d
Plautilla, although I never offended either you or your mother! Better
die a hundred deaths than parade my dishonor before the eyes of the
multitude in the open Circus!"

She ceased, incapable of further resistance, threw herself weeping on
the divan, and buried her face in the cushions.

Confounded and bewildered by such audacity, the emperor had heard her
out. The soul of a hero dwelt in the frail body of this maiden! Majestic
as all-conquering Venus she had resisted him for the second tune, and
now how touching did she appear in her tears and weakness! He loved her,
and his heart yearned to raise her in his arms, to beg her forgiveness,
and fulfill her every wish. But he was a man and a monarch, and his
desire to show Melissa to the people in the Circus as his chosen bride
had become a fixed resolve during the past sleepless night. And indeed
he was incapable of renouncing any wish or a plan, even if he felt
inclined to do so. Yet he heartily regretted having stormed at the
gentle Greek girl like some wild barbarian, and thus himself thrown
obstacles in the way of attaining his desire. His hot blood had carried
him away again. Surely some demon led him so often into excesses which
he afterward repented of. This time the fiend had been strong in him,
and he must use every gentle persuasion he knew of to bend the deeply
offended maiden to his will.

He was relieved not to meet her intense gaze as he advanced toward her
and took Philostratus's place, who whispered to her to control herself
and not bring death and ruin upon them all.

"I Truly I meant well toward you, dearest," he began, in altered
tones. "But we are both like overfull vessels--one drop will make them
overflow. You--confess now that you forgot yourself. And I--On the
throne we grow unaccustomed to opposition. It is fortunate that the
flame of my anger dies out so quickly. But it lies with you to prevent
it from ever breaking out; for I should always endeavor to fulfill a
kindly expressed wish, if it were possible. This time, however, I must
insist--"

Melissa turned toward the emperor, and stretching out beseeching hands,
she cried:

"Bid me do anything, however hard, and it shall be done, but do not
force me to go with you to the Circus. If my mother were only alive!
Wherever I could go with her was right. But my father, not to speak of
my madcap brother Alexander, do not know what befits a maiden, nor does
anybody expect it of them."

"And