way or the other; we can't be kept up here
all night, waiting till it suits your Mr. Zooce to make cockshies of us.
Either let him do it now, or let it alone!"

The statue's face seemed to be illumined by a stronger light. "Zeus, I
thank thee!" she exclaimed, clasping her pale hands above her head; "I
am answered! I am answered!"

And, as she spoke, a dull ominous rumble was heard in the distance.

"Matilda, here!" cried the terrified hairdresser, running back to his
betrothed; "keep close to me. It's all over this time!"

The rumble increased to a roll, which became a clanking rattle, and
then lessened again to a roll, died away to the original rumble, and was
heard no more.

Leander breathed again. "To think of my being taken in like that!" he
cried. "Why, it's only a van out in the street! It's no good, mum; you
can't work it: you'd better give it up!"

The goddess seemed to feel this herself, for she was wringing her hands
with a low wail of despair. "Is there none to hear?" she lamented. "Are
they all gone--all? Then is Aphrodite fallen indeed; deserted of the
gods, her kinsmen; forgotten of mortals; braved and mocked by such as
these! Woe! woe! for Olympus in ruins, and Time the dethroner of
deities!"

Leander would hardly have been himself if he had forborne to take
advantage of her discomfiture. "You see, mum," he said, "you're not
everybody. You mustn't expect to have everything your own way down here.
We're in the nineteenth century nowadays, mum, and there's another
religion come in since you were the fashion!"

"_Don't_, Leander!" said Matilda, in an undertone; "let her alone, the
poor thing!"

She seemed to have quite forgotten that her fallen enemy had been
dooming her to destruction the moment before; but there was something so
tragic and moving in the sight of such despair that no true woman could
be indifferent to it.

Either the taunt or the compassion, however, roused the goddess to a
frenzy of passion. "Hold your peace!" she said fiercely, and strode down
upon Leander until he beat an instinctive retreat. "Fallen as I am, I
will not brook your mean vauntings or insolent pity! Shorn I may be of
my ancient power, but something of my divinity clings to me still.
Vengeance is not wholly denied to me! Why should I not deal with you
even as with those profane wretches who laid impious hands upon this my
effigy? Why? why?"

Leander began to feel uncomfortable again. "If I've said anything you