C LEOPAT R A 
 
 A ROMANCE 
 
 BY 
 
 GEORG EBERS 
 
 AUTHOR OF UARDA, AN EGYPTIAN PRINCESS, SERAPIS, JOSHUA, 
 A THORNY PATH, THE STORY OF MY LIFE, ETC. 
 
 TRANSLATED FROM THE GERMAN 
 
 BY MARY J. SAFFORD 
 
 IN TWO VOLUMES 
 VOL. I 
 
 LONDON 
 
 SAMPSON LOW, MARSTON & COMPANY 
 (LIMITED)
 
 Prnted in America. 
 Copyright, 1894, by D. Appleton & Co.
 
 IN AFFECTIONATE REMEMBRANCE, 
 TO MY FRIEND THE POET 
 
 WILHELM JORDAN.
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 IF the author should be told that the senti- 
 mental love of our day was unknown to the pagan 
 world, he would not cite last the two lovers, An- 
 tony and Cleopatra, and the