th melancholy eyes.

'I am the Lady of Art; all that is beautiful and good and wise is in my
province. Live with me; I will make you a poet, and you shall sing
beautiful songs. You shall be wise; and in perfect wisdom, oh youth! is
perfect happiness.'

'The poet has said that wisdom is weariness, oh lady!' said Amyntas. 'My
father is a poet; he has written ten thousand Latin hexameters, and a
large number of Greek iambics.' ...

Then came forward the last. As she stood before Amyntas a cry burst from
him; he had never in his life seen anyone so ravishingly beautiful. She
was looking down, and her long eyelashes prevented her eyes from being
seen, but her lips were like a perfect rose, and her skin was like a
peach; her hair fell to her waist in great masses of curls, and their
sparkling auburn, many-hued and indescribable, changed in the sunbeams
from richest brown to gold, tinged with deep red. She wore a simple
tunic of thin silk, clasped at her waist with a jewelled belt of gold.

She stood before Amyntas, letting him gaze; then suddenly she lifted her
eyes to his. Amyntas's heart gave a mighty beat against his chest. Her
eyes, her eyes were the very lights of love, carrying passionate kisses
on their beams. A sob of ecstasy choked the youth, and he felt that he
could kneel down and worship before them.

Slowly her lips broke into a smile, and her voice was soft and low.

'I am the Lady of Love,' she said. 'Look!' She raised her arms, and the
thin, loose sleeves falling back displayed their roundness and
exquisite shape; she lifted her head, and Amyntas thrilled to cover her
neck with kisses. At last she loosened her girdle, and when the silken
tunic fell to her feet she stood before him in perfect loveliness.

'I cannot give you fame, or riches, or wisdom; I can only give you Love,
Love, Love.... Oh, what an eternity of delight shall we enjoy in one
another's arms! Come, my beloved, come!'

'Yes, I come, my darling!' Amyntas stepped forward with outstretched
arms, and took her hands in his. 'I take you for my love; I want not
wealth nor great renown, but only you. You will give me love-alluring
kisses, and we will live in never-ending bliss.'

He drew her to him, and, with his arms around her, pressed back her head
and covered her lips with kisses.

XIV

And while Amyntas lost his soul in the eyes of his beloved, the three
sisters went sadly away. They ascended the stately barge which awaited
them,