CHAPTER 6. 

AN APPRENTICESHIP TO THE TEMPLE. 

The action of our characters during the night included in the last two chapters has now come to a pause. Vetranio is awaiting his guests for the banquet; Numerian is in the chapel, preparing for the discourse that he is to deliver to his friends; Ulpius is meditating in his master's house; Antonina is stretched upon her couch, caressing the precious fragment that she had saved from the ruins of her lute. All the immediate agents of our story are, for the present, in repose. 

It is our purpose to take advantage of this interval of inaction, and direct the reader's attention to a different country from that selected as the scene of our romance, and to such historical events of past years as connect themselves remarkably with the early life of Numerian's perfidious convert. This man will be found a person of great importance in the future conduct of our story. It is necessary to the comprehension of his character, and the penetration of such of his purposes as have been already hinted at, and may subsequently appear, that the long course of his existence should be traced upwards to its source. 

It was in the reign of Julian, when the gods of the Pagan achieved their last victory over the Gospel of the Christian, that a decently attired man, leading by the hand a handsome boy of fifteen years of age, entered the gates of Alexandria, and proceeded hastily towards the high priest's dwelling in the Temple of Serapis. 
Where is everybody from the story right now?
Who's in the chapel?
What is he preparing to give his friends?
Where is Ulpius?
Doing what?
Who is Vetranio expecting?
Why are the coming over?
Where's Antonina?
What's she rubbing?
Of what?
Did something happen to it?
What?
Where does the author want our attention to go?
From what?
Who will be a person of significance later in the story?
Has the story already given some clues as to his purposes?
Who was in charge during the Pagan gods' last win?
Who did they fight against?
How old was the boy who entered Alexandria?
Whose residence was he going to?
in repose.
All the immediate agents of our story are, for the present, in repose. 
Numerian
 Numerian is in the chapel
discourse
 preparing for the discourse that he is to deliver to his friends
in his master's house
Ulpius is meditating in his master's house
meditating
Ulpius is meditating
his guests
Vetranio is awaiting his guests for the banque
for the banquet
Vetranio is awaiting his guests for the banquet
on her couch
Antonina is stretched upon her couch
fragments
caressing the precious fragment that she had saved from the ruins of her lute
her lute
caressing the precious fragment that she had saved from the ruins of her lute
yes
 caressing the precious fragment that she had saved from the ruins of her lute
unknown
unknown
to a different country
 direct the reader's attention to a different country 
from the one in the romance scene
 direct the reader's attention to a different country from that selected as the scene of our romance
Numerian's perfidious convert
Numerian's perfidious convert. This man will be found a person of great importance
ye
 penetration of such of his purposes as have been already hinted at
Julian
It was in the reign of Julian, when the gods of the Pagan achieved their last victory 
the Gospel of the Christian
Pagan achieved their last victory over the Gospel of the Christian
15
 a handsome boy of fifteen years of age, entered the gates of Alexandria
the high priest's
 high priest's dwelling in the Temple of Serapis.