Charles Kingsley

“ Their Amal! Their heavenly man! Odin's own son, their joy and pride, and glory! Their 'Kingdom of heaven,' as his name declared him, who was all that each wished to be, and more, and yet belonged to them, bone of their bone, flesh of their flesh! Ah, it is bitter to all true human hearts to be robbed of their ideal, even though that ideal be that of a mere wild bull, and soulless gladiator. . . .
At last Smid spoke—
'Heroes, this is Odin's doom; and the All-father is just. Had we listened to Prince Wulf four months ago, this had never been. ”

“ No man shall say that I struck a woman twice.'
'Nidhogg waits for her, soon or late,' answered Wulf.
And Miriam, coolly folding her shawl around her, turned and walked steadily down the stair; while all men breathed more freely, as if delivered from some accursed and supernatural spell.
'And now,' said Wulf, 'to your posts, and vengeance!'
The mob had weltered and howled ineffectually around the house for some half-hour. But the lofty walls, opening on the street only by a few narrow windows in the higher stories, rendered it an impregnable fortress. ”

“ Wulf!' cried both the youths at once. 'You are the hero! you are the Sagaman! We are not worthy; we have been cowards and sluggards, like the rest. Wolves of the Goths, follow the Wolf, even though he lead you to the land of the giants!'
A roar of applause followed. ”

“ And the little wretch sat down by Philammon's side, and as the blood dripped from his wounds upon the pavement, broke out into a bitter agony of human tears.
There are times when the very intensity of our misery is a boon, and kindly stuns us till we are unable to torture ourselves by thought. ”

“ Where are your band of monks?'
Philammon started back. How had she discovered his plan?
'Ay—where are they? Besotted boy! Have you not seen enough of monkery this afternoon, that you must try still to make that poor girl even such a one as yourselves? Ay, you may root out your own human natures if you will, and make yourselves devils in trying to become angels: but woman she is, and woman she shall live or die!'
'Let me pass!' cried Philammon furiously.
'Raise your voice—and I raise mine: and then your life is not worth a moment's purchase. Fool, do you think I speak as a Jewess? ”

“ Will you go?'
'Back to Adolf!' shouted the men.
'You will not leave us to be murdered?' cried one of the girls. 'The mob are breaking the gates already!'
'Silence, silly one! Men—we have one thing to do. The Amal must not go to the Valhalla without fair attendance.'
'Not the poor girls?' said Agilmund, who took for granted that Wulf would wish to celebrate the Amal's funeral in true Gothic fashion by a slaughter of slaves. ”

“ But Philammon knew that he had been in the presence of a stronger man than himself, and of one who hated even more bitterly than he himself that deed at which the very sun, it seemed, ought to have veiled his face. ”

“ For an instant they recoiled, with a vague horror, and dread of treachery: but the mass behind pressed them onward, and in swept the murderers of Hypatia, till the court was full of choking wretches, surging against the walls and pillars in aimless fury. And then, from under the archway on each side, rushed a body of tall armed men, driving back all incomers more ”