he must take in order to escape the most terrible
disgrace. Besides, life after the death of Antony was no longer the
same; it had been only a tiresome delay and waiting for the children's
sake.

The visit to the tomb had been intended, as it were, to announce her
coming to her husband. She had remained a long time in the silent hall,
where she had garlanded the coffin with flowers, kissed it, talked to
the dead man as if he were still alive, and told him that the day had
come when what he had mentioned in his will as the warmest desire of his
heart--to rest beside her in the same tomb--would be fulfilled. Among
the thousand forms of suffering which had assailed her, nothing had
seemed so hard to bear as to be deprived of his society and love.

Then she had gone into the garden, embraced and kissed the children,
and entreated them to remember her tenderly. Her purpose had not been
concealed from Archibius, but Charmian had told him the menace of the
future, and he approved her decision. By the exertion of all his innate
strength of will, he succeeded in concealing the grief which rent
his faithful heart. She must die. The thought of seeing her adorn the
triumphal procession of Octavianus was unbearable to him also. Her
thanks and entreaties to be an affectionate guardian to the children
were received with an external calmness which afterwards seemed to him
utterly incomprehensible.

When she spoke of her approaching meeting with her lover, he asked
whether she had entirely abandoned the teachings of Epicurus, who
believed that death absolutely ended existence.

Cleopatra eagerly assented, saying: "Absence of pain has ceased to
appear to me the chief earthly blessing, since I have known that love
does not bring pleasure only, since I have learned that pain is the
inseparable companion of love. I will not give it up, nor will I part
from my lover. Whoever experiences what fate has allotted to me has
learned to know other gods than those whom the master described as
dwelling happily in undisturbed repose. Rather eternal torture in
another world, united to the man I love, than painless, joyless mere
existence in a desolate, incomprehensible, unknown region! You will be
the last to teach the children to yearn for freedom from pain--"

"Because, like you," cried Archibius, "I have learned how great a
blessing is love, and that love is pain."

As he spoke he bent over her hand to kiss it, but she took his temples
betwee