sister."

"Come father," begged Arsinoe, "first let us see to the children, and
then you shall come with me to see Selene. Oh! why did I not go with
her. Oh! if she should die."




CHAPTER XX.

Keraunus and his daughter reached their rooms less quickly than usual,
for the steward dreaded a fresh attack from the blood-hound, which,
to-night however, was sharing Antinous' room. They found the old
slavewoman up, and in great excitement, for she loved Selene, she was
frightened at her absence, and in the children's sleeping-room all was
not as it should be.

Arsinoe went without delay to see the little ones, but the black woman
remained with her master, and told him with many tears, while he
exchanged his saffron-colored pallium for an old cloak, that the joy of
her heart, little blind Helios had been ill, and could not sleep, even
after she had given him some of the drops which Keraunus himself was
accustomed to take.

"Idiotic animal!" exclaimed Keraunus, "to give my medicine to the
child," and he kicked off his new shoes to replace them with shabbier
ones. "If you were younger I would have you flogged."

"But you did say the drops were good," stammered the old woman.