sand slaves charged to sweep the Serapeum
from the face of the earth would have given his impatience twenty times
as long to wait. The Comes went off at once to the Hippodrome, preceded
by hundreds who had hurried off to tell the assembled multitude that
Alexandria had lost her god.

Constantine, however, had not left the temple; he had withdrawn into one
of the aisles and seated himself on the steps, where he remained, sunk
in thought and gazing at the ground. He was a soldier and took service
and discipline in earnest. What he had done he had been forced to
do; but no one could guess how hard it had been to him to fulfil this
terrible duty. His own act was abominable in his eyes, and yet he would
have done it again to-morrow, if it had again been required of him
under similar circumstances. He bewailed the beautiful statue as a lost
treasure of art; but he felt that it was indispensable that it should
perish out of the world. And at the same time he thought of Gorgo,
wondering how she--who had only the day before pledged herself to him,
whom he loved with fervent passion, to whom, as he well knew, his faith
was something monstrous in its contempt for beauty--would bear to learn
that he, her lover, was the man who, like some coarse barbarian, had
defaced this noble work and ruined this vision of beauty, no less dear
to him than it was to her. Still, as he sat brooding and searching the
very depths of his soul, he could not help feeling that he had certainly
acted rightly and would do the same again, even at the risk of losing
her. To him Gorgo, was the noblest of God's creatures, and how could he
have borne to go through life at her side with a stain on his honor? But
he did not conceal from himself the fact that his deed had opened a
wide gulf between them; and it was with deep pathos that his thoughts
recurred to the antique conception of tragedy--of fate which pursues
its innocent victims as though they were guilty. This day perhaps would
witness the sunset of his life's joy, would drive him forth once more to
war--to fight, and do nothing but fight, till death should meet him on
the battle-field. And as he sat there his eyes grew dim and heavy and
his head fell on his heaving breast.

Suddenly he felt a light touch on his shoulder, and turning round, he
saw Gorgo standing with her hand outstretched; he started to his feet,
seized it with eager passion and looking sadly into the young girl's
eyes said, with deep em