jeeringly,--"Ei!--a little more!"

"If thy head is not sufficient, thou hast another on thy cane," said
Petronius.

Further conversation was interrupted by the coming of Caesar, who
occupied his place in company with Pythagoras. Immediately after began
the representation of "Aureolus," to which not much attention was paid,
for the minds of the audience were fixed on Chilo. The spectators,
familiar with blood and torture, were bored; they hissed, gave out
shouts uncomplimentary to the court, and demanded the bear scene, which
for them was the only thing of interest. Had it not been for gifts
and the hope of seeing Chilo, the spectacle would not have held the
audience.

At last the looked-for moment came. Servants of the Circus brought in
first a wooden cross, so low that a bear standing on his hind feet might
reach the martyr's breast; then two men brought, or rather dragged in,
Chilo, for as the bones in his legs were broken, he was unable to walk
alone. They laid him down and nailed him to the wood so quickly that the
curious Augustians had not even a good look at him, and only after the
cross had been fixed in the place prepared for it did all eyes turn to
the victim. But it was a rare person who could recognize in that naked
man the former Chilo. After the tortures which Tigellinus had commanded,
there was not one drop of blood in his face, and only on his white beard
was evident a red trace left by blood after they had torn his tongue
out. Through the transparent skin it was quite possible to see his
bones. He seemed far older also, almost decrepit. Formerly his eyes
cast glances ever filled with disquiet and ill-will, his watchful face
reflected constant alarm and uncertainty; now his face had an expression
of pain, but it was as mild and calm as faces of the sleeping or the
dead. Perhaps remembrance of that thief on the cross whom Christ had
forgiven lent him confidence; perhaps, also, he said in his soul to the
merciful God,

"O Lord, I bit like a venomous worm; but all my life I was unfortunate.
I was famishing from hunger, people trampled on me, beat me, jeered at
me. I was poor and very unhappy, and now they put me to torture and nail
me to a cross; but Thou, O Merciful, wilt not reject me in this hour!"
Peace descended evidently into his crushed heart. No one laughed, for
there was in that crucified man something so calm, he seemed so old, so
defenceless, so weak, calling so much for pity with his lowlin