Rejoice with me, because I have found
my sheep that was lost."'

'And I say unto you,' added Mary's son in a voice filled with grave and
tender authority, 'and I say unto you there shall be more joy in heaven
for one sinner that repenteth, than for the ninety-and-nine just men,
who need no repentance.'--These touching words of Jesus made a lively
impression on the crowd; it applauded in words and gestures.--'Reply to
that, my white lamb! my lilly without a stain!' said Banaias, addressing
the invisible interpreter of the Nazarene.

'If you are not of the same opinion as my friend, approach and maintain
your words.'

'A grand merit, as Jesus says,' observed another; 'a grand merit for him
who has neither hunger nor thirst, to be neither a glutton nor a
drunkard!'

'Virtue is easy to her who has every thing,' said the courtezan Oliba,
'hunger and privation ruin more women than dissipation.'

Suddenly there was a tumult amongst the crowd that filled the tavern,
and the name of Magdalen was heard pronounced.

'She is one of the creatures who make a traffic of their bodies,' said
Jane to Aurelia; 'it is not misery that has thrown her, like so many
others, into this degradation; but a first fault, followed by the
desertion of him who seduced her, and whom she adored. Since then,
despite the disorders of her life and the venality of her amours,
Magdalen has proved that her heart is not entirely corrupted. The poor
never beseech her in vain, and she has passionately loved some men with
a love as devoted as it was disinterested, sacrificing to them high
priests, doctors of the law and rich seigneurs, who rivalled each other
in their gifts; my husband, with others, was amongst the number of these
magnificent lovers.'

'He has expended upon Magdalen a great deal of money; she is so
handsome,' continued the young woman, with an indulgent smile. 'He is
one of those who have enriched her. They tell wonders about her house,
or rather the palace she inhabits; her coffers are filled with the
rarest stuffs and the most dazzling jewels. Vases of gold and silver,
brought at great expense from Rome, Asia, and Greece, encumber her
sideboards; the purple and silk from Tyre adorn the walls of her
dwelling, and her attendants are as numerous as those of a princess.'

'We, too, have in Italy and Roman Gaul, some of these creatures, whose
insolent luxury insults the moderate fortune of many honest women,'
replied Aurelia. 'But what can