nk of their fulfilment--but only for a moment;
her young soul was full of confidence and elation, and if a doubt
weighed it down for an instant it was soon cast off and her spirit rose
with bold expectancy.

Her heart overflowed with happiness and thankfulness as she thought of
Marcus and his love for her; her fancy painted the future always by his
side, and though her annoyance at Gorgo's continued absence, and her
dread of her lover's mother slightly clouded her gladness, the sense of
peace and rapture constantly came triumphantly to the front. She forgot
time as it sped, till at length Gorgo made her appearance.

She had not deliberately kept out of the little singer's way; on the
contrary, she had been detained by her father, for not till now had she
dared to tell him that his mother, the beloved mistress of his
house, was no more. In the Serapeum she had not mentioned it, by the
physician's orders; and now, in addition, through the indiscretion of
a friend, he had received some terrible tidings which had already been
known for some hours in the city and which dealt him a serious blow.
His two sons were in Thessalonica, and a ship, just arrived from thence,
brought the news-only too well substantiated, that fifteen thousand of
the inhabitants of that town had been treacherously assassinated in the
Circus there.

This hideous massacre had been carried out by the Imperial troops at
Caesar's command, the wretched citizens having been bidden to witness
the races and then ruthlessly butchered. A general of the Imperial
army--a Goth named Botheric--had been killed by the mob, and the Emperor
had thus avenged his death.

Porphyrius knew only too well that his sons would never have been
absent from any races or games. They certainly must have been among the
spectators and have fallen victims to the sword of the slaughterer. His
mother and two noble sons were snatched from him in a day; and he would
again have had recourse to poison as a refuge from all, if a dim ray of
hope had not permitted him to believe in their escape. But all the same
he was sunk in despair, and behaved as though he had nothing on earth
left to live for. Gorgo tried to console him, encouraged his belief in
her brothers' possible safety, reminded him that it was the duty of a
philosopher to bear the strokes of Fate with fortitude; but he would not
listen to her, and only varied his lamentations with bursts of rage.

At last he said he wished to be