth slept 
 and dreamed of heaven. She thought Junius 
 came to her there and begged her forgive- 
 ness, telling with penitent tears that he had 
 God's gracious pardon. So the hard resting- 
 place, the guards, the dangers of the ocean, 
 were forgotten while she wandered with her 
 restored lover and husband in fair places. 
 
 Once the guard who had chosen her as an 
 especial charge came and looked down upon 
 the women prisoners there were but two 
 to find one in the attitude of prayer, and the 
 other sleeping like a child in its mother's 
 arms. 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 A DESOLATE HEARTH. 
 
 JUNIUS did not appear with the sol- 
 diers. Having led them to the house of 
 Lydia, his errand was accomplished and 
 he lingered only through curiosity, well hid- 
 den in the shadow of the street wall, to wit- 
 ness the result. He heard the noise of the 
 quickly-ended struggle above, and soon, with 
 a chuckle of inner satisfaction, saw the sol- 
 diers reappear with at least a half-dozen 
 prisoners huddled in their midst. Two of 
 these were women, but in the uncertain light 
 it was difficult to get a clear idea of their 
 veiled figures. One, however, who walked 
 erect and with firmness beside the half- 
 fainting figure of the other, he felt sure was 
 the proud Lydia, and a pang that was 
 mingled satisfaction and regret flashed 
 through him. In that moment of her down- 
 fall insistent memory recalled a thousand 
 kindly deeds from her to his household and 
 shamed him for this dastardly requital. 
 
 A groan from one of the prisoners smote 
 his ears as the company passed by his re- 
 treat, and surprised him into a shiver of dis- 
 may for the awful consequences of this 
 night's work. Junius was quite himself for 
 the first time in months, and though he had 
 kept sober for a distinct purpose, and that 
 an evil one, the divine soul within him, freed 
 for the moment, showed it still had power 
 to make itself heard. Just now its noiseless 
 reproaches made him miserably uncomfort- 
 able, and he was glad to slink away in the 
 darkness and hasten to his home. As he 
 passed swiftly through the deserted streets, 
 singularly quiet after the brief commotion 
 which had driven the guilty and the timid 
 a large share of Philippi's population, in 
 fact to shelter, he felt glad he had Eliza- 
 beth to go to. 
 
 " She always calms and comforts me," he 
 thought. " She is a woman of rare sweet- 
 ness, I must own, and I have often made life 
 a burden to her, doubtless. If she were not 
 such a fanatic she would be almost perfect." 
 
 Yet truth compelled him to own that her 
 faith in the teachings of Jesus had but deep- 
 ened and strengthened all her better quali- 
 ties, only here was his grievance it gave 
 her some secret sustaining power to endure 
 his own cruelties against her. A wife had 
 no business with help outside her own hus- 
 band! He told himself it made her less sub- 
 missive.
 
 82 
 
 THE WRESTLER OF PHILIPPI. 
 
 Yet inwardly he resolved to be kinder to 
 her than he had been. He would take some 
 of this ill-gotten money and buy her a new 
 tunic she needed it sadly, poor thing! and 
 the next time her large, soft eyes reproached 
 him he would turn away and say nothing, 
 rather than lift hand or voice against her. 
 
 He soon reached his humble dwelling, and 
 was not surprised to find it dark and se- 
 curely locked. Elizabeth had evidently 
 obeyed his instructions to the letter. He had 
 means of admitting himself, and soon had 
 lighted a lamp and proceeded to the little 
 chamber, which to his astonishment he 
 found empty. He looked around dazedly. 
 Elizabeth gone? Oh, no! She had simply 
 carried her sleeping-mat to the roof this mild 
 night. He would just take a look to make 
 sure. 
 
 Shading the lamp with his hand, he 
 passed up the outer stairway and peered 
 across the flat space before him. Yes, there 
 she lay. He could see the dark figure's out- 
 line against the white parapet. How re- 
 lieved he felt! He thought he would satisfy 
 himself, however, by a closer look at her. It 
 would steady his nerves, which were some- 
 what shaken by the evening's occurrences. 
 So he crept softly over the flooring of baked 
 clay, and bent above not Elizabeth, but 
 Nadab! He woke the youth quickly, with a 
 curse, and before the latter's sleep-laden 
 eyes were fairly open, shrieked into his ear, 
 " Where is your mother?" for an awful ter- 
 ror was beginning to grip his heart-strings. 
 
 " Mother?" asked Nadab confusedly. 
 " Has she not returned from the meeting?" 
 
 " Meeting?" hissed the terrified man in re- 
 turn. " Did she go? Are you certain? How 
 do you know?" 
 
 Nadab, fully aroused now, looked sharply 
 at his father to satisfy himself that this 
 was not the frenzy of a drunken man, then 
 answered calmly: 
 
 "Well, and if she did? She will soon be 
 back now or shall I go and fetch her? I 
 presume, however, there will be women com- 
 ing this way: there always are." 
 
 " Peace!" shrieked the tortured man. 
 " Tell me if you are sure she went to that 
 meeting." 
 
 " No," said Nadab slowly, gazing with 
 astonishment at the excited man. " No, I 
 am not sure, because I did not see her go. 
 But she never goes anywhere except to the 
 meetings or to Lydia's." 
 
 The last words but added intensity to the 
 husband's forebodings. To Lydia's! To 
 
 the house where he had led the soldiers, 
 making merry in stifled whispers over the 
 unconsciousness of their prey! To Lydia's! 
 He remembered the two female figures in 
 the grasp of the rude soldiery one half- 
 fainting, one proudly erect and was seized 
 with such an agony as only a strong man 
 can feel when for the first time he sees him- 
 self guilty of some horrible crime. 
 
 Once, the other day, when he had asked 
 the decurion from Rome the question, 
 " And why are Christians wanted at the 
 capital just now?" the officer had answered 
 with a laugh: "There is a fresh load of 
 wild beasts from the jungles, and we must 
 find food for them." 
 
 The laughing words came back now to 
 burn themselves into his consciousness. As 
 in a flash of light he saw his Elizabeth, fair- 
 est and purest of women, standing for one 
 uncertain minute in the broad arena of the 
 amphitheatre, surrounded by fierce, starving 
 beasts let loose from their dens upon her, 
 and it seemed as if all the neglect and un- 
 kindness of a lifetime had become animate 
 to torture him through her sufferings. 
 
 " Hurry, Nadab!" he called hoarsely. 
 " Run to Lydia's I cannot go. Rouse the 
 slaves find Eumene! Make sure make 
 sure whether she was there, or not. Do you 
 hear, boy?" 
 
 " Was there? You mean is there, of course. 
 If she had left, she would be here by now. 
 And I would not be anxious, father. Lydia 
 always sees that she has company home, 
 even if she has to send one of the slaves 
 with her." 
 
 " Go! go! hurry!" was all the wretched 
 man could say; and Nadab felt that for some 
 reason this frenzy of his meant more than 
 any drunken ravings he had ever known. 
 
 While the youth was away Junius paced 
 to and fro before the house, watching every 
 shadow, hearing every flutter of a leaf, in the 
 desperate hope that Elizabeth might appear. 
 Oh! to see her come around that corner, her 
 graceful figure stepping lightly, her modest 
 face veiled in white! His Elizabeth! fairc-r 
 than the day he married her. His wife! 
 who was to him the embodiment of all good, 
 all hope, all faith in a better life to come! 
 
 He called distractedly upon the gods he 
 knew; he invoked the Lares and Penates of 
 his desolated hearth; he cried to the stars 
 shining coldly in the midnight darkness, and 
 then because He was the God Elizabeth 
 loved and worshiped he called upon the 
 Christ to help, to forgive, to bring her back
 
 THE WRESTLER OF PHI LI PPL 
 
 83 
 
 to the husband who, all too late, was learn- 
 ing her true worth. 
 
 He grew a trifle calmer at length, and 
 when Nadab reappeared with a well- 
 wrapped female figure beside him, the great- 
 ness of his relief made him almost faint. 
 
 " Elizabeth!" he sobbed, holding out his 
 arms. " My wife!" 
 
 It was Lydia who answered. Sweeping 
 aside her veil, she turned her blazing eyes 
 upon him. 
 
 " Vile, unhappy man!" she cried in an out- 
 raged voice. " You sought to betray us, and 
 have bereft yourself! Elizabeth was near 
 the outer door and one of the first, doubtless, 
 to be seized. I escaped at the earliest word 
 of alarm, calling upon her to follow, but she 
 either did not hear, or had no time to obey. 
 They took her with them." 
 
 Junius staggered back against his desolate 
 house-wall, and a deep groan burst from his 
 lips. Lydia was safe! Elizabeth Avas taken! 
 And he, the traitor, the spy, was left to bear 
 his success as best he could! They passed 
 indoors. Poor Nadab, hardly yet compre- 
 hending, followed them, weeping silently. 
 
 A few words convinced Junius that his 
 wife was indeed on her way to Rome to con- 
 front all sorts of unknown horrors, and the 
 man in him woke from sloth and selfishness 
 to deep repentance and earnest action. 
 
 " Lydia," he said brokenly, " your re- 
 proaches are just. I, and I alone, am to 
 blame! I believed my wife was safe, and 
 in betraying others to ruin I have been over- 
 whelmed myself." 
 
 Lydia, seeing his misery, was softened. 
 " You have not the power to ruin any of us, 
 Junius. That rests with God, and He will 
 not let your treachery cause us harm that is 
 not in His perfect plan for our future better- 
 ment. Your sin is just as great, for it was 
 willful and malicious; but, thank God, Eliza- 
 beth is in the care of One more tender and 
 trustworthy than yourself. But she is doubt- 
 less lost to you forever." 
 
 " No, no!" The cry was sharp with 
 anguish. " I shall follow her to Rome. I 
 shall save her, if possible; and if not, I will 
 at least die with her. Nadab, will you come 
 with your father, or stay behind?" 
 
 " I will go to my mother," said the lad; 
 and Lydia, bursting into tears, besought 
 Heaven's blessing on their enterprise. 
 
 Their preparations took but a few hours. 
 They had little money and must make the 
 long journey by land, mostly on foot. It 
 was a terrible undertaking, but they did 
 
 not stop to think of difficulties now only of 
 results. 
 
 Lydia, convulsed with weeping over the 
 sad fate of her friend, drew Nadab to one 
 side and pressed her purse into his hand. 
 
 " Take it," she whispered, " and make it 
 shorten the way whenever possible. But 
 husband it well, lest it be spent unworthily." 
 
 Nadab bowed his head, and thought, 
 " But how shall I ever keep father from 
 spending it for strong wines during all that 
 long journey?" For neither yet understood 
 that Elizabeth's prayer was answered and 
 her burden rolled away. From that night 
 on, Junius never touched the red liquor 
 again. 
 
 Meanwhile, in Thessalonica, Agistha sat 
 awaiting the return of Herklas from his 
 journey to Philippi and wondered that he 
 did not come, for he was one of those honest 
 and comfortable people who never promise 
 what they cannot in all human probability 
 perform, and he had said he would be back 
 three days ago. 
 
 Feeling restless and uneasy, she thought 
 she would take her baby boy, Gains, and go 
 to the " great house," as they called the villa 
 of ^Enone, for a little visit with its mistress. 
 
 She found the latter in her private room 
 surrounded by her women, to whom she was 
 giving rapid orders, but she stopped to wel- 
 come Agistha, fondle the baby, and exclaim 
 excitedly: 
 
 " What do you think, child? Gaius is called 
 to Rome for an indefinite time, and he is to 
 take Ian and myself with him. We are to 
 start in a day or two, and I am very busy 
 giving orders for the conduct of my house- 
 hold while I am gone, and making prepara- 
 tions for the journey. But sit down, Agistha, 
 and I will dismiss the slaves for a while. 
 Go! You have your orders for the present 
 and can come for more later. There! Now 
 we can have a good rest and visit. But how 
 forlorn you look, my dear! Have you been 
 crying? What is troubling you?" 
 
 Agistha broke down at this, and sobbed 
 out: 
 
 " Herklas has not come back." 
 
 "Is that all? Foolish child! What is 
 there to worry over? He has simply been 
 detained." 
 
 " But he Is three days behind time. And 
 he promised, Lady ^Enone. You know 
 Herklas always keeps his word." 
 
 " Yes, he is careful about it; but even the 
 best of men fail sometimes. He has found
 
 84 
 
 THE WEESTLEE OF PHILIPPI. 
 
 old friends who are making nien-y over him, 
 be assured. Indeed, I never expect Gaius 
 till I see him ah, here he is now!" 
 
 The master entered, starting a little as he 
 noticed Agistha; then, seeing the traces of 
 tears, he said quickly: " You have heard, 
 then?" 
 
 " Heard what?" she asked, looking up at 
 him with anxious eyes. 
 
 Gaius turned to his wife perplexedly. " I 
 was about to ask you to go to her. There is 
 news from Philippi I just heard it from 
 some traders on their way west. Does 
 Agistha know?" 
 
 "No, no! What is it? She is worried be- 
 cause Herklas does not return." 
 
 Both the women had risen, and Agistha 
 stood holding her baby closely, quite pallid 
 with alarm. 
 
 " I hope the report is exaggerated," he said 
 kindly, " but they say that while he was ad- 
 dressing a secret meeting they were raided 
 by soldiers, and a part of them carried off 
 to Rome." 
 
 "And Herklas did he escape?" shrieked 
 Agistha. 
 
 Gaius sadly shook his head. "They say 
 he was certainly taken. But do not feel that 
 all is lost, Agistha. I am going to start for 
 Rome in a day or two, and I have some in- 
 fluence there. Be assured I shall use all I 
 have to procure his release." 
 
 Agistha dropped to her knees and held up 
 her arms the baby still in them crying: 
 
 " Oh, master! dear, kind Gaius, take us 
 with you! Take your little namesake and 
 his mother. Oh, beg for us, dear mistress! 
 Take me as your slave anything only let 
 me go to my husband!" 
 
 " There! there! Of course you shall go. 
 Say that she can, Gaius. I will make her 
 my first lady-in-waiting, and Chloe can look 
 after little Gaius and Ian together. Say yes, 
 husband!" pleaded ^none, her kind heart 
 wrung with grief for her favorite. 
 
 " Well, it shall be as you wish. I did not 
 intend however, it is no more than Herklas 
 would do for me. Yes, yes, she and the babe 
 shall go." 
 
 " My blessed master!" 
 
 " Run, Agistha, and put everything in 
 order at your home. Ah, Gaius, you never 
 fail me! There, weep no more, little one; we 
 will surely save your husband." 
 
 " Be ready by Thursday, for I cannot de- 
 lay another hour. But what if this news 
 should prove to be a mistake?" said Gaius. 
 
 "Then he will certainly be here by that 
 
 time to speak for himself. If he is not, I 
 will be ready for the first boat." 
 
 Agistha was as good as her word. When 
 morning was still in her first blush, next 
 market-day, the Lady ^Enone's train was 
 awaiting embarkation upon a special galley 
 finely fitted up, and flying the imperial 
 colors. Above it a gay awning was spread, 
 and cushions were placed beneath for the 
 greater comfort of the ladies. 
 
 But Agistha scarcely noticed these details. 
 It would have been all the same had this 
 been a dingy merchantman from Alexan- 
 dria, the floors swimming in bilge-water, 
 and the sails torn and soiled with hard 
 usage. Pale and still, she crossed the gang- 
 plank with her baby, but one idea in her 
 mind she was going to her husband. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 IN PROUD ROME. 
 
 IT was a long sail from Neapolis to Rome, 
 and one embarking late in the season was 
 never sure of not being forced to winter 
 somewhere on the way. But Cleotas and 
 Salome with their little family had sailed 
 in early springtime and been favored with 
 fair winds throughout the voyage, thus they 
 made a quick and pleasant passage. Hec- 
 tor and his wife Celeste, with their little 
 Aulus and Salome, were waiting impatiently 
 to greet the travelers, who landed at one of 
 the lower wharves on the Tiber, and were 
 thence transported by a barge to the city 
 landing. 
 
 Upon this barge, gay with streamers and 
 music, were the Roman family, and Hector 
 had spared no expense or trouble to make 
 this welcome to his long-lost sister and her 
 family a truly royal one. 
 
 It was a glad hour. The meeting between 
 Hector and Salome was full of deep emotion 
 for both. Looking upon her noble, matronly 
 countenance, he felt that she had grown 
 older in wisdom and self-control, as well as 
 in years, and thought that even as a maiden 
 she had never been more attractive. He 
 liked her gentle firmness with her children, 
 and was pleased at the deference and re- 
 spect her manly husband paid her. 
 
 Hector had found a dwelling for them in 
 the north-eastern suburb, near the gardens 
 of Sallust; the encampment of the Praetorian 
 guards, whence his duties took him daily, 
 being not far beyond. Before he would let
 
 THE WRESTLER OF PHILIPPI. 
 
 85 
 
 them occupy It, however, he insisted they 
 should all visit him in his own home, that 
 the families might make acquaintance at 
 last. 
 
 The two ladies soon became warmly at- 
 tached, and Hector daily grew more appreci- 
 ative of the sturdy virtues which kept his 
 brother-in-law so evenly balanced, and so 
 unafraid. As he went from station to 
 station, enforcing that discipline which 
 made the armies of Rome invincible, Hector 
 felt that there was a better kind of disci- 
 pline, not enforced, but voluntary, and full 
 of joy inexpressible the discipline of a soul 
 brought into harmony with the Higher Will; 
 and as he studied this Christian brother, 
 brave as he had never been, he first mar- 
 veled, then loved, then longed to imitate. 
 But alas! Self-interest and iron law, under 
 the most lawless of sovereigns, seemed to 
 bind him in chains too strong for breaking. 
 Like Agrippa, he was "almost persuaded"; 
 but also like him, the glitter of worldly rank 
 outshone the Heavenly beams. 
 
