eturned to the city; but Romulus was not with them. The
story which they told was that in the middle of the tempest, Romulus
had been suddenly enveloped in a flame which seemed to come down in a
bright flash of lightning from the clouds, and immediately afterward
had been taken up in the flame to heaven.

[Illustration: THE DEATH OF ROMULUS.]

This strange story was but half believed even at first, by the
people, and very soon rumors began to circulate in the city that
Romulus had been murdered by the senators who were around him at the
time of the shower,--they having seized the occasion afforded by the
momentary absence of his guards, and by their solitary position. There
were various surmises in respect to the disposal which the assassins
had made of the body. The most obvious supposition was that it had
been sunk in the lake. There was, however, a horrible report
circulated that the senators had disposed of it by cutting it up into
small pieces, and conveying it away, each taking a portion, under
their robes.

Of course these rumors produced great agitation and excitement
throughout the city. The current of public sentiment set strongly
against the senators. Still as nothing could be positively ascertained
in respect to the transaction, the mystery seemed to grow more dark
and dreadful every day, and the public mind was becoming more and more
deeply agitated. At length, however, the mystery was suddenly
explained by a revelation, which, whatever may be thought of it at the
present day, was then entirely satisfactory to the whole community.

One of the most prominent and distinguished of the senators, named
Proculus, one who it seems had not been present among the other
senators in attendance upon Romulus at the time when he disappeared,
came forward one day before a grand assembly which had been convened
for the purpose, and announced to them in the most solemn manner, that
the spirit of Romulus had appeared to him in a visible form, and had
assured him that the story which the other senators had told of the
ascension of their chieftain to heaven in a flame of fire was really
true. "I was journeying," said Proculus, "in a solitary place, when
Romulus appeared to me. At first I was exceedingly terrified. The form
of the vision was taller than that of a mortal man, and it was clothed
in armor of the most resplendent brightness. As soon as I had in some
measure recovered my composure I spoke to it. 'Why,' said I, '