endowed. Before God and his Saviour the rich ship-owner or the
grey-haired sage stood no higher than the defenceless widow and the
ignorant slave crippled with blows. Still, the members of the community
submitted to those more implicitly than to these, for the special
talents which graced certain superior Christians were gifts of grace
from the Lord, readily acknowledged as such and, so far as they
concerned the inner man, deemed worthy of honor.

On Sunday, the day of the Resurrection of the Lord, all Christians,
without exception, visited their place of assembly for divine worship.
To-day, being the middle of the week, all who could or chose came to the
love-feast at Paulina's suburban house. She herself dwelt in the city
and she had placed the banqueting hall of her villa, which would hold
more than a hundred souls, at the disposal of her fellow Christians in
that quarter of the town. The regular service was held in the morning,
but after the day's labor was ended the Christians met at one table to
have an evening meal in common, or--on other occasions to partake of
the sacramental supper. After sunset the elders, deacons, and
deaconesses--most of whom, so long as it was light, had secular work to
attend to--met to take counsel together.

Paulina, the widow of Pudeus and sister of Pontius the architect, was a
woman of considerable property and at the same time a prudent steward,
who did not consider herself justified in seriously impairing her son's
inheritance. This son was residing at Smyrna as a partner in an uncle's
business, and always avoided Alexandria, as he did not like his mother's
intercourse with the Christians. Paulina took the most anxious care not
to make any inroads on the capital intended for him, and never allowed
her hospitality to her fellow-believers to cost her any more than it did
the other wealthy members of the circle that met at her house. There
the rich brought more than they needed for themselves and the poor were
always welcome; not feeling themselves oppressed by the benevolence they
profited by, for they were often told that their entertainer was not
a mortal, but the Saviour, who invited each one who followed him
faithfully to be his guest.

The hour was approaching which would summon dame Hannah to join the
assembly of her fellow Christians. She could not fail to appear, for she
was one of the deaconesses entrusted with the distribution of alms and
the care of the sick. She noiseles