brother had purchased for Thais,
and he had not as yet been sent to her. On this occasion, Parmeno, our
servant, made a suggestion to me, which I adopted.

ANT. What was it?

CHAE. {Be} quiet, {and} you shall hear the sooner; to change clothes
with him, and order myself to be taken there in his stead.

ANT. What, instead of the Eunuch?

CHAE. The fact.

ANT. To receive what advantage, pray, from this plan?

CHAE. Do you ask? That I might see, hear, and be in company with her
whom I loved, Antipho. Is {that} a slight motive, or a poor reason?
I was presented to {the} woman. She, as soon as she received me,
joyfully took me home to her house and intrusted the damsel--

ANT. To whom? To you?

CHAE. To me.

ANT. (_ironically._) In perfect safety, at all events.

CHAE. She gave orders that we male was to come near her, and commanded
me not to stir away from her; that I was to remain alone with her in
the inner apartments.[77] Looking bashfully on the ground, I nodded
assent.

ANT. (_ironically._) Poor fellow!

CHAE. (_continuing._) "I am going out," said she, "to dinner." She took
her maids with her; a few novices of girls[78] remained, to be about
her. These immediately made preparations for her to bathe. I urged
them to make haste. While preparations were being made, the damsel sat
in a room looking up at a certain painting,[79] in which was
represented how Jove[80] is said once to have sent a golden shower
into the bosom of Danae. I myself began to look at it as well, and as
he had in former times played the like game, I felt extremely
delighted that a God should change himself into money, and slily come
through the tiles of another person's house, to deceive the fair one
by means of a shower. But what God was {this}? He who shakes the most
lofty temples of heaven with his thunders. Was I, a poor creature of a
mortal,[81] not to do the same? Certainly, I was to do it, and without
hesitation. While I was thinking over these matters with myself, the
damsel meantime was fetched away to bathe; she went, bathed, and came
back; after which they laid her on a couch. I stood waiting to see if
they gave me any orders. One came up, "Here, Dorus," said she, "take
this fan,[82] and let her have a little air in this fashion, while we
are bathing; when we have bathed, if you like, you may bathe too."
With a demure air I took it.

ANT. Really, I should very much have liked to see that impudent face
of yours just then,