he church. These accusations were
what had encouraged the Negro to confiscate the young man's estate,
particularly as the bitter tone of the patriarch's document sufficiently
proved that in him he had found an ally.

Paula must next be placed in safe custody, and he had no doubt whatever
that her statement would incriminate Orion in some degree. He would
gladly have cross-examined her at once, but he had other matters in hand
to-day.

The longest part of his task was ransacking the treasurer's office;
Nilus himself had to conduct the search. Everything which he pointed out
as a legal document, title-deed, contract for purchase or sale, revenue
account or the like, was at once placed in oxcarts or on camels, with
the large sums of gold and silver coin, and carried across the river
under a strong escort. All the more antique deeds and the family
archives, the Vekeel left untouched. He was indeed an indefatigable
man, for although these details kept him busy the whole day, he allowed
himself no rest nor did he once ask for the refreshment of food or a
cooling draught. As the day went on he enquired again and again for the
bishop, with increasing impatience and irritation. It would have been
his part to wait on the patriarch, but who was Plotinus? Thin-skinned,
like all up-starts in authority, he took the bishop's delay as an act of
personal contumely. But the shepherd of the flock at Memphis was not a
haughty prelate, but a very humble and pious minister. His superior, the
patriarch, had entrusted him with an important mission to Amru or his
lieutenant, and yet he could let the Vekeel wait in vain, and not even
send him a message of explanation; in the afternoon, however, his old
housekeeper dispatched the acolyte who was attached to his person to
seek Philippus. Her master, a hale and vigorous man, had gone to bed
by broad day-light a few hours after his return home, and had not again
left it. He was hot and thirsty, and did not seem fully conscious of
where he was or of what was happening.

Plotinus had always maintained that prayer was the Christian's best
medicine; still, as his poor body had become alarmingly heated the old
woman ventured to send for the physician; but the messenger came back
saying that Philippus was absent on a journey. This was in fact the
case: He had quitted Memphis in obedience to a letter from Haschim. The
merchant's unfortunate son was not getting better. There seemed to be
an injury to som