rted and waved in the
fashion of the Greeks. Her high forehead, her large, open eyes, her
straight nose, the pride expressed in her almost manly features, and
the majesty of her full form, gave her an imposing dignity, and, clad
in a garment folded in true Grecian style, she resembled a Juno of
Polycletus which had descended from its pedestal. Her arm, more
supporting than supported, was laid within that of a youth of about
seventeen years of age--Athalaric, her son, the heir of the kingdom of
the Goths.

He did not resemble his mother, but had the nature of his unhappy
father, Eutharic, whom a wasting heart disease had hurried to the grave
in the bloom of life. For this reason, Amalaswintha saw with sorrow
that her son grew daily more like his father; and it was no longer a
secret at the court of Ravenna that all the signs of the disease were
already visible in the young man.

Athalaric was as beautiful as all the other members of this royal
house, descended from the gods. Heavy black eyebrows and long eyelashes
shaded his beautiful dark eyes, that now melted with an expression of
dreamy reverie, and now flashed with intellectual brilliancy. Dark
brown tangled locks hung over his pale temples, on which, when he was
excited, the blue veins swelled convulsively. On his noble brow
physical pain or sad resignation had traced deep lines, strange to see
on his youthful countenance. Marble paleness and vivid red quickly
alternated in his transparent cheeks. His tall but bent-frame generally
seemed to hang, so to speak, on its hinges, as if tired, and only at
times he drew himself up with startling suddenness.

He did not notice Cethegus, for, leaning on his mother's breast, he had
in his sadness flung his Grecian mantle over that young head, which was
soon destined to wear a crown.

At some distance from these two figures, near an open window that
afforded a view of the marble steps upon which lay the Gothic warriors,
stood, lost in thought, a woman--or was it a girl?--of surprising and
dazzling beauty; it was Mataswintha, the sister of Athalaric.

She resembled her mother in height and nobleness of form, but her more
sharply-cut features were filled with fiery and passionate life, which
was only slightly concealed under an aspect of artificial coldness.

Her figure, in which blooming fulness and delicate slenderness were
harmoniously blended, reminded one of that Artemis in the arms of
Endymion, in the group sculpture