enchanter!"

"Now I put it to you," said Leander, with some impatience, "does he
_look_ it?"

The chemist was a mild little man, with a high forehead, round
spectacles, a little red beak of a nose, and a weak grey beard. As they
entered, he was addressing a small and draggled child from behind his
counter. "Go back and tell your mother," he said, "that she must come
herself. I never sell paregoric to children."

There was so little of the wizard in his manner that the goddess, who
possibly had some reason to mistrust a mortal magician, was reassured.

As the child retired, the chemist turned to them with a look of bland
and dignified inquiry (something, perhaps the consciousness of having
once passed an examination, sustains the meekest chemist in an inward
superiority). He did not speak.

Leander took it upon himself to explain. "This lady would be glad to be
told whether a ring she's got on is the real article or only imitation,"
he said, "so she thought you could decide it for her."

"Not so," corrected the goddess, austerely. "For myself I care not!"

"Have it your own way!" said Leander. "_I_ should like to be told, then.
I suppose, mister, you've some way of testing these things?"

"Oh yes," said the chemist; "I can treat it for you with what we call
_aquafortis_, a combination of nitric and hydrochloric acid, which would
tell us at once. I ought to mention, perhaps, that so extremely powerful
an agent may injure the appearance of the metal if it is of inferior
quality. Will the lady oblige me with the ring?"

Aphrodite extended her hand with haughty indifference. The chemist
examined the ring as it circled her finger, and Leander held his breath
in tortures of anxiety. A horrible fear came over him that his deep-laid
scheme was about to end in failure.

But the chemist remarked at last: "Exactly; thank you, madam. The gold
is antique, certainly; but I should be inclined to pronounce it, at
first sight, genuine. I will ascertain how this is, if you will take the
trouble to remove the ring and pass it over!"

"Why?" demanded Aphrodite, obstinately.

"I could not undertake to treat it while it remains upon your hand," he
protested. "The acid might do some injury!"

"It matters not!" she said calmly; and Leander recollected with horror
that, as any injury to her statue would have no physical effect upon the
goddess herself, she could not be much influenced by the chemist's
reason.

"Do what the gentl