"I can see that you must have answered them sharply!"

"Indeed I believe so," answered Petrus, looking down. "Many painful
things were no doubt said, and it was I that suffered for them.
Agapitus, who was looking at the deacons' reports, was especially
dissatisfied with the account that I laid before them; they blamed us
severely because you gave away as much bread to heathen households as to
Christians. It is no doubt true, but--"

But," cried Dorothea eagerly, "hunger is just as painful to the
unbaptized, and their Christian neighbors do not help them, and yet they
too are our flesh and blood. I should ill fulfil my office if I were to
let them starve, because the highest comfort is lacking to them."

"And yet," said Petrus, "the council decided that, for the future, you
must apply at the most a fourth part of the grain allotted to their use.
You need not fear for them; for the future some of our own produce may go
to them out of what we have hitherto sold. You need not withdraw even a
loaf from any one of your proteges, but certainly may now be laid by the
plans for the road. Indeed there is no hurry for its completion, for
Polykarp will now hardly be able to go on with his lions here among us.
Poor fellow! with what delight he formed the clay models, and how
wonderfully he succeeded in reproducing the air and aspect of the
majestic beasts. It is as if he were inspired by the spirit of the old
Athenian masters. We must now consider whether in Alexandria--"

"Rather let us endeavor," interrupted Dorothea, "to induce him at once to
put aside his models, and to execute other more pious works. Agapitus
has keen eyes, and the heathen work is only too dear to the lad's heart."