hair, through her brain,
down into her heart, and she found her will revolting more violently
than ever against the possibilities involved in her mission.

The voice of Hannibal, addressing some conventional compliment to
Stenius upon the perfection of the arrangements, came as an intense
relief, for the others all turned toward the speaker, and, a moment
later, the slaves passed around with silver basins and ewers, pouring
scented water upon the hands of the guests and drying them with dainty
flickings of filmy napkins. Vessels of gold and silver and fine
earthenware burdened the tables, while at each end of the garden stood
a butler in charge of several large amphorae. Those at the north end
were half buried amid imitation mountains, peaked with real snow
wherewith the wine was to be cooled, while those at the south were
surrounded by more than tropical verdure, with the braziers and vessels
of hot water beside them, ready for mixing the warm draughts.

And now the slaves hurried hither and thither, bearing costly dishes
with elaborately dressed viands: dormice strewed with honey and poppy
seeds; beccaficoes surrounded by yolks of eggs, seasoned with pepper
and made to resemble peafowls' eggs in a nest whereon the stuffed bird
was sitting; fish floating in rich gravies that spouted from the mouths
of four tritons at the corners of the dish; crammed fowls, hares fitted
with wings to resemble Pegasus, thrushes in pastry stuffed with raisins
and nuts, oysters, scallops, snails on silver gridirons, boar stuffed
with fieldfares, with baskets of figs and dates hanging from his tusks,
sweetmeats, cold tarts with Spanish honey--these and a hundred other
dishes, strange or costly, followed each other in quick succession,
and, all the while, the carvers flourished their knives in time with
music, now of instruments, again of choruses of boys and girls. The
butlers, too, had not been idle, and the cups were constantly
replenished, first with the warm and, later, with the cold mixtures.

Yet, though both men and women ate greedily and drank deeply, a gloom
seemed to hang over the feast. The Carthaginians, whether influenced
by native dignity or by a real or simulated contempt for their hosts,
were reserved and silent, while the Capuans seemed, at one moment,
forcing themselves into strained merriment, and, at another, cowering
before the cold eyes that watched their efforts with scarcely veiled
indifference. With fear on t