ow saw her face and her
abundant, reddish-fair hair for the first time; then she said, half
turning to Zoe and half to her favorite Athenian waiting-maid, who stood
behind her with her other women:

"It was folly to dye my dark hair light; but now it may remain so, for
Publius Scipio, who has no suspicion of our arts, thought this color
pretty and uncommon, and never will know its origin. That Egyptian
headdress with the vulture's head which the king likes best to see me
in, the young Greek Lysias and the Roman too, call barbaric, and so
every one must call it who is not interested in the Egyptians. But
to-night we are only ourselves, so I will wear the chaplet of golden
corn with sapphire grapes. Do you think, Zoe, that with that I could
wear the dress of transparent bombyx silk that came yesterday from Cos?
But no, I will not wear that, for it is too slight a tissue, it hides
nothing and I am now too thin for it to become me. All the lines in
my throat show, and my elbows are quite sharp--altogether I am much
thinner. That comes of incessant worry, annoyance, and anxiety. How
angry I was yesterday at the council, because my husband will always
give way and agree and try to be pleasant; whenever a refusal is
necessary I have to interfere, unwilling as I am to do it, and odious
as it is to me always to have to stir up discontent, disappointment, and
disaffection, to take things on myself and to be regarded as hard
and heartless in order that my husband may preserve undiminished the
doubtful glory of being the gentlest and kindest of men and princes. My
son's having a will of his own leads to agitating scenes, but even that
is better than that Philopator should rush into everybody's arms. The
first thing in bringing up a boy should be to teach him to say 'no.' I
often say 'yes' myself when I should not, but I am a woman, and yielding
becomes us better than refusal--and what is there of greater importance
to a woman than to do what becomes her best, and to seem beautiful?

"I will decide on this pale dress, and put over it the net-work of gold
thread with sapphire knots; that will go well with the head-dress. Take
care with your comb, Thais, you are hurting me! Now--I must not chatter
any more. Zoe, give me the roll yonder; I must collect my thoughts a
little before I go down to talk among men at the banquet. When we have
just come from visiting the realm of death and of Serapis, and have
been reminded of the immortality