she broke suddenly into a loud and piercing shout of joy, and flinging up
her arms she flew up the mountain towards a traveller who came swiftly
down to meet her.

"Hermas! Hermas!" she shouted, and all the sunny delight of her heart was
reflected in her cry so clearly and purely that the sympathetic chords in
the young man's soul echoed the sound, and he hailed her with joyful
welcome.

He had never before greeted her thus, and the tone of his voice revived
her poor crushed heart like a restorative draught offered by a tender
hand to the lips of the dying. Exquisite delight, and a glow of gratitude
such as she had never before felt flooded her soul, and as he was so good
to her she longed to show him that she had something to offer in return
for the gift of friendship which he offered her. So the first thing she
said to him was, "I have staid constantly near your father, and have
brought him water early and late, as much as he needed."

She blushed as she thus for the first time praised herself to him, but
Hermas exclaimed, "That is a good girl! and I will not forget it. You are
a wild, silly thing, but I believe that you are to be relied on by those
to whom you feel kindly."

"Only try me," cried Miriam holding out her hand to him. He took it, and
as they went on together he said:

"Do you hear the brass? I have warned the watchmen up there; the Blemmyes
are coming. Is Paulus with my father?"

"No, but I know where he is."

"Then you must call him," said the young man. "Him first and then
Gelasius, and Psoes, and Dulas, and any more of the penitents that you
can find. They must all go to the castle by the ravine. Now I will go to
my father; you hurry on and show that you are to be trusted." As he spoke
he put his arm round her waist, but she slipped shyly away, and calling
out, "I will take them all the message," she hurried off.

In front of the cave where she had hoped to meet with Paulus she found
Sirona; she did not stop with her, but contented herself with laughing
wildly and calling out words of abuse.

Guided by the idea that she should find the Alexandrian at the nearest
well, she went on and called him, then hurrying on from cave to cave she
delivered her message in Hermas' name, happy to serve him.

CHAPTER XX.

They were all collected behind the rough wall on the edge of the
ravine-the strange men who had turned their back on life with all its
joys and pails, its duties and its delights,