mpt her with base cunning from your
parents' house?"

"I protest against any such comparison," cried the Corinthian very
positively, and more genuinely exasperated than the Roman had ever seen
him.

"You are angry without cause," replied Publius calmly and gravely. "Your
sister is a charming girl, the ornament of your illustrious house, and
yet I dare compare the humble Irene--"

"With her! do you mean to say?" Lysias shouted again. "That is a poor
return for the hospitality which was shown to you by my parents and of
which you formally sang the praises. I am a good-natured fellow and
will submit to more from you than from any other man--I know not why,
myself;--but in a matter like this I do not understand a joke! My sister
is the only daughter of the noblest and richest house in Corinth and
has many suitors. She is in no respect inferior to the child of your own
parents, and I should like to know what you would say if I made so
bold as to compare the proud Lucretia with this poor little thing, who
carries water like a serving-maid."

"Do so, by all means!" interrupted Publius coolly, "I do not take your
rage amiss, for you do not know who these two sisters are, in the temple
of Serapis. Besides, they do not fill their jars for men but in the
service of a god. Here--take this roll and read it through while I
answer the despatch from Rome. Here! Spartacus, come and light a few
more lamps."

In a few minutes the two young men were sitting opposite each other at
the table which stood in the middle of their tent. Publius wrote busily,
and only looked up when his friend, who was reading the anchorite's
document, struck his hand on the table in disgust or sprang from his
seat ejaculating bitter words of indignation. Both had finished at the
same moment, and when Publius had folded and sealed his letter, and
Lysias had flung the roll on to the table, the Roman said slowly, as he
looked his friend steadily in the face: "Well?"

"Well!" repeated Lysias. I now find myself in the humiliating position
of being obliged to deem myself more stupid than you--I must own you
in the right, and beg your pardon for having thought you insolent and
arrogant! Never, no never did I hear a story so infernally scandalous as
that in that roll, and such a thing could never have occurred but among
these accursed Egyptians! Poor little Irene! And how can the dear little
girl have kept such a sunny look through it all! I could thrash myself
l