k off his sacerdotal insignia.

When they had left the crypt, Ahmes said--

"We ought to rejoice that we have this day brought a soul to the good
Lord God; let us go to the house of your Holiness and spend the rest of
the night in rejoicing."

"Thou hast well said, Theodore," replied the Bishop, and he led the
little band to his house, which was quite near. It consisted of a single
room, furnished with a couple of looms, a heavy table, and a worn-out
carpet. As soon as they had entered,

"Nitida," cried the Nubian, "bring hither the stove and the jar of oil,
and we will have a good supper."

Saying thus, he drew from under his cloak some little fish which he had
kept concealed, and lighted a fire and fried them. The Bishop, the girl,
the two boys, and the two slaves sat in a ring on the carpet, ate the
fried fish, and blessed the Lord. Vivantius spoke of the torture he had
undergone, and prophesied the speedy triumph of the Church. His language
was grotesque, and full of word-play and rhetorical tropes. He compared
the life of the just to a tissue of purple, and to explain the mystery
of baptism, he said--

"The Divine Spirit floated on the waters, and that is why Christians
receive the baptism of water. But demons also inhabit the brooks;
springs consecrated to nymphs are especially dangerous, and there are
certain waters which cause various maladies, both of the soul and of the
body."

Sometimes he spoke enigmatically, and the child listened to him with
profound awe and wonder. At the end of the repast he offered his guests
a little wine, and this unloosed their tongues, and they began to sing
lamentations and hymns. Ahmes and Nitida then rose, and danced a Nubian
dance which they had learned as children, and which, no doubt, had been
danced by their tribe since the early ages of the world. It was a love
dance; waving their arms, and moving their bodies in rhythmic measure,
they feigned, in turn, to fly from and to pursue each other. Their big
eyes rolled, and they showed their gleaming teeth in broad grins.

In this strange manner did Thais receive the holy rite of baptism.

She loved amusements, and, as she grew, vague desires were created in
her mind. All day long she danced and sang with the children in the
streets, and when at night she returned to her father's house, she was
still singing--

"Crooked twist, why do you stay in the house? I comb the wool, and the
Miletan threads. Crooked twist, what di