ved her unexpected visitors. The nurse
had failed to find the physician, whose aid would, at any rate, have
come too late; and as the housekeeper had taken herself off with others
of the Christian slaves, the faithful soul had said to herself that "her
child" would want some womanly help and comfort in her trouble, and had
gone to the house of their neighbor Clemens, to entreat his wife to
come with her to see the dead, and visit her forlorn young mistress.
Constantine, who had come home a short time previously, had said
nothing, but had accompanied the two women.

While Constantine gazed with no unkindly feelings at the still face of
Damia--to whom, after all, he owed many a little debt of kindness--and
then turned to look at Gorgo who stood downcast, pale, and struggling
to breathe calmly, Dame Marianne tried to proffer a few words of
consolation. She warmly praised everything in the dead woman which was
not in her estimation absolutely reprobate and godless, and brought
forward all the comforting arguments which a pious Christian can command
for the edification and encouragement of those who mourn a beloved
friend; but to Gorgo all this well-meant discourse was as the babble of
an unknown tongue; and it was only when, at length, Marianne went up
to her and drew her to her motherly bosom, to kiss her, and bid her be
welcome under Clelnens' roof till Porphyrius should be at home again,
that she understood that the good woman meant kindly, and honestly
desired to help and comfort her.

But the allusion to her father reminded her of the first duty in her
path; she roused her energies, thanked Marianne warmly, and begged her
only to assist her in carrying the corpse into the thalamos, and then
to take charge of the keys. She herself, she explained, meant at once to
seek her father, since he ought to learn from no one but herself of
his mother's death. Nor would she listen for a moment to her friend's
pressing entreaties that she would put off this task, and pass the
night, at any rate, under her roof.

Constantine had kept in the background; it was not till Gorgo approached
the dead and gave the order to carry the body down into the house that
he came forward, and with simple feeling offered her his hand. The girl
looked frankly in his face, and, as she put her hand in his, she said in
a low voice: "I was unjust to you, Constantine. I insulted and hurt you;
but I repented sincerely, even before you had left the house. A