“Then she is a Christian?” exclaimed Niger; and he looked inquiringly into the face of Vinicius, who divined evidently what the gaze of the countryman was asking, since he answered,—
“I too am a Christian.”
Tears glistened in Niger’s eyes that moment. He was silent for a while; then, raising his hands, he said,—
“I thank Thee, O Christ, for having taken the beam from eyes which are the dearest on earth to me.”
Then he embraced the head of Vinicius, and, weeping from happiness, fell to kissing his forehead. A moment later, Petronius appeared, bringing Nazarius.
“Good news!” cried he, while still at a distance.
Indeed, the news was good. First, Glaucus the physician guaranteed Lygia’s life, though she had the same prison fever of which, in the Tullianum and other dungeons, hundreds of people were dying daily. As to the guards and the man who tried corpses with red-hot iron, there was not the least difficulty. Attys, the assistant, was satisfied also.
“We made openings in the coffin to let the sick woman breathe,” said Nazarius. “The only danger is that she may groan or speak as we pass the pretorians. But she is very weak, and is lying with closed eyes since early morning. Besides, Glaucus will give her a sleeping draught prepared by himself from drugs brought by me purposely from the city. The cover will not be nailed to the coffin; ye will raise it easily and take the patient to the litter. We will place in the coffin a long bag of sand, which ye will provide.”
Vinicius, while hearing these words, was as pale as linen; but he listened with such attention that he seemed to divine at a glance what Nazarius had to say.
“Will they carry out other bodies from the prison?” inquired Petronius.