well," replied the musician; and he silenced the singers, who were
hazarding various impertinent guesses as to the arrival of so pretty a
girl just when Caesar was expected.

As Melissa dropped her veil the splendor of the scene, lighted up by
numberless tapers and lamps, forced itself on her attention. She now
perceived that the porphyry columns of the great hall were wreathed with
flowers, and that garlands swung in graceful curves from the open roof;
while at the farther end, statues had been placed of Septimus Severus and
Julia Domna, Caracalla's parents. On each side of these works of art
stood bowers of plants, in which gay-plumaged birds were fluttering
about, excited by the lights. But all these glories swam before her eyes,
and the first question which the artist's daughter was wont to ask
herself, "is it really beautiful or no?" never occurred to her mind. She
did not even notice the smell of incense, until some fresh powder was
thrown on, and it became oppressive.

She was fully conscious only of two facts, when at last Argutis returned:
that she was the object of much curious examination and that every one
was wondering what detained Caesar so long.

At last, after she had waited many long minutes, the door-keeper
approached her with a young woman in a rich but simple dress, in whom she
recognized Johanna, the Christian waiting-maid of whom Alexander had
spoken. She did not speak, but beckoned her to come.

Breathing anxiously, and bending her head low, Melissa, following her
guide, reached a handsome impluvium, where a fountain played in the midst
of a bed of roses. Here the moon and starlight mingled with that of lamps
without number, and the ruddy glare of a blaze; for all round the basin,
from which the playing waters danced skyward, stood marble genii,
carrying in their hands or on their heads silver dishes, in which the
leaping flames consumed cedar chips and aromatic resins.

At the back of this court, where it was as light as day, at the top of
three steps, stood the statues of Alexander the Great and Caracalla. They
were of equal size; and the artist, who had wrought the second in great
haste out of the slightest materials, had been enjoined to make Caesar as
like as possible in every respect to the hero he most revered. Thus they
looked like brothers. The figures were lighted up by the fires which
burned on two altars of ivory and gold. Beautiful boys, dressed as armed
Erotes, fed the flames.