It might
cause her death, he said.
Virgilia knew, however, that the time must come soon when, if she was
loyal to her faith, she must refuse to offer outward homage to the
pagan gods.
In spite of her belief in Christ and her desire to serve him, her
heart grew cold within her and her limbs trembled at the thought of
that dread time, for she was very delicate and her mother's will was
strong. How could she defy her mother? It was an awful crime in pagan
Rome to refuse to offer libations and flowers before the shrines of
the family gods, a crime punishable by death.
Had she strength to stand firm?
II.
THE "LITTLE FISH."
In the meantime, Martius was still under the roof of his father's
house. It looked now as if he would be allowed to stay there, for his
step-mother's illness and the quiet condition of her mind during her
convalescence, gave rise to the hope that when completely recovered,
she would be no longer so intolerant and would permit the religious
differences to be forgotten.
Aurelius Lucanus was a broad-minded man.
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