the chain separated, joining again behind
her ere she could turn. Mopsus and his dark-haired sweetheart were again
the leaders. When the ring broke the youths and maidens quickly grasped
each other again, and the chain of singing, laughing lads and lasses
once more whirled around the old woman.

For some time the amused master of the house could not succeed in
shaking his head disapprovingly; but when the old housekeeper, who had
never ceased scolding and shaking her myrtle-staff, began to totter from
anger and excitement, Lysander thought the jest was being carried too
far, and, turning to his daughter, exclaimed:

"Go, rescue Semestre and drive those crazy people away. Fun must not go
beyond proper bounds."

Xanthe instantly obeyed the command the chain parted, the youths
hurrying one way, the maidens another; the lads escaped, and so did all
the girls except dark-haired Dorippe, who was caught by Semestre and
driven into the house with angry words and blows.

"There will be tears after the morning dance," said Lysander, "and I
advise you, friend, if you want to avoid a scolding yourself, to leave
the place at once with your feathered artists. Give the man the cloth,
Xanthe."

Xanthe handed the brown woolen stuff to the conjurer.

She blushed faintly as she did so, for, while attempting to cut from the
piece a sufficient quantity, Semestre had snatched the knife from her
hand, exclaiming rudely:

"Half that is twice too much for the insolent rascal."

The little man took the scanty gift, spread it out to its full extent,
and, turning to Lysander, said:

"At our age people rarely experience new emotions, but to-day, for the
first time since I stopped growing, I wish I was still smaller than I am
now."

The invalid had shaken his head discontentedly at sight of the tiny
piece, and, as the conjurer was refolding it over his knee, loosed from
his shoulders the chlamys he himself wore, saying gravely:

"Take this cloak, for what Lysander promises he does not perform by
halves."

The last words were addressed to Semestre as well as the dwarf, for
the old house-keeper, with panting breath and trembling hands, now
approached her master.

Kind words were not to be expected from her mouth now, but even more
bitter and vehement reproaches sprang to her lips as she saw her master
give his scarcely-worn chlamys to a strolling vagrant, and also presume
to reward her economy with taunts.

She had carefully woven