 In a few weeks the new-comers were quite 
 at home in the Imperial City, and Salome 
 never tired of going about in her litter to 
 admire the high and massive buildings with 
 their wilderness of columns, the narrow 
 paved streets teeming with their motley 
 crowds, the shops beneath the great houses 
 divided into living apartments above, which 
 were gay with every salable luxury, the tem- 
 ples beautiful as artists could fashion- 
 though to her thought degraded to base 
 uses and the blooming gardens of the pa- 
 tricians, both public and private. 
 
 Everywhere she observed statues dedi- 
 cated to different deities, for if pagan wor- 
 ship was strong in Philippi, it was all-in-all 
 here. These statues, placed in the inter- 
 sections of the streets, outlining forums, 
 baths, theatres, and halls of justice, decorat- 
 ing every shop and booth, standing guard 
 over every private doorway, were of all sub- 
 stances, from the precious metals and the 
 finest Italian marbles down to hideous little 
 carved effigies, rudely fashioned from n 
 block of wood. Every shop was dedicated 
 to some deity, every trade made oblations to 
 some patron of the skies; even the children's 
 toys were consecrated to Bacchus, the god of 
 fun and revelry. Nothing, however trivial, 
 took place without consultation with the 
 Augurs, who calculated their prophecies 
 from the flight of birds, or the direction of 
 the lightnings in a storm; or appealing to 
 Hcrespices, who gravely inspected the en- 
 
 trails of fowl and beast for their decisions, 
 and gave them with a solemn voice, al- 
 though, as Cato has told us, " they could not 
 help laughing when they met in the streets " 
 over the credulity of the masses who heaped 
 their coffers with silver. 
 
 Salome noted, too, in her thoughtful man- 
 ner, the intense contrasts in life here dis- 
 played. On one hand was a poverty that 
 bereft life of all freedom, beauty, almost of 
 hope; on the other, a luxury that seemed 
 steeped in wildest extravagance. At the 
 least movement the higher patrician glit- 
 tered with splendor. His clothing was a 
 mass of gems. His lectica, or chariot, shone 
 with gold and silver-work, and was up- 
 holstered in the richest stuffs from Damas- 
 cus. Lictors ran before him with their 
 fasces (a bundle of rods with an axe in the 
 center), clearing a passage through the 
 crowded streets, which were only the width 
 of a village lane; and, not content with this, 
 the most showy fashionables trailed about 
 with a retinue of slaves, until the nuisance 
 was getting almost unbearable, for the con- 
 fined roadways were often blocked by thig 
 foolish display. 
 
 The short winter was blossoming into 
 spring when, one day, Cleotas came in 
 hastily and sought his wife in her distaff- 
 room. His face was quite pale with some 
 unusual emotion, and he looked at her 
 keenly an instant, where she sat calmly at 
 her embroidery, before he said in a con- 
 trolled voice: 
 
 " Salome, I have strange news for you." 
 
 She half rose, startled at his manner. 
 " What is it, Cleotas? Has anything hap- 
 pened to Hector to his family?" 
 
 " No, it is about Juuius. Junius is in 
 Rome." 
 
 " In Rome here? And without Eliza- 
 beth? Surely he has not forsaken her!" 
 
 " No, she sit down, dear. It is a Ion;; 
 story she is somewhere here, or on the 
 way." 
 
 " Here or at sea? How strange you are, 
 my husband! Tell me all about it." 
 
 " I will, Salome, but it is a sad story. 
 Elizabeth was arrested with some other 
 Christians, and the soldiers started with 
 them for Rome at least they are known to 
 have sailed from Neapolis not three months 
 after we left there, but ' 
 
 " And have not reached here yet? Oh, 
 they are lost at sea!" 
 
 " No, Junius and Nadab think they are
 
 86 
 
 THE WEESTLEE OF PHILIPPI. 
 
 not, or we would have had news of it in 
 some way. But they may have been winter- 
 ing somewhere, driven by storms to seek 
 shelter in a foreign port." 
 
 "So Nadab is here also? Poor boy! He 
 must be heart-broken. But Junius has 
 Junius done all this for her?" 
 
 " Yes, and evidently is a changed man, 
 Salome. He refuses to touch wine, though 
 greatly worn with his long journey, is 
 thoughtful and kind for Nadab, and" 
 
 " But where are they? Why did you not 
 bring them here at once, Cleotas?" springing 
 to her feet with hospitable solicitude. 
 " Surely you would not let them lodge else- 
 where?" 
 
 " No; they are here, my dear. I left them 
 to make their ablutions and replace their 
 soiled garments before seeing you for there 
 is something more, my wife. You say Nadab 
 must be broken-hearted. True, he is very 
 sorrowful, but youth and hope brace him to 
 bear this blow. It is Junius who is broken 
 in spirit." 
 
 "Junius? That surly, neglectful, cruel 
 man! It does not seem possible." 
 
 " Yes, it is, because remorse is what tears 
 the heart-strings beyond repair, my Salome, 
 and Junius is remorseful to self-abasement 
 because he is to blame." 
 
 "To blame? For Elizabeth's arrest? Oh, 
 the wretch! the unnatural monster! the " 
 
 "Peace, peace, child! Not so fast! Let 
 me tell you all;" and amid Salome's sobs 
 and broken exclamations, Cleotas made her 
 understand just how the sad event had hap- 
 pened. 
 
 At first she felt as if she could never for- 
 give Junius, never even see him, but Cleotas 
 reminded her gravely: 
 
 " Salome, we pray to be forgiven as we 
 forgive. If God should not even overlook 
 our mistakes, in what evil case we would 
 be!" 
 
 Weeping and torn with conflicting emo- 
 tions, she threw herself into his arms. 
 
 "Oh, my husband! You are so kind, so 
 good, so strong! Show me the right, that I 
 may pursue it." 
 
 " There is only one way, and that is the 
 Christ's, my child. We must help and com- 
 fort Junius and Nadab, and with them 
 watch and wait for Elizabeth, to give her 
 such succor as will be possible. There is, of 
 course, the faint chance that she may be 
 even now languishing in some dungeon here 
 in Rome, though so far diligent inquiry has 
 failed to locate her. But when you see 
 
 Junius and comprehend the entire chau~e in 
 him, you will feel differently." 
 
 Cleotas had spoken truly. One glance into 
 the haggard face and deeply sorrowful eyes 
 of the bereft husband filled Salome's warm 
 heart with sudden pity. Its expression was 
 so pathetically humble, despairing, patient, 
 that it would have touched a stone, and 
 Salome was far enough from such hardness. 
 
 He and the Thracian girl had never liked 
 each other, but now the desolate man turned 
 to her as the one who had been nearest and 
 dearest to his wife, while Salome, stirred to 
 deepest sympathy, soon grew tender to him 
 in their common sorrow, and felt a daugh- 
 terly affection developing for this Roman 
 whom she had once despised. 
 
 For a few days Nadab's young grief was 
 almost forgotten in the novelty and bewil- 
 derment of his surroundings. He roamed 
 the streets all day, looking, looking, till his 
 eyes ached, and felt each night that he had 
 only just begun to realize the extent, 
 grandeur, and singularities of this capital 
 city of the whole world. 
 
 But Junius, if he noticed, did not heed. 
 Each morning he took his long walk across 
 the city to the wharves, and there spent his 
 day between the Emporium, or grain pier, 
 and the Marmorata, a special dock for land- 
 ing stone and marble, not knowing just 
 where or when he might see some storm- 
 tossed barque come sailing in, bringing the 
 most precious freight this world could give 
 him his Elizabeth. 
 
 Sometimes, seated upon a post, he looked 
 out upon the waters of the Tiber, here 
 broadened into a harbor-like roadway from 
 the ocean, and watched with his longing 
 eyes the strange craft from every port along 
 the Mediterranean's shores. He saw the gov- 
 ernment galleys equipped for warfare, the 
 fishermen's junks starting out for their 
 season's work, the patrician pleasure-barges, 
 gay with streamers and silken awnings, and 
 the low, black, square-hulled convict ships. 
 
 But the ship he sought the one which 
 would bring news of the wife he had be- 
 trayeddid not come, and sometimes, look- 
 ing into the soft blue of the dancing waves, 
 he wondered if it would not be better if 
 both were sleeping far beneath them to- 
 gether? For oh! what might not await her 
 in Rome? Again he would be seized with 
 the conviction that she was already there. 
 lodged in some forgotten dungeon, and he 
 would wander distraught from forum to 
 castle, asking wild questions, and growing
 
 THE WRESTLER OF PHI LI PPL 
 
 87 
 
 momentarily more unmanageable. At these 
 times it needed all the persuasions and 
 assurances of both Cleotas and Hector (the 
 latter having been enlisted in his cause) to 
 quiet him. But these days were few. Gen- 
 erally he was patient to dumbness, and only 
 his gaunt, hungry eyes betokened the agony 
 gnawing at his heart. 
 
 One morning as he entered the shipping 
 office where he made his daily inquiries, 
 he saw a man he had often noticed there 
 before, a patrician of high rank, undoubt- 
 edly, whose frank face and agreeable man- 
 ner attracted him. This day they advanced 
 at the same moment, and he courteously 
 made way for Junius, giving him a sympa- 
 thizing glance as he did so. But Junius had 
 scarcely finished his queries when the man 
 stepped forth quickly, to say: 
 
 "Just what I was about to ask! Are you 
 
 interested in these people, too, my friend?" 
 
 Junius bowed his head. " My wife is on 
 
 board, sire," he answered, with the respect 
 
 befitting the other's rank. 
 
 "Indeed?" The patrician seemed inter- 
 ested. " I see you wear the dress of Mace- 
 donia, my native country; may I ask what 
 city you are from?" 
 " From Philippi, sire." 
 "Ah! And I am of Thessalonica. The 
 ship about which we are anxious had 
 several Christians on board, I understand." 
 His look was inquiring, and Junius an- 
 swered it. " It had. My wife is one of that 
 sect, sire. They arrested her at a meeting, 
 and I have come by land to see what can 
 be done for her relief." 
 
 The other listened intently. "At a meet- 
 ing? It must have been the same. See 
 here, my good man, the wind is sharp this 
 morning. Come with me to my home for a 
 little. I too have on board this missing 
 galley a friend who was also arrested at a 
 meeting in Philippi, and I would gladly 
 learn something more definite of that event 
 if possible. My chariot is waiting outside. 
 I pray you come." 
 
 Junius consented, but with reluctance. It 
 was torture for him to recall that night even 
 in thought, and how could he acknowledge 
 to another his part in the sad result? But 
 his repentance was sincere, and he felt it a 
 well-merited punishment that he must al- 
 ways be pointed out as the betrayer of those 
 whom he now gladly claimed as brothers 
 and sisters in Christ. Then, too, he might 
 glean some new facts or gain some new 
 friends helpful to Elizabeth, and for her 
 
 sake he could not refuse this man's courtesy. 
 So he followed him into his finely-wrought 
 chariot, with scarce a thought of its mag- 
 nificence, though once Junius would have 
 swelled with pride over such an honor, and 
 was borne swiftly to the palatial home of 
 Gaius for this was he upon Palatine Hill. 
 
 Here he followed the latter through vesti- 
 bule and ostium into the atrium, or parlor, 
 where even the absorption of Junius was 
 not so great as to quite blind him to its 
 beauty. A noble vista opened before him, 
 of which this lofty apartment was but the . 
 beginning. From the paneled walls, painted 
 in rare designs, beautiful statuary was set 
 out on pedestals of onyx and malachite in 
 rich relief, while the floor, inlaid with mar- 
 ble in charming patterns, was a work of art 
 in itself. Directly in the center was the iin- 
 pluvium, or square of water, from the center 
 of which rose a feathery spray, and above 
 this cooling basin, protected by a brass rail- 
 ing, the roof curved inwards from all sides 
 to an opening corresponding in shape and 
 size, through which the light poured in, 
 transforming the vapors into broken rain- 
 bows, wavering and graceful as ribbons 
 blown in the breeze. A striped awning, 
 now rolled to one side, could if necessary be 
 drawn across this skylight, shutting out the 
 too ardent sun of noonday. 
 
 Gaius seated his guest upon an ottoman, 
 drew another close beside him, and the two 
 were soon in earnest converse. Junius told 
 the w T hole story plainly and without reserve, 
 even to his own baseness and low estate. 
 Gaius listened without comment, but as he 
 glanced now and then into that countenance 
 upon which its story was graven in lines cut 
 by regret and despair, he could not feel 
 other than intense pity for this misguided, 
 suffering man. 
 
 " I aimed," said Juuius slowly, " to strike 
 at two people who had incurred my dis- 
 pleasure, and God drove the blow home to 
 my own heart." 
 
 "Then both those people escaped?" asked 
 Gaius. 
 
 "They did." 
 
 " Strange how little we control events 
 after all!" mused the politarch. "Even. 
 Christ pleased not Himself, yet no act of His 
 ever went astray." Then turning brusquely 
 to Junius he asked, "What think you of 
 your wife's faith? Was Jesus of Nazareth 
 the Christ?" 
 
 Junius bent his head. " I believe He was 
 and is," was the earnest answer; and Gaius
 
 88 
 
 THE WEESTLEE OF PHILIP PL 
 
 felt this was a conviction of slow growth, 
 perhaps, but laid in foundations deep and 
 strong. 
 
 As they conversed further the host told 
 how, upon his own journey to Rome, imder- 
 taken so near the same time, the ship had 
 been obliged to keep to a southerly course, 
 in order to avoid a long and terrible storm 
 which raged for days along the Adriatic 
 shores and doubtless occasioned much de- 
 lay to shipping in that region. He had long 
 ago decided that the convict ship must have 
 gone into winter quarters, if not lost at sea, 
 and was now daily expecting word of it, 
 since navigation was opened once more. He 
 said, moreover, that he had positively as- 
 sured himself these special prisoners were 
 not in Rome, as he had instituted the strict- 
 est search for them through every prison 
 and castle. 
 
 When Junius finally departed, it was to 
 feel greatly encouraged and strengthened, 
 and the parting was most friendly, each 
 promising to acquaint the other with any 
 news he might receive. 
 
 February had passed, March was coming 
 in shod with sandals of green, and it was 
 early morning. The air was soft with odors 
 and crisp with recent rains, and the streets 
 were lively with slaves hurrying to the 
 houses of their masters for their daily ra- 
 tions of food. Not till later would the heavy 
 teams for traffic be allowed, and now there 
 was plenty of bustle without noise, for the 
 bare feet trod lightly, and the servants knew 
 better than to disturb their indolent sleeping 
 patrons by too loud talk and laughter. One 
 of them, however, ventured to approach the 
 house of Cleotas, arouse the porter, and in- 
 quire for Junius. He was summoned, and 
 the fair-haired youth of a foreign cast of 
 countenance (whom we would have recog- 
 nized as Harold) stepped forward with his 
 message. 
 
 " Sir, my master, Gaius, the politarch, has 
 news of a certain ship lately landed at 
 Puteoli. There are said to be Christians on 
 board, notably one of celebrity well known 
 both at Philippi and Thessalouica the 
 Apostle Paul, who is being brought to Rome 
 for trial. My master intends to go by land to 
 meet these people, and would be pleased 
 to have you and your friends accompany the 
 party, of which there are not a few." 
 
 Junius thanked the messenger and prom- 
 ised to join the party immediately. Then 
 dismissing him, he hastened to send the 
 
 word to the private rooms of Cleotas and 
 Nadab. It quickly brought the household, 
 excited, inquisitive, and eager to join the ex- 
 pedition. Cleotas and Nadab prepared to ac- 
 company Junius, and Salome was almost re- 
 bellious at being left behind, for once be- 
 wailing her sex, that it should prevent her. 
 
 But she did not cease to aid her women in 
 making ready the early meal and helping 
 the men in their preparations, though tears 
 kept rising to her eyes as she thought that 
 her dear Elizabeth might be of the convict 
 group, and if so would be longing for one 
 loving face of womankind to greet her after 
 this long and wearisome journey. She men- 
 tally resolved that she would at least be 
 carried in her litter as far as the Porta 
 Latina, an arched gate of the inner wall, or 
 possibly even to the place of tombs beyond, 
 and after the departure of the others, went 
 about her own preparations, comforted by 
 this thought. 
 
 She was sitting at her embroidery, await- 
 ing the time to go, when Nadab came rush- 
 ing in again in great excitement. 
 
 "Come, hurry!" he cried with boyish 
 roughness. " There are ladies going, too 
 some from the politarch's household, and 
 others and I have come back for you. We 
 are to join them in the suburbs. I will run 
 and order your litter while you make ready, 
 and then will conduct you the shortest way 
 to the arch under the aqueduct what do 
 you call it?" 
 
 " The Porta Capena? So far as that? Oh, 
 Nadab, how good you are! I will not keep 
 you waiting a minute." 
 
 Salome hurried to call her maids, and was 
 at once in the center of a bustle of prepara- 
 tion, while Nadab ran out to summon her 
 litter-bearers and promise them liberal 
 recompense for their swiftest work. Then 
 he mounted his mule and impatiently 
 awaited her outside, though in fact it was 
 not five minutes later when Salome entered 
 her litter, and the little group started 
 briskly down the hilly street. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 THE MEETING AT THE THREE TAVERNS. 
 
