father was, no doubt, a Roman citizen; and the law--"

"The law forbids that such a one should be sold into slavery," Andreas
broke in, "and yet the authorities of Rome left him in misery--left--"

At this, her large, gentle eyes flashed with indignation, and, stirred to
the depths of her nature, she exclaimed:

"How was such horrible injustice possible? Oh, let me hear. You know how
truly I love you, and no one can hear you."

The wind had risen, the waves splashed noisily against the broad boat,
and the song of the slaves, as they plied their oars, would have drowned
a stronger voice than the freedman's; so he sat down by her side to do
her bidding.

And the tale he had to tell was sad indeed.

His father had been of knightly rank, and in the reign of Marcus Aurelius
he had been in the service of Avidius Cassius, his fellow-countryman, the
illustrious governor of Asia as 'procurator ab epistolis'. As holding
this high post, he found himself involved in the conspiracy of Avidius
against the emperor. After the assassination of his patron, who had
already been proclaimed emperor by the troops, Andreas's father had been
deprived of his offices, his citizenship, and his honors; his possessions
were confiscated, and he was exiled to the island of Anaphe. It was to
Caesar's clemency that he owed his life.

On their voyage into exile the father and son fell into the hands of
Syrian pirates, and were sold in the slave-market of Alexandria to two
separate masters. Andreas was bought by a tavern-keeper; the procurator,
whose name as a slave was Smaragdus, by the father of Polybius; and this
worthy man soon learned to value his servant so highly, that he purchased
the son also, and restored him to his father. Thus they were once more
united.

Every attempt of the man who had once held so proud a position to get his
release, by an act of the senate, proved vain. It was with a broken heart
and enfeebled health that he did his duty to his master and to his only
child. He pined in torments of melancholy, till Christianity opened new
happiness to him, and revived hope brought him back from the very brink
of despair; and, even as a slave, he found the highest of all
dignities--that, namely, which a Christian derives from his faith.

At this point Melissa interrupted her friend's narrative, exclaiming, as
she pointed across the waters:

"There! there! look! In that boat--I am sure that is Alexander! And he is
making for the t