ance; he laughs at a jest; 'captus est; habet:' he pours a
libation. Great Jove has conquered! he is loyal to Rome; what can you
desire more? But beat him, kick him, starve him, turn him out of doors;
and you have a natural enemy to do you a mischief whenever he can."

Calphurnius took his own line, and a simple one. "If it was some vile
slave or scoundrel African," he said, "no harm would have been done; but,
by Jupiter Tonans, it's a Greek girl, who sings like a Muse, dances like a
Grace, and spouts verses like Minerva. 'Twould be sacrilege to touch a
hair of her head; and we forsooth are to let these cowardly dogs of
magistrates entrap Fortunianus at Carthage into this solecism."

Septimius said nothing, as became a man in office; but he came to an
understanding with his visitors. It was plain that the Duumvirs of Sicca
had no legal custody of Callista; in a criminal matter she might seem to
fall under the jurisdiction of the military; and Calphurnius gained leave
to claim his right at the proper moment. The rest of his plan the tribune
kept to himself, nor did Septimius wish to know it. He intended to march a
guard into the prison shortly before Callista was brought out for
execution, and then to make it believed that she had died under the
horrors of the Barathrum. The corpse of another woman could without
difficulty be found to be her representative, and she herself would be
carried off to the camp.

Meanwhile, to return to the prisoner herself, what was the consolation,
what the occupation of Callista in this waiting time, ere the Proconsul
had sent his answer? Strange to say, and, we suppose, from a sinful
waywardness in her, she had, up to this moment, neglected to avail herself
of a treasure, which by a rare favour had been put into her possession. A
small parchment, carefully written, elaborately adorned, lay in her bosom,
which might already have been the remedy of many a perplexity, many a woe.
It is difficult to say under what feelings she had been reluctant to open
the Holy Gospel, which Caecilius had intrusted to her care. Whether she was
so low and despondent that she could not make the effort, or whether she
feared to convince herself further, or whether she professed to be waiting
for some calmer time, as if that were possible, or whether her
unwillingness was that which makes sick people so averse to eating, or to
remedies which they know would be useful to them, cannot well be
determined; but t