 IT was always a slow task making one's 
 way through the crowded Suburra. but 
 having left behind that somewhat un- 
 savory locality, with its many shops and 
 questionable resorts, they rapidly skirted
 
 THE WRESTLER OF PHI LI PPL 
 
 89 
 
 the Palatine, its roomy palaces and gardens 
 in sharp contrast to the squalor behind 
 them, and struck off at a goodly pace past 
 the villas lining the way. Presently they 
 reached the Porta Capeua, its arch always 
 dripping from the aqueduct above it, and 
 clattered on quite into the suburbs, where 
 fine mausoleums lined the white-paved road 
 for miles. 
 
 It was a spring morning, and the whole 
 atmosphere was rich with those first faint 
 earthy scents which each year thrill us 
 anew with their promise of future verdure 
 and beauty. While Salome was delightedly 
 sniffing the perfume of the newly upturned 
 farm-lands on either hand, she iieard Nadab 
 give an exclamation, and saw him make a 
 dash forward. Leaning out between her 
 curtains, she quickly discovered the cause. 
 The party they were to accompany stood 
 awaiting them, gathered in a knot beneath 
 a clump of mulberry trees, and a horseman 
 spurred forwards instantly at sight of 
 Nadab, to cry out approvingly: " In excel- 
 lent time, my boy! We have but just ar- 
 rived." 
 
 Then the speaker came close to the litter 
 to whisper merrily, as he bent to the beloved 
 face between the curtains: 
 
 " Ah, my Salome, you always conquer in 
 the end! I was happy to be able to send for 
 you. Here they all are, the Lady ^Enone 
 and her friends, and waiting to greet you." 
 
 He gave a quick command, and the litter- 
 bearers brought their burden abreast of the 
 more beautiful lectica in blue and steel, 
 from which a bright, intelligent face, its 
 veil pushed aside for the moment, looked 
 forth as the owner said: 
 
 " And this, then, is the wife of Cleotas? I 
 am glad to know her, and have her company 
 this fair morning. Let me present my 
 friend, Agistha." 
 
 A pale, sad, young countenance, with 
 darkly shadowed eyes, peered out, and 
 Agistha and Salome greeted each other in 
 friendly fashion. Others of both sexes were 
 in the party, but Gains with a laughing 
 word took command, ui'ging haste, and the 
 little procession, headed by two lictors, pro- 
 ceeded on its way, the horsemen in front, 
 then the litters the Lady vEnone's taking 
 precedence and lastly Nadab on his mule. 
 
 In this way they traversed a distance of 
 seventeen miles to a place of resort known 
 as the Three Taverns, where, in consider- 
 ation of the tired litter-beai-ers, the party 
 was to rest, enjoy the noon meal, and await 
 
 the coming of Paul and such other Chris- 
 tians as might be with him. 
 
 None of the company had reason to expect 
 to meet any nearer friend than he, yet, in 
 spite of themselves, in the hearts of both 
 Agistha and Junius was a trembling hope 
 that the dear partner each longed for might 
 be found with Paul. 
 
 As the women gathered in the room sot 
 apart for them in the inn, they soon made 
 acquaintance and talked eagerly, for t:.;\y 
 had been brought together by a common in- 
 terest. All reverenced the great Paul and 
 longed to prove their friendship, even though 
 he came to them in chains, and Salome was 
 full of excitement at thought of seeing once 
 more the man who had first thoroughly con- 
 vinced her of the truth as it is in Jesus. But 
 as she watched Agistha's tremulous absorp- 
 tion and lack of appetite, she pushed aside 
 her own hot wheaten cakes and honey to 
 ask eagerly: 
 
 " Is it possible you really expect to see 
 your husband in this company? You see I 
 know of your loss from Junius, who has told 
 me of you. If so, then doubtless Elizabeth 
 will be with them, too; but I dare not hope 
 it." 
 
 " I am not sure that I ' hope ' It," replied 
 Agistha," but I do feel it. Ever since I 
 awoke to hear this news, I have felt that I 
 should see him but oh! what then? What 
 then?" 
 
 She turned away, choking with emotion, 
 and Salome's pitying eyes met vEnone's. 
 
 " True enough," she murmured, " but I 
 had not thought of that. I have been all ab- 
 sorbed in the idea of seeing these good peo- 
 ple, of hearing, perhaps, some news of my 
 friends, and I forgot they come as captives, 
 to be consigned to the dungeons beneath the 
 forum before we can do more than exchange 
 a word with them." 
 
 Yet, in spite of future forebodings, pres- 
 ent hope could not but buoy them up. Only 
 to see those from whom they had been so 
 long separated, if this was to be, only to be 
 sure they were alive, was a great boon, and 
 insensibly their spirits rose as each felt all 
 the others in perfect accord with herself. 
 Gains presently came in to say that some of 
 the men had decided to ride on, hoping to 
 meet Paul's party soon, and would leave 
 the lictors behind to attend upon the ladies. 
 These now gathered close behind the lattices 
 to watch them ride away, then settled them- 
 se'ves for a longer, or shorter, waiting. 
 The afternoon dragged slowly on, and
 
 90 
 
 THE WEESTLEE OF PHI LI PPL 
 
 nothing happened. It was nearing the 
 ninth hour. Two or three, including JEnone, 
 had fallen asleep, and Salome was dozing, 
 when Agistha, who had been sitting in 
 severe quiet within the embrasure of the 
 window overhanging the court below, made 
 a quick movement and bent forward atten- 
 tively, her hand behind her ear. In the dis- 
 tance, far and faint, she thought she could 
 discern voices and the tread of many feet, 
 mingled with a clicking noise that suggested 
 the impact of steel on steel. From where 
 she sat only a portion of the paved court 
 was visible, but that portion included the 
 wide-arched opening connecting it with the 
 street. It was thence she now turned her 
 eyes in a piercing gaze. The sounds she 
 had heard grew more distinct, and she knew 
 them, now, for the tread of feet shackled by 
 fetters. 
 
 Yes! Here through the arch comes a 
 mounted guard another their shirts of 
 mail gleaming like fish-scales in the sun; 
 two more, then oh! how her heart beat as 
 her glance ran like lightning over the first 
 four of the prisoners, all chained together! 
 Not one was known to her. But here come 
 two more between soldiers, with wrist-fet- 
 ters only, and these she recognizes as Paul 
 and his companion, Aristarchus of Thes- 
 salonica, a well-known brother there. Are 
 there no more? Ah! what is this? Two 
 women on a pillion. She looked quickly 
 around and called, " Salome, madam, come 
 at once!" then turned back to her eager 
 watch, while Salome, thus suddenly aroused 
 from her light doze, sprang up and came 
 forward with a shower of questions. 
 
 But Agistha did not answer. Instead, she 
 raised a hand, and gave a cry that awoke 
 all the sleepers, "My husband! My hus- 
 band!" for behind the women, again in 
 fours, are other men, and among them 
 though bearded, haggard, and browned nke 
 an Arab Herklas! 
 
 Her cry was caught up by Salome, who 
 had recognized Elizabeth in one of the 
 women, and the two simultaneously made a 
 dash for the corridor outside, followed 
 closely by ^Enone and the other women. 
 So far, Salome had no mea of the name of 
 Agistha's husband. It had not been men- 
 tioned before her. When Gaius or ^Enone 
 had spoken of him they gave him his title 
 in the church: the few times Agistha had 
 referred to him she named him as her hus- 
 band: and in the brown-bearded man just 
 marched into the court of the inn, there was 
 
 but little trace, to a casual glance, of the 
 boy who had left home nine years before. 
 Then, too, her whole thought now centered 
 in Elizabeth, except such as all gave to the 
 Apostle, whose fate they watched with deep 
 interest. 
 
 When the women reached the court they 
 found it filled with an excited company not 
 only their own group, but quite a party who 
 had gone further on, even to Appii-Forum, 
 the first mule-station on the twenty-mile 
 canal built by Augustus to drain the Pontine 
 Marshes, and an important point for travel- 
 ers approaching from the coast. So it was 
 a large cavalcade of horses, donkeys, and 
 foot-passengers who now thronged the 
 paved square to its utmost capacity. 
 
 But our hurrying women had only a dim 
 impression of the scene as they poured out 
 of the house door. Agistha, who had out- 
 run the rest, slipped in and out amid the 
 throng, supple as a serpent, and .ZEnone fol- 
 lowed at her heels, scarcely less excited. 
 But Salome turned from them and ran close 
 by the wall with her eyes fixed upon a pil- 
 lion, half concealed between two mounted 
 men who hovered close about it, and whom 
 she saw to be Junius and Xadab. 
 
 "Elizabeth!" she called, "Elizabeth!" 
 
 At the cry Herklas, in the center of the 
 mass, turned surprisedly turned only to see 
 a slender figure, which did not at all belong 
 to the strangely familiar voice, reaching for 
 him despite the guard's angry protest and 
 forgot the odd impression in the rapture of 
 beholding his wife at his very side, and be- 
 hind her his tried friend and patron. 
 
 Salome was answered by Elizabeth's 
 sweet voice, placid as ever: 
 
 " Here we are, all safe, dear sister. My 
 husband, my son. and you. How gracious is 
 the Lord! Ah, Salome, this pays for all." 
 
 She clasped her friend close, then turned 
 again to Junius, whose eyes scarcely left 
 her face. The joy, the surprise, of finding 
 her own where she had looked only for new 
 strangeness and fresh terrors, made Eliza- 
 beth radiant. One glance, one word, his 
 very presence, had been enough to convince 
 her of her husband's repentance, and it 
 seemed to her for the time being that she 
 was indeed repaid for months of peril and 
 hardship by sea and land, in this unex- 
 pected joy vouchsafed to her. 
 
 But Elizabeth, even in this supreme mo- 
 ment, could not be selfish. She said eagerly: 
 
 " Dear Salome, let me bespeak your kind- 
 est attention for my friend here with me.
 
 THE WEESTLEE OF PHI LI PPL 
 
 91 
 
 Her name is Eunice, and you have met her 
 at home. We were taken together, and I 
 can never tell all she has been to me on this 
 terrible journey!" 
 
 Salome hastened to greet the delicate 
 young creature who had outlived so many 
 perils, but had time for only a word, as the 
 soldiers ordered back the crowd, and formed 
 quickly about the prisoners, commanding 
 that they seat themselves on the pavement, 
 as food would be given them before they 
 resumed the march. One of the guards 
 thrust Junius aside and bade the women 
 dismount, but Gaius now appeared, ready to 
 greet the friends of his new friends. 
 
 He saw the look upon the husband's face 
 at being thus treated, and said cheerily: 
 
 " Ah, friend, I see you have been made 
 happy as well as Agistha. And this is the 
 dear wife you have looked for so long? 
 Peace be with you, lady. And now, courage, 
 all! I know the centurion in command, and 
 as soon as I can get speech with him I shall 
 ask that we be allowed to serve all these 
 Christian friends, also the guards, who must 
 not be overlooked," he bowed courteously 
 to the helmet beside him, and received a 
 ready military salute in return," with a 
 good and abundant meal; then with bodies 
 and spirits both refreshed, we can accom- 
 pany them on the last stage of their march." 
 
 The guard's visage expressed satisfaction, 
 and he considerately stepped back, leaving 
 the reunited to themselves. Thus Gaius, 
 winning all with courteous words and well- 
 bestowed gifts, was allowed to carry out his 
 hospitable plan, and soon as excellent a sup- 
 per as the inn could furnish was smoking on 
 a hastily-improvised table in the court. 
 
 Once more these dear ones met in perfect 
 accord, putting aside, for the time, all fears 
 and forebodings, to enjoy to the full a meet- 
 ing fraught with hope and comfort for each. 
 Paul conversed with those who had come 
 so far to greet him, hearing their good re- 
 port of the churches he had founded, 
 and giving in return such counsel and 
 spiritual advice as would linger in their 
 memories for life. 
 
 For Elizabeth it was an hour set out in 
 whitest light. With hands clasped in those 
 of husband and son she turned her shining 
 eyes upward in thanksgiving for the mercies 
 of God. When Junius brokenly tried to ex- 
 plain the terrible mistake which had 
 brought her here, she checked him. 
 
 "It was the will of the Christ, my hus- 
 band. He has honored me by allowing me 
 
 also to come to testify in Rome, even as 
 Paul will do. And in spite of shipwreck and 
 the many perils we have gone through, 
 these mouths have been blessed to us all, 
 for Paul has directed us, and Christ has 
 been with us, to save and comfort. Do not 
 reproach yourself, or pity me and never, 
 Junius, speak of forgiveness between us 
 two! I have always pleaded for you as you 
 never could for yourself; it is enough that 
 God has answered me, and you are His 
 and mine." 
 
 The brief rest over, the little company 
 took up its line of march again, and even 
 the chains seemed to have grown lighter be- 
 cause of this companionship and cheer. The 
 guard in charge of the women, through 
 some mysterious influence, even allowed 
 Elizabeth to ride in Salome's litter, saying 
 it would lighten the mule's load, and fell a 
 pace or two behind, allowing Junius and 
 Nadab to ride on either hand. Evidently 
 Gaius and Cleotas had busied themselves to 
 some purpose! Thus they marched, some- 
 times talking low and intimately, again 
 listening to the wise discourse of Paul, anon 
 breaking into singing, sweet and holy. 
 
 But a change was made in the cavalcade 
 as they neared the city. Elizabeth was re- 
 quested to resume her seat on the pillion, 
 the prisoners were bunched together, and 
 the guard formed a hollow square about 
 them. In this orderly manner they were 
 conducted to the forum, and there formally 
 delivered over to Burrhus, who consigned 
 them to the captain of the guard to be led 
 to the dungeons. 
 
 With wet eyes the party from Rome called 
 out their farewells, watched them till they 
 disappeared, then slowly turned away to 
 their homes, unable to do more for those 
 they loved. Yet that night Junius slept like 
 a child, and Agistha, clasping her baby to 
 her heart, thanked God for this sweet day, 
 whatever the future might have in store. 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 A TEST OF LOYALTY. 
 
 A WEEK or so before the coming of the 
 prisoners to Rome, Hector and Aulus 
 Clotius were closeted with a man who 
 gave evidences of a long journey, and whose 
 air of furtive anxiety bespoke him either a 
 fugitive from justice, or a messenger bear- 
 ing secret tidings which would imperil his
 
 92 
 
 THE WEESTLEE OF PHI LI PPL 
 
 life, if discovered. He, in fact, announced 
 himself as an ambassador from Marcus 
 Salvius Otho, the former husband of 
 Poppoea, now in Lusitania, and owned to 
 bearing dispatches of a treasonable char- 
 acter. He claimed it could scarcely be won- 
 dered at that this outraged and banished 
 husband should hate his usurper and long to 
 be avenged, saying further that his spies at 
 court had kept him constantly informed of 
 events there. When he thus learned of the 
 covert rebuffs aimed at Aulus Clotius, he 
 shrewdly singled him out as one who would 
 be ready to further the interests of any op- 
 ponent to the throne. In a word, Otho was 
 longing to supplant Nero, and felt that 
 Aulus would prove a powerful ally, could he 
 win his allegiance. His influence with the 
 army was great, and his bravery proverbial. 
 
 This was well known to the messenger 
 himself, who had long been acquainted with 
 Aulus in the army, and could judge of his 
 abilities, he being also a military officer, 
 though in another branch of the service. 
 Hector, as one more directly in touch with 
 the Praetorian Guards, had been also ad- 
 mitted to the interview, and sat in grave 
 silence as the messenger unfolded his plan. 
 
 This was cunningly devised and complete 
 in detail, but as Aulus examined the papyri, 
 and listened to the concise explanations, he 
 shook his head dubiously. 
 
 " Rome is not yet ripe for the change," he 
 protested. " We all know what Nero is, but 
 the populace does not. He gives it plenty of 
 festivals, games, and spectacles why, he 
 has just had fifty lions, thirty leopards, and 
 twenty-seven magnificent tigers added to 
 the dens in the amphitheatre! Then coin is 
 plenty here, if the provincials do complain, 
 and favors are given largely. No, Plutus, 
 it will not do! We must wait." 
 
 The messenger turned his dark, disap- 
 pointed face upon Hector. " And do you, 
 too, counsel delay, my brave centurion?" 
 
 Hector was sitting with his chin upon his 
 hand and his eyes bent on the floor. " I am 
 thinking," he answered slowly, " whether it 
 is worth while to exchange the leopard for 
 the panther. If one's bones are to be 
 crunched, it matters little about the teeth, 
 save that the sharper they me the quicker 
 the end." 
 
 Plutus laughed with some amusement. 
 " You think Otho but a new Nero with an- 
 other name?" he asked. 
 
 " I fancy either woiild hold Rome in his 
 palm and squeeze it for his own indulgence. 
 
 If there were a man, now, who could be 
 careful of his subjects, watchful of their in- 
 terests, self-forgetful even unto death, 
 and" 
 
 "Bah! Would you expect a Christus?" 
 laughed the messenger. " You see bow little 
 He was fitted to keep His Jewish kingdom. 
 Why, He died like a thief upon the cross! 
 No, no! what we want is a man, indeed, but 
 not such a man! Rome would not know 
 what to do with a ruler who did not ride 
 over her in his chariot. She adores a 
 tyrant!" 
 
