Virgilia or, Out of the Lion's Mouth

Few noticed her, for the people were still excited from the doings of the night before. Groups stood at the places where roads crossed, or in the shadows of the columns and discussed wh

ish-white walls of Jupiter's temple. "I am no follower of Christus, but I employed a man

there are speaking tubes hidden in every room so that the Superior may know just what goes on. I'll tell you

reedmen are scattered or seized again as slaves and the family, the lady and two children have entirely disappeared. Her home and all its tr

norable woman.

d gratifies the priests, two things very

t th

itude yesterday was but part of the game. It was all planned. They say, too, that a dark man, with great gold rings in h

m myself. There

owd like a king, as if he ex

s it? I remember now. It was he who sat in the ante-c

ble lawyer mixed u

forget the cruelties of the Emperor, for there will be a grand s

mean

of, or they will rebel. The lions are ev

welt. He was standing in front of it, blowing into a flame some charcoal in a small iron

? Thou art welcome. There is a tender kid roasted and I have gat

am very weary and have ta

erd gave her a large plantain leaf for a plate. Their food was

very weary

u hast not been in t

prinkling from my sheepskin bag was not need

lius that afternoon, nor Alexis, the Greek. Not one has come back to tell of their fate. This morning, Sahira, my Lady Claudia's waiting-maid disappeared and the mistress lies there moaning and crying. It is pitiful. Everyone is in disorder of spirit. I, even though I am but a scullery-maid, did creep into my Lady's

t t

am safe. No one notices me, for I am little and ugly, thank God. I soothe the Old One, who moans and cries: 'Woe. Woe! to this household,'

ose and picked

He and the priests of Jupiter. I will seek out

in Lidia's thin

reet him fro

ollided with Alyrus, the Moor, who strode by not recognizing her. Slipping along in the shadows, she followed him eagerly, as inte

eserted. Only a few of the many slaves owned by Aurelius the lawyer, remained to guar

rincess in the court of Herod sixty years before, beautiful, admired. Her face was very quiet and the expression was sweet. Death had touched her lightly when he bore her

hter was free, a purse of gold was in his hand and a ship lay wai

Rome. He could not miss the climax of what he had intrigued for. He knew nothing of that Judas w

ey left the gate of Octavia's villa, until the bearers, who were in the plot, carried Virgilia into the Temple of Jupiter, and Martius and A

of the holy women and sallied forth again to sit in one of the shops and drink a glass of grape juic

grand games in the Circus. Gladiatorial contests would be the first thing on the program, followed by the lions and Chri

in. As he sipped it, he saw the great gladiator, Lycias, come into the circle of light from t

e the first gladiator. He and Lidia the kitchen-maid, had grown up together in the cave of Lucius, for Lycias had been foun

e request of Luc

ladiator, a shout arose from th

il, Lycias!" came

ugh the room, seeking a place to sit. With a smile, he declined proffered

t inconvenienc

Alyrus, flattered at the a

is short sword and ordered light refreshment from the

ld not have aroused anything like so much interest or enthusiasm as did the victori

ty appetite, Lycias did not open a conversation,

t time, the gladiator e

eet, he saluted in

ad ventured to presume upon the kindness o

s sta

m not his excellency t

ler man, a chief

ome distinguished person, f

iled, he was u

his breath. Then aloud: "Are you

y high in the secrets

ite

him the power be

ast sai

that thou art admitted

rom the folds of his ga

it me to the temple its

u seest. It is the sy

ite

s he watched Alyrus placing the

y too willing to hear. He narrated everything except that he had been a slave, representing himself as a client of Aurelius Lucanus, who had been grievously wronged by him. He told how he had discovered, one day in the public Forum, that the son and daughter of the lawyer were Chris

is smoothly shaven face to hide h

I will now retire, with the h

portance, "it would interest you to visit the prisons and see these Christians bef

ilege as a visit to these prisoners. By t

im, but the face of Lycias was

nguardedly, continuing in haste, as he perceived his mistake, "I should have said, who was impertinent to me one day, lie in a dungeon far

" was Lycias' thought as striding fo

eared," Lucius said.

ghtfully. "Art thou willing to take great ris

f Lidia, who lo

uctions, then,"

ch the Christians were herded like beasts. The guards opened every do

delicate women, frail young girls accustomed to luxury, who were so

r what the power was which enabled these feeble c

s Christ which makes them forget themselves," he

could be heard, petitioning God, for Christ's sake, to lead them through this valley of the shadow

he fair one, yonder, with f

t the young girl, so that

tavia, widow of Aureus Cantus an

n its coarseness. The young girls s

red, smiling at them. God

l, told Lycias of the vessel lying in the River Tiber, r

l," he quoted, "and the sailors and

and finding Lidia with her father, ate the sup

to Lidia, "thy little head hath been ever s

ied, blushing at the compliment, "but

ving great danger for all of them, perhaps death to Lycias and Lucius.

s are possible," sai

their knees on the grass in front of the cave, where even now

but heathen gods, bent his knee also and uncovered his head in

alked back to

looked down into her earnest littl

to learn about

ycias, though I am bu

st

before the games wer

wo things

Lycias, took him to t

lowly flowing river, w

forest of masts, cut f

the groves

g shepherd. Lycias caught the Moor in his arms to prevent his falling. The draperies Alyrus wore were disarranged

" raved Alyrus, run

ect and thrust it into his gown and soo

ed. "See, he is alread