ren. How she suffered
in her heart, when her old father came to the prison and besought
her to give up Christ! 'Daughter,' begged the old man, 'have pity on
my gray hairs. Have compassion on thy father!' He wept at her feet.
He begged her to have pity on her little child. But she could not
give up Christ. Wert thou there, O Pentaur, when the governor
examined the prisoners? Didst thou see Vivia Perpetua's old father
press forward, carrying her babe in his arms, and beg her to recant
for the child's sake? Didst thou hear the judge ask her, 'Art thou
then a Christian?' and didst thou hear her answer, 'I am'?"

Timokles paused. Pentaur had groaned. His face was hidden in his
hands.

"And then," continued Timokles, "the wretched father, hearing his
daughter speak those words that doomed her to death, tried to draw
her from the platform. He was struck with a stick, and the judge
condemned Vivia Perpetua and Felicitas, with the other Christians,
to be exposed to the wild beasts."

Another low groan broke from Pentaur. Timokles hesitated an instant,
then hurried on:

"The Christians were to die in the amphitheatre of Carthage. At the
gate of the amphitheatre, the guards offered the men among the
Christians the red mantle of the priests of Saturn, and offered the
women the fillet worn by the priestesses of Ceres. But the
Christians refused. 'We have come here,' they said, 'of our own free
will, that we might not be deprived of our freedom. We have
forfeited our lives in order to be delivered from doing such
things.' Even the heathen could see the justice of this, and the
Christians were not compelled to wear the things. In the
amphitheatre, Vivia Perpetua and Felicitas were put into a net, and
allowed to be attacked by a wild cow. Then the two martyrs gave each
other the kiss of peace, and a gladiator killed them."

Timokles paused once more. Still no response.

"I remember hearing one thing more concerning Vivia Perpetua,"
ventured Timokles. "In prison she had had a vision. She thought she
saw a golden ladder stretching up to heaven, and on either side of
the ladder were swords, and spears, and knives. At the foot of the
ladder lay a dragon. Perpetua thought in her vision that she was
commanded to mount the ladder. She set her foot on the dragon's
head, saying, 'He will not harm me, in the name of Jesus Christ,'
and went up the ladder. At the top she found a large garden, and the
Good Shepherd met her."

Pentaur spr