ne. For when Teja had retreated to the cloister and
chapel hill and the Flaminian Way with his prisoners, and Hildebrand's
wing had also reached the road with little loss of life--for the two
rivers, and then the news of the truce, had checked the pursuit
attempted by Johannes--the Goths had gathered the rest of their troops
together and taken up a safe position.

Cethegus waited with impatience for the recovery of Narses, who he
hoped would never acknowledge the agreement concluded by his
representative.

CHAPTER XXI.

Meanwhile Teja and Hildebrand had arrived upon the chapel hill,
whither, as they had been apprised, the wounded King had been carried.

News of later events had not yet reached them.

Before they entered the walls which enclosed the grove before the
chapel, the two leaders had agreed upon the plan which they would
propose to the King. There was no other way but to retreat to the south
under the protection of the truce. But when they entered the grove,
what a sight met their view!

Sobbing loudly, Adalgoth hurried up to Teja, and led him to an ancient
and ivy-grown sarcophagus. Within it, upon his shield, lay King Totila.
The majesty of death gave to his noble features a solemnity that made
them more beautiful than they had ever been when brightened by joy.

On his left hand rested Julius, in the open hollow cover of the
sarcophagus, which had long since fallen from its proper place. Under
the common shadow of death, the resemblance between the "Dioscuri" was
more striking and touching than ever.

And between the two friends lay a third form, which had been carefully
laid by Gotho and Liuta upon the King's blood-stained mantle. Upon a
gently-rising mound lay Valeria, the Roman virgin.

Fetched from the neighbouring cloister to receive her lover, she had
thrown herself, without a scream, without even a sigh, upon the broad
shield with its solemn burthen, which Adalgoth and Aligern were
carrying through the gate with sad and slow steps. Before any one could
speak, she had cried:

"I know all--he is dead!"

She had assisted them to lay the corpse in the sarcophagus, and while
so occupied she had repeated to herself, in a low voice, these words:

"'Him too thou seest, how stalwart, tall, and fair!
Yet must he yield to death and stubborn fate,
Whene'er, at morn or noon or eve, the spear
Or arrow from the bow may rend his life.
Th