at once called Mastor, and desired him to take charge of the hound which
had followed his steps as he paced the room, then he went into his
sleeping-room, took out a phial of a most costly essence, which Hadrian
had given him on his last birthday, and which had formerly belonged to
Trajan's wife, Kotina, and then proceeded to the steward's rooms. On the
steps where he had found Selene, he found the black slave with some
children. The old man had sat down them and got no farther for fear of
the Roman's dog. Antinous went up to him and begged him to guide him to
his master's quarters, and the negro immediately showed him the way,
opened the door of the antechamber, and pointing to the living-room said:

"There--but Keraunus is absent."

Without troubling himself any further about Antinous the slave went back
to the children, but the Bithyman stood irresolute, with his flask in his
hand, for besides Selene's voice he heard that of another girl and the
deeper tones of a man. He was still hesitating when Arsinoe's loud
exclamation of "Who's there?" obliged him to advance.

In the sitting-room Selene was standing dressed in a long light-colored
robe with a veil over her head, as if prepared to go out, but Arsinoe was
perched on the edge of a table, in such a way as that the tips of her
toes only touched the ground, and on the table lay a quantity of old-
fashioned things. Before her stood a Phoenician, of middle age, holding
in his hand a finely-carved cup; apparently he was in treaty for it with
the young girl.

Keraunus had been again to-day to a dealer in curiosities, but he had not
found him at home, so he had left word at his shop that Hiram might call
upon him in his rooms at Lochias, where he could show him several