e hired assassin of a rival house; and AEnone, released from her
thraldom, and despising conventional scruples--as again was not uncommon
among the Roman ladies of that day--were to exalt her favorite with
legal honors, and thus make herself, Leta, his slave? This, to be sure,
was an improbable chance; but a mind as active as her own did not
disdain to foresee and provide against all contingencies.

Then, in addition to everything else, she became absorbed in the one
overwhelming and bitter reflection, that after all her sacrifice and
labor, the anticipated success might be escaping her. It is true that,
thanks to her efforts, the distance between Sergius and AEnone had
widened, until it seemed that there could never be a perfect reunion;
but all this, if the state of partial neglect which had existed in the
beginning could be relied upon as an indication, was a consequence which
might easily, in time, have come of itself. It is true that Sergius had
yielded himself a willing victim to the unlawful fascinations thrown
around him; but yet Leta could not avoid seeing that he regarded her not
with the deep, earnest love which she had hoped to inspire, but rather
with the trifling carelessness of one giving himself up to the plaything
of the hour. Not having, from the very first, been chary of the sidelong
glance and the winning smile, and whatever grace of style or manner
could tempt him to pursuit, as an illusive appearance of success seemed
to beckon her onward, her heart at times grew desperate with the
apprehension that all had been in vain. For Sergius, content that the
wife whom he neglected did not disturb his repose with idle complaints,
had no thought of inflicting any deeper injury upon her, being well
satisfied to have her remain and confer honor upon him by the grace with
which she maintained the dignity of his house. And though well pleased
to sun himself in Leta's smile, there never came to him the thought that
the slave could be worthy of any exaltation, or that her highest
ambition could prompt her to desire more than a continuance of the
companionship with which he honored her. All this Leta began to dimly
see; and there were times when, strive to hide it from her heart as she
would, it seemed as though he might be even growing weary of her.

Thus tormented with doubt and jealousy and the constantly increasing
suspicion of baffled ambition, how was she to act? To accept her
situation as a decree of fate, t