ed at once to be painful.
The desire to see Vinicius and to talk with him drowned in her other
voices. In vain did she remember all the evil which she had heard of the
house of Caesar, the words of Acte, the warnings of Pomponia; in spite of
those words and warnings, she felt all at once that not only must she be
at that feast, but that she wished to be there. At the thought that soon
she would hear that dear and pleasant voice, which had spoken of love to
her and of happiness worthy of the gods, and which was sounding like a
song in her ears yet, delight seized her straightway.

But the next moment she feared that delight. It seemed to her that she
would be false to the pure teaching in which she had been reared, false
to Pomponia, and false to herself. It is one thing to go by constraint,
and another to delight in such a necessity. She felt guilty, unworthy,
and ruined.

Despair swept her away, and she wanted to weep. Had she been alone, she
would have knelt down and beaten her breast, saying, "Mea culpa! mea
culpa!" Acte, taking her hand at that moment, led her through the
interior apartments to the grand triclinium, where the feast was to
be. Darkness was in her eyes, and a roaring in her ears from internal
emotion; the beating of her heart stopped her breath. As in a dream, she
saw thousands of lamps gleaming on the tables and on the walls; as in
a dream, she heard the shout with which the guests greeted Caesar; as
through a mist, she saw Caesar himself. The shout deafened her, the
glitter dazzled, the odors intoxicated; and, losing the remnant of her
consciousness, she was barely able to recognize Acte, who seated her at
the table and took a place at her side.

But after a while a low and known voice was heard at the other side,--"A
greeting, most beautiful of maidens on earth and of stars in heaven. A
greeting to thee, divine Callina!"

Lygia, having recovered somewhat, looked up; at her side was Vinicius.
He was without a toga, for convenience and custom had enjoined to cast
aside the toga at feasts. His body was covered with only a sleeveless
scarlet tunic embroidered in silver palms. His bare arms were ornamented
in Eastern fashion with two broad golden bands fastened above the elbow;
below they were carefully stripped of hair. They were smooth, but too
muscular,--real arms of a soldier, they were made for the sword and the
shield. On his head was a garland of roses. With brows joining above the
nose, with