ulent Alexandrian rascaldom been behaving itself in my
absence?'

'The herd has been eating, and drinking, and marrying, as usual, I
believe,' answered Hypatia, in a languid tone.

'And multiplying, I don't doubt. Well, there will be less loss to the
empire if I have to crucify a dozen or two, as I positively will, the
next riot. It is really a great comfort to a statesman that the masses
are so well aware that they deserve hanging, and therefore so careful to
prevent any danger of public justice depopulating the province. But how
go on the schools?'

Hypatia shook her head sadly.

'Ah, boys will be boys.... I plead guilty myself. Video meliora
proboque, deteriora sequor. You must not be hard on us.... Whether we
obey you or not in private life, we do in public; and if we enthrone you
queen of Alexandria, you must allow your courtiers and bodyguards a
few court licences. Now don't sigh or I shall be inconsolable. At all
events, your worst rival has betaken herself to the wilderness, and gone
to look for the city of the gods above the cataracts.'

'Whom do you mean?' asked Hypatia, in a tone most unphilosophically
eager.

'Pelagia, of course. I met that prettiest and naughtiest of humanities
half-way between here and Thebes, transformed into a perfect Andromache
of chaste affection.'

'And to whom, pray?'

'To a certain Gothic giant. What men those barbarians do breed! I was
afraid of being crushed under the elephant's foot at every step I took
with him!'

'What!' asked Hypatia, 'did your excellency condescend to converse with
such savages?'

'To tell you the truth, he had some forty stout countrymen of his with
him, who might have been troublesome to a perplexed prefect; not to
mention that it is always as well to keep on good terms with these
Goths. Really, after the sack of Rome, and Athens cleaned out like a
beehive by wasps, things begin to look serious. And as for the great
brute himself, he has rank enough in his way,--boasts of his descent
from some cannibal god or other,--really hardly deigned to speak to a
paltry Roman governor, till his faithful and adoring bride interceded
for me. Still, the fellow understood good living, and we celebrated our
new treaty of friendship with noble libations--but I must not talk about
that to you. However, I got rid of them; quoted all the geographical
lies I had ever heard, and a great many more; quickened their appetite
for their fool's errand notably, and starte