“You have heard of the Lord of all, Who became servant of all?” said Damaris, tenderly; and Ethne replied, her whole face lighting up— “Patrick told us of the King of men, Who saw that all men were in bondage, and gave His life a ransom for all; and he told us how He came to serve us all, and that His sacrifice and His service were all willing. And our Patrick was himself once a slave, and knows what it means. Besides,” she added, “it could never be hard to serve Miriam, she was so good to us, and so sad.” “Her name is Miriam?” Damaris asked. “Yes,” said Ethne; “and I thought that name was the same as the blessed Mother’s name, and that made it sweeter to serve her.” Damaris took the girl’s hand and pressed it to her heart as she replied— “Thy Miriam looks very worn and sad.” “Yes; and that, of course, makes me love her more. She has lost her only child, and she does not seem to have quite found our Christ.” “Child,” said Damaris, “our Christ is everything to thee?” “Yes,” replied Ethne, simply, “He is everything. We are Christians.” “Could you not tell Miriam of Him?” said Damaris. “I tried,” was Ethne’s answer; “and she wept, and said she saw I had found the Messiah, who is called the Christ, and that it gave me a wonderful joy. There was no need to say much. She saw. But,” she added, “Patrick told us there are two Testaments of God. And Miriam seems only to know the first, the beginning; she has not learned the end yet.” “The Testaments of God are all your learning?” Damaris said. “They are the only books we know,” Ethne replied. “Happy child,” said Damaris, “to have had only the fountains to drink from.” “But here, where the fountains have been overflowing, they say, so long,” replied Ethne, “we are hoping to learn so much! And then, if ever we go home again——” But there she stopped; the words would not come. “You have a home, father and mother?” Damaris asked. “We _had_,” sobbed Ethne; “and oh! I trust we have still! If only we could know! Patrick said in his letter, that the pirates killed many when they took us captive; and Dewi, the British sailor, who was one of them, promised to go home and tell our people of us, and then to come back and find us out, and tell us of them. And if God helps him he will.” Damaris laid the fair head on her shoulder, and gradually the whole story came out. They were interrupted by a bell sounding from the oratory which had belonged to Marcella and the Ecclesia Domestica of the Aventine; and they all went thither, and knelt together for the morning prayer. Afterwards, while the brother and sister had their morning meal together, Damaris and Fabricius consulted what should be done with them. It was clear from what Miriam had said, and Baithene confirmed, that the eyes of one of the officers of the Emperor’s household had rested covetously on the three, that is, the youth, the maiden, and the dog, and that they must as little as possible for the present be seen in public together.