 Hector sighed. He felt this was too near 
 the truth to be denied. Nero had reached a 
 summit whose glory set him apart, and the 
 populace gazed, and hailed him a god. But 
 Hector, knowing the stains upon his record, 
 the pettinesses of his character, the cow- 
 ardice beneath his bravado, felt a deep dis- 
 gust which it was difficult, always, to con- 
 ceal. He had begun to long for purity, and 
 this hypocrite in a high place revolted him 
 to the depths. 
 
 The interview was long, but conclusive. 
 Both Aulus and Hector refused to act in the 
 matter, and after mutual pledges of pro- 
 found secrecy, Plutus withdrew. When he 
 had left their presence Aulus turned to his 
 client. 
 
 " Hector," he said impulsively, " I am 
 glad you stood by me in this. You said 
 rightly when you inferred that such a 
 change of masters would be but a change of 
 evils. And yet the day is coming yes, we 
 will live to see it when this people will turn 
 and rend their Caesar, even as now they 
 deify him. Do you not believe me?" 
 
 Hector nodded thoughtfully. " It is only 
 a question of time, Sir Praetor." Then in a 
 lower tone: " But, meanwhile, if he is de- 
 termined to crush you? I have heard of this 
 latest slight, my Aulus; you were entirely 
 ignored in the last festival. Where every 
 singer appeared, the voice of Aulus Clotius 
 was silent; where the viol-players numbered 
 fourscore, the instrument of the brave 
 general and praetor was absent." 
 
 A quick flush dyed the other's bronzed 
 cheek. " Such an insult is in reality an 
 ovation, my Hector. Nero will not see him- 
 self surpassed, so he bars me out. If his 
 malice ends there, I am fortunate. The son 
 of Aleutius can exist without a stage suc- 
 cesshe will leave that to the Emperor!" 
 
 The tone was bitterly sarcastic, but his 
 laugh rang out as carelessly as ever. 
 " Come, come! what matters? Caesar cannot
 
 THE WEESTLEE OF PHI LI PPL 
 
 93 
 
 rob me of my recollections, nor dare he 
 hinder the Praetorian Guards from flashing 
 their swords in military salute whenever I 
 appear; no more can he take from me the 
 love of my mother, wife, and children nor 
 of such as thee, my brave, true Hector! Let 
 him enjoy his triumphs; the earth is wide." 
 
 A few days later a sudden order sum- 
 moned the praetor to the palace, and at the 
 hour when the party of Gaius was on the 
 Appian Way, nearing the Three Taverns, 
 Aulus was waiting in the anteroom of 
 Nero's judgment hall, trying to subdue his 
 forebodings and steel his countenance into 
 utter indifference towards whatever new 
 blow the tyrant might have in store for him. 
 He was not kept waiting long, and when 
 he entered the wide apartment beyond, he 
 was almost dazed by his reception. Instead 
 of the supercilious smile or the frowning 
 brow to which he was used, Nero turned 
 upon him a look of frank pleasure, seem- 
 ingly, and cried with heartiness: 
 
 " Come hither, Sir Praetor! I have a ques- 
 tion to ask of you." 
 
 Bowing low, and wondering what this 
 might betoken, Aulus advanced to the foot 
 of the throne, and bent his knee before the 
 curled and perfumed Emperor. But when 
 he rose he could not restrain a start, while 
 his face paled perceptibly at his right hand 
 stood Plutus, the messenger, an inscrutable 
 look upon his face and his eyes discreetly 
 lowered. 
 
 "I am lost!" thought Aulus, and drew 
 himself up proudly, resolved that Nero, who 
 had once been his familiar friend, should 
 not be gratified by signs of weakness. 
 
 But Caesar was speaking. " Aulus Clotius, 
 general and praetor, do you know this man?" 
 He pointed to Plutus. 
 
 Aulus gazed at the messenger scrutiniz- 
 Ingly. " Unless I am mistaken, Cresar, he is 
 Plutus Aurelius, a commander of cavalry, 
 and a brave soldier." 
 
 " Indeed! And this is all you know of 
 himV" 
 
 " It comprises most of my knowledge, sire. 
 In detail, I know him also to be a good 
 talker, and a man of rare ability as a disci- 
 plinarian." 
 
 Nero laughed. "Then you have talked 
 with him?" 
 
 " Often, Caesar." 
 
 "With what purport?" 
 
 Aulus seemed groping for definite recollec- 
 tions. " It is difficult to remember all, O 
 
 Caesar, but generally upon matters of war- 
 fare, as I bethink me." 
 
 " And have you never talked of Caesar?" 
 
 " Undoubtedly." 
 
 "With what conclusion? Come, let me 
 hear all." 
 
 The Emperor, with a smile of cunning, 
 leaned easily back and tapped the golden 
 lion-heads of his throne-arms with his long 
 finger-nails. 
 
 Aulus noted the manner, and a feeling of 
 desperation came over him. So far he had 
 told the truth, if not the whole truth; every 
 answer had been in consonance with facts, 
 if not with the fact which Nero was striving 
 to obtain from him. He fet that in reality 
 concealment was of little use. for undoubt- 
 edly Nero knew all; still, honor would not 
 permit him to betray a comrade-in-arms, 
 even to save himself. In his desperation he 
 suddenly resolved to make a bold stroke, let 
 the consequences be what they might, and 
 with the quick resolve came something of 
 that grim daring which made this man a 
 hero in real stress and danger. 
 
 Bending a little forward and letting a 
 twinkle creep into his eye, he answered 
 easily: 
 
 " At last Caesar has awakened my 
 memory. I did talk with Plutus and express 
 myself too freely, doubtless. I said the 
 noble Caesar had failed woefully in judg- 
 ment once, for he had spoiled a good general 
 to make a poor praetor when he called me to 
 that office. And Plutus agreed with me." 
 
 Nothing so pleased Nero as dauntlessness, 
 and the mingled humor and audacity of this 
 answer fairly took him off his feet. He 
 broke into laughter, which proved con- 
 tagious. His favorites joined in, Aulus felt 
 his own face twitching, and Plutus suddenly 
 put his hand over his mouth as if to conceal 
 his risibles. For the minute Nero's better 
 self was in the ascendency, and he showed 
 clemency, which so well, but alas so seldom, 
 became him! 
 
 " It is bravely said, my Aulr.p." he cried, 
 when he could speak for Inuglung, "and I 
 cannot misdoubt yoar judgment, however 
 you may that of Caesar, for a poorer piwtor 
 never wore the toga! Go, rascal! I am 
 done with you. And if yon are presently 
 ordered to take command of the legion about 
 to be sent into Gaul, blame yourself. Such 
 bluntness is best fitted for the field. Go!" 
 
 Dazed and delighted, Aulus made haste 
 to retire, fearing that another word, or look 
 even, might alter this benignant mood.
 
 94 
 
 THE WRESTLER OF PHIL1PPL 
 
 When safely outside, however, he thought 
 regretfully: " But poor Plutus is in sad 
 case. I have not betrayed him, thank 
 heaven! yet it is plain enough Caesar knows 
 all. I shall never see Plutus again. Some 
 dungeon will swallow him up, unless for his 
 former bravery he is permitted to fall upon 
 his own sword, or open his veins. Peace to 
 his ashes!" 
 
 Imagine, then, his astonishment, the next 
 morning, to meet the cavalry commander in 
 the forum, not only alive and well, but look- 
 ing smiling and assured. Aulus was almost 
 too surprised to speak, but his expressive 
 face, as he held out his hand in greeting, 
 made the other break into laughter. 
 
 " You had evidently consigned me to 
 oblivion, my brave Aulus!" he cried merrily. 
 "Is it not so?" 
 
 " What else could I do? I saw Caesar must 
 know all or enough at least "he lowered 
 his voice and looked cautiously around, 
 " but I was determined not to be your be- 
 trayer." 
 
 " So I perceived, my noble friend, and 
 thank you for it! But is it possible you do 
 not understand, even yet?" 
 
 "Understand? What?" Aulus gazed at 
 him perplexedly. 
 
 " Truly, general, you are a poor praetor, 
 as you say, if you cannot unravel such a 
 simple knot of duplicity as this." 
 
 A wave of color flushed the open face of 
 Aulus, then faded slowly. " Do you mean- 
 was that message were those papyri you 
 would have had me sign, really from 
 Caesar?" 
 
 "Whom else?" 
 
 " And I great Olympus! If I had signed 
 them! It was a plot then to prove my 
 loyalty?" 
 
 " Something of that nature, doubtless," 
 smiled the other. 
 
 Aulus looked actually blank with aston- 
 ishment, then came a quick recollection. 
 " But I said Jove! What did I say, 
 Plutus?" 
 
 The other laughed outright. " Never mind 
 what you said, comrade. Would I be base 
 enough to betray one who shared his water- 
 skin with me that blazing day on the plain 
 of Astivari? You did not and would not 
 sign that was my report, and Caesar once 
 more loves his old friend Aulus, though he 
 does sing far too well to please him. Learn 
 wisdom, friend! Be dumb henceforth; have 
 a rheum that shall ruin your voice, dash 
 your viol against a tree, and be content to 
 
 worship Mars rather than the Muses, de- 
 lightful though they be." 
 
 " It is good advice and I will follow it. 
 Plutus, you have warmed my heart! Rome 
 has at least two men who can be trusted 
 to stand by a friend pardon the egotism 
 that makes me glad I am one of them. And 
 see here, comrade if fortune favors me 
 once more, ask what you will of your 
 brother-in-arms, for we stand or fall to- 
 gether." 
 
 Hector shared with his patron the sudden 
 and astonishing accession to favor which 
 followed upon this farcical performance of 
 Nero's. Our centurion felt it even before 
 he knew the cause. He saw it in the salute 
 of the guards on duty as he went to the 
 Praetorium for his morning inspection; he 
 read it in the kindly nod of Burrhus as 
 they passed each other in the gardens later; 
 and he knew it when a kindly message sum- 
 moned him to the presence of the emperor, 
 and he was bidden, as of old, to strip off 
 his shirt of mail and engage in a wrestling 
 match with a burly ambassador from one of 
 the provinces, who had been boasting of his 
 muscle. 
 
 It was a short encounter. Restored cour- 
 age and anticipation made Hector invincible 
 that morning, and he soon had the aston- 
 ished Bithynian upon his back, with one 
 knee pinning him to the floor, while the 
 banqueting chamber rang with applause. 
 
 " Well done, Hector!" cried Nero heartily. 
 " I told you he would win, Tigellinus! There 
 is a trick he has that only an Olympionic 
 knows, and it is a sure throw every time." 
 
 " I would like well to see him try it on 
 Anisavchus," remarked the favorite gloom- 
 ily, for he had lost a heavy wager. " He is 
 simply unapproachable." 
 
 " Oh. you mean the gladiator?" asked an- 
 other. " He is certainly a remarkable 
 wrestler. Has he ever been vanquished?" 
 
 " No, and he has been matched against a 
 score, at least, of trained men from every 
 country. Such muscles! Such long, power- 
 ful arms! They say his grip is like that of 
 a steel vise." 
 
 Thus they talked on, but Hector, being dis- 
 missed with a gift, heard no more, ami 
 thought little of the matter, for what likeli- 
 hood was there that he would ever meet 
 this famed wrestler, who was a condemned 
 criminal, only saved alive, so far, by the 
 downturned thumbs of the populace who de- 
 lighted in his prowess! 
 
 As our centurion passed outside the palace
 
 THE WRESTLER OF PH1LIPPL 
 
 95 
 
 gates into the street he heard his name 
 called, and looked around to see one of his 
 guards hastening towards him, who, after 
 saluting, placed in his hand an order. It 
 was signed by Burrhus, and bade him take 
 personal superintendence of a Jewish 
 prisoner lately arrived in Rome, who, being 
 free-born and notable, had been permitted 
 to remain in his own hired house, well 
 guarded. Hector was further ordered to 
 detail a certain number of soldiers to relieve 
 each other in being chained to the prisoner, 
 and, in fine, to keep him with discretion and 
 care, after the usual manner. 
 
 He hastened immediately to the desig- 
 nated street, and was soon in the presence 
 of Paul, whom he at once recognized as his 
 own fellow-prisoner in the past, for whom 
 an earthquake shock had wrought a miracle. 
 
 Hector treated the illustrious prisoner 
 with marked respect, exchanging courteous 
 remarks upon the strange and varied events 
 which had brought them together once more, 
 then the centurion asked if there was any- 
 thing he could do to further the Apostle's 
 comfort during his enforced confinement. 
 But Paul had no complaints nor requests to 
 make concerning food, warmth, or personal 
 comfort of any description; only two favors 
 he begged papyrus, stylus, and ink, that 
 he might write to his beloved brethren in 
 the church; and the permission to call to- 
 gether the Jews of the city, that he might 
 personally address them upon the subject of 
 the Christ These requests Hector at once 
 granted, and, giving strict orders that the 
 Apostle should be indulged in every reason- 
 able desire, he left a detail to guard him, 
 and, bidding him a courteous good-morning, 
 took his way to the house of Salome, to tell 
 her of his renewed favor at court and (what 
 he supposed would be news) all about the 
 arrival of Paul the Apostle, as a prisoner 
 who had appealed unto Caesar for trial. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 AN IMPERIAL, COMPACT. 
 
 THE new prisoners, with the exception 
 of Paul and his special companion, 
 Aristarchus, were consigned to the 
 dungeons of the forum, two of the largest 
 cells being given them, with an unlocked 
 door of communication between. Here all 
 the men were confined, while the two 
 
 women, Eunice and Elizabeth, were placed 
 in a smaller cell not far away. 
 
 This prison was in charge of an official 
 well known to Hector, Euphrastus by name, 
 and as the former came from his interview 
 with Salome, who had told him all about the 
 Christian prisoners, he was pleased to see 
 the man lounging on the steps of the judg- 
 ment hall. 
 
 " Peace to you!" cried Hector, showing his 
 pleasure frankly. " You are the very one 
 I desired to see. I have in mind a favor to 
 ask of you." 
 
 "The gods keep you!" returned Euphras- 
 tus. "But what is the favor, pray? You 
 know it will be granted, if in my power." 
 
 "Thanks, friend! It is not one that will 
 greatly strain your generosity. You have a 
 new batch of prisoners, I learn, and they 
 are Christians." 
 
 " Right as usual. Hector!" 
 
 " Well, then, I simply have a curiosity to 
 see them. Cannot you let me accompany 
 you upon your rounds this morning?" 
 
 " Noon, you might say, for the sun is high. 
 However, I have been slow about the in- 
 spection this morning on account of some 
 fresh orders I was awaiting. As to your 
 accompanying me well, it is not strictly 
 allowable, but what is your interest in 
 these people, forsooth?" 
 
 " Curiosity," was the prompt reply. 
 
 " I see. You have heard of their obnoxious 
 practices. Queer, too, for I find them as 
 docile as could be desired. They do nothing 
 worse that I can discover than to sing and 
 pray together. I have seen no bloodthirsti- 
 ness in them, and they give me no trouble 
 whatever. Yes, come with me; I am going 
 down now to number them out." 
 
 "For what?" asked Hector quickly. 
 
 "Have you not heard? They are to be 
 sacrificed in the games at the amphitheatre, 
 at the celebration of Poppoea's birthday. So 
 many to the beasts, so many for the naval 
 combat, and the rest to fight with gladi- 
 ators." 
 
 " But the women?" cried Hector in horror. 
 
 "Who told you there were women?" asked 
 Euphrastus, turning upon him suspiciously. 
 
 " My sister, the wife of Cleotas. She has 
 been permitted by Burrhus to visit them." 
 
 The answer seemed satisfactory. " They 
 will doubtless be portioned to the wild 
 beasts." was the careless reply. " I have no 
 orders for them so far. but as they cannot 
 fight, what other disposal could be made of 
 them?"
 
 96 
 
 THE WBESTLEE OF PHILIPPL 
 
 Hector did not answer, and the official 
 went on relating incidents peculiar to his 
 profession. In this friendly fashion they 
 entered the wide corridor beside the judg- 
 ment hall, and at its end descended the 
 stairs which led downwards by successive 
 flights far underground. Once there they 
 pursued a somewhat rambling course 
 through the network of passages undermin- 
 ing the great building. At intervals 
 Euphrastus stopped to fit a key into a lock, 
 open a heavy door, and thrust his head 
 within a cell in which Hector, glancing over 
 his shoulder, caught dim glimpses of some 
 haggard being crouching in the quiet of 
 despair. At length at his word, " Here are 
 the Christians!" Hector awoke to animation, 
 and looked eagerly as the door swung wide, 
 for while the two approached a murmur of 
 tuneful melody reached their ears and he 
 knew that, after their happy custom, these 
 men were singing hymns of comfort and 
 good cheer. 
 
 The music ceased as the door creaked 
 rustily on its hinges, and every eye was 
 directed towards it from within, for no one 
 confined there knew at what moment the 
 summons might come the summons to 
 trial, perhaps; more likely to death without 
 a hearing. By the light of the lamp in his 
 guide's hand Hector let his eye run over the 
 group before him. He saw grave, self-con- 
 trolled, intelligent faces, worn with the long 
 journey and privations, but neither wretched 
 nor desperate. On many, indeed, was a 
 smile of absolute brightness, and on all an 
 expression of security and peace marvelous 
 to behold in such a place. 
 
 As he gazed, noting all this with an eye 
 trained to observation of human nature, an- 
 other man came in from the adjoining cell, 
 his chains clanking as he made his difficult 
 way along. He was younger than the rest, 
 with a face and form such as sculptors 
 choose when they would embody their 
 choicest creations. Now browned, bearded, 
 and somewhat bent with the heavy fetters 
 as he was, he still showed the manly beauty 
 which had always made him notable. 
 
