delicate silver wires. Next came a bunch of flowers, round
whose stems a supple golden snake was twined, covered with rubies and
diamonds and destined to coil itself round a woman's arm. The third
was a necklace of extremely costly Persian pearls, which had once
belonged--so the merchant had declared--to great Cleopatra's treasure.

Melissa loved flowers; and the costly gifts that accompanied them
could not fail to rejoice a woman's heart. And yet she only gave them a
passing glance, reddening painfully as she did so.

What the bearer had to say to her was of more importance to her than
the gifts he brought, and in fact the troubled manner of the usually
composed philosopher betrayed that he had something more serious to
deliver than the gifts of his love-sick lord.

The lady Euryale, perceiving that he meant to try once more to persuade
Melissa to yield, hastened to declare that she had found ways and means
to help the maiden to escape; but he shook his head with a sigh, and
said, thoughtfully:

"Well--well--I shall go on board the ship while the wild beasts are
doing their part in the Circus. May we meet again happily, either here
or else where! My way leads me first to Caesar's mother, to inform her
of his choice of a wife. Not that he needs her consent: whose consent or
disapproval does Caracalla care for? But I am to win Julia's heart for
you. Possibly I may succeed; but you--you scorn it, and fly from her
son. And yet--believe me, child--the heart of that woman is a treasure
that has no equal, and, if she should open her arms to you, there would
be little that you could not endure. When I left you, just now, I put
myself in your place, and approved of your resolve; but it would be
wrong not to remind you once more of what you must expect if you follow
your own will, and if Caesar considers himself scorned, ill-treated, and
deceived by you."

"In the name of all the gods, what has happened?" broke in Melissa,
pallid with fear. Philostratus pressed his hand to his brow, and his
voice was hoarse with suppressed emotion as he continued: "Nothing
new-only things are taking their old course. You know that Caracalla
threatened old Claudius Vindex and his nephew with death because of
their opposition to his union with you. We all hoped, however, that he
would be moved to exercise mercy. He is in love--he was so gracious at
the feast! I myself was foremost among those who did their utmost to
dispose Caesar to clemenc