ilent when he began explaining his opportune
arrival at the fountain, which must seem such a miracle to her.

The slave-brand on his arm had enabled him to penetrate into the house of
Seleukus, where he hoped to obtain news of her. There Johanna had led him
to Alexander, and with the Aurelians he had found the centurion and the
slave Argutis. Argutis had just returned from the lady Euryale, and swore
that he had seen the wounded Diodoros. Andreas had then declared his
intention of bringing the son of his former master to a place of safety,
and the centurion had been prevailed upon by the young tribunes to open a
way for the freedman through the sentinels. The gardeners of Polybius,
with their ass, had been detained in an inn on this side of Lake Mareotis
by the closing of the harbor, and Andreas had taken the precaution of
making use of them. Had it not been for the centurion, who was known to
the other soldiers, the watch would never have allowed the freedman to
get so far as the fountain; Andreas therefore begged Melissa to thank
their preserver. But his words fell upon her ear unnoticed, and when the
strange soldier left her to devote himself again to Diodoros she breathed
more freely, for his rapidly spoken words hurt her.

If he would only not come again--only not speak to her!

She had even ceased to look for her lover. Her one desire was to see and
hear nothing. When she did force herself to raise her heavy, throbbing
lids, she noticed that they were passing poor-looking houses which she
never remembered seeing before. She fancied, however, from the damp wind
that blew in her face and relieved her burning head, that they must be
nearing the lake or the sea. Surely that was a fishing-net hanging yonder
on the fence round a but on which the light of the lantern fell. But
perhaps it was something quite different, for the images that passed
before her heavy eyes began to mingle confusedly, to repeat themselves,
and be surrounded by a ring of rainbow colors. Her head had grown so
heavy that her mind had lost all sense of hope or fear; only her thoughts
stirred faintly as the procession moved on and on through the darkness,
without a pause for rest.

When they had passed the last of the huts she managed to look upward.

The evening star stood out clear against the sky, and she seemed to see
the other stars revolving quickly round it.

Her mouth was painful and parched, and more than once she had been seized
with g