who had
compelled him to stoop to such base conduct. But now the charioteer had
the reins and goad in his hand. Onwards now, onwards!

He flew down stairs, three steps at a time, as he had been wont when a
boy. In the anteroom he met Eudoxia, Mary's Greek governess, who had just
brought her refractory pupil into the house, and he tossed her the
nosegay he still held in his hands; then, without heeding the languishing
glances the middle-aged damsel sent after him with her thanks, he
hastened back to the gate-keeper's lodge where he hurriedly disburdened
himself of the locksmith's tools.

A few minutes later he entered the judgment-hall. Nilus the treasurer
showed him to the governor's raised seat, but an overpowering bashfulness
kept him from taking this position of honor. It was with a burning brow,
and looks so ominously dark that the assembly gazed at him with timid
astonishment, that he opened the proceedings with a few broken sentences.
He himself scarcely knew what he was saying, and heard his own voice as
vaguely as though it were the distant roar of waves. However, he
succeeded in clearly stating all that had happened: he showed the
assembly the stone which had been stolen and recovered; he explained how
the thief had been taken; he declared Paula's freedman to be guilty of
the robbery, and called upon him to bring forward anything he could in
his own defence. But the accused could only stammer out that he was not
guilty. He was not able to defend himself, but his mistress could no
doubt give evidence that would justify him.

Orion pushed the hair from his forehead, proudly raised his aching head,
and addressed the judges:

"His mistress is a lady of rank allied to our house. Let us keep her out
of this odious affair as is but seemly. Her nurse gave Nilus some
information which may perhaps avail to save this unhappy man. We will
neglect nothing to that end; but you, who are less familiar with the
leading circumstances, must bear this in mind to guard yourselves against
being misled: This lady is much attached to the accused; she clings to
him and Perpetua as the only friends remaining to her from her native
home. Moreover, there is nothing to surprise me or you in the fact that a
noble woman, as she is, should assume the onus of another's crime, and
place herself in a doubtful light to save a man who has hitherto been
honest and faithful. The nurse is here; shall she be called, or have you,
Nilus, heard from