 As Hector devoured this youth with in- 
 quiring glances, his own face quite con- 
 cealed beneath his helmet's visor, the latter 
 looked straight at him with large, honest 
 eyes, in which was the old boyish expres- 
 sion, unmistakable to one who had loved 
 him so well. Hector was almost betrayed 
 into a cry of recognition, for he knew the 
 prisoner to be his longed-for brother, Ilerk- 
 
 las! It was all the soldier, trained to ab- 
 solute self-control, could do to stand there 
 like a statue, when his whole soul was cry- 
 ing out in fond welcome, when his arms 
 twitched to enfold the boy he had cherished 
 from babyhood, when his eyes ached with 
 the tears welling into them, and his throat 
 with the sobs he must suppress. He had no 
 eyes, no thought, for any one else, and he 
 waited with a passionate desire to hear this 
 prisoner's voice, knowing that evidence 
 would be conclusive. 
 
 Euphrastus, meanwhile, had drawn forth 
 his tablets and stylus, and was calling each 
 by number for a Roman prisoner dropped 
 his name with his liberty and marshalling 
 them side by side along the opposite wall. 
 Hector, standing motionless and absorbed 
 just within the locked door, was to them 
 but a Praetorian guard on duty. They at- 
 tributed to him a heart, as well as garments, 
 of steel, and thought that with cold, un- 
 moved eyes he was gazing through the 
 holes of his visor, alert only to quell any 
 disturbance. How could one of them have 
 imagined that behind that shii-t of mail the 
 heart was beating to suffocation, behind the 
 closed visor the face was working with ten- 
 derness, and that the shaded eyes were 
 swimming in tears! 
 
 " Number Seven!" called Euphrastus; and 
 the youngest prisoner answered clearly, 
 " Here!" as he took his place in line. 
 
 It was enough Hector knew! The boy of 
 his own raising, the lad for whom he had 
 labored like a father, the brother who had 
 been cherished in his inmost heart, was 
 here a Christian, and doomed to a horrible 
 death! 
 
 A groan welled up from his tortured soul, 
 but died upon his lips. He dared not give 
 it sound. The dim and crowded cell swam 
 before him, but he moved not. Roman disci- 
 pline quelled his weakness, and kept him 
 the grim, silent sentinel, though faint with 
 feeling. 
 
 The numbering continued till all were 
 crowded about the three walls of the narrow 
 room, and Hector, gradually conquering his 
 first agony of recognition, grew intensely 
 interested in the scene, noticing that while 
 all looked expectant and some curious, not 
 one but was serenely courageous in bearing. 
 Euphrastus, holding his lantern high, looked 
 them all over carefully, then once more con- 
 sulted his tablets. After an interval he 
 slowly called the even numbers, and bade 
 them stand forth from the rest. They did
 
 so, and the keeper noted them down with 
 accuracy. 
 
 "These," he whispered to the silent Hec- 
 tor at his side, " are for the naval battle." 
 
 Next he called the odd numbers. There 
 being eleven prisoners in all, there was one 
 more of these than of the even. He noted 
 them as beiore, with the whisper: 
 
 " These are for the beasts." 
 
 THE WEESTLEE OF PHI LI PPL 97 
 
 " Let me select the men, my Euphrastus! 
 
 I was once skilled in the training of the 
 arena, and we would fain make these com- 
 bats interesting." 
 
 "True!" answered the keeper, well 
 pleased. "Then give us your judgment, 
 friend. I doubt not it will be far better than 
 my own." 
 
 Hector, thus permitted, ran his eyes 
 
 "Number Seven!" called Euphrastus; and the youngest prisoner answered clearly, 
 as he took his place in line. See page 96. 
 
 'Here!" 
 
 Hector repressed a shudder. Herklas was 
 Number Seven! There would have been a 
 chance for him in the naval combat, for he 
 could swim there was none here! But 
 Euphrastus went on: 
 
 " I am to select two out of this greater 
 number as gladiators; one for the net, and 
 one to be done to death by Auisarchus, the 
 champion wrestler." 
 
 A sudden inspiration came to Hector, 
 hardly denned as yet, but bringing a ray of 
 hope. He whispered back eagerly: 
 
 quickly over the group. One of the men- 
 Number Three was thin, long-legged, and 
 wiry. 
 
 "Take him for the net-throwing," he mur- 
 mured; and Euphrastus, with a laugh and 
 admiring oath, at once approved. 
 
 Hector's second choice seemed to take him 
 longer. He scrutinized each more than once, 
 but at length appeared satisfied. 
 
 " Let the opponent of Anisarchus be Num- 
 ber Seven," he said in a voice hoarse almost 
 to extinction.
 
 98 
 
 THE WRESTLER OF PHILIP PI. 
 
 "Jove! That slender, beautiful youth? 
 He will be crushed like a mouse in the jaws 
 of a cat." 
 
 " Be not so sure, friend. He is quick and 
 muscular. It will be at least a livelier bat- 
 tle than if any of these older men, with 
 stiffened sinews and slow movements, were 
 chosen. Indeed, I feel more and more satis- 
 fied with my choice." 
 
 Hector's hoarseness and agitation had dis- 
 appeared. He seemed almost gay. What- 
 ever his sudden resolution, it gave him cour- 
 age and hope, and after they left the cell, 
 while ascending to the upper air, he was so 
 talkative and merry as to keep the other in 
 a roar of laughter. 
 
 They separated the best of friends, 
 Euphrastus vowing his self-elected helper 
 a good fellow; and when the latter said 
 carelessly, at parting, " I may want to take 
 another look at my gladiators sometime." 
 the keeper answered heartily, " Whenever 
 you wish, comi'ade!" 
 
 But the instant he was alone Hector gave 
 way. Seeking a secluded bench in the pub- 
 lic gardens near by a rustic seat embow- 
 ered in a jasmine vine, making a shrine to 
 Minerva he threw himself down upon it, 
 and clasping his arms over the back, bent 
 his head upon them and groaned aloud. 
 
 " My brother! My little Herklas!" he mur- 
 mured in a voice thrilled with tenderness, 
 while wave after wave of recollection rolled 
 over him. until his heart grew weak with 
 the strain. 
 
 Long he sat thus, great sobs racking his 
 frame as he wavered betwixt the joy of once 
 more seeing his brother and the torture of 
 such a meeting. 
 
 "Do I find you only to lose you again?" 
 he groaned. " Oh, God of the Christians, 
 hear and help me in this extremity! Thou 
 hast shown me my brother help me to save 
 him! Give me Caesar's ear, O gracious 
 Lord, that he may grant my request; and 
 fill me with Thine own invincible strength 
 in this encounter, that Herklas may be 
 saved a cruel death. For Christ's sake!" 
 
 He rose, calm and strong, and returned to 
 his duties, uplifted by a purpose that domi- 
 nated all lesser thoughts, and a consecration 
 to Christ that, in spite of grief and fear, 
 brought him a certain bliss and comfort 
 which no earthly woes could take away. It 
 needed but little reflection to convince him 
 that it was best not to tell Salome what he 
 knew. Why rack her with his own torture? 
 Already she was sufficiently grieved over 
 
 her friend Elizabeth; why add to this a still 
 more bitter trouble? No, she had long since 
 given up Herklas as lost. Let her remain 
 in calm unconsciousness of his presence and 
 give all her energies to her dear friend. . She 
 could not save Herklas; he might. If he 
 did, there would be a glad reunion, indeed; 
 if he did not then let her never know the 
 awful truth. 
 
 Hector at once began laying his train of 
 operations. By a little diplomacy, easy now 
 that he wns in favor, he managed to be 
 detailed, with some of his men, for special 
 guard-duty in the palace. Once there, he 
 was careful to take up his own station, 
 every evening, in the corridor leading to 
 Nero's private apartments, and, as he ex- 
 pected, found it often devolved upon him 
 to assist the royal inebriate to bed after the 
 late suppers. Once or twice, when the Em- 
 peror was not too stupid with wine, he 
 recognized the wrestler and had him in for 
 a friendly bout with the gloves, as he felt 
 his muscles needed hardening, and at these 
 times Hector managed adroitly to introduce 
 the name of Anisarchus, and, if possible, 
 excite both Nero and his favorites into talk- 
 ing and laying wagers over the wrestler's 
 powers. 
 
 It was evident that Nero, for some reason, 
 chose to depreciate the champion's fame, 
 and he frankly said more than once that he 
 would like to see the swaggerer beaten, for 
 he was growing altogether too pompous over 
 his repeated successes. Evidently Nero did 
 not enjoy pomposity in any one but himself! 
 
 At length an evening came when Hector 
 was summoned, as usual, and this sort of 
 talk ran high. Presently Burrhus, who was 
 present, remarked absently: 
 
 " Well, whether or not the man is all he 
 claims to be, he will have an easy victory, 
 at least, at our Ctrsar's games next month." 
 
 " Why, how is that?" asked Lucan the 
 poet. 
 
 " Because one of the condemned Chris- 
 tians is to be pitted against him. a young, 
 slender, handsome fellow of Macedonia. 
 He will be like a kid in the grasp of a moun- 
 tain bear!" 
 
 Hector did not look up. nor start even. 
 He held himself with iron steadiness and 
 listened. 
 
 " Too bad it could not be a more even 
 combat!" yawned Tigellinns from his couch. 
 " I would like to see a real wrestler stand 
 up against him." 
 
 " Yes, one like our good Hector, for in-
 
 THE WRESTLER OF PHI LI PPL 
 
 99 
 
 stance," added the Emperor graciously. " If 
 only he were in training, now, he might give 
 the boaster something to do eh, my cen- 
 turion?" 
 
 Hector bowed low. " The noble Caesar is 
 too flattering, but "he hesitated one in- 
 stant, then plunged on, his heart beating 
 wildly, but with determination on his face 
 and a prayer in his soul" but if our Em- 
 peror would wish to see his servant meet 
 the champion wrestler, it is in his power to 
 command it." 
 
 Nero was pleased. Anything that re- 
 minded him of his high estate was incense 
 in his nostrils. He turned upon the in- 
 wardly-shaken Hector with a smile. 
 
 " Ca?sar has too much regard for his loyal 
 soldiers "he emphasized the word " loyal " 
 significantly" to condemn them to the 
 mutilation and disgrace of the arena. He 
 leaves that to captives, criminals, and 
 slaves, who are condemned, or who will- 
 ingly risk all for money. You know such a 
 trial of strength is to the death." 
 
 " I know, O Csesar!" Hector drew in his 
 breath hard. " Yet to please my lord I 
 would gladly risk all. In fact, though he 
 may think me a fool for my temerity, I will 
 willingly meet this Anisarchus in the place 
 of the Christian prisoner, and it shall be a 
 combat to the death. But if I conquer I 
 ask one reward that Ca?sar give me for 
 mine own the handsome young captive 
 whose place I take in the arena." 
 
 It was said. Hector, bowing to the 
 ground, felt the room whirl around him 
 amid a confused clamor of laughter and 
 band-clapping. Then Csesar spoke, and all 
 stopped to listen. 
 
 " So you long for a slave of your own, 
 Hector? And more, for a good-looking one. 
 How the lowly do love to ape their masters! 
 But what would you with this slave, when 
 the soldiers under you are at your lightest 
 beck?" 
 
 Hector smiled. "I cannot beat them, 
 Csesar." 
 
 "True enough! And that is a satisfaction, 
 I own. Well, so be it. But I fear I will lose 
 a good soldier by the exchange. You are 
 not in training. Hector." 
 
 " There are three weeks yet, O Cnesar, and 
 I have been daily attending the gymnasium, 
 for some time. Pray let me try, under the 
 conditions." 
 
 "That you get the slave? Oh, yes, take 
 him by all means if you live through St- 
 and beat this Christian nonsense out of him. 
 
 That will be good practice for your 
 muscles!" 
 
 " I have Coosar's word?" asked Hector 
 once more, knowing so well the tyrant's 
 changeable moods that ho dreaded trusting 
 to them in so important a matter. 
 
 "Assuredly; here are my witnesses and 
 but wait! You have a stylus and papyrus, 
 Lucan I see them thrust into your girdle. 
 Come now, draw us up a compact in verse, 
 can you not? Let us see what you can do as 
 poet and lawyer combined." 
 
 Lucan, flushing uncomfortably, could not 
 refuse, though he felt the task beyond him; 
 and while Hector stood by, outwardly the 
 impassive soldier, inwardly the fearful, 
 supplicating brother, Lucan wrote busily, 
 the rest looking on with faces full of merry 
 curiosity. 
 
 To these it was but a break In the 
 monotony of their splendid feasting; to the 
 other it was an hour upon the rack. At 
 length the poet looked up with a sigh of re- 
 lief. " It is written, noble Caesar, but I fear 
 it is neither poetic, nor clerkly." 
 
 " If only it will hold!" murmured Hector 
 almost involuntarily. 
 
 "Never mind!" laughed Nero, unheeding 
 the low-spoken words. " I suppose it will 
 be just as binding if I put my seal to it. 
 Read, Lucan!" 
 
 And Hector breathed again. 
 
 The embarrassed poet was doubtless right 
 in his opinion of the document. It might 
 not, perhaps, have stood in any court, but 
 Nero was his own court, and respected 
 nothing save his own seal and signature. 
 Freely translated, it read as follows: 
 
 " This compact holds 'twixt parties two: 
 Primus, the great Imperator, 
 Nero Claudius Drusus, who 
 Rules all the earth in peace and war; 
 Secundus, Hector, known to men 
 As of the guards Praetorian, 
 And honored with the rank and claim 
 Of Celeres, centurion. 
 Hector, secundus, here agrees 
 To meet in combat to the death 
 The far-famed Anisarchus. who 
 Is champion wrestler so he saith. 
 And should said Hector, in fair fight. 
 Twice throw this man and still endure, 
 Great Csesar, primus, promiseth 
 Above his seal and signature 
 This guerdon, namely : That the man 
 To Anisarchus doomed before 
 Be given Hector as his own, 
 To have and hold for evermore." 
 
 The reading was greeted with shouts of
 
 100 
 
 THE WEESTLEE OF PHILIPPL 
 
 laughter and merry jests, Nero's sounding 
 above all the rest, as he cried: 
 
 "You are right, Lucan! It would stand 
 in neither law nor literature, but it may in 
 Caesar's will. Come, I will sign it." 
 
 Instantly a slave stepped forward and 
 bent over to form a table of his broad back, 
 while another brought ink, wax, and stylus. 
 Hector watched breathlessly as the royal 
 name was affixed, the melted wax dropped 
 upon the papyrus, and the royal ring 
 pressed into its molten substance for a seal. 
 
 " Here, it is yours to keep," said Nero, 
 flinging it carelessly in Hector's direction. 
 " Caesar needs no reminders to carry out his 
 promises. Take it, and do your part, or it 
 will be the worse for you. I wish to see a 
 really decent match. Go!" 
 
 Hector, bowing low, withdrew, the parch- 
 ment grasped in his palm, but when he was 
 alone in the outer corridor he raised it to 
 heaven in his right hand, and looked up 
 reverently, as he murmured: 
 
 " Now the God of the Christians 
 strengthen this good right arm, and you 
 shall be mine, my brother!" 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 A VAGABOND BEFORE THE MAGISTRATE. 
 
 IT was fifteen days later and nearing noon. 
 A small group in earnest discourse was 
 gathered in the peristyle of the palace of 
 Aulus Clotius. One was the prsetor himself, 
 and the others were Pamphylia his mother, 
 and his fair wife, Julia. They were talking 
 over his recent promotion (as he esteemed it) 
 to the generalship of a legion of the Celeres, 
 or royal troops, and what it doubtless por- 
 tendedhis soon being ordered to Gaul to 
 quell a mutinous uprising there, which 
 threatened to be serious. 
 
 "If only we could go too!" said Pam- 
 phylia, sadly. " It is so trying waiting for 
 news by the slow couriers, and I am sure 
 something has happened to you if the de- 
 spatches are at all delayed. Oh, the hardest 
 part of war is the women's part!" 
 
 " Yes," said Julia, coming to her hus- 
 band's side, and throwing an arm about his 
 neck, " and mother's fears make mine all 
 the greater. But you will not go till after 
 tne birthday celebrations?" 
 
 " No, I shall stay for those. I must see 
 Hector through this mad freak of his. I 
 
 cannot think what has come over him to 
 insist upon trying his strength with that 
 burly Anisarchus, and for so paltry a con- 
 sideration one slave! Surely he has the 
 means to buy himself a servant; and if not, 
 I would gladly have given him a man out 
 of my first consignment of captives. But he 
 will not listen to my arguments or promises, 
 nor will he fully explain his motives. There 
 must be something more than this silly de- 
 sire to acquire human property. Sometimes 
 I think the old wrestling fever has pos- 
 sessed him as my war fever now and then 
 dominates me in times of peace, until all 
 my veins are in a turmoil of hot blood and 
 that he can no longer control it. He is ready 
 to risk death, even, to prove once more his 
 own powers." 
 
 " That is what Celeste thinks," returned 
 Julia. " Even her pleadings do not move 
 him fight he will and must!" 
 
 " Mayhap his sister's interest in the 
 prisoners has awakened his," said Pam- 
 phylia thoughtfully; "and from what I hear 
 of these Christians, now, the sect must have 
 been greatly maligned before. I understand 
 that you, Aulus, have been exerting yourself 
 to clear this woman Elizabeth, is her 
 name?" 
 
