en, and the awful voice of Cyril
commanded silence.

'Every man sleep where he can. I shall want you at daybreak. The
superiors of the parabolani are to come up to me with the two prisoners,
and the men who took them.'

In a few minutes Philammon found himself, with some twenty others, in
the great man's presence: he was sitting at his desk, writing, quietly,
small notes on slips of paper.

'Here is the youth who helped me to pursue the murderer, and having
outrun me, was attacked by the prisoners,' said Peter. 'My hands are
clean from blood, I thank the Lord!'

'Three set on me with daggers,' said Philammon, apologetically, 'and I
was forced to take this one's dagger away, and beat off the two others
with it.'

Cyril smiled, and shook his head.

'Thou art a brave boy; but hast thou not read, "If a man smite thee on
one cheek, turn to him the other"?'

'I could not run away, as Master Peter and the rest did.'

'So you ran away, eh? my worthy friend?'

'Is it not written,' asked Peter, in his blandest tone, "If they
persecute you in one city, flee unto another"?'

Cyril smiled again. 'And why could not you run away, boy?'

Philammon blushed scarlet, but he dared not lie. 'There was a--a poor
black woman, wounded and trodden down, and I dare not leave her, for she
told me she was a Christian.'

'Right, my son, right. I shall remember this. What was her name?'

'I did not hear it.--Stay, I think she said Judith.'

'Ah! the wife of the porter who stands at the lecture-room door, which
God confound! A devout woman, full of good works, and sorely ill-treated
by her heathen husband. Peter, thou shalt go to her to-morrow with the
physician, and see if she is in need of anything. Boy, thou hast done
well. Cyril never forgets. Now bring up those Jews. Their Rabbis were
with me two hours ago promising peace: and this is the way they
have kept their promise. So be it. The wicked is snared in his own
wickedness.'

The Jews were brought in, but kept a stubborn silence.

'Your holiness perceives,' said some one, 'that they have each of them
rings of green palm-bark on their right hand.'

'A very dangerous sign! An evident conspiracy!' commented Peter.

'Ah! What does that mean, you rascals? Answer me, as you value your
lives.'

'You have no business with us: we are Jews, and none of your people,'
said one sulkily. 'None of my people? You have murdered my people! None
of my people? Every soul in Alexandria is m