“What wantest thou, boy?” asked the chief of the lime-burners.
“Tell me, tell me, sirs,” asked Fulgentius, anxiously, “hast thou performed the command of the emperor?”
“Ay, my lad, right well; come, look into the furnace—and see, his bones yet burn.”
“His bones; whose bones, sirs?” asked Fulgentius, aghast with fear.
Then they told him all that had been commanded them, and how Malitius coming first to the lime-kilns had been cast into the fire and burnt.
“Thanks be to God,” said the youth, devoutly kneeling, “who hath saved me from this terrible death.” With these words he bade the burners farewell, and returned to his uncle’s palace.
“Ha!” said the emperor, when Fulgentius bowed himself before his uncle’s throne, “thou here, sir varlet; hast thou not been to my lime-burners?”
“Verily, my lord, I have been there and performed thy commandment; but before I came your will had been performed.”
“Performed,” rejoined the emperor, “how performed? Malitius; is he not here?”
“No, my lord, he is burnt in the lime-kiln,” replied the youth; “he came first to the kiln, and the burners obeyed your commands, and he is dead, and I have escaped. But, O my dear uncle, how couldst thou contrive such a death for thy poor nephew?” and he wept bitterly.