 " Yes, to please my old friend Gaius, as 
 well as Hector and his sister. Not only 
 Elizabeth, but her companion, Eunice, 
 though I hardly think the latter will live 
 until next week. She is failing rapidly. 
 Yes, I have done my best for them, but in 
 vain. There must be plenty of victims for 
 the spectacles, and these cannot be spared." 
 
 " But women!" cried Julia. " That seems 
 too hard! Men can make a show of defense, 
 at least, but with women it is only 
 slaughter." 
 
 " Nero loves slaughter," said Aulus calmly. 
 " He fattens on it. What a master to 
 serve!" His tone expressed deep disgust. 
 " I have been thinking often, lately, of the 
 sentence that seems to come naturally to the 
 lips of these Christians: ' One is my Mas- 
 ter, even Christ.' It would be a happiness 
 to serve such a Leader, who called Himself 
 ' friend ' and ' elder brother ' to His dis- 
 ciples. I sometimes revolt at the service 
 I give to Nero; I cannot help it!" 
 
 There was a moment's silence, then Julia 
 remarked: 
 
 " I hear that this man whose place Hector 
 takes has a wife in the city who is under 
 the protection of a friend of yours; is that 
 so?"
 
 THE WRESTLER OF PHI LI PPL 
 
 "Yes, this same Gains of Macedonia a 
 fine fellow, too! He is working with me in 
 this matter, and seems deeply interested. 
 
 101 
 
 ticed that he turned and frequently exam- 
 ined my countenance in a critical manner. 
 Finally he said apologetically, ' Pardon me, 
 
 the ordinary girdle, its fringed ends 
 low over the long gown. With her dark 
 lashes lying upon her waxen cheek, and her 
 arm softly pink against the marble's cold 
 whiteness, she was a vision of pensive love- 
 liness. 
 The entrance of Pamphylia and Julia, fol- 
 
 Vi A. J_T * J_T_ * " ** / llfl <**-!U J IIIKI, IU1~ 
 
 but there is something about you occasion- lowing Harold the page, was so quiet that 
 
 Qllir rna+ yr*Tv Ji-rlc w^ ^ *--P J-V,: . A j_i_ _ 
 
 ally that reminds me of this very person 
 we have been speaking of Agistha, wife of 
 Number Seven in the prison. I cannot say 
 whether it is your expression, manner, or 
 voice hardly your general complexion, I 
 think, for she is darker than you but it is 
 there, and unmistakable.' Naturally this in- 
 terested me. Now, why do you not both go 
 to call upon the Lady ^Enone and her 
 friend? Perchance you, mother, can tell 
 whether it is all imagination with Gaius, or 
 not." 
 
 " We have intended to go for some time," 
 said Julia. " Suppose we say we will to- 
 morrow, mother does that suit you?" 
 
 " Perfectly, my child. To-morrow let it 
 be." 
 
 The next afternoon was very warm, and 
 Agistha, worn out with grief, left her baby 
 sleeping and strolled into the peristyle, 
 where the fountain was playing to freshen 
 the air. She had heard of the man who had, 
 strangely enough, bargained for her hus- 
 band's life by the risk of his own. But she 
 knew nothing of him, except that he was a 
 centurion, and she spent hours in vain 
 imaginings as to the outcome of the matter. 
 If the soldier won, Herklas would be a 
 slave and she? 
 
 " I shall beg to follow him," she told her- 
 self with loyal determination. " I must be 
 with my husband, even in slavery!" But 
 she dared not let herself hope too freely, for 
 what if the man should fail? 
 
 She was dreaming thus to-day as she sat 
 in her loose robe, leaning gracefully against 
 the stone rim which encircled the basin of 
 the fountain. One slender, sandaled foot 
 was bracing the inclined body, and one 
 bare, round arm was thrown against the 
 marble rampart for her cheek to rest 
 against. 
 
 She wore no jewels in her grief. Her loose 
 curls of dark hair were confined only by a 
 triplicate bandeau of silver cord gleaming 
 amid its soft duskiness. The loose tunic, of 
 an amethyst shade, was bound to her slim 
 body by crossed ribbons of the deeper hue 
 of purple verging upon crimson, replacing 
 
 Agistha was not at first aroused from her 
 deep reverie, and the older lady had time to 
 think, " How charming!" while the younger, 
 after one glance, turned with a hasty whis- 
 per: 
 
 " Why, mother, she is your very image, 
 only younger!" 
 
 The little rustle they made aroused 
 Agistha, and she sprang to her feet with a 
 courteous welcome, as Harold spoke their 
 names. But while she greeted the elder 
 lady the eyes of both lingered in meeting, 
 and each felt so drawn to the other that it 
 was difficult to keep the salutation within 
 the bounds of conventionality. When 
 JEnone appeared the three were conversing 
 without a break, and almost before she had 
 greeted the guests, her eyes flashed from 
 the Roman matron of noble blood to her 
 own loved but humble companion; but, 
 though she checked the exclamation that 
 sprang to her lips, Julia had noticed the 
 glance and broke out in her lively fashion: 
 "You see it, too, do you not? They are 
 enough alike to be mother and daughter!" 
 
 Pamphylia looked at Agistha with a sweet 
 wistfulness, which made the other's cheeks 
 flush with . pleasure. She longed to throw 
 herself at the dear old lady's feet, even as 
 the latter could scarcely keep from crying 
 out, "Come and kiss me, my child!" and 
 while -.Enone and Julia exclaimed, the 
 others drew closer in soul. 
 
 The call was prolonged to an unusual 
 length, and the four separated, at last, 
 with mutual promises of future meetings, 
 though amid the courtesies Agistha's face 
 grew somber what future was there for 
 her? 
 
 " It is really wonderful, mother!" cried 
 Julia, as they entered their waiting cisium, 
 or light cabriolet, drawn by two perfectly 
 matched mules and driven by a tiny 
 Nubian. " She has your voice, even, not to 
 speak of that flower-like droop of the neck, 
 and that sudden upward honest gaze into 
 one's eyes whenever directly addressed. It 
 put me in a sort of daze to watch you both, 
 and see the similarity. Are you sure she 
 does not belong to some branch of your
 
 102 
 
 THE WEESTLEE OF PHI LI PPL 
 
 house, and has thus inherited a few of the 
 family traits?" 
 
 Parnphylia smiled. " Would it were so! I 
 confess I was strongly drawn to her, but I 
 have the impression that she is a Mace- 
 donian, and none of our family are found 
 there, you know. It is, I suppose, only one 
 of those freaks of nature which sometimes 
 make two people, even of different nation- 
 alities, so marvellously alike as to deceive 
 their nearest friends. Really, the wonder is 
 that there are not more such resemblances. 
 Think of the limited number of features we 
 all possess a nose, a mouth, two eyes and 
 the millions of creatures who bear them, 
 and yet we are astonished when any two 
 closely resemble each other!" 
 
 Julia laughed. " What a philosopher you 
 are, mother! But it is marvelous, now you 
 remind me of it this diversity in similarity. 
 Surely the gods must give deep thought to 
 their work, and have great unity in plan. I 
 wonder at it, too. for thei'e are so many, and 
 they are so full of their own affairs, it 
 would scarcely seem as if they could have 
 any time left for us." 
 
 " Doubtless they divide the cares, as the 
 honors," returned Pamphylia, then lapsed 
 into thoughtful silence, as she often did 
 when their beliefs were discussed, for there 
 were many things which puzzled some 
 which revolted her in the worship of the 
 day. Though by nature loyal to both " king 
 and creed," her better sense told her that 
 many practices were far from being worthy 
 the purity of her regard, and this often fal- 
 tered into questionings which tore her heart 
 and burdened her conscience. 
 
 The lively Julia was soon telling her hus- 
 band all about the call, and speculating 
 upon the resemblance. 
 
 " It is a little odd, notwithstanding 
 mother's philosophizing," he remarked, as 
 she finished her detailed account. " I would 
 like to see the lady. Well, let us hope that 
 poor Hector will win for her sake, as well 
 as for his own. He is practicing in the gym- 
 nasium every day, and seems confident and 
 happy enough." 
 
 " But the captive women!" cried Julia. 
 " They are doomed." 
 
 " I fear so," returned her husband sadly. 
 " Poor things! It is a terrible fate." 
 
 Yet, in spite of this sympathy for in- 
 dividual cases, both were soon gayly dis- 
 cussing the choice of seats in the amphi- 
 theati-e, for even the best of the Romans 
 took these degrading, blood-thirsty spec- 
 
 tacles as a matter of course, and would have 
 felt defrauded could they not have wit- 
 nessed them. 
 
 'ihey were in the midst of lively conver- 
 sation when a servant entered, bearing a 
 silver salver whereon lay a small tablet of 
 papyrus, which he presented on one knee to 
 his master. Aulus caught it up and read It, 
 then turned to his wife. 
 
 " I am summoned to the judgment hall," 
 he said briskly. " Some criminal who 
 comes under my jurisdiction has been ap- 
 prehended;" and kissing her, he hurried out, 
 for he was still acting as praetor, not yet 
 having received his official discharge. 
 
 He soon reached the hall, and took his 
 seat, ready for his magistratic part in the 
 proceedings. In the prisoner's enclosure 
 stood a man who wore the peculiar head- 
 gear of a Phoenician. He was lined and 
 marred with dissipation and misery, more 
 tnan with age, and he looked both hungry 
 and wretched. He had been discovered 
 within the garden of Gaius, probably bent 
 on plunder, and the latter sat in one of the 
 witness seats at the left, ready to testify 
 against him. The praetor began his investi- 
 gation with the usual question: 
 
 What is your name?" 
 
 Alois," was the answer. 
 
 From Phoenicia?" 
 
 Yes, sire." 
 
 How old?" 
 
 Forty-two." 
 
 Free-born, or slave?" 
 
 Manumitted slave." 
 Thus the examination proceeded, the pris- 
 oner testifying with an air of desperate 
 carelessness, as if it made little difference 
 to him what the outcome might be. He 
 seemed to have grown indifferent to his 
 own fate. When asked what was his ob- 
 ject in concealing himself in the garden of 
 Gaius, he smiled in a peculiar manner and 
 answered calmly: "I wanted to see my 
 slave." 
 
 The cool reply produced a sensation. 
 " Your slave?" cried Aulus Clotius. " A 
 creature like you have a slave! Now tell 
 the truth, or we shall be obliged to resort 
 to the screws." 
 
 The prisoner shrugged his shoulders. 
 " Nevertheless it is true. I owned a half- 
 share in a slave, and this man, Gaius, took 
 her from me. She had been gone many 
 years, but I discovered her retreat at last, 
 and had the curiosity to see her again, for I 
 had supposed her dead. I was fond of her."
 
 THE WEESTLEE OF PHI LI PPL 
 
 103 
 
 Gaius looked flushed and embarrassed 
 under the glances cast upon him by the look- 
 ers-on, as he began to see the significance 
 of this man's answers, and feared it might 
 involve himself in much unpleasantness and 
 Agistha in trouble; for the laws governing 
 runaway slaves were severe, and here un- 
 doubtedly was one of the wretched so-called 
 masters of that unhappy woman. How had 
 he found them out after so long an interval? 
 and how was he, Gaius, to explain the in- 
 tricate affair? He felt that the whole truth 
 was the best policy, and, rising, turned 
 courteously to the magistrate. 
 
 " Sir Praetor, may I address the prisoner?" 
 
 " Assuredly," returned Aulus; " but pray 
 keep to the point at issue." 
 
 " I will, sire. What was the name of this 
 slave you claim?" he asked in a clear voice. 
 
 " Agistha," said the man. 
 
 Aulus started, and looked from one to the 
 other. He recognized the name at once. 
 
 "Where and when did you obtain her?" 
 
 " Seventeen years ago, in Amphipolis of 
 Macedonia." 
 
 "Of whom?" 
 
 " I bought a half -interest in her of 
 Flavius, a Roman." 
 
 " And a galley slave," added Gaius 
 quickly. 
 
 The man gave another shrug, and an- 
 swered with a sneer: 
 
 "Very likely. He was none too good!" 
 
 Gaius turneu to the magistrate. " Sir 
 Praetor, this man, I believe, speaks the 
 truth, but in order to show why I retain and 
 protect this woman, Agistha, as I believe in 
 right and justice, I must tell you her story 
 as I had it from the lips of Flavius himself, 
 which I can verify from writings on record 
 at the judgment hall in Thessalonica, where 
 he was tried under torture, found guilty, 
 and relegated to the galleys." 
 
 Then in well-chosen words he related the 
 singular narrative of the stolen child. As 
 Aulus listened, his interest grew more and 
 more intense. He grasped the arm of his 
 prsetor's chair and gazed at the speaker, his 
 face paling and flushing with emotion. At 
 length, impatient of details, he called out 
 sharply: 
 
 " And this child how old was she when 
 stolen?" 
 
 " About three, methinks," answered Alois, 
 wondering at the patrician's manner. 
 
 " She could talk, could she not? Did she 
 never give any other name than Agistha?" 
 
 " I know not," returned Alois slowly. " I 
 
 did not see her until later, but I fancy 
 Agistha was the name Flavius gave her. 
 However " 
 
 "Well, why do you hesitate?" 
 
 " Because it may be nothing. Once when 
 we were severely pressed for money he 
 handed me a little gold chain and charm, 
 which he said had been hers, and bade me 
 erase the name engraved on the pendant, 
 so that we might sell it. I remember be- 
 cause it took me all day" 
 
 " The name! The name!" shouted Aulus 
 impatiently. 
 
 " Cleone," said the man deliberately. 
 
 Aulus fell back in his chair, pale to the 
 lips, while Gaius, astonished, strode for- 
 ward to his assistance. 
 
 " No," he said, faintly raising his hand, 
 " I am not ill only this child was my 
 sister!" 
 
 The announcement was met by a stunned 
 silence, which Gaius broke. 
 
 " Are you certain, Sir Praetor?" 
 
 " It must be so. Her singular resemblance 
 to our family, the time, the circumstances, 
 the name, the place all convince me that 
 this Agistha is my lost sister, Cleone, who 
 was stolen from the peristyle of our palace 
 when an infant neariug four years." 
 
 He turned abruptly to the guards attend- 
 ing the prisoner. "Loose this man!" he 
 commanded. 
 
 The order was at once executed. 
 
 " Alois," he added, " you are to accompany 
 the honorable Gaius and myself to his 
 house, that together we may converse with 
 the lady and see if all your assertions are 
 true." 
 
 " But, Sir Praotor," put in Gaius, " she 
 knows nothing of the things concerning her 
 infancy. We have kept them from her her 
 husband, my wife, and I lest they trouble 
 her mind, and she has no memory of them." 
 
 "Her husband!" At the words Aulus 
 turned with an odd expression. " Her hus- 
 band is the condemned Christian?" he asked 
 in low tones, stepping to the side of Gaius. 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " And my Hector is to match the wrestler 
 for him! How strange! If he wins it will 
 be a new tie between us, indeed! But come, 
 let us to the lady." 
 
 "You will give me time to prepare her?" 
 asked Gaius. " She is weak with trouble." 
 
 Aulus laid a hand upon his arm. " My 
 friend, do you feel it necessary to protect 
 my own sister from my rude haste?" The 
 toiie was full of sad reproach. But before
 
 104 
 
 THE WEESTLEB OF PHILIPPL 
 
 the other could explain his caution, Aulus 
 added quickly, while the tears flashed in his 
 eyes: "But the gods bless you for your 
 care of her! I have no words to thank 
 you." 
 
 They entered the handsome domus, and 
 the master hastened to summon his wife 
 and acquaint her with the wondrous news, 
 that she might, in turn, prepare Agistha. 
 But she laughed at him. 
 
 "We need no preparation for joy!" she 
 cried amid her rapturous exclamations over 
 the good news. " Agistha has borne sorrow 
 with a staunch heart. A bit of prosperity 
 and happiness will not harm her." 
 
 However, she sent to summon Agistha to 
 the atrium, saying she had strange news for 
 her, but in no wise concerning Herklas 
 with whom his wife's every thought was 
 woven, these trying days. 
 
 Meanwhile Aulus Clotius and his prisoner 
 remained alone, and the former studied the 
 latter with eyes made critical by new inter- 
 est. 
 
 " He looks forlorn and hungry, poor 
 wretch! but not vicious," was his unspoken 
 comment. " He said he was fond of her, 
 and seems, from the story, to have inter- 
 fered when she was cruelly used. We will 
 see." 
 
 With the thought Gaius entered, accom- 
 panied by his wife, flushed, excited, and 
 beautiful in her joy. 
 
 " Your sister?" she cried, scarcely waiting 
 to greet her guest. " I knew she was of 
 gentle blood; that has proved itself in every 
 way! And you "flashing about upon the 
 prisoner" are the master she did not fear- 
 Alois?" 
 
 He bowed humbly. 
 
 " She has told me he tried to be kind to 
 her," addressing Aulus again" but was 
 overruled too often by his more cruel part- 
 ner. Do you know what has become of him, 
 Alois?" 
 
 " He is dead, madam. The galleys soon 
 kill a man. He will trouble us no more." 
 
 The curtains parted again and a hesitat- 
 ing figure stood just within them. The slen- 
 der white form in its classic garments was 
 sharply outlined against their dark rich- 
 ness, and Aulus drew in his breath with de- 
 light as he gazed. 
 
 Agistha turned to the mistress. " Harold 
 said you desired my presence here, Lady 
 ^Enone." 
 
