ed the girl's happiness and life with heartless coldness.

And scarcely less continuously than the flame of the eternal lamp
before the urn, the prayer and the curse of the lonely mother rose up
to heaven.

The hour came which disclosed to her all the Prefect's guilt, and the
vengeance which she called down from heaven did not tarry.

CHAPTER III.

At the court of Ravenna there ensued a bitter and obstinate strife.

The Gothic patriots, although deeply grieved at the sudden death of
their youthful King, and, for the moment, overpowered, were very soon
re-encouraged by their indefatigable leaders.

The high consideration in which Hildebrand was held, the quiet strength
of Witichis, who had returned, and Teja's watchful zeal, operated
continuously.

We have seen that these men had succeeded in inducing Athalaric to
shake off the authority of his mother. It was now easy for them to find
ever new adherents amongst the Goths against a government in which the
hated Cethegus would come more than ever to the front.

The feeling in the army and the Germanic population of Ravenna was
sufficiently prepared for a decisive stroke. The old master-at-arms
with difficulty restrained the discontented, until, strengthened by
important confederates, they could be more certain of success.

These confederates were the three dukes, Thulun, Ibba, and Pitza, whom
Amalaswintha had driven away from court, and whom her son had so lately
recalled.

Thulun and Ibba were brothers; Pitza was their cousin.

Another brother of the former, Duke Alaric, had been condemned to death
some years ago on account of a pretended conspiracy, and since his
flight (for he had succeeded in escaping) nothing had been heard of
him. They were the offspring of the celebrated race of the Balthe, who
had worn the crown of the Visigoths, and were scarcely inferior in
ancient descent and rank to the Amelungs. Their pedigree, like that of
the Royal House, descended from the gods. The wealth of their
possessions in land and dependent colonies, and the fame of their
warlike deeds, enhanced the power and glory of their house.

It was said amongst the people that Theodoric had, for a while, thought
of passing over his daughter and her son, and, in the interest of the
kingdom, of appointing the powerful Duke Thulun as his successor. And,
after the death of Athalaric, the patriots were decided, in case of the
worst--that is, if the Q