'Be not over anxious,' he replied soothingly. 'Leave this in my
hands. Should it be necessary, I can dispose of some days before
pursuing my journey. Take comfort, noble and pious lady! The truth
will prevail.'
The deacon's first step was to obtain a private interview with the
physician. He then made known his desire to wait upon Maximus, and
with no great delay was admitted. Tactfully, sagaciously, he drew
the sufferer to confide in him, to see in him, not so much a
spiritual admonisher as a counsellor and a support in worldly
difficulties. Leander was already well aware that the Senator had
small religious zeal, but belonged to the class of men, numerous at
this time, who, whilst professing the Christian and the orthodox
faith, were in truth philosophers rather than devotees, and regarded
dogmatic questions with a calm not easily distinguished from
indifference. Maximus had scarcely spoken of his daughter, when the
deacon understood it was Aurelia's temporal, much more than her
eternal, interests which disturbed the peace of the dying man. Under
Roman law, bequests to a heretic were null and void; though this
enactment had for the most part been set aside in Italy under Gothic
rule, it might be that the Imperial code would henceforth prevail.
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