hich were seldom far
off and overflowed whenever a word, an object, a thought reminded her
of Pollux, her darling, her pride and her hope; and there were few
half-hours in the day when she did not think of him.

Soon after the steward's death she had sought out Selene, but dame
Hannah could not and would not conduct her to see the sick girl, for
she learnt from Mary that she was the mother of her patient's faithless
lover; and on a second visit Selene was so shy, so timid and so strange
in her demeanor, that the old woman was forced to conclude that her
visit was an unpleasant intrusion.

And from Arsinoe, whose residence she discovered from the deaconess, she
met with even a worse reception. She had herself announced as the mother
of Pollux the sculptor and was abruptly refused admission, with the
information that Arsinoe was not to be spoken with by her and that her
visits were, once for all, prohibited. After the architect Pontius had
been to seek her out and had encouraged her to make another attempt
to see and speak to Arsinoe, who clung faithfully to Pollux, Paulina
herself had received her and sent her away with such repellent words
that she went home to her husband deeply insulted and distressed to
tears. Nor had she resisted Euphorion's decision when he prohibited her
ever again crossing the Christian's threshold.

The Emperor's donation had been most welcome and timely to the poor old
couple, for Euphorion had completely lost the softness of his voice as
well as his memory through the agitations and troubles of the last few
months; he had been dismissed from the chorus of the theatre and could
only find employment and very small pay of a few drachmae, in the
mysteries of certain petty sectarians or in singing at weddings or in
hymns of lamentation. At the same time the old folks had to maintain
their daughter whom Pollux could no longer provide for, and the birds,
the Graces and the cat all must eat. That it would be possible to get
rid of them was an idea which never occurred to either Euphorion or
Doris.

By day the old folks had ceased to laugh; but at night they still
had many cheerful hours, for then Hope would beguile them with bright
pictures of the future, and tell them all sorts of possible and
impossible romances which filled their souls with fresh courage. How
often they would see Pollux returning from the distant city whither he
had probably fled-from Rome, or even from Athens--crowned with lau