behind him to increase his own renown, I would put an end--ten, nay, a
hundred times over, in the good old Roman fashion, to my life, which is
by no means especially attractive. What is sweeter than sound sleep, and
who will disturb and rouse me when Death has lowered his torch before me?
But now I think I shall be spared this extreme. Whatever else they may
inflict upon me will scarcely exceed my powers of endurance. If any one
has learned contentment it is I. The King of kings and Co-Regent of the
Great Queen has been trained persistently, and with excellent success,
to be content. What should I be, and what am I? Yet I do not complain,
and wish to accuse no one. We need not summon Octavianus, and when he is
here let him take what he will if he only spares the lives of my mother,
the twins, and little Alexander, whom I love, and bestows on me the
estate--the main thing is that it must be full of fishponds--of which I
spoke. The private citizen Caesarion, who devotes his time to fishing
and the books he likes to read, will gladly be allowed to choose a wife
to suit his own taste. The more humble her origin, the more easily I
shall win the consent of the Roman guardian."

"Do you know, Caesarion," interrupted Antony's unruly son, leaning back
on the cushions and stretching his feet farther in front of him, "if you
were not the King of kings I should be inclined to call you a base, mean-
natured fellow! One who has the good fortune to be the son of Julius
Caesar ought not to forget it so disgracefully. My gall overflows at
your whimpering. By the dog! It was one of my most senseless pranks to
take you to the singer. I should think there would be other things to
occupy the mind of the King of kings. Besides, Barine cares no more
for you than the last fish you caught. She showed that plainly enough.
I say once more, if Derketaeus's men succeed in capturing the beauty who
has robbed you of your senses, she won't go with you to your miserable
estate to cook the fish you catch, for if we have her again, and my