show you its dark
spots, as its bright ones. I have sinned, Julia, deeply, against you! Your
purity, your love, should have guarded me! Yet, in a moment of treacherous
self-confidence, my head grew dizzy, and I fell. But oh! believe me,
Julia, my heart never once betrayed you! Now say--can you pardon me--trust
me--love me--be mine, as you promised? If not--speed me on my way, and my
first battle-field shall prove my truth to Rome and Julia."

"Oh! this is very sad, my Paullus," she replied; "very humiliating--very,
very bitter. I had a trust so perfect in your love. I could as soon have
believed the sunflower would forget to turn to the day-god, as that Paul
would forget Julia. I had a confidence so high, so noble, in your proud,
untouched virtue. And yet I find, that at the first alluring glance of a
frail beauty, you fall off from your truth to me--at the first whispering
temptation of a demon, you half fall off from patriotism--honour--virtue!
Forgive you, Paullus! I can forgive you readily. For well, alas! I know
that the best of us all are very frail, and prone to evil. Love you? alas!
for me, I do as much as ever--but say, yourself, how can I trust you? how
can I be yours? when the next moment you may fall again into temptation,
again yield to it. And then, what would then remain to the wretched Julia,
but a most miserable life, and an untimely grave?"

The proud man bowed his head in bitter anguish; he buried his face in his
hands; he gasped, and almost groaned aloud, in his great agony. His heart
confessed the truth of all her words, and it was long ere he could answer
her. Perhaps he would not have collected courage to do so at all, but
would have risen in his agony of pride and despair, and gone his way to
die, heart-broken, hopeless, a lost man.

But she--for her heart yearned to her lover--arose and crossed the room with
noiseless step to the spot where he sat, and laid her fair hand gently on
his shoulder, and whispered in her voice of silvery music,

"Tell me, Paullus, how can I trust you?"

"Because I have told you all this, truly! Think you I had humbled myself
thus, had I not been firm to resist? think you I have had no temptation to
deceive you, to keep back a part, to palliate? and lo! I have told you
all--the shameful, naked truth! How can I ever be so bribed again to
falsehood, as I have been in this last hour, by hope of winning, and by
dread of losing you, my soul's idol? Because I have been t