no
farther, and that she had to be carried into a strange house where she
is being taken care of."

"Selene!" cried Arsinoe, falling from all her clouds of happiness,
startled and grieved--"do you know where she is?"

Before Doris could reply, Keraunus stormed out:

"It is all the fault of the Roman architect and his raging beast of
a dog. Very good! very good! now Caesar will certainly help me to my
rights. He will give a lesson to those who throw Roxana's sister into a
sick-bed, and hinder her from taking any part in the processions. Very
good! very good indeed!"

"It is sad enough to cry over!" said the gatekeeper's wife, indignantly.
"Is this the thanks she gets for all her care of her little brothers and
sisters! Only to think that a father can speak so, when his best child
is lying with a broken leg, helpless among strangers!"

"With a broken leg," whimpered Arsinoe.

"Broken!" repeated Keraunus slowly, and now sincerely anxious. "Where
can I find her?"

"At dame Hannah's little house at the bottom of the garden belonging to
the widow of Pudeus."

"Why did they not bring her here?"

"Because the physician forbade it. She is in a fever, but she is well
cared for. Hannah is one of the Christians. I cannot bear the people,
but they know how to nurse the sick better than any one."

"With Christians! my child is with Christians!" shrieked Keraunus,
beside himself. "At once Arsinoe, at once come with me; Selene shall not
stay a moment longer among that accursed rabble. Eternal gods! besides
all our other troubles this disgrace too!"

"Nay, it is not so bad as that," said Doris soothingly. "There are
very estimable folks even among the Christians. At any rate they are
certainly honorable, for the poor hunch-backed creature who first
brought the bad news gave me this little bag of money which dame Hannah
had found in Selene's pocket."

Keraunus took his daughter's hard-won wages as contemptuously as though
he was quite accustomed to gold, and thought nothing of more wretched
silver; but Arsinoe began to cry at the sight of the drachmae, for she
knew it was for the sake of that money that Selene had left her home,
and could divine what frightful pain she must have suffered on the way.

"Honorable this, and honorable that!" cried Keraunus, as he tied up
his money-bag. "I know well enough how shameless are the goings on in
assemblies of that stamp; kissing and hugging slaves! quite the right
sort of thing f