the despairing girl, but she would not, could not believe it. As soon as
she was alone with the old negress and the dead, she lifted up his heavy,
clumsy arm, and as soon as she let go her hold it fell by his side like
lead. She lifted the cloth from the dead man's face, but she flung it
over him again at once, for death had drawn his features. Then she
kissed his cold hand and brought the children in and made them do the
same, and said sobbing:

"We have no father now; we shall never, never see him again."

The little blind boy felt the dead body with his hands, and asked his
sister:

"Will he not wake again to-morrow morning and make you curl his hair, and
take me up on his knee?"

"Never, never; he is gone, gone for ever."

As she spoke Mastor entered the room, sent by his master. Yesterday had
he not heard from the overseer of the pavement-workers the comforting
tidings that after our grief and suffering here on earth there would be
another, beautiful, blissful and eternal life? He went kindly up to
Arsinoe and said:

"No, no, my children; when we are dead we become beautiful angels with
colored wings, and all who have loved each other here on earth will meet
again in the presence of the good God."

Arsinoe looked at the slave with disapproval.