could not do all that in two hours."

"Doris shall never cross this threshold," repeated Keraunus, for all his
answer.

"Then tell the tailor Hippias to send me an assistant; but that will cost
money."

"We have it, and can pay," replied Keraunus, proudly, and in order not to
forget his commissions he muttered to himself while he went to get a
litter:

"Hippias the tailor, blue ribbon, red ribbon, and Tryphon the
ship-builder."

The tailor's nimble apprentice helped Arsinoe to arrange her dress and
Selene's, and was never weary of praising the sheen and silkiness of
Arsinoe's hair, while she twisted it with ribbons, built it up and
twisted it at the back so gracefully with a comb, that it fell in a thick
mass of artfully-curled locks down her neck and back. When Keraunus came
back, he gazed with justifiable pride at his beautiful child; he was
immensely pleased, and even chuckled softly to himself as he laid out the
gold pieces which were brought to him by the curiosity-dealer's servant,
and set them in a row and counted them. While he was thus occupied,
Arsinoe went up to him and asked laughing: "Hiram has not cheated me
then?" Keraunus desired her not to disturb him, and added:

"Think of that sword, the weapon of the great Antony, perhaps the very
one with which he pierced his own breast.--Where can Selene be?"

An hour, an hour and a half had slipped by, and when the fourth half-hour
was well begun, and still his eldest daughter did not return, the steward
announced that they must set out, for that it would not do to keep the
ship-builder's wife waiting. It was a sincere grief to Arsinoe to be
obliged to go without Selene. She had made her sister's dress look as
nice as her own, and had laid it carefully on the divan near the mosaic
pavement. She had taken a great deal of trouble. Never before had she
been out in the streets alone, and it seemed impossible to enjoy anything
without the companionship and supervision of her absent sister. But her
father's assertion, that Selene would have a place gladly found for her,
even later, among the maidens, reassured the girl who was overflowing
with joyful expectation.

Finally she perfumed herself a little with the fragrant extract which
Keraunus was accustomed to use before going to the council, and begged
her father to order the old slave-woman to go and buy the promised cakes
for the little ones during her absence. The children had all gathered
round her, admi