erished citizen had degraded herself and her whole class by
devoting herself to working in the papyrus factory to earn money. She
was pretty well paid, to be sure, and in answer to Selene's enquiry,
he had stated the amount she earned and mentioned the name of the rich
manufacturer to whom she had sold her social standing for gold.

Soon after this Selene had gone alone to the factory, had discussed all
that was necessary with the manager, and had then begun, with Arsinoe,
to work regularly in the factory where they now for two years had spent
some hours of every day in gumming the papyrus-leaves together.

How many a time at the beginning of a new week, or when under the
influence of a special fit of aversion to her work, had Arsinoe refused
to go with her ever again to the factory; how much persuasive eloquence
had she expended, how many new ribbons had she bought, how often had she
consented to allow her to go to some spectacle, which consumed half a
week's wages, to induce Arsinoe to persist in her work, or to avert the
fulfilment of her threat to tell her father, whither her daily walk--as
she called it--tended.

When Selene, who had been carried as far as the door of her own
work-room, was sitting once more in her usual place in front of the long
table on which she worked, and where hundreds of prepared papyrus strips
were to be joined together, she felt scarcely able to raise the veil
from her face. She drew the uppermost sheets towards her, dipped the
brush in the gum-jar, and began to touch the margin of the leaf with
it--but in the very act, her strength forsook her, the brush fell from
her fingers, she dropped her hands on the table and her face in her
hands, and began to cry softly.

While she sat thus, her tears slowly flowing, her shoulders heaving, and
her whole body shaken with shuddering sobs, a woman who sat opposite to
her, beckoned to the deformed girl, and after whispering to her a few
words grasped her hand firmly and warmly and looked straight into her
eyes with her own, which though lustreless were clear and steady; then
the little hunchback silently took Arsinoe's vacant place by Selene,
and pushed the smaller half of the papyrus leaves over to the woman, and
both set diligently to work on the gumming.

They had been thus occupied for some time when Selene at last raised her
head and was about to take up her brush again. She looked round for
it and perceived her companion, whom she had not e