"

At this narrative Antinous covered his face with both hands, and murmured
in terror:

"Frightful, frightful! What can be hanging over us? Only listen, how it
thunders, and the rain thrashes the tent."

"The clouds are pouring out torrents; see the water is coming in already.
The slaves must dig gutters for it to run off. Drive the pegs tighter you
fellows out there or the whirlwind will tear down the slight structure."

"And how sultry the air is!"

"The hot wind seems to warm even the flood of rain. Here it is still dry;
mix me a cup of wine, Antinous. Have any letters come?"

"Yes, my Lord."

"Give them to me, Mastor."

The slave, who was busily engaged in damming up with earth and stones,
the trickling stream of rain-water that was soaking into the tent, sprang
up, hastily dried his hands, took a sack out of the chest in which the
Emperor's despatches were kept and gave it to his master. Hadrian opened
the leather bag, took out a roll, hastily broke it open, and then, after
rapidly glancing at the contents, exclaimed:

"What is this? I have opened the record of the oracle of Apis. How did it
come among to-day's letters?"

Antinous went up to Hadrian, looked at the sack, and said:

"Mastor has made a mistake. These are the documents from Memphis. I will
bring you the right despatch-bag."

"Stay!" said Hadrian, eagerly seizing his favorite's hand. "Is this a
mere trick of chance or a decree of Fate? Why should this particular sack
have come into my hands to-day of all others? Why, out of twenty
documents it contains, should I have taken out this very one? Look
here.--I will explain these signs to you. Here stand three pairs of arms
bearing shields and spears, close by the name of the Egyptian month that
corresponds to our November. These are the three signs of misfortune. The
lutes up there are of happier omen. The masts here indicate the usual
state of affairs. Three of these hieroglyphics always occur together.
Three lutes indicate much good fortune, two lutes and one mast good
fortune and moderate prosperity, one pair of arms and two lutes
misfortune, followed by happiness, and so forth. Here, in November, begin
the arms with weapons, and here they stand in threes and threes, and
portend nothing but unqualified misfortune, never mitigated by a single
lute. Do you see, boy? Have you understood the meaning of these signs?"

"Perfectly well; but do you interpret them rightly? The fighting arms may
pe