"Who are they? What deity does she worship? I ought to know that
better than thou."

"Nearly every woman in Rome honors a different one. It is almost beyond
doubt that Pomponia reared her in the religion of that deity which she
herself worships; what one she worships I know not. One thing is
certain, that no person has seen her make an offering to our gods in any
temple. They have accused her even of being a Christian; but that is
not possible; a domestic tribunal cleared her of the charge. They say
that Christians not only worship an ass's head, but are enemies of the
human race, and permit the foulest crimes. Pomponia cannot be a
Christian, as her virtue is known, and an enemy of the human race could
not treat slaves as she does."

"In no house are they treated as at Aulus's," interrupted Vinicius.

"Ah! Pomponia mentioned to me some god, who must be one powerful and
merciful. Where she has put away all the others is her affair; it is
enough that that Logos of hers cannot be very mighty, or rather he must
be a very weak god, since he has had only two adherents,--Pomponia and
Lygia,--and Ursus in addition. It must be that there are more of those
adherents, and that they assisted Lygia."

"That faith commands forgiveness," said Vinicius. "At Acte's I met
Pomponia, who said to me: 'May God forgive thee the evil which thou hast
done to us and to Lygia.'"

"Evidently their God is some curator who is very mild. Ha! let him
forgive thee, and in sign of forgiveness return thee the maiden."