Two of the Africans seized Tebaldo, and buffeted him unceremoniously to within a few paces of the occupant of the chariot. Here he stood, speechless and trembling, anger and fear contending for the mastery, which changed to dismay as the woman raised her veil with a hand gleaming white as ivory. "Do you know me?" Whatever he had intended to say, the words died on Tebaldo's lips. "The Lady Theodora!" "You still have your wits about you," replied the woman. "Whom have you there?" The cold sweat stood on the brow of Basil's henchman. "The run-away mistress of my lord," he said, looking from right to left for some one to prompt him, some escape from the dilemma. "Who is your master?" Theodora queried curtly. "The Lord Basil--" "The Lord Basil!" shrilled Theodora. "Indeed I knew not he had lost a mistress. Yet I saw him within the hour and had speech with him."-- Stefano had meanwhile come up, composed and sedate, little guessing the quality of his companion's interlocutor, with the air of a man confident in the justice of his case. "Where are you taking this woman?" Theodora queried. Tebaldo attempted to speak, but Stefano anticipated him. "To the palace of my Lord Basil on the Pincian Hill, noble lady," he said with many obese bows. "Suffer us to proceed, for the streets are becoming more unsafe every moment and our lord will not be trifled with in matters of this kind." "Indeed," Theodora interposed. "Is his heart so much set upon this prize? Ho there, Bahram--Yussuff--bring the woman here!" Tebaldo tried to worm himself out of the clutch of the black giants, in order to prevent them from obeying Theodora's order, but he found the situation hopeless and was about to address Theodora when the latter bade him be silent.-- "The woman shall speak for herself," she said in a tone that suffered no contradiction and, in another moment, Hellayne, lifted by four muscular arms from the chariot of her abductors, stood, released of her bandages, before Theodora. All color left the Roman's face as she gazed into the pallid and anguished features of the woman whom of all women on earth she feared and hated most, the woman who dared to enter the arena with her for the love of the one man whom she was determined to possess, if the universe should crumble to atoms. Hellayne's fear upon beholding Theodora gave way to her pride as she met the dark eyes of the Roman in which there might have been a gleam of pity or a flash of scorn. But, ere Hellayne could speak, finding herself, caught like a poor hunted bird, in one net, ere she had well escaped the other, Theodora turned to Tebaldo. "Tell the Lord Basil, the woman he craves is under Theodora's roof, and--if so he be inclined--he may claim her at my hands--" The gleaming white arm went out, and ere Hellayne knew what happened, she found herself raised into the second chariot, where sat a tall girl of great beauty, Persephoné, the Circassian.