n to
smother the utterance of a strong, warm feeling, unimportant as it might
be, which was formed in words in his mind. Antinous raised his head a
little on his hands and asked:

"What is it?"

"I only wanted to tell you," replied the Sarmatian, "that I know who the
little girl was that you so often took upon your shoulders. It was your
little sister, was it not, of whom you were speaking to me lately?"

The lad nodded assent, and then once more buried his head in his hands,
and his shoulders heaved so violently that it would seem that he was
weeping.--Mastor remained silent for a few minutes, then he went up to
Antinous and said:

"You know I have a son and a little daughter at home, and I am always
glad to hear about little girls. We are alone and if it will relieve your
heart."

"Let me alone, I have told you a dozen times already about my mother and
little Parthea," replied Antinous, trying to look composed.

"Then do so confidently for the thirteenth," said the slave. "In the camp
and in the kitchen I can talk about my people as much as I like. But
you--tell me, what do you call the little dog that Panthea made a scarlet
cloak for?"

"We called it Kallista," cried Antinous wiping his eyes with the back of
his hand. "My father would not allow it but we persuaded my mother. I was
her favorite, and when I put my arms round her and looked at her
imploringly she always said 'yes' to anything I asked her."

A bright light shone in the boy's weary eyes; he had remembered a whole
wealth of joys which left no depression behind them.

CHAPTER II.

One of the palaces built in Alexandria by the Ptolemaic kings stood on
the peninsula called Lochias which stretched out into the blue sea like a
finger pointing northwards; it formed the eastern boundary of the great
harbor. Here there was never any lack of vessels but to-day they were
particularly numerous, and the quay-road paved with smooth blocks of
stone, which led from the palatial quarter of the town--the Bruchiom as
it was called--which was bathed by the sea, to the spit of land was so
crowded with curious citizens on foot and in vehicles, that all
conveyances were obliged to stop in their progress before they had
reached the private harbor reserved for the Emperor's vessels.

But there was something out of the common to be seen at the
landing-place, for there lying under the shelter of the high mole were
the splendid triremes, galleys, long boats and b