llingly allowed him to take it off his finger, and had
enjoined him to exercise relentless severity. Generally he inclined to
leniency; but breaking into a house was punishable with death, and in
this instance it was but right to show no mercy, out of deference to the
Arab merchant. But Orion, mindful of his covenant with Paula, begged his
father to give him full discretion. The old Moslem was a just man, who
would agree to a mitigated sentence under the circumstances; besides,
the culprit was not in strict fact a member of the household, but in the
service of a relation.

The Mukaukas applauded his son's moderation and judgment. If only he had
been in rather better health he himself would have had the pleasure of
being present at the sitting, to see him fulfil for the first time so
important a function, worthy of his birth and position.

Orion kissed his father's hand with heart-felt but melancholy emotion,
for this praise from the man he so truly loved was a keen pleasure; and
yet he felt that it was of ill-omen that his duties as judge, of which
he knew the sacred solemnity, should be thus--thus begun.

It was in a softened mood, sunk in thought as to how he could best save
Hiram and leave Paula's name altogether out of the matter, that he went
to the hall of justice; and there he found the nurse Perpetua in eager
discussion with Nilus.

The old woman was quite beside herself. In the clatter of her loom she
had heard nothing of what had been going on till a few minutes ago; now
she was ready to swear to the luckless Hiram's innocence. The stone he
had sold had belonged to his young mistress, and thank God there was no
lack of evidence of the fact; the setting of the emerald was lying
safe and sound in Paula's trunk. Happily she had had an opportunity of
speaking to her; and that she, the daughter of Thomas, should be brought
before the tribunal, like a citizen's daughter or slave-girl, was
unheard of, shameful!

At this Orion roughly interfered; he desired the old gate-keeper to
conduct Perpetua at once to the storeroom next to the tablinum, where
the various stuffs prepared for the use of the household were laid by,
and to keep her there under safe guard till further notice. The tone
in which he gave the order was such that even the nurse did not
remonstrate; and Nilus, for his part obeyed in silence when Orion bid
him return to his place among the judges.

Nilus went back to the judgment-hall in uneasy conste