l! Excellent guardian--paternal law! Ha,
ha!' And, startled herself at the dread echo of that shrill and maddened
laughter, she sunk, as it died away, lifeless upon the ground... A
minute more, and Arbaces had lifted her into the litter. The bearers
moved swiftly on, and the unfortunate Ione was soon borne from the sight
of her weeping handmaids.

Chapter X

WHAT BECOMES OF NYDIA IN THE HOUSE OF ARBACES. THE EGYPTIAN FEELS
COMPASSION FOR GLAUCUS. COMPASSION IS OFTEN A VERY USELESS VISITOR TO
THE GUILTY.

IT will be remembered that, at the command of Arbaces, Nydia followed
the Egyptian to his home, and conversing there with her, he learned from
the confession of her despair and remorse, that her hand, and not
Julia's, had administered to Glaucus the fatal potion. At another time
the Egyptian might have conceived a philosophical interest in sounding
the depths and origin of the strange and absorbing passion which, in
blindness and in slavery, this singular girl had dared to cherish; but
at present he spared no thought from himself. As, after her confession,
the poor Nydia threw herself on her knees before him, and besought him
to restore the health and save the life of Glaucus--for in her youth and
ignorance she imagined the dark magician all-powerful to effect
both--Arbaces, with unheeding ears, was noting only the new expediency of
detaining Nydia a prisoner until the trial and fate of Glaucus were
decided. For if, when he judged her merely the accomplice of Julia in
obtaining the philtre, he had felt it was dangerous to the full success
of his vengeance to allow her to be at large--to appear, perhaps, as a
witness--to avow the manner in which the sense of Glaucus had been
darkened, and thus win indulgence to the crime of which he was
accused--how much more was she likely to volunteer her testimony when
she herself had administered the draught, and, inspired by love, would
be only anxious, at any expense of shame, to retrieve her error and
preserve her beloved? Besides, how unworthy of the rank and repute of
Arbaces to be implicated in the disgrace of pandering to the passion of
Julia, and assisting in the unholy rites of the Saga of Vesuvius!
Nothing less, indeed, than his desire to induce Glaucus to own the
murder of Apaecides, as a policy evidently the best both for his own
permanent safety and his successful suit with Ione, could ever have led
him to contemplate the confession of Julia.

As for Ny