d, and for the first time he became fully aware that, though the
light of the sun would probably never shine for him again, and therefore
the joy of creating, the rapture of once more testing his fettered
strength, would probably be forever denied him, other stars might
perhaps illumine his path, and he was going, in a position of brilliant
independence, toward his native city, fame, and--eternal gods!--love.

Daphne had conquered, and he gave only a passing thought to Ledscha and
the hapless weaver Arachne.

CHAPTER V.

At the third hour after sunrise a distinguished assemblage of people
gathered at the landing place east of the Temple of Poseidon in the
great harbour of Alexandria.

Its members belonged to the upper classes, for many had come in
carriages and litters, and numerous pedestrians were accompanied by
slaves bearing in delicately woven baskets and cornucopias a laurel
wreath, a papyrus crown, or bright-hued flowers.

The most aristocratic among the gentlemen had gathered on the western
side of the great sanctuary, between the cella and the long row of Doric
columns which supported the roof of the marble temple.

The Macedonian Council of the city was already represented by several of
its members. Among their number was Archias, Daphne's father, a man
of middle height and comfortable portliness, from whose well-formed,
beardless face looked forth a pair of shrewd eyes, and whose quick
movements revealed the slight irritability of his temperament.

Several members of the Council and wealthy merchants surrounded
him, while the grammateus Proclus first talked animatedly with other
government officials and representatives of the priesthood, and then
with Archias. The head of the Museum, who bore the title of "high
priest," had also appeared there with several members of this famous
centre of the intellectual life of the capital. They shared the shade
of this part of the temple with distinguished masters of sculpture
and painting, architecture and poetry, and conversed together with the
graceful animation of Greeks endowed with great intellectual gifts.

Among them mingled, distinguishable neither by costume nor language, a
number of prominent patrons of art in the great Jewish community.
Their principal, the alabarch, was talking eagerly with the philosopher
Hegesias and the Rhodian leech Chrysippus; Queen Arsinoe's favourite,
whom at Althea's instigation she had sent with Proclus to receive the
r