"Yea! if, indeed, the reason be a good one."
"The reason, then, is this," she answered: "I do not love thee; I do not desire thy love; strange and incredible as it may seem to thee, I do not even admire thee in any way whatever, and thy profession of affection is irksome to me, and the more irksome the more thou dost insist upon my hearing thereof."
"But thou wilt learn to love me, Theckla," he cried out vehemently, "and thou shalt give me some reasonable opportunity to win thy regard! Ah, I understand it perfectly. It is the fault of that old grand-uncle, who ought to have been 'the Osiris Justified' half a century ago. He hath prejudiced thy heart against me, because he desireth thee to consume thy youth and brightness in ministering unto his desolate and selfish old age. But I swear by all the gods that, as soon as I return home, I will have thy nearer kindred take thee away from him, so that thou shalt take thy proper place among the maidens of thine own age and rank, and learn some more reasonable way of life, and some better views of duty and of happiness than his selfish and exacting age can teach thee! I see that thou art now blinded by this old man's influence, and resolved against the course of reason and of nature; so for the present, fare thee well, Theckla, but remember that I love thee, and that thou shalt yet be mine own."
Then the young man, trembling with rage and disappointment, fled from the house, and for many months the young girl saw no more of him.
Meanwhile, the building of the church was quietly but diligently prosecuted; and, with the most elaborate and conscientious patience, Theckla labored to make an accurate copy of the scriptures, and, through the bishop and other Christian friends, she obtained the use of more than one original epistle from which to transcribe the text. Some months before the date arrived at which Arius was to be ordained, the diligent young girl had the satisfaction of witnessing the completion of the edifice, a splendid and substantial structure, which the bishop dedicated to God by the name of "Baucalis," given unto it at Theckla's request; and a number of Christians who had learned all about the young girl's history, and why and for whom the church had been builded, organized themselves into a community, and customarily held service of singing and prayer therein. And they prepared also a letter, signed by all of them, in which they informed Arius that they had agreed in requesting him to come and be their presbyter, as soon as he might be ordained; and that, although they knew him not in the flesh, they were ready to receive him with open hearts, first for Theckla's sake, and afterward, they hoped and believed, even for his own. About the same time, also, the young girl completed the copy of the sacred writings which she had made for Arius; and this labor of love, and of care and patience, included the Old Testament, the New Testament, the Pastor of Hennas, and the Epistles of Clement to the Corinthians, together with some letters written by Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna, all copied in the uncial Greek text, with minutest care and accuracy. And she had a box made of cedar of Lebanon, with silver hinges and fastenings, to contain the precious parchments, and a silver plate thereon, upon which was engraved the name "Arius"; and, having finished both the church and the writings, she prepared a letter unto him, and put her letter, and that which the Church had written unto him, and the scriptures, into the cedar box, and laid them away safely, awaiting an opportunity to send them to him against the time of his ordination, for the Christians of those days sent no letters or parcels which might show that they were Christians, except by the hands of those whom they knew to be of the same faith.
And this was Theckla's letter to Arius:
"DEARLY BELOVED: Seeing that thou hast devoted thy life unto the service of our blessed Lord, I did meditate much how I also might be able to accomplish some good in his holy name, and likewise gratify thee. I have accordingly, during the past two years, caused to be builded here a beautiful church, which hath recently been dedicated by the name of 'Baucalis,' in memory of our dear old home; and thou wilt learn, from the letter sent herewith, that our little community desireth thee to be our presbyter. Also, as a token of the great love wherewith thy Theckla loveth thee, she hath written with her own hand a most careful copy of the sacred scriptures, and of some other manuscripts which thou esteemest highly, and sendeth the same unto thee, with the love of thy THECKLA."
And a short time before the days set for the ordination of Arius, and of other young men who were deacons studying with the bishop at Antioch, the Bishop of Alexandria went unto the ancient city to be present upon that occasion, and by him Theckla sent unto Arius the box containing the scriptures and letters; and, having so done, the young girl waited the coming of the youthful presbyter, with her heart full of love, and peace, and happiness.
CHAPTER XVI.
BEFORE THE TEMPLE OF SERAPIS.