Ah!  It was not alone her terror of a horrible death that tortured her soul.  Her father, whom she considered it her greatest joy in life to have found again, was fading beyond all hope under her loving hands.  His poor wounded lungs refused its service.  It was with great difficulty that he could swallow a few drops of wine and mouthfuls of food; and in these last days his clear mind had lain as it were under a shroud—­perhaps it was happier so, as she told herself and as her friends said to comfort her.

He, too, had heard the cries of:  “Hail to the Bride of the Nile!”

“Bring out the Bride!”

“Away with the Bride of the Nile!” Though he had no suspicion of their meaning, they had haunted his thoughts incessantly during the last few days; and the terrible, strange words had seemed to charm his fancy, for to Paula’s distress he would murmur them to himself tenderly or thoughtfully as the case might be.

Many times the idea occurred to her that she might put an end to her life before the worst should befall, before she became a spectacle for a whole nation, to be jeered at and made a delightful and exciting show to rouse their cruelty or their compassion.  But dared she do it?  Dared she defy the Most High, the Lord in whom she put her trust, into whose hand she commended herself in a thousand dumb but fervent prayers.

No.  To the very last she would trust and hope.  And wonderful to say!  Each time she had reached the very limits of her powers of endurance, feeling she could certainly bear no more and must succumb, something came to her to revive her faith or her courage:  a message would be brought her from Orion, or Dame Joanna or Pulcheria came to see her; the bishop sought an interview, or her father’s mind rallied and he could speak to her in beautiful and stimulating words.  Often the warder would announce the senator and his wife, and their vigorous and healthy minds always hit on the very thing she needed.  Martina, particularly, with her subtle motherly instinct, always understood whatever was agitating her; and once she showed her a letter from Heliodora, in which she spoke of the calmness she had won through nursing their dear invalid, and said how thankful she was to see the reward of her care and toil.  Narses was already quite another man, and she could know no higher task than that of reconciling the hapless man to life, nay, of making it dear to him again.  She no longer thought of Orion but as she might of a beautiful song she once had heard in a delightful hour.

Thus time passed, even for the imprisoned maiden, till only two nights remained before St. Serapis’ day when the fearful marriage was to be solemnized.

It was evening when the bishop came to visit Paula.  He regarded it as his duty to tell her that the execution of her sentence was fixed for the day after to-morrow.  He should hope and believe till the last, but his own power over the misguided mob was gone from him.  In any case, and if the worst should befall, he would be at her side to protect her by the dignity of his office.  He had come now, so as to give her time to prepare her self in every respect.  The care of her noble father till his last hour on earth he would take upon himself as a dear and sacred duty.