age and Obada, who had found much to whisper over with his
grey-headed neighbor on the bench reserved for witnesses, let him talk;
but no sooner had he ended than the Vekeel rose and laid before the
judges the note he had found in Orion's room.

It was undoubtedly in the young man's handwriting and addressed to
Paula, and the final words: "But do not misunderstand me. Your noble,
and only too well-founded desire to lend succor to your fellow-believers
would have sufficed...." could not fail to make a deep impression. When
the Kadi questioned Paula, however, she replied with perfect truth that
this document was absolutely unknown to her; at the same time she
did not deny that the sisters of St. Cecilia, who were of her own
confession, had always had her warmest wishes, and that she had hoped
they might succeed in asserting their rights in opposition to the
patriarch.

The deceased Mukaukas, and the Jacobite members of the town-council
even, had shared these feelings and the Arabs had never interfered with
the pious sicknurses.

The calm conciseness with which she made these statements had a
favorable effect, on her Moslem judges especially, and the Kadi began to
have some hopes for her; he desired that Orion should be called as being
best able to account for the meaning of the letter he had written but
never sent.

On this the young man appeared, and though he and Paula did their
utmost to preserve a suitable demeanor, every one could see the violent
agitation they felt at meeting each other in such a situation. Horapollo
never took his eyes off Orion, whom he now saw for the first time, and
his features put on a darkening and menacing expression.

The young man acknowledged that he had written the letter in question,
but he and Paula alike referred it to the danger with which the
sisterhood had long been threatened from the patriarch's hostility.
The assistance which, in that document, he had refused he would have
afforded readily and zealously at a later and fit season, and he could
have counted on the aid of the Arab governor Amru, who, as he would
himself confirm, shared the views of the Mukaukas George as to the nuns'
rights.

At this the old sage murmured loud enough to be heard: "Clever, very
clever!" and the Vekeel laughed aloud, exclaiming:

"I call that a cunning way of lengthening your days! Be on your guard,
my lords. These two are partners in the game and are intimately allied.
I have proof of that