congregation which would secure not merely her own maintenance, but that
of her adopted children.

Hannah was bound to Alexandria by many ties; in the first place she clung
to the poor and sick, many of whom had grown very dear to her, and how
many girls who had gone astray had she rescued from evil in the factory
alone! She begged for a short time for reflection, and this was granted
to her. By the fifteenth of March she was to decide, but by the fifth
she had already made up her mind, for while Hannah was in the papyrus-
factory Antinous had succeeded in getting into Paulina's garden shortly
before sunset and in stealing close up to Hannah's house. Mary again
observed him as he approached and signed to him to go, in her usual
pleasant way; but the Bithynian was more excited than usual; he seized
her hand and clasped her with urgent warmth as he implored her to be
merciful. She endeavored at once to free herself, but he would not let
her go, but cried in coaxing tones:

"I must see her and speak to her to-day, dear, good Mary, only this
once!" And before she could prevent it he had kissed her forehead and
had flown into the house to Selene. The little hunchback did not know
what had happened to her; confused and almost paralyzed by conflicting
feelings she stood shame-faced, gazing at the ground. She felt that
something quite extraordinary had happened to her, but this wonderful
something radiated a dazzling splendor, and since this had risen for her,
for poor Mary, a feeling of pride quite new to her mingled with the shame
and indignation that filled her soul. She needed a few minutes to
collect herself and to recover a sense of her duty, and those few minutes
were made good use of by Antinous.

He flew with long steps into the room in which, on that never-to-be-