alarm, and pity seized him, and sorrow so
great that he would have fallen at her feet had he been able to move.

"Lygia," said he, "thou didst not permit my death."

"May God return health to thee," she answered, with sweetness.

For Vinicius, who had a feeling both of those wrongs which he had
inflicted on her formerly, and those which he had wished to inflict on
her recently, there was a real balsam in Lygia's words. He forgot at the
moment that through her mouth Christian teaching might speak; he felt
only that a beloved woman was speaking, and that in her answer there was
a special tenderness, a goodness simply preterhuman, which shook him to
the depth of his soul. As just before he had grown weak from pain, so
now he grew weak from emotion. A certain faintness came on him, at once
immense and agreeable. He felt as if falling into some abyss, but he
felt that to fall was pleasant, and that he was happy. He thought at
that moment of weakness that a divinity was standing above him.

Meanwhile Glaucus had finished washing the wound in his head, and had
applied a healing ointment. Ursus took the brass basin from Lygia's
hands; she brought a cup of water and wine which stood ready on the
table, and put it to the wounded man's lips. Vinicius drank eagerly, and
felt great relief. After the operation the pain had almost passed; the
wound and contusion began to grow firm; perfect consciousness returned
to him.

"Give me another drink," said he.

Lygia took the empty cup to the next room; meanwhile Crispus, after a
few words with Glaucus, approached the bed saying,--

"God has not permitted thee, Vinicius, to accomplish an evil deed, and
has preserved thee in life so that thou shouldst come to thy mind. He,
before whom man is but dust, delivered thee defenceless into our hands;
but Christ, in whom we believe, commanded us to love even our enemies.
Therefore we have dressed thy wounds, and, as Lygia has said, we will
implore God to restore thy health, but we cannot watch over thee longer.
Be in peace, then, and think whether it beseems thee to continue thy
pursuit of Lygia. Thou hast deprived her of guardians, and us of a roof,
though we return thee good for evil."

"Do ye wish to leave me? inquired Vinicius.

"We wish to leave this house, in which prosecution by the prefect of
the city may reach us. Thy companion was killed; thou, who art powerful
among thy own people, art wounded. This did not happen through our
f