the immortals; and all the while an inner voice made itself heard,
confidently promising her that Caesar, for whom she had sacrificed,
and who might be kinder and more merciful than others fancied, would at
once grant all she should ask. But she would not listen; and when she
nevertheless ventured to consider how she could make her way into
Caesar's presence, a cold shiver ran down her back, and again Philip's
last words sounded in her ears, "Death rather than dishonor!"

Other thoughts and feelings filled the slave's soul. He, who had always
watched over his master's children with far more anxious care than Heron
himself, had not said a word to dissuade Melissa from her perilous
expedition. Her plan had, indeed, seemed to him the only one which
promised any success. He was a man of sixty years, and a shrewd fellow,
who might easily have found a better master than Heron had been; but he
gave not a thought to his own prospects--only to Melissa's, whom he loved
as a child of his own. She had placed herself under his protection, and
he felt responsible for her fate. Thus he regarded it as great good
fortune that he could be of use in procuring her admission to the house
of Seleukus, for the door-keeper was a fellow-countryman of his, whom
Fate had brought hither from the banks of the Moselle. At every
festival, which secured a few hours' liberty to all the slaves, they had
for years been boon companions, and Argutis knew that his friend would do
for him and his young mistress all that lay in his power. It would, of
course, be difficult to get an audience of the mistress of a house where
Caesar was a guest, but the door-keeper was clever and ingenious, and
would do anything short of the impossible.

So he walked with his head high and his heart full of pride, and it
confirmed his courage when one of Zminis's men, whom they passed in the
brightly illuminated Kanopic street, and who had helped to secure Philip,