e in Greek. Do you still always carry Ovid's love-poems about with
you?"

"Always," replied Verus, "as Alexander did his Homer."

"And out of respect for his master your husband endeavors, by the grace
of Venus, to live like him," added Sabina, addressing herself to Domitia
Lucilla.

The tall and handsome Roman lady only shrugged her shoulders slightly
in answer to this not very kindly-meant speech; but Verus said, while
he picked up Sabina's silken coverlet, and carefully spread it over her
knees:

"My happiest fortune consists in this: that Venus Victrix favors me. But
we are not yet at the end of our story; our Lesbian swan met at Lochias
with another rare bird, an artist in statuary."

"How long have the sculptors been reckoned among birds?" asked Sabina.
"At the utmost can they be compared to woodpeckers."

"When they work in wood," laughed Verus. "Our artist, however, is an
assistant of Papias, and handles noble materials in the grand style.
On this occasion, however, he is building a statue out of a very queer
mixture of materials."

"Verus may very well call our new acquaintance a bird," interrupted
Balbilla, "for as we approached the screen behind which he is working he
was whistling a tune with his lips, so pure and cheery, and loud, that
it rang through the empty hall above all the noise of the workmen. A
nightingale does not pipe more sweetly. We stood still to listen till
the merry fellow, who had no idea that we were by, was silent again; and
then hearing the architect's voice, he called to him over the screen.
'Now we must clap Urania's head on; I saw it clearly in my mind and
would have had it finished with a score of touches, but Papias said he
had one in the workshop. I am curious to see what sort of a sugarplum
face, turned out by the dozen, he will stick on my torso--which will
please me, at any rate, for a couple of days. Find me a good model for
the bust of the Sappho I am to restore. A thousand gadflies are buzzing
in my brain--I am so tremendously excited! What I am planning now will
come to something!'"

Balbilla, as she spoke the last words, tried to mimic a man's deep
voice, and seeing the Empress smile she went on eagerly.

"It all came out so fresh, from a heart full to bursting of happy
vigorous creative joy, that it quite fired me, and we all went up to the
screen and begged the sculptor to let us see his work."

"And you found?" asked Sabina.

"He positively refused to let u