nd, the
Major Domus of the weak-minded King, and the Prefect impatiently
waited, day by day, for the reply; the more impatiently because the
altered demeanour of Mataswintha had cut off all the hopes he had
entertained of effecting a more speedy conquest of the Goths.

The answer came--at the same time with an imperial letter from
Byzantium--on a day which was equally pregnant with the fate of the
heroes both in and out of Ravenna.

CHAPTER XVI.

Hildebad, impatient at the long pause of idleness, had, one day at
dawn, made a sudden sally upon the Byzantines from the Porta Faventina,
which was under his special command. He had at first won great
advantages, had burnt a portion of the enemies' implements of siege,
and had spread terror all around.

He would, without doubt, have done still more mischief had not
Belisarius, hurrying up, displayed at once all his heroism and
generalship.

Without helmet or armour, just as he had hurried from his tent, he had
first checked his own flying outposts, and had then thrown himself upon
the Gothic pursuers, and by the utmost personal exertion had brought
the fight to a standstill.

Afterwards he had man[oe]uvred his two flanks so cleverly, that
Hildebad's retreat was greatly endangered, and the Goths were obliged
to retreat speedily into the city.

Cethegus, who lay encamped before the Porta Honorius with his
Isaurians, had found, on hastening to the assistance of Belisarius,
that the fight was already over. He could not, therefore, avoid paying
a visit to the commander-in-chief in his tent, in order to express his
admiration of the heroes conduct, both as a general and a soldier;
praise which was greedily listened to by Antonina.

"Really, Belisarius," concluded the Prefect, "Emperor Justinian can
never requite your valour sufficiently."

"There you speak truly," answered Belisarius haughtily; "he can only
requite me by his friendship. The mere honour of bearing his marshal's
staff would never have induced me to do that which I have already
done, and shall yet accomplish. I do it only because I really love him.
With all his failings, he is a great man. If he could but learn one
thing--to trust me! But patience--he will learn it in time."

Just then Procopius entered, bringing a letter for Belisarius, which
had been delivered by an imperial messenger.

With a countenance beaming with delight, Belisarius, forgetting his
fatigue, sprang