separated her from him
forever.

At last the brief hour came to an end, and AEnone arose. The sun had set,
and the darkness of night had already begun to shroud the city. Here and
there, from some of the more wealthy neighborhoods, faint glimmers of
lamp light shone out and marked the scenes of solitary study or of
festive gathering, but as yet these indications were few. Already the
chariots and horsemen who had thronged the Appian Way had dispersed--a
single rider here and there occupying the place where so lately gay
bands had cantered, disputing each available empty space of pavement.
The walks were yet crowded with loiterers, but of a different class.
Patricians and fair ladies had departed, and left the course to the
lower orders of citizens and to slaves, who now emerged from the arches
and alleys, and, anticipative of the morrow's holiday, swarmed in dusky
crowds hither and thither in search of rude pastime.

'You must go now,' said AEnone, dropping the curtain which she had lifted
for a moment in order to peer into the street. 'Stay not for anything
that belongs to you, for I would not that you should be hindered or
delayed. You have been here as mine own property; and yet, how do I know
that some pretence of others' right might not be urged for your
detention, if it were known that you were departing? Go, therefore, at
once, Cleotos, and may the gods be with you!'

She held out her hand to him. He took it in his own, and, for the
moment, gazed inquiringly into her face. Was this to be their only
parting? Nay, need there be a parting at all? A flush came into his
countenance as he felt one wild thought and desire burning into his
soul. What if he were to yield to the impulse which beset him, and
should throw himself at her feet, and ask her to forget the years which
had separated them, and the trials which had beset them, and to give up
all else, and depart with him? Alas! only one result could follow such
an appeal as that! In the vain attempt to gain her love, he would lose
her friendship also. She would part from him as an enemy who had taken
advantage of her sisterly affection to inflict an insult upon her. He
knew that this would surely be the consequence; but yet, for the moment,
he could scarce resist the maddening impulse to thus forfeit all while
striving to attain impossibilities.

'Shall we never meet again?' he said, at length, after the hard struggle
to command himself.

'It may be, in after