ewell, my noble friends! Greet your
bridegroom from me, my child. His work belongs to me. Pollux will be the
first among his fellow-artists, and it has been my privilege to discover
this new star--the eighth artist whose merit I have detected while he was
still unknown. Your future brother-in-law too, Teuker, will turn out
well. I am having a stone cut by him with a portrait of Antinous. Once
more farewell; I must go to the Council. We shall have to discuss the
subject of a temple to the new divinity. Move on you two!"

An hour after Plutarch had quitted the prefect's house Julia's chariot
was standing at the entrance of a lane, much too narrow to admit a
vehicle with horses, and which ended in a little plot on which stood
Euphorion's humble house. Julia's outrunners easily found out the
residence of the sculptor's parents, led the matron and Arsinoe to the
spot, and showed them the door they should knock at.

"What a color you have, my little girl!" said Julia. "Well, I will not
intrude on your meeting, but I should like to deliver you with my own
hand into those of your future mother. Go to that little house, Arctus,
and beg dame Doris to step out here. Only say that some one wishes to
speak with her, but do not mention my name."

Arsinoe's heart beat so violently that she was incapable of saying a word
of thanks to her kind protectress. "Step behind this palm-tree," said the
lady. Arsinoe obeyed; but she felt as though it was some outside
volition, and not her own, that guided her to her hiding-place. She heard
nothing of the first words spoken by the Roman lady and Doris. She only
saw the dear old face of her Pollux's mother, and in spite of her
reddened eyes and the wrinkles which trouble had furrowed in her face,
she could not tire of looking at it. It reminded her of the happiest days
of her childhood, and she longed to rush forward and throw her arms round
the neck of the kindly, good-hearted woman. Then she heard Julia say: "I
have brought her to you. She is just as sweet and as maidenly and lovely
as she was the first time we saw her in the theatre."

"Where is she? Where is she?" asked Doris in a trembling voice.

Julia pointed to the palm, and was about to call Arsinoe, but the girl
could no longer restrain her longing to fall on the neck of some one dear
to her, for Pollux had come out of the door to see who had asked for his
mother, and to see him and to fly to his breast with a cry of joy had
been one