not guard themselves
from amazement.

"Vinicius, art thou not mistaken?" asked Petronius. "Did Lygia really
draw a fish for thee?"

"By all the infernal gods, one might go mad!" cried the young man, with
excitement. "If she had drawn a bird for me, I should have said a bird."

"Therefore she is a Christian," repeated Chilo.

"This signifies," said Petronius, "that Pomponia and Lygia poison
wells, murder children caught on the street, and give themselves up to
dissoluteness! Folly! Thou, Vinicius, wert at their house for a time, I
was there a little while; but I know Pomponia and Aulus enough, I know
even Lygia enough, to say monstrous and foolish! If a fish is the symbol
of the Christians, which it is difficult really to deny, and if those
women are Christians, then, by Proserpina! evidently Christians are not
what we hold them to be."

"Thou speakest like Socrates, lord," answered Chilo. "Who has ever
examined a Christian? Who has learned their religion? When I was
travelling three years ago from Naples hither to Rome (oh, why did I
not stay in Naples!), a man joined me, whose name was Glaucus, of whom
people said that he was a Christian; but in spite of that I convinced
myself that he was a good and virtuous man."

"Was it not from that virtuous man that thou hast learned now what the
fish means?"

"Unfortunately, lord, on the way, at an inn, some one thrust a knife
into that honorable old man; and his wife and child were carried away
by slave-dealers. I lost in their defence these two fingers; since, as
people say, there is no lack among Christians of miracles, I hope that
the fingers will grow out on my hand again."

"How is that? Hast thou become a Christian?"

"Since yesterday, lord, since yesterday! The fish made me a Christian.
But see what a power there is in it. For some days I shall be the most
zealous of the zealous, so that they may admit me to all their secrets;
and when they admit me to their secrets, I shall know where the maiden
is hiding. Perhaps then my Christianity will pay me better than my
philosophy. I have made a vow also to Mercury, that if he helps me to
find the maiden, I will sacrifice to him two heifers of the same size
and color and will gild their horns."

"Then thy Christianity of yesterday and thy philosophy of long standing
permit thee to believe in Mercury?"

"I believe always in that in which I need to believe; that is my
philosophy, which ought to please Mercury. Unfort