been plucked just before sunrise, for among the blossoms and leaves there
flashed and sparkled a glittering dew of diamonds, lightly fastened on
delicate silver wires. Next came a bunch of flowers, round whose stems a
supple golden snake was twined, covered with rubies and diamonds and
destined to coil itself round a woman's arm. The third was a necklace of
extremely costly Persian pearls, which had once belonged--so the merchant
had declared--to great Cleopatra's treasure.
Melissa loved flowers; and the costly gifts that accompanied them could
not fail to rejoice a woman's heart. And yet she only gave them a passing
glance, reddening painfully as she did so.
What the bearer had to say to her was of more importance to her than the
gifts he brought, and in fact the troubled manner of the usually composed
philosopher betrayed that he had something more serious to deliver than
the gifts of his love-sick lord.
The lady Euryale, perceiving that he meant to try once more to persuade
Melissa to yield, hastened to declare that she had found ways and means
to help the maiden to escape; but he shook his head with a sigh, and
said, thoughtfully:
"Well--well--I shall go on board the ship while the wild beasts are doing
their part in the Circus. May we meet again happily, either here or else
where! My way leads me first to Caesar's mother, to inform her of his
choice of a wife. Not that he needs her consent: whose consent or
disapproval does Caracalla care for? But I am to win Julia's heart for
you. Possibly I may succeed; but you--you scorn it, and fly from her son.
And yet--believe me, child--the heart of that woman is a treasure that
has no equal, and, if she should open her arms to you, there would be
little that you could not endure. When I left you, just now, I put myself
in your place, and approved of your resolve; but it would be wrong not to
remind you once more of what you must expect if you follow your own will,
and if Caesar considers himself scorned, ill-treated, and deceived by
you."
"In the name of all the gods, what has happened?" broke in Melissa,
pallid with fear. Philostratus pressed his hand to his brow, and his
voice was hoarse with suppressed emotion as he continued: "Nothing
new-only things are taking their old course. You know that Caracalla
threatened old Claudius Vindex and his nephew with death because of their
opposition to his union with you. We all hoped, however, that he would be
moved to ex
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