rcame her timidity, and tears
flowed plentifully over her glowing cheeks. Trembling with shame and
weeping, she leaned her head upon her new friend's breast. They heard
Julius coming to call Valeria. They were obliged to part.

Miriam cast a rapid glance at the face of the Roman lady; and then she
threw herself on the ground before her, embraced her knees, pressed a
burning kiss upon her cold hand, and disappeared into the next room.

Valeria rose as if from a dream, and looked about her. In a vase on the
window-sill stood a dark-red rose. Valeria kissed it, and put it into
the bosom of her dress, blessed, with the motion of her hand, the place
which had afforded her an asylum, and then followed Julius, who took
her in a closed litter to the harbour, where she had time to take a
short leave of Totila, before she went on board with Julius. Shortly
afterwards the ship set sail, and moved proudly out of the harbour.

Totila looked after it. He saw Valeria's white hand signing a farewell.
He looked and looked at the lessening sail, little heeding the
projectiles which now began to fall thicker into the harbour. He leaned
against a pillar, and, for a moment, forgot the burning town and
everything around him.

Thorismuth roused him from his reverie.

"Come, commodore!" he cried. "I have been seeking thee everywhere.
Uliaris wishes to speak to thee.--Come, why dost thou stand here,
gazing at the sea among all these whizzing arrows?"

Totila slowly raised himself.

"Seest thou," he said, "seest thou yonder ship? There they leave
me----"

"Who?" asked Thorismuth.

"My good-fortune and my youth," said Totila, and turned to seek
Uliaris.

Uliaris told him that, in order to gain time, he had proposed an
armistice of three hours, which Belisarius, who wished for a parley,
had accepted.

"I will never capitulate! But we must have time to repair and
strengthen our walls. Will reinforcements never come? Hast thou still
no news from the King by sea?"

"None."

"The devil! Above six hundred of my Goths have fallen under these
hellish projectiles. I cannot even fill the most important posts. If I
had but four hundred men more!"

"Well," said Totila, reflecting, "I think I can procure thee these. In
the Castellum Aurelium, on the road to Rome, lie four hundred and fifty
men. Until now they have declared that they received from King
Theodahad the unreasonable but strict order, on no account to aid in
defending Neapolis