g marble. Perchance the man might be
doomed to death who should rest on her cold breast, but such a death must
be full of ecstasy, and it seemed to him that it would be far more
blissful to die with the blood frozen in his veins, than of the too rapid
throbbing of his heart.

"Selene," he murmured, now and again, with soft hesitation; a strange
unrest foreign to his calm nature seemed to propagate itself through all
his limbs, and he who commonly would be stretched on a couch for hours
without stirring, lost in dreams, now sprang up and paced the room,
sighing deeply, and with long strides.

It was a passionate longing for Selene that drove him up and down, and
his wish to see her again crystallized into resolve, and prompted him to
contrive the ways and means of meeting her once more before the Emperor's
return.

Simply to invade her father's lodging without farther ceremony, seemed to
him out of the question, and yet he was certain of finding her there,
since her injured foot would of course keep her at home. Should he once
more go to the steward with a request for bread and salt? But he dared
not ask anything of Keraunus in Hadrian's name after the scene which had
so recently taken place. Should he go there to carry her a new pitcher in
the place of the broken one? But that would only freshly enrage the
arrogant official.

Should he--should he--should he not? But no, it was quite
impossible--still, that no doubt--that was the right idea. In his
medicine-chest there were a few extracts which had been given to him by
the Emperor; he would offer her one of these to dilute with water and
apply to her bruised foot. And this act of sympathy could not displease
even his master, who liked to prove his healing art on the sick or
suffering. He at once called Mastor, and desired him to take charge of
the hound which had followed his steps as he paced the room, then he went
into his sleeping-room, took out a phial of a most costly essence, which
Hadrian had given him on his last birthday, and which had formerly
belonged to Trajan's wife, Kotina, and then proceeded to the steward's
rooms. On the steps where he had found Selene, he found the black slave
with some children. The old man had sat down them and got no farther for
fear of the Roman's dog. Antinous went up to him and begged him to guide
him to his master's quarters, and the negro immediately showed him the
way, opened the door of the antechamber, and pointing to the