st, and insisted, saying that our fate, his and
mine, hung on that hour, and that not a soul must overhear what he had to
say. The top of the door was too high to whisper through, so there was
nothing for it but to ask Papias for the key; however, he did not know
where he had put it. I afterwards thought of asking him what he had done
with his flute and he fetched it then at once.--In short, the key was
nowhere to be found. I told Marcus this and he wrung his hands with
vexation; but in a few minutes the inn-steward, who must have been hiding
to listen behind a pillar, suddenly appeared as if he had dropped from
the skies, took a key out of his girdle, threw the door wide open, and
vanished as if the earth had swallowed him.

"There we stood, Marcus and I, face to face. He was quite agitated; I
really believe the poor fellow was trembling, and I did not feel very
confident; however, I asked him what it was that he wanted. Then he
recovered himself a little: 'I wished,'--he began; so I went on: 'Thou
wishedst,'--and it might have gone on to the end: 'he wished, we
wished'---and so forth, like the children at school at Rome, when we were
learning Greek; but, Papias came to the rescue, for he ran up to Marcus
and asked him to toss him up high, as he used to do on board ship. Marcus
did as he was asked, and then he suddenly broke out into such a torrent
of words that I was quite terrified. First he said so many fine things
that I quite expected a declaration of love, and was trying to make up my
mind whether I would laugh him out of it or throw myself into his
arms--for he really is a dear, good, handsome fellow--and if you would
like to know the truth I should have been very willing to oblige him--to
a certain extent. But he asked me nothing, and from talking of me--listen
to this Father Karnis--and saying that the great Father in Heaven had
granted me every good gift, he went on to speak of you as a wicked,
perverse and reprobate old heathen."

"I will teach him!" exclaimed Karnis shaking his fist.

"Nay, but listen," Dada went on. "He praised you and mother for a great
many things; but do you know what he says is wrong? He says you will
imperil my psyche--my soul, my immortal soul. As if I had ever heard of
any Psyche but the Psyche whom Eros loved!"

"That is quite another thing," said Karnis very seriously. "In many
songs, you know, I have tried to make you uplift your soul to a higher
flight. You have learnt to sin