 " Yes, I we Agistha, do you see who is 
 here?" 
 
 She looked and paled. " Alois?" she whis- 
 pered. " He has come for me!" 
 
 " No, no, child! Be not frightened. Here 
 is another who claims your notice the 
 noble Aulus Clotius, general and prsetor." 
 
 Agistha turned to him with a sweet smile. 
 " Peace to you, sir! I have met your mother, 
 and was greatly drawn to her, and to the 
 noble Julia." 
 
 " And both to you, fair lady. I note a 
 strong resemblance between you and my 
 mother." 
 
 There was a slight tremble in the praetor's 
 voice, but he commanded himself well. 
 
 " Yes, it has been observed upon before. 
 It flatters me." 
 
 " Agistha," asked ^Enone, who could wait 
 no longer, " did you ever hear the name of 
 Cleone?" 
 
 " Cleone?" The younger woman spoke 
 the word liugeringly as if in a dream. 
 " Cleone! It suggests a noble court with 
 marble columns, and a fountain spraying in 
 the sunshine. I seem to see a boy at play, 
 and a little little girl. There is a lady too- 
 fair and sweet. Oh! it is like a beautiful 
 dream long since vanished!" 
 
 Aulus had risen. He could no longer con- 
 trol himself he must tell her! Then he 
 sank back with the thought, " No, it will 
 startle her. We must come at it gradually," 
 and had reseated himself even before he 
 perceived ^Enone's imperious gesture to that 
 effect. For the matron had taken this affair 
 into her own hands. 
 
 " Agistha," she said quickly, " Alois has 
 told all your story. You were stolen, when 
 a mere babe, by Flavius from a house a 
 palatial domus in this very city. Your 
 name was Cleone. Now can you recall " 
 
 " Oh, it comes! it comes!" With the cry 
 Agistha shut her eyes tightly, and clapped 
 her hands over her ears. " Wait! I remem- 
 ber. The boy he took care of me I loved 
 him. But his name was difficult I called 
 him Ollie Ollie!" 
 
 Aulus gave a cry of rapture. " My sister! 
 My Cleone! It is true, and I am Ollie! 
 Oh, my baby darling, dost not remember 
 me?" 
 
 She opened her eyes and gazed at him. 
 The veil of the past seemed rent in twain. 
 
 " Ollie brother!" she cried, and the two 
 sprang to each other's embrace, all barriers 
 between them forever removed. 
 
 Even Alois wiped his eyes. /Enone sobbed 
 outright. 
 
 " Send for my mother!" cried Aulus in a
 
 THE WRESTLER OF PHILIPPL 
 
 105 
 
 transport of happiness, "or no, let me let 
 us all go to her. Alois, you are free be- 
 cause you had one tender thought for my 
 beloved sister; and I will take you into my 
 household and give you comfort and pro- 
 tection." 
 
 The man let his eyes rest upon Agistha. 
 " I mourned her as dead," he muttered, 
 "and when I heard differently my heart 
 yearned over her. I regretted those years of 
 oppression and wanted to do her good in 
 some way to atone for all. I have learned 
 kinder thoughts and manners from some 
 people I have been with they call them 
 Christians. I wished to tell her this very 
 story and help her to recover her home. 
 Let me serve her, for I am fond of her." 
 
 " Then come with us," said Aulus kindly; 
 and Agistha added: 
 
 " Yes, Alois, come with us." 
 
 Gaius and ^Enone would not be left be- 
 hind. The palace was not far distant and 
 they chose to walk. Pamphylia and Julia 
 sat at their embroidery, just a bit dull and 
 sleepy, the latter telling herself she was 
 glad that a few days more would usher in 
 the Games. 
 
 Aulus hastened into their room with a 
 quick tread, and a face alive with varying 
 expressions. 
 
 "What! Sitting here alone?" he cried 
 merrily. " There are guests in the atrium." 
 
 "And nobody announced them?" cried 
 Julia, rising. 
 
 " I announce them, for I brought them. 
 Mother," his voice shook in spite of him- 
 self, " the Lady ^Enone and that fair 
 Agistha, who resembles you and me, are 
 awaiting you." 
 
 " How kind of them to thus return our 
 visit without delay!" 
 
 Pamphylia rose and gently shook into eveu 
 folds her soft, dove-colored tunic, rich with 
 steel embroidery. " Come, Julia, we must 
 not keep them waiting." 
 
 " Mother," Aulus drew her arm within 
 his own, " have you never thought we 
 might, sometime, come upon some trace of 
 our Cleone? Does not even this resemblance 
 touch you to wonder?" 
 
 She stopped to peer into his face, which 
 he tried to keep impassive. 
 
 " Ah, Aulus, I dare not wonder nor hope. 
 I have been so often allured and then de- 
 ceived. Leave me in peace." 
 
 " Yes, mother, but "they were nearing 
 the atrium" I have heard a strange tale 
 about this fair lady." 
 
 Julia pressed closer to listen, as she fol- 
 lowed. 
 
 " She is of Roman birth a patrician and 
 she was stolen when three years old from" 
 
 " My son, why do you torture me?" 
 
 At the cry, he swept aside a curtain, and 
 she stood in the large reception chamber. 
 Back at its far end, beyond the impluvium, 
 was a small group; here, close at hand, was 
 one slender figure. 
 
 " Mother!" it cried in a small, pathetic 
 voice, " mother, know you not your little 
 Cleone?" 
 
 Pamphylia looked and believed. The rest, 
 waiting breathlessly to see her faint or fall, 
 had no need for fears. JEnone was right 
 when she said joy did not harm. 
 
 " It is my child!" she said in a strong tone 
 of deep conviction, and reaching out her 
 longing, empty arms, she drew her baby to 
 her breast. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 ELIZABETH IN DUNGEON AND ARENA. 
 
 EUNICE was indeed dying. The out- 
 door hardships through which she had 
 passed, though they had weakened her 
 frame, might have been withstood, but the 
 dampness and gloom of the dungeon added 
 thereto were more than she could endure. 
 Her end was near. Elizabeth, before whom 
 a hideous death loomed on the morrow, was 
 now indifferent to all but her companion, 
 who lay against her breast gasping for 
 breath. Through the efforts of Cleotas and 
 Hector a mattress had been provided her, 
 and a small lamp burned feebly in the close 
 cell, while the prison leech had just de- 
 parted, the medicine he left behind sending 
 out a strange, pungent odor that filled the 
 air. 
 
 Junius. Nadab. and Salome had been there 
 also, but were permitted only a short inter- 
 view on account of the sufferer. Elizabeth's 
 good-night had been calm and tearless in- 
 deed, all had tried to subdue their feelings 
 in respect to the near presence of death, and 
 had simply whispered lingeringly: 
 " We will see you again in the morning." 
 Elizabeth, bending over the close comrade 
 and friend of months, almost envied her the 
 natural death so rapidly approaching, but 
 put out of her mind her own horrible ex- 
 pectations of the morrow, the better to
 
 106 
 
 THE WRESTLER OF PH1L1PP1. 
 
 nurse and comfort the sick one. The latter 
 was breathing heavily, now, quite uncon- 
 scious, and it was with difficulty that her 
 faithful friend could rouse her to receive a 
 portion of the medicine to be given at 
 stated intervals, marked by the hour-glass 
 the physician had left on the stone floor at 
 her side. 
 
 As Elizabeth prepared the mixture this 
 strange-smelling powder stirred into thin 
 wine her hand trembled with weakness, 
 and was almost transparent against the 
 lamplight, while her sweet face with its 
 large, clear eyes and delicate features 
 seemed cut from marble. In spite of her 
 care, she spilled a considerable portion of 
 the powder, which lodged amid the folds of 
 her tunic and yellowed it slightly wherever 
 it clung. But there was enough left, she 
 was glad to see, and gently raising the 
 sufferer's head, she held the shallow 
 measure to her lips. 
 
 Too late! For an instant the drooped eyes 
 lifted surprisedly as if at some remarkable 
 vision, then dropped back in her head. 
 There was an unmistakable noise in the 
 wasted throat, and Elizabeth felt the form 
 straighten and stiffen in her arms. The poor 
 prisoner the blessed Christian had passed 
 to her reward! 
 
 Elizabeth laid her gently back and looked 
 down upon her for a long time, with some- 
 thing like a smile on her lips. " To-morrow 
 I will be with thee in Paradise!" she mur- 
 mured, then pressed the tired lids softly 
 down, and gathered the worn robe decently 
 about her limbs. " Rest, sweet soul, and 
 be forever with our Lord!" was her inner 
 benediction, as she at length stepped to the 
 cell door and gave the signal agreed upon to 
 the guard without. 
 
 He soon entered. " Is she gone?" he 
 asked. 
 
 Elizabeth bowed her head, but as he 
 stooped with rude haste to lift the wasted 
 figure, she added quickly: 
 
 "Gently, friend! She is a woman." 
 
 The appeal, so softly spoken, seemed to 
 touch even his calloused soul. With an 
 apologetic mutter he controlled his hurry to 
 something like decorum, and calling another 
 guard, the two bore the body out slowly and 
 with perfect decency, the one left behind 
 gazing after the gloomy little funeral train 
 through a mist of tears. But Elizabeth was 
 faint from weariness and lack of rest, and 
 soon that deep exhaustion of mind and 
 body, which seems so near to utter extinc- 
 
 tion, gained possession of all her senses. 
 Sinking back upon the lately-vacated mar- 
 tress, she dropped into a state partly sleep, 
 partly insensibility, and knew no more till 
 the day was come again. 
 
 It is evidently a special day in Rome. 
 From earliest dawn the streets have been 
 teeming with the plebeian classes hastening 
 to and fro on busy errands, all tending to 
 one spot the great amphitheatre of Taurus 
 in the Campus Martius. Here a group of 
 carpenters, their girdles bristling with tools, 
 go chattering by to finish some delayed 
 work on the safety rampart surrounding the 
 arena, for it is said these new beasts are 
 large and powerful; next two tent-makers 
 hurry along, with rolls of sail-cloth, great 
 needles, and waxed thi'eads, to repair a rent 
 in the velarium, or roof -awning, caused by a 
 sharp and sudden gust of wind last even- 
 ing; then a party of country people in curi- 
 ous garb, speaking as curious a dialect, go 
 pounding by on bare feet of horn-like hard- 
 ness, intent on what they are soon to wit- 
 ness; and in rapid procession follows a com- 
 pany of burly, beetle-browed men, almost 
 naked, and loud in talk and arrogance, for 
 whom the crowd separates in admiring 
 curiosity they are gladiators. Some mer- 
 chants' slaves come next, with goods for the 
 booths which their masters have had con- 
 structed just outside the amphitheatre, and 
 behind them are three jockeys in gay attire, 
 leading a group of prancing horses, whose 
 tufted heads show them to be participants 
 in the chariot races to-day; while, crowding 
 their high-stepping heels and exchanging 
 jokes and laughter with the street-loungers, 
 is a company of mountebanks leading a 
 tame and funny bear in fact, it is easy to 
 see it is circus-day in Rome! Circus-day for 
 the populace doomsday for the condemned. 
 
 As the hours advance, the crowds thicken 
 and change. Amid the slaves and plebeians 
 can now be seen, often, the gay car of a 
 party in rich attire, all carrying small ban- 
 ners of one color; or the lectica. of some 
 senator, sporting the ribbons of his favorite 
 contestant in the Games, most of them de- 
 noting certain chariot-drivers, this sport 
 having grown rapidly in public favor lately. 
 
 There is a flourish of trumpets, the gleam 
 of a golden eagle held high, the flash of 
 steel in the sunlight, and a cohort of the 
 royal guards sweeps by, ready to take its 
 place in the Campus and preserve order 
 over the two or threescore thousands likely
 
 THE WRESTLER OF PH1LIPPI. 
 
 107 
 
 to assemble for the day. Following these is 
 a rabble of common people, mostly small 
 boys and slaves, and they make directly for 
 the Campus, intent on watching some of the 
 military evolutions to follow, for this plain 
 has always been used as a parade-ground 
 and sporting-field. Now, however, it is 
 largely occupied by buildings of great 
 splendor, their marble columns stretching 
 along the streets in all directions baths, 
 temples, theatres, and mausoleums nearly 
 all memorials to some great man long since 
 laid low in death. Facing some of these 
 is the succession of terraces called the 
 Janiculum, all beautiful with gardens and 
 stately homes, and considered the healthiest 
 spot in Rome. 
 
 Past all this the people pour, and finally 
 reach the immense oval-shaped structure 
 where the Games are to be held. As they 
 near its vicinity the crowds grow denser 
 and more lively, for the sound of martial 
 music is heard, and they know that before 
 a great while a fine flourish of trumpets will 
 announce the opening of the Games. They 
 no longer linger among the columns of the 
 wide porticoes, but pour into the stone 
 building through the many wide entrances, 
 and hasten to secure a ticket at the small 
 loggia where the jam is thickening, and 
 there is a constant noise of cries, impre- 
 cations, and laughter. Once inside, the 
 breathless ticket-holder may stop to glance 
 around him, for the foyer is wide and com- 
 fortable. Standing in one of the openings 
 between the segments of seats he can see 
 the great ellipsis of the arena walled in to 
 the height of perhaps fifteen feet, the broad 
 rampart topped by a bronze railing ending 
 in sharp spikes, as a further protection 
 against any sudden dash of some powerful 
 beast, goaded to desperation. 
 
 On a line with this wall is the podium, or 
 gallery, reserved for the favored aristocratic 
 class. Midway of its oval, and close to the 
 terminal markings of the course, is a 
 canopied enclosure displaying the purple 
 and gold of royalty, with chairs on either 
 side for the tribunes, praetors, aediles, 
 curules, and censors, who assist in the gov- 
 ernment. Opposite is a segment separated 
 from adjoining seats in which is a pleasing 
 flutter of white, and he knows this vicinity 
 is claimed by the Vestals, the only women 
 allowed outside the latticed gallery set 
 apart for them, three tiers further up, save 
 such as may be found in the exclusive space 
 reserved for the Emperor. 
 
 The flow of the people along the prrecinc- 
 tiones has been incessant for the last hour, 
 and the nimble locarii, or ushers, have been 
 busy verifying the numbers on thoir tickets 
 with those on the benches of the higher 
 galleries where the populace is seated; the 
 poor slaves being relegated to a sky gallery 
 close up under the awning. Here the 
 velarium is now rolled back, and tugs at its 
 guy-ropes like a confined sail, while away 
 below mere is a bustle of sand-strewing 
 over the arena, the sound of a hammer driv- 
 ing some loose bolt home in the iron gates 
 confining the beasts, and beneath all, like 
 the low thunder of the surf before a storm, 
 rises the uneasy growl and grumble of these 
 savage creatures in their dens that underlie 
 the great structure. 
 
 The vast audience is nearly seated at last. 
 The locarii are leaning back against the 
 curving walls to catch their breath; the 
 students of the schools, accompanied by 
 their instructors, have demurely taken 
 places under their severe eyes, only to 
 break into mirthful chatter later; the 
 velarium has been finally adjusted at the 
 proper angle to exclude the sun and admit 
 the air, and the people are telling each other 
 it must be nearly time, for the editor has 
 just taken his raised seat ready to conduct 
 the programme, when there is one clear, 
 long-drawn trumpet note, then a great 
 clarion blare that may be heard far over 
 Rome the Games are begun! 
 
 One last quick rush of the inevitably late, 
 and the doors are closed. The editor rises 
 and salutes the Emperor who politely re- 
 spondsthen turns with a gesture towards 
 the end of the ellipse, and through the sud- 
 denly-opened gates pours a great procession 
 made up of all the participants of the day- 
 poets, musicians, wrestlers, net-throwers, 
 leapers, runners, tumblers, athletes, armed 
 fighters, riders, chariot racers, a train of 
 tame elephants and other beasts, and lastly 
 a long, pathetic, slow-moving line of doomed 
 captives, many from far countries, who, not 
 understanding a word that is spoken, only 
 realize in their trembling isolation that 
 something terrible is about to happen, 
 from which there is no possible way of 
 escape. 
 
 Through the kindness of Gaius and Aulus, 
 both of whom are in the podium. Junius 
 and Nadab are well seated in the first row 
 of the second mspniana, and now with eyes 
 dulled by weeping, and faces drawn with 
 grief, they watch for a last glimpse of their
 
 108 
 
 THE WEESTLEE OF PHILIPP1. 
 
 loved one amid this glittering show of man 
 and beast. The women have all remained 
 at home Salome, face downwards on her 
 couch, in bitter weeping; Agistha (now 
 Cleone) with her new-found mother and sis- 
 ter, sometimes walking wildly to and fro, 
 sometimes dropping to her knees in earnest 
 prayer; while Pamphylia fondles the laugh- 
 ing baby, Gaius, and feels that he is more 
 nearly like the child she long ago lost than 
 is this distracted wife, who can find no 
 solace outside her religion. 
 
 The procession has but half circled the 
 arena when Nadab touches his father's arm. 
 
 " Is not that Hector, the centurion? See 
 amid that group of gladiators with the 
 bronze headgear!" 
 
 Junius nods half obliviously, for his eyes 
 strain onward to the less showy ending of 
 the motley, serpent-like string, and pres- 
 ently he utters a stifled sound, between a 
 sob and a groan there is Elizabeth! She is 
 pacing slowly in her flowing white robe, 
 her hands clasped lightly before her, and 
 her eyes down-dropped. She seems almost 
 to float, so light is her movement, and there 
 is such an absence of all emotion even ex- 
 pressionin the still figure that one might 
 think each step involuntary; that she was 
 walking in her sleep. 
 
