'Then, my goddess, thou must wait the pleasure of these base ones! At
least the young Apollo will have charms even for them.'

'Ah, but who will represent him? This puny generation does not produce
such figures as Pylades and Bathyllus--except among those Goths.
Besides, Apollo must have golden hair; and our Greek race has intermixed
itself so shamefully with these Egyptians, that our stage-troop is as
dark as Andromeda, and we should have to apply again to those accursed
Goths, who have nearly' (with a bow) 'all the beauty, and nearly all the
money and the power, and will, I suspect, have the rest of it before
I am safe out of this wicked world, because they have not nearly, but
quite, all the courage. Now--Shall we ask a Goth to dance Apollo? for we
can get no one else.'

Hypatia smiled in spite of herself at the notion. 'That would be too
shameful! I must forego the god of light himself, if I am to see him in
the person of a clumsy barbarian.'

'Then why not try my despised and rejected Aphrodite? Suppose we had her
triumph, finishing with a dance of Venus Anadyomene. Surely that is a
graceful myth enough.'

'As a myth; but on the stage in reality?'

'Not worse than what this Christian city has been looking at for many a
year. We shall not run any danger of corrupting morality, be sure.'

Hypatia blushed.

'Then you must not ask for my help.'

'Or for your presence at the spectacle? For that be sure is a necessary
point. You are too great a person, my dearest madam, in the eyes of
these good folks to be allowed to absent yourself on such an occasion.
If my little stratagem succeeds, it will be half owing to the fact of
the people knowing that in crowning me, they crown Hypatia.... Come
now--do you not see that as you must needs be present at their harmless
scrap of mythology, taken from the authentic and undoubted histories
of those very gods whose worship we intend to restore, you will consult
your own comfort most in agreeing to it cheerfully, and in lending
me your wisdom towards arranging it? Just conceive now, a triumph of
Aphrodite, entering preceded by wild beasts led in chains by Cupids, the
white elephant and all--what a field for the plastic art! You might have
a thousand groupings, dispersions, regroupings, in as perfect bas-relief
style as those of any Sophoclean drama. Allow me only to take this paper
and pen--'

And he began sketching rapidly group after group.

'Not so ugly, surely?'