l such
as Alexandria never saw before, which would buy any one of you, and his
Macedonian papa, and his Macedonian mamma, and his Macedonian sisters,
and horses, and parrots, and peacocks, twice over, in any slave-market
in the world. Any gentleman who wishes to possess a jewel worth ten
thousand gold pieces, will only need to pick it out of the gutter into
which I throw it. Scramble for it, you young Phaedrias and Pamphili!
There are Laides and Thaides enough about, who will help you to spend
it.'

And raising the jewel on high, he was in the act of tossing it into the
street, when his arm was seized from behind, and the ring snatched
from his hand. He turned, fiercely enough, and saw behind him, her eyes
flashing fury and contempt, old Miriam.

Bran sprang at the old woman's throat in an instant; but recoiled again
before the glare of her eye. Raphael called the dog off, and turning
quietly to the disappointed spectators--

'It is all right, my luckless friends. You must raise money for
yourselves, after all; which, since the departure of my nation, will be
a somewhat more difficult matter than ever. The over-ruling destinies,
whom, as you all know so well when you are getting tipsy, not even
philosophers can resist, have restored the Rainbow of Solomon to its
original possessor. Farewell, Queen of Philosophy! When I find the man,
you shall hear of it. Mother, I am coming with you for a friendly word
before we part, though' he went on, laughing, as the two walked away
together, 'it was a scurvy trick of you to balk one of The Nation of the
exquisite pleasure of seeing those heathen dogs scrambling in the gutter
for his bounty.'

Hypatia went on to the Museum, utterly bewildered by this strange
meeting, and its still stranger end. She took care, nevertheless, to
betray no sign of her deep interest till she found herself alone in
her little waiting-room adjoining the lecture-hall; and there, throwing
herself into a chair, she sat and thought, till she found, to her
surprise and anger, the tears trickling down her cheeks. Not that her
bosom held one spark of affection for Raphael. If there had ever been
any danger of that the wily Jew had himself taken care to ward it off,
by the sneering and frivolous tone with which he quashed every approach
to deep feeling, either in himself or in others. As for his compliments
to her beauty, she was far too much accustomed to such, to be either
pleased or displeased by them. But