 At length the long train has made the 
 entire circuit, and passes out of sight, to be 
 replaced by a band of discus throwers, who 
 have a lively, innocent game, preliminary 
 to the more blood-curdling scenes to follow. 
 
 It was nearing noon, and the people were 
 growing weary with the heat and long sit- 
 ting, when, to whet their somewhat jaded 
 appetites, it was announced that the beasts 
 would now appear. Junius at once stiffened 
 into an immovable quiet. Nadab moaned 
 and hid his eyes. But Cleotas whispered 
 presently: 
 
 " Not yet, friends. These are men, and 
 each has a short, two-edged sword to fight 
 the monsters with. There are our Chris- 
 tian friends and many more but no 
 women." 
 
 It was a short but bloody spectacle, and 
 Nadab, sickened and faint, leaned heavily 
 against Cleotas, whose face was gray with 
 sympathy. When the dead had been re- 
 moved with long grappling-hooks, and fresh 
 sand sprinkled over the stains, there was an 
 instant's pause. Then from one of the doors 
 entered a single figure in simple white, the 
 dark hair banded neatly in place, the hands 
 softly clasped, the eyes upraised as if in 
 
 prayer. Junius and Nadab saw her as 
 through a haze of blood, yet presently their 
 eyes cleared, and their tortured nerves grew 
 still. Something in her gracious presence 
 seemed to rebuke their horror. 
 
 She advanced slowly, but with perfect 
 dignity, and apparently without fear, 
 though four fierce leopards, just released 
 from their barriers, were slipping and snarl- 
 ing around the wide space in which she 
 stood. Junius, thinking he could not endure 
 the sight which must follow, yet felt his 
 eyes glued to that strangely solemn figure, 
 and Nadab, moaning, crouched and looked, 
 and murmured : 
 
 " God will save her yet!" 
 
 Elizabeth appeared to see and hear noth- 
 ing. All her thoughts followed her eyes' up- 
 lifted gaze her soul was with her Lord. 
 For the moment an ecstasy of faith, of love, 
 of perfect surrender, possessed her whole 
 being, and she felt the protecting arms of 
 Christ about her. 
 
 The feverish chatter and rustle of the 
 great audience grew still as she came slowly 
 to the center, for something in her presence 
 awed them and besides, what ailed the 
 beasts? Still crouching, still creeping, as if 
 to spring, they came, but halted when a 
 short distance from her, then turned and 
 sped away like whipped curs, growling and 
 protesting as they fled, and, stopping in a 
 huddled group, gazed at her with red, angry 
 orbs, sniffing the air discontentedly, and 
 lashing their tails against their spotted 
 sides. 
 
 Elizabeth, now in the center of the great 
 oval, stopped and dropped slowly to her 
 knees. She had had an instant of full con- 
 sciousness, and realized that danger was 
 near. She would meet it as she had met her 
 arrest in the attitude of supplication. Now 
 was the time for the beasts to spring why 
 did they not? 
 
 The amphitheatre was as still as death, 
 and every eye was fixed on that one slen- 
 der Christian woman, who in heavenly con- 
 templation seemed lost to all the world, 
 and on those four wild beasts edging timidly 
 away without offering to devour her, except 
 with their greedy eyes. Suddenly Nadab 
 sprang wildly up. 
 
 " A miracle!" he shouted. " God has saved 
 her! The leopards dare not kill her!" and 
 then fell back in a paroxysm of hysterical 
 weeping. 
 
 The cry was caught up the excitement 
 spread.
 
 THE WEESTLEE OF PHI LI PPL 
 
 1C9 
 
 "A mivacle! A miracle!" yelled the 
 changeable populace, wild with tins strange 
 new excitement of mercy, so uncommon and 
 so delightful. " She is pure! She is inno- 
 cent! The gods Drotect her!" And four 
 times ten thousand upturned thumbs begged 
 for the captive's life. 
 
 Nero, feeling the cold chills of awed 
 amazement run down his spine, was glad to 
 grant the favor, and his imperial nod re- 
 voked her death sentence. Amid a tumult 
 that rent the air with shouts and set it all 
 a-flutter with waving handkerchiefs and 
 girdles, Elizabeth, still in a half daze, was 
 led from the arena, free from all further 
 persecution and the Games went on. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 TRIUMPH THROUGH FAITH. 
 
 THE noon recess was over, and the 
 audience, rested by the movement and 
 the meal, which many took in the 
 building, was ready for fresh horrors. Nero 
 was now accompanied by Poppoea and one 
 or two ladies-in-waiting, and Cleotas had re- 
 turned to his place, leaving Junius and 
 Nadab with their restored Elizabeth, 
 scarcely yet believing in their great relief. 
 Salome also, seeing that the reunited could 
 well spare her, had come with her husband 
 to be a fearful witness, behind the women's 
 gilded grating, of her brother's combat with 
 the blustering Anisarchus. Gaius and Aulus 
 were in their places, and Julia was with" the 
 party in the royal box. There was unusual 
 interest in this event, not only for them, but 
 many more. The singular compact between 
 the Emperor and the centurion had been 
 noised abroad, and all knew what royal in- 
 terest and princely wagers depended upon 
 it. Few remembered the humble Christian 
 whose life hung in the balance, nor gave a 
 thought to the anxieties which must over- 
 whelm him in his cell. 
 
 But, in reality, Herklas was sustained as 
 Elizabeth had been. He had long since 
 given himself to Christ, not for prosperity 
 and peace only not for quiet days and rest- 
 ful nights but for adversity; for old age 
 and weakness, if they were to be his por- 
 tion; for death in the prime of manhood, if 
 such was the Lord's will. All he asked was 
 to be able in some way to testify of Him. 
 The flesh truly was weak, and shrank at 
 
 times from the brutality and shame of such 
 a death in public; but the spirit was sub- 
 missive and ready. If this soldier who had 
 so oddly assumed his place succeeded, he 
 must expect a degrading servitude; if he 
 failed, he must take his place in the arena 
 to be easily disposed of by the powerful 
 Anisarchus. The details had been given 
 him by the jailer, with many an oath and 
 chuckle, and in either case his future did 
 not promise much that was desirable. Yet 
 Herklas " rested in the Lord and was glad." 
 
 It was about the eighth hour when the 
 wrestlers appeared. There were several 
 pairs, but Anisarchus and Hector absorbed 
 the interest and led the little procession, as 
 in the customary manner they advanced to 
 the royal box and gave their strangely 
 touching salutation: 
 
 " Ave Imperator, morituri te salutant." 
 (Hail, Emperor! they who are about to die 
 salute thee.) 
 
 Then each pair took the prescribed po- 
 sition right foot projected, knees slightly 
 bent outward, arms and chest extended, 
 body supple and alert. The handkerchief 
 fluttered down as a signal, and the clutch- 
 ing, writhing, swaying, twisting, and bend- 
 ing began, the audience sitting almost mo- 
 tionless in its interest over the intertwisted 
 forms. 
 
 It was quickly seen that Hector, if slightly 
 the smaller", was the more ready and quick, 
 but few among those thousands understood 
 whence came the wondrous strength and 
 skill, the readiness to parry, the assurance 
 in attack, that he soon developed; for he, 
 like David of old, was " contending in the 
 strength of the Lord," wrestling bodily for 
 his brother's life, as he had long been wrest- 
 ling, spiritually, with the powers of evil for 
 his own soul. 
 
 The contest had proceeded but a short 
 time when there was a yell of triumph, led 
 by Nero Anisarchus was down! But only 
 for an instant. Regaining his footing after 
 a bitter struggle of a few seconds, he 
 seemed roused to fury by the disgrace, and 
 for a while showed a strength which seemed 
 invincible. Indeed, it was plainly observable 
 that Hector had all he could possibly do to 
 hold his own against him. 
 
 But the Olympic trick was swift and sure, 
 and Anisarchus in his mad rage was not 
 prepared for it. While he relied on his 
 superior strength to down his opponent, he 
 had not taken into account the watchful 
 alertness that Hector had never lost for an
 
 110 
 
 THE WRESTLER OF PHI LI PPL 
 
 instant, and just as he was ready to shout 
 his triumphant "I have him!" feeling the 
 sinewy figure of the Greek give way before 
 him neither he nor any one else knew just 
 
 Hector, kneeling above him, looked anxiously for the up- 
 turned-thumb signals of mercy. 
 
 what happened, but something quick and 
 sinuous as a serpent's spring gave his left 
 ankle a twist that caused a second's hot 
 agony, and he fell so heavily that he lay 
 still, utterly unconscious for the time being. 
 Amid the roars of applause Hector, kneel- 
 
 ing above him, looked anxiously for the 
 upturned-thumb signals of mercy, having 
 no desire for the death of his opponent; but 
 instead down went the clenched fists that 
 doomed, and instantly the 
 cruel grappling-hooks dragged 
 out the unconscious wrestler 
 no longer champion of Rome. 
 
 Then Hector, proud only in 
 a strength not his own, glad 
 only because of his brother, 
 marched with stately tread 
 around the arena with the four 
 other victors, to receive the 
 plaudits of the multitude, and 
 as he bent low beneath the im- 
 perial party, Poppoea caught 
 from her white wrist a blazing 
 jewel and tossed it, with the 
 cry: 
 
 " For Hector, victorious!" 
 But a bunch of roses flung at 
 the same moment from the fair 
 hand of Julia, his patroness, 
 was to the man so newly born 
 to better things a more wel- 
 come guerdon, for it meant the 
 purest friendship. 
 
 The day was ended, and the 
 sun had set in deepest crimson, 
 giving promise of a fair to- 
 morrow. Salome, thankful 
 over Hector's victory, mar- 
 veling over Elizabeth's es- 
 cape, was crossing the 
 court to seek Nadab and 
 inquire how his mother 
 was resting for, with her 
 hand clasped in that of 
 her husband, the weary 
 martyr had been sleeping 
 some time when she saw 
 the youth crossing to her. 
 A robe of white, stained 
 and soiled, was thrown 
 over his arm. 
 
 " It is mother's," he 
 whispered, " and should 
 be cleansed at once. It is 
 tainted with the prison 
 odor." 
 
 " Prison odor!" exclaimed Salome, notic- 
 ing immediately the strangely pungent scent 
 clinging to its folds. " No, that is some- 
 thing more. How singular it is! Not ex- 
 actly disagreeable, but exceedingly penetrat- 
 ing. It makes me almost dizzy."
 
 THE WRESTLER OF PHI LI PPL 
 
 111 
 
 She took the garment from him and fol- 
 lowed the court to the rear, where she 
 sought the lavatory, presided over by a tall, 
 dusky slave from Africa. The powerful 
 woman had no sooner taken the soiled robe 
 from her mistress than she started a little, 
 then sniffed at it inquiringly. 
 
 A moment later she discovered the pale 
 yellow stains of the powder spilled by 
 Elizabeth the night before, when minister- 
 ing to her dying companion, and looked up 
 with a smile that displayed all her strong 
 teeth in their perfection. 
 
 "Ah, ha! Leopard' s-bane!" she cried. 
 " This powder comes from a plant in my 
 native land. It grows in our jungles, and 
 all leopards shun and fear it as they do the 
 great cobra that crushes them. They know 
 its odor, and go far around rather than 
 trample upon the plant. Whose robe is 
 this?" 
 
 Salome's eyes widened. She had, with 
 simple credulity, fully believed in the 
 miraculous interposition of God to save her 
 friend, and for a minute felt deeply disap- 
 pointed. 
 
 As usual in perplexity, or trouble, she 
 hastened to Cleotas, who was resting on a 
 divan after his long and exciting day, 
 and told him, with deep regret, of her dis- 
 covery. 
 
 " It was no miracle, you see," she ended 
 dejectedly. 
 
 Cleotas was wiser and only smiled. " But 
 what is a miracle, my Salome? Simply some 
 happening which transcends our powers of 
 comprehension. Nothing is miraculous to 
 the Almighty, and He works always through 
 His own laws, only a few of which are in- 
 telligible to us. This event will always be 
 a miracle to the Roman populace, who do 
 not understand, though you and I have dis- 
 covered its simple relation to a natural law. 
 You like to think our Christ interposed to 
 save Elizabeth, and so He did. Is it any 
 the less His doing because He chose to work 
 it out by natural means? Sometime, per- 
 haps, my wife, we shall understand still 
 more of these wondrous workings of the 
 Divine mind, and there will be no more 
 miracles. But all the same, God saved our 
 friend to-day." 
 
 So Salome was comforted. 
 
 While she sat leaning against her husband 
 in the soft twilight a servant entered to 
 announce guests, and the two hastened to 
 the atrium to meet Aulus Clotius and Gaius. 
 Their manner was marked by suppressed 
 
 excitement, and as Aulus requested the hus- 
 band and wife to return with him to his 
 palace, there to meet some old friends, the 
 eyes of both rested upon Salome with much 
 seeming interest. 
 
 " Is Hector there?" she asked. " I have 
 thought it so strange that he did not come 
 to talk over his great victory with us. Was 
 it not grand! And how modestly he re- 
 ceived the plaudits, and the gift of the em- 
 press! My whole being thrilled with pride 
 as I watched him!" 
 
 " Hector is a wonderful man." returned 
 Aulus with deep conviction. " He has a 
 greater heart than even you have recog- 
 nized. But come; he waits, with other 
 friends, to greet you." 
 
 Salome sent a servant to excuse Cleotas 
 and herself to their guests for a short time, 
 and the four entered the man-car awaiting 
 them outside, horse vehicles not being 
 allowed upon the narrow streets after sun- 
 down. 
 
 As they ueared the palace among the 
 royal mansions on the magnificent Palatine 
 Hill, Salome began to catch something of 
 the excitement with which the air seemed 
 vibrating around her. Who were these old 
 friends? Whence had they come, and why 
 had Hector so persistently absented himself 
 since the close of the spectacles? Scarcely 
 a thought did she give to the man whom 
 Hector had saved that he might possess him 
 as a slave as all believed. 
 
 They dismounted at the guarded door in 
 the street wall, and Aulus led them rapidly 
 past the porter, with his dog, across the 
 ostium, and through the atrium, to an inner 
 room opening upon the peristyle, and conse- 
 crated to family use. 
 
 It was well lighted with many brazen 
 lamps of quaint shapes suspended from the 
 ceiling, and seemed quite full of people. 
 The ladies, Pamphylia and Julia, came 
 quickly forward, followed by Agistha, 
 whose strange story Salome knew. But she 
 hardly recognized the pale, sad lady of that 
 day at the Three Taverns in this radiant 
 creature with great, brilliant eyes, flushed 
 cheeks, and smiling lips. What could it 
 mean? Was not her husband one of those 
 doomed to deaia as a Christian martyr? 
 Could it be he had escaped? 
 
 Hector advanced to take his sister's hand, 
 and drew her towards a wasted but happy- 
 faced figure half reclining on a divan. The 
 barber and the bath had made a great 
 change in the appearance of Herklas. With
 
 112 
 
 THE WRESTLER OF PHILIPPL 
 
 tiie removal of his beard youth seemed to 
 have returned to his face. 
 
 Salome looked, and stopped still gazed, 
 and faltered forwards, with a faint cry: 
 
 "Hector, who oh! is it can it be Herk- 
 las!" 
 
 The last cry was one of certainty, and she 
 flew to his arms as he rose to greet her. 
 
 Then followed a scene almost indescrib- 
 able. Everyone tried to explain, and tell the 
 many-sided story, and in a whirl of wonder 
 and delight Salome was clasped by Agistha, 
 who called her " sister," and surrounded by 
 the ladies of the house, who claimed her as 
 one of the noble family through marriage. 
 
 " For you see," called out Aulus above the 
 din, " Herklas being my brother-in-law, you 
 and our brave Hector are also my sister 
 and brother, while my dear mother would 
 claim each and all of us as her very own." 
 
 It was an evening of unalloyed delight, 
 following a day of fears and expectations 
 terrible to bear. But we may not linger 
 longer with the reunited. One word as to 
 their future, though. 
 
 There is a certain portion of southern 
 France most delightful as to scenery and 
 climate, the name of which proves its 
 Roman derivation. Laved by the soft 
 waters of the Mediterranean and guarded 
 
 by the Alps, its climate is ideal and the 
 vine flourishes the year round. It is a 
 Roman province, boasting excellent roads, 
 fine buildings, and a certain degree of civi- 
 lization. Here, in time, our families gath- 
 ered, Aulus Clotius as the reigning Procon- 
 sul, with the honorary title of Legati Caesar, 
 and almost unlimited power over the lands 
 and subjects about him. 
 
 Hector was at once appointed by him 
 chief of the military forces, Cleotas first 
 magistrate, and Herklas elder and governor 
 of the first Christian church there estab- 
 lished. 
 
 Junius was given an excellent civic office, 
 and Nadab was delighted with the gift of a 
 farm; and here, far from the restlessness 
 of Roman life at the Capital, they lived in 
 peace and comfort, loving and serving God 
 in Christ, doing good to man as they found 
 opportunity, and leaving their humanizing 
 impress upon the ruder folk about them. 
 
 Thus they escaped the terrible burning of 
 Rome, about three years later, and the fiery 
 persecutions for which it served as cause, 
 through which Paul, a stately figure and 
 dauntless spirit, lived, wrote, and waited on 
 the Lord until his triumphal martyrdom, 
 fearing no man, because " One was his Mas- 
 ter, even Christ."
 
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