st you. For my part, I merely desire to know why and for whom all
this was done."

"For whom save the good old man who was my father's preceptor, and
his just claim?" replied Dion frankly. "Moreover--for no site more
unsuitable could be found than his garden-in behalf of good taste."

Iras laughed a shrill, short laugh, and her narrow, regularly formed
face, which might have been called beautiful, had not the bridge of the
straight delicate nose been too long and the chin too small, darkened
slightly, as she exclaimed, "That is frank at least."

"You ought to be accustomed to that from me," replied Dion calmly. "In
this case, however, the expert, Gorgias, fully shares my opinion."

"I heard that too. You are both the most constant visitors of--what is
the woman's name?--the bewitching Barine."

"Barine?" repeated Dion, as if the mention of the name surprised him.
"You take care, my friend, that our conversation does honour to its
scene, the labyrinth. I speak of works of the sculptor's art, and you
pretend that I am referring to what is most certainly a very successful
living work from the creative hands of the gods. I was very far from
thinking of the granddaughter of the old scholar for whom I interceded."

"Ay," she scornfully retorted, "young gentlemen in your position,
and with your habits of life, always think of their fathers estimable
teachers rather than of the women who, ever since Pandora opened her
box, have brought all sorts of misfortunes into the world. But," she
added, pushing back her dark locks from her high forehead, "I don't
understand myself, how, with the mountain of care that now burdens my
soul, I can waste even a single word upon such trifles. I care as little
for the aged scholar as I do for his legion of commentaries and books,
though they are not wholly unfamiliar to me. For any concern of mine
he might have as many grandchildren as there are evil tongues in
Alexandria, were it not that just at this time it is of the utmost
importance to remove everything which might cast a shadow on the Queen's
pathway. I have just come from the palace of the royal children at
Lochias, and what I learned there. But that--I will not, I cannot
believe it. It fairly stifles me!"

"Have you received bad news from the fleet?" questioned Dion, with
sincere anxiety; but she only bent her head in assent, laying her fan of
ostrich-plumes on her lips to enjoin silence, at the same time shivering
so violently th