on that hour, and that not a soul must overhear
what he had to say. The top of the door was too high to whisper through,
so there was nothing for it but to ask Papias for the key; however, he
did not know where he had put it. I afterwards thought of asking him
what he had done with his flute and he fetched it then at once.--In
short, the key was nowhere to be found. I told Marcus this and he wrung
his hands with vexation; but in a few minutes the inn-steward, who must
have been hiding to listen behind a pillar, suddenly appeared as if he
had dropped from the skies, took a key out of his girdle, threw the door
wide open, and vanished as if the earth had swallowed him.

"There we stood, Marcus and I, face to face. He was quite agitated; I
really believe the poor fellow was trembling, and I did not feel very
confident; however, I asked him what it was that he wanted. Then he
recovered himself a little: 'I wished,'--he began; so I went on:
'Thou wishedst,'--and it might have gone on to the end: 'he wished, we
wished'---and so forth, like the children at school at Rome, when we
were learning Greek; but, Papias came to the rescue, for he ran up to
Marcus and asked him to toss him up high, as he used to do on board
ship. Marcus did as he was asked, and then he suddenly broke out into
such a torrent of words that I was quite terrified. First he said so
many fine things that I quite expected a declaration of love, and was
trying to make up my mind whether I would laugh him out of it or
throw myself into his arms--for he really is a dear, good, handsome
fellow--and if you would like to know the truth I should have been very
willing to oblige him--to a certain extent. But he asked me nothing, and
from talking of me--listen to this Father Karnis--and saying that the
great Father in Heaven had granted me every good gift, he went on to
speak of you as a wicked, perverse and reprobate old heathen."

"I will teach him!" exclaimed Karnis shaking his fist.

"Nay, but listen," Dada went on. "He praised you and mother for a great
many things; but do you know what he says is wrong? He says you will
imperil my psyche--my soul, my immortal soul. As if I had ever heard of
any Psyche but the Psyche whom Eros loved!"

"That is quite another thing," said Karnis very seriously. "In many
songs, you know, I have tried to make you uplift your soul to a higher
flight. You have learnt to sing, and there is no better school for a
woman's soul than m