"Like Persephoné, your Circassian,--in the Emperor's Tomb?" came the taunting reply. Theodora's face was white as lightning. "I should not leave the work undone!" "Neither should I," came the purring reply, as Roxana extended her wonderful hands and arms. "Meanwhile--will you not inform your guests of the story of the pilgrim, who wellnigh caused Marozia's sister to enter a nunnery?" A group of listeners had gathered about. Basil was swaying to and fro in his seat with suppressed fury. "One convent at least would be damned from gable to refectory," he muttered, emptying the tankard which one of the Africans had just replenished. Theodora regarded him icily. Her inscrutable countenance gave no hint of her thoughts. She did not even seem to hear the questions which fell thick and fast about her, but there was something in the velvet depths of her eyes that would have caused even the boldest to tremble in the consciousness of having incurred her anger. The Lord of Norba reeled towards the couch, where Roxana had taken her seat, blinking out of small watery eyes and flirting with his lordly buskins. "How came it about?" "What was he like?" Theodora turned slowly from the one to the other. Then with a voice vibrant with contempt she said: "A man!" "And you were counting your beads?" shouted the Lord Atenulf in so amazed a tone, that the guests broke out into peals of laughter. "It was then it happened," Roxana related, without relating. "How mysterious," shivered some one. "Will you not tell us?" Roxana challenged Theodora anew. Their eyes met. Roxana turned to her auditors. "Our fair Theodora had been suddenly touched by the spirit," she began in her low musical voice. "Withdrawing from the eyes of man she gave herself up to holy meditations. In this mood she nightly circled the Penitent's Rosary at Santa Maria of the Aventine, praying that the saint might take compassion upon her and deliver unto her keeping a perfect, saintly man, pure and undefiled. And to add weight to her own prayers, we, too, circled the Rosary; Gisla, Adelhita, Pamela and myself. And we prayed very earnestly." She paused for a moment and looked about, as if to gauge the impression her tale was producing on the assembled guests. Her smiling eyes swept the face of Theodora who was listening as intently as if the incident about to be related had happened to another, her sphinx-like face betraying not a sign of emotion. "And then?" It was Basil's voice, hoarse and constrained. "Then," Roxana continued, "the miracle came to pass before our very eyes. Behind one of the monolith pillars there stood one in a pilgrim's garb, young and tall of stature. His gaze followed our rotations, and each time we circled about him our fair Theodora offered thanks to the saint for granting her prayer--" She paused and again her gaze mockingly swept Theodora's sphinx-like face. "And then?" spoke the voice of Basil.