es turned upon her, but that only added to her
pleasure, for she knew that she could well bear looking at, and there
could be no greater pleasure, as she thought, than to give pleasure to a
multitude.

To-day at any rate! For those who were looking at her were the chief
citizens of Alexandria; they stood on the stage, and among them stood
kind tall Pollux, waving his hand to her. She could not keep her feet
quiet, but she did contrive to keep her arms still by crossing them in
front of her, so that they might not betray how excited she was.

This distribution of parts had already begun, for, by waiting for
Selene, she had come in almost half an hour too late. As soon as she
saw that the eyes that had been attracted to herself as she entered the
theatre had turned to other objects she herself looked round her. She
was sitting on a bench at the lowest and narrowest end of one of the
wedge-shaped sections of seats, which grew wider at the upper end, and
which were divided from each other by gangways for those who came and
went, thus forming the semicircular area of the auditorium.

Here she was surrounded only by young girls and women who were to have
a part or place in the performances. The places for these interested
persons were divided from the stage by a space for the orchestra, whence
the stage was easily reached by steps up which the chorus were wont to
mount to it.

Behind Arsinoe, in the larger circular rows, sat the parents and
husbands of the performers, among whom Keraunus, in his saffron robe,
had taken a place, besides a considerable number of sight-loving matrons
and older citizens who had accepted Plutarch's invitation.

Among the young women and girls Arsinoe saw several whose beauty struck
her, but she admired them ungrudgingly, and it never came into her head
to compare herself with them, for she knew very accurately that she
was pretty, and that even here she had nothing to conceal, and this was
enough for her.

The many-voiced hum which incessantly buzzed in her ears, and the
perfume which rose from the attar in the orchestra had something
intoxicating in them. Her gaze round the assembled multitude could not
disturb any one, and her companion had found some friends with whom she
was chattering and laughing. Other ladies and young girls sat staring
silently in front of them, or studying the appearance of the rest of the
audience, male and female; while others again concentrated their whole
atten