Whether the wind and thunder would have sufficed to keep her awake who can tell; but the thoughts that had whirled through her brain had been varied and exciting enough to rob her of sleep.

Her own people who were fighting for Serapis--how were they faring; and Agne--what had become of her?
Then her mind turned to the church, and the worthy old priest's sermon; to the races that she was to see--and the face and figure of the handsome young Christian rose vividly and irresistibly before her fancy.

Of course--of course, she wished his horses to win; but it was strange enough that she, Karnis' niece, should be on the side of the Christians.

Stranger still that she had entirely ceased to believe in all the abuse which, from her earliest childhood, she had heard heaped on the followers of the crucified Jew.

It could only be that Karnis had never been able to forgive them for having ruined his theatre at Tauromenium, and so, perhaps, had never known them thoroughly.
She had enjoyed many a happy hour at the festivals of the old gods; and they were no doubt beautiful and festive divinities, or terrible when they were wroth; still, in the depths of her soul there had for some time lurked a vague, sweet longing which found no fulfilment in any heathen temple.