But at this the favorite laughed, and said that he was convinced of the
contrary. A populace which could dare to mock at the divine Caesar, the
guest of their city, with such gross audacity, must be made to smart
under the power of Rome and its ruler. The deposed magistrate had lost
his place for the absurd measures he had proposed, and Aristides was in
danger of following in his footsteps.

"By no means," the high-priest said, with calm dignity. "The Greek, whom
I would propose, is a worthy and determined man. Now, Zminis the
Egyptian, the right hand of the man who has been turned out, is, it must
be said, a wretch without ruth or conscience."

But here the discussion was interrupted. Melissa, whose ears had tingled
as she listened, had started with horror as she heard that Zminis, the in
former, was to be appointed to the command of the whole watch of the
city. If this should happen, her brothers and father were certainly
lost. This must be prevented. As the high-priest ceased speaking, she
laid her hand on Caesar's, and, when he looked up at her in surprise, she
whispered to him, so low and so quickly that hardly any one observed it
"Not Zminis; he is our mortal enemy!"

Caracalla scarcely glanced at the face of the daring girl, but he saw how
pale she had turned. The delicate color in her cheeks, and the dimple he
had seen while she stroked the lion had struck him as particularly
fascinating. This had helped to make her so like the Roxana on the gem,
and the change in her roused his pity. She must smile again; and so,
accustomed as he was to visit his annoyance on others, he angrily
exclaimed to his "Friends":

"Can I be everywhere at once? Can not the simplest matter be settled