Thekla, daughter of Theokleia. I am ready to hear thee in the matter."

Speaking in a tone of negligent, ironical distaste, his eyes glancing casually and coldly upon Thekla's face, Stephanas spoke.

"The cause of my coming hither, worthy Castelius, is the defense of our homes and our customs, and by no means that I would embarrass or disturb this young woman. She has been the victim, without doubt, of nefarious practices at the hands of one Paul, a vagrant from no one knows where. If I remember aright, the man was brought before thee some weeks since as a lawbreaker."

Castelius turned and spoke to the clerk at his side, who, after some searching through the manuscripts before him, handed a scroll to the magistrate. Castelius ran over the record, speaking hastily disjointed words as they caught his eyes.

"Date of five weeks gone. Man named Paul of Tarsus-Roman citizen-accused by Demas and Hermogenes-charge: sorcery, blasphemy of the gods-interference with family customs-practice of magic arts on maidens whereby they be

came averse to marriage-condemned-scourged -evicted from the city."

Castelius handed back the scroll.

66

'Yes, yes, thou art right, most noble Stephanas. I remember the man perfectly."

"It is well. The damsel before thee is one upon whom this miscreant has worked his spell. I am here to testify that from a cheerful, docile, affectionate maiden, affianced to the son of a not ignoble Iconian house, she has been transformed to a stubborn, incorrigible person, gloomy, perverse, alienated in mind and heart from lover and mother, home and companions. Nay worse, she has carried her strange fancy for this same Paul to scandalous lengths, which I will not defame her now by recounting, and has, since his departure from Iconium, refused to do her homage to her household gods. The case is before thee, worthy Castelius. It needs not that I should tell thee, who art thyself Phrygian born," and a sarcastic smile played around the lips of the speaker, "that the wives and daughters of this our fair province have ever enjoyed unwonted prominence, privilege, and influence. Their voices are heard in

our counsels, their persons are held in highest esteem. The rather for this reason does the conduct of this maiden become the more inexcusable. Nay, if such rebellion, disobedience, and lawless life shall be condoned by our judges, the foundations of our homes, the peace of our city, the fair fame of our noble matrons and our unsullied maidens shall suffer grievous harm. I plead for sentence, Castelius, sentence such as befits the gravity of the offense, not the youth and innocent aspect of the offender."

So saying, with haughty assurance that his word was sufficient, Stephanas swept from the court room, leaving Thekla again alone to confront her judge. She did not catch the curious glance of intelligence which passed between the two men in the last moment.

"What hast thou to say for thyself, Lady Thekla ?"

A touch of pity was in the tone of Castelius and in his face as he scanned the face of the lonely maiden thus scathingly accused. She did not speak.

"Most fitting were it that heavy sentence should

be passed upon thee in accordance with the demands of thy accuser, since the truth of his charges is confirmed by thy silence. Nevertheless thy youth, thy gentle birth, thy maiden innocence plead for our forbearance, but thy misguided willfulness calls for our severest censure. This time I will let thee go punished only by the sense that all men speak ill of thee as an unworthy and disobedient daughter of a most honorable house, as one who has shown defiance to authority and to those righteous and ancient laws which underlie the integrity of our State. Go, then, daughter of Theokleia, but go in the spirit of filial meekness and submission, knowing this well, that if thy foolish and wicked courses are persisted in, the heaviest penalties of our civic law await thee.'

With a gesture he dismissed her, leaning back with a complacent glance at his clerk to note the effect upon him of his unwonted eloquence. Thekla turned and slowly walked away. Before she had reached the door Castelius had drawn from some safe hiding-place a polished metal mirror and had become absorbed in studying the arrangement of the well-curled locks upon his temples.