alling
upon her white robe and breast and reflected in a faint, shimmering line
from the collar of pearls about her neck, that even that jaded company
clapped as she came. In another moment she had mounted the two steps
and was standing on the block of marble. The crowd pressed closer, among
them the merchant of Egypt, Demetrius, and the veiled woman with the
basket, who was now attended by a little man dressed as a slave and
bearing on his back another basket, the weight of which he seemed
to find irksome, since from time to time he groaned and twisted his
shoulders. Also the chamberlain, Saturius, secure in the authority of
his master, stepped over the rope and against the rule began to walk
round and round the captive, examining her critically.

"Look at her!" said the auctioneer. "Look for yourselves. I have nothing
to say, words fail me--unless it is this. For more than twenty years I
have stood in this rostrum, and during that time I suppose that fifteen
or sixteen thousand young women have been knocked down to my hammer.
They have come out of every part of the world; from the farthest East,
from the Grecian mountains, from Egypt and Cyprus, from the Spanish
plains, from Gaul, from the people of the Teutons, from the island of
the Britons, and other barbarous places that lie still further north.
Among them were many beautiful women, of every style and variety of
loveliness, yet I tell you honestly, my patrons, I do not remember one
who came so near perfection as this maiden whom I have the honour to
sell to-night. I say again--look at her, look at her, and tell me with
what you can find fault.

"What do you say? Oh! yes, I am informed that her teeth are quite sound,
there is no blemish to conceal, none at all, and the hair is all her
own. That gentleman says that she is rather small. Well, she is not
built upon a large scale, and to my mind that is one of her attractions.
Little and good, you know, little and good. Only consider the
proportions. Why, the greatest sculptors, ancient or modern, would
rejoice to have her as model, and I hope that in the interests of the
art-loving public"--here he glanced at the Chamberlain, Saturius--"that
the fortunate person into whose hands she passes will not be so selfish
as to deny them this satisfaction.

"Now I have said enough and must but add this, that by the special
decree of her captor, the Imperator Titus, the beautiful necklace of
pearls worn by the maiden goes wit