heavy and
bulky figure, Martina hastily returned to her husband, and even at the
door exclaimed: "It is all right, all has gone well! At the sight of her
he seemed thunderstruck! Mark my words: we shall have a wedding here by
the Nile."

"My blessing on it," replied Justinus. "But, wedding or no wedding, all I
care is that she should persuade that fine young fellow to give up his
crazy scheme. I saw how even the brown rascals in the Arab's service
bowed down before him; and he will persuade the general, if any one can,
to do all in his power for Narses. He must not and shall not go! You
impressed it strongly on Heliodora. . . ."

"That she should keep him?" laughed the matron. "I tell you, she will
nail him down if need be."

"So much the better," replied her husband. "But, wife, folks might say
that it was not quite seemly in you to force them together. Properly
speaking, you are as it were her female mentor, the motherly patroness."

"Good Heavens!" exclaimed Martina. "At home they invited no witnesses to
look on at their meetings. The poor love-lorn souls must at any rate have
a chance of speaking to each other and rejoicing that they have met once
more. I will step in presently, and be the anxious, motherly friend.
Tine, Tine! And if it does not end in a wedding, I will make a pilgrimage
to St. Agatha, barefoot."

"And I with only one shoe!" the senator declared, "for, everything in
reason--but the talk about Dora was at last beyond all bounds. It was no
longer possible to have them both together under the same roof. And you
yourself--no, seriously; go in to them."

"Directly, directly.--But first look out of this window once more. Oh,
what a sun!--there, now it is too late. Only two minutes ago the whole
heaven was of the hue of my red Syrian cloak; and now it is all
dark!--The house and garden are beautiful, and everything is old and
handsome; just what I should have expected in the home of the rich
Mukaukas."

"And I too," replied Justinus. "But now, go. If they have come to an
understanding, Dora may certainly congratulate herself."

"I should think so! But she need not be ashamed even of her villa, and
they must spend every summer there, I will manage that. If that poor,
dear fellow Narses does not escape with his life--for two years of
slavery are a serious matter--then I should be able. . . ."

"To alter your will? Not a bad idea; but there is no hurry for that; and
now, you really must go."

"Ye