mathematical school this morning. It grows! It spreads! We shall
conquer yet!'

She sighed. 'How do you know that they have not come to you, as
Critias and Alcibiades did to Socrates, to learn a merely political
and mundane virtue? Strange! that men should be content to grovel,
and be men, when they might rise to the rank of gods! Ah, my
father! That is my bitterest grief! to see those who have been
pretending in the morning lecture-room to worship every word of mine
as an oracle, lounging in the afternoon round Pelagia's litter; and
then at night--for I know that they do it--the dice, and the wine,
and worse. That Pallas herself should be conquered every day by
Venus Pandemos! That Pelagia should have more power than I! Not
that such a creature as that disturbs me: no created thing, I hope,
can move my equanimity; but if I could stoop to hate--I should hate
her--hate her.'

And her voice took a tone which made it somewhat uncertain whether,
in spite of all the lofty impassibility which she felt bound to
possess, she did not hate Pelagia with a most human and mundane
hatred.

But at that moment the conversation was cut short by the hasty
entrance of a slave girl, who, with fluttering voice, announced--

'His excellency, madam, the prefect! His chariot has been at the
gate for these five minutes, and he is now coming upstairs.'

'Foolish child!' answered Hypatia, with some affectation of
indifference. 'And why should that disturb me? Let him enter.'