"Have you had certain tidings of his——" He paused for an instant, unwilling to voice the word.
"Of his martyrdom?" the widow said proudly. "Yes; he has gone home to God. The way was long and rough, but the end was peace."
"Then you know how nobly he witnessed for his Lord?"
"We know that he was found faithful."
"I was with him almost to the end," Jack said.
Then he told the story of his imprisonment, and of Thomassian's courage and faithfulness. Every word was as balm poured into the bleeding heart of the new-made widow.
"And now, madame," he said at last, "how is it with you in your loneliness?"
"As I suppose you know, we have been robbed of everything. My husband was known to be a rich man, and our house was one which invited plunder. What does it matter? When a scorpion has stung you, you do not feel the prick of a gnat. All I want is a handful of rice to feed these poor little ones."
"Are they—relatives perhaps?" asked Jack. He knew she had no children.