ld woman I shall be quite satisfied."

"Happy and contented," replied Doris. "Keep you health, snap your fingers
at care and sorrow, do your duty on work-days and drink till you are
jolly in honor of the god on holidays, and then all will be well. Those
who do all they are able and enjoy as much as they can get, make good use
of their lives and need feel no remorse in their last hours. What is past
is done for, and when Atropos cuts our thread some one else will stand in
our place and joys will begin all over again. May the gods bless you!"

"You are right," said Pollux embracing his mother, and two together can
turn the work out of hand more lightly and enjoy the pleasures of
existence better than each alone--can they not?"

"I am sure of it; and you have chosen the right mate," cried the old
woman. "You are a sculptor and used to simple things; you need no riches,
only a sweet face which may every day rejoice your heart, and that you
have found."

"There is nowhere a sweeter or a lovelier," said Pollux.

"No, that there is not," continued Doris. "First I cast my eyes on
Selene. She need not be ashamed to show herself either, and she is a
pattern for girls; but then as Arsinoe grew older, whenever she passed
this way I thought to myself: 'that girl is growing up for my boy,' and
now that you have won her I feel as if I were once more as young as your
sweetheart herself. My old heart beats as happily as if the little Loves
were touching it with their wings and rosy fingers. If my feet had not
grown so heavy with constantly standing over the hearth and at
washing--really and truly I could take Euphorion by the arm and dance
through the streets with him to-day."

"Where is father?"

"Out singing."

"In the morning! where?"

"There is some sect that are celebrating their mysteries. They pay well
and he had to sing dismal hymns for them behind a curtain; the wildest
stuff, in which he does not follow a word, and that I do not understand a
half of."

"It is a pity for I wanted to speak to him."

"He will not be back till late."

"There is plenty of time."

"So much the better, otherwise I might have told him what you had to
say."

"Your advice is as good as his. I think of giving up working under Papias
and standing on my own feet."

"You are quite right; the Roman architect told me yesterday that a great
future was open to you."

"There are only my poor sister and the children to be considered. If,
dur