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THE DEATH OF OCTAVIA
.
395
and now I have seen Lucas of Antioch, and from him I
have heard of Jesus. Lucas has lent me the letters of
Paulus of Tarsus. He has written that " not many rich, not
many noble, not many mighty are called "
; but though I am
noble, I am poor, and weak, and unhappy except for that
consolation which He who died for us sends to the sorrowful.'
'
God be praised,' said Acte, ' that thou hast found that
peace.'
'
Yes,' answered the '
Empress ; peace I can truly say in
the midst of shame, and slander, and tumult. My life will be
short ;
but for us, Acte, the islands of the blest, of which the
poets sang, are neither dreams nor fables. Farewell.'
'
Farewell, Empress,' said Acte. '
Day and night will our
brethren lift
up holy hands for thee, and many a purer prayer
than mine will rise for thee like incense.'
As Acte left the villa she passed Onesimus. She had lon
been ignorant of his fate, and shame prevented him from
speaking to her. He recognised her at a glance, but she did
not penetrate the disguise which changed him into a fairhaired
slave, and he shrank back from her presence. He
regretted when it \vas too late that he had not revealed himself
to her, for even now she might possibly have retarded
the tragedies which were to ensue. Alas ! when once men
have shown themselves unfaithful, how often do their best
impulses come too late !
But he devoted himself heart and soul to the service of the
young Empress. She had been permitted to take with her
into exile one or two only of her hundreds of slaves. She
had chosen Tryphaena to be one of these, though the poor
girl, after her cruel torments, was still barely able to stand.
She had also chosen Onesimus, by the advice of Pomponia,
though she did not yet know that he had been brought under
Christian influence.
Nor was he the only disguised Christian in that small and
saddened household. The position of Hermas since his rescue
from the house of Pedanius had been very perilous. If he
were recognised, the fact of his having escaped might be fatal
to others besides himself. The Christians were mostly too
poor to introduce a stranger into their households. They
would have been willing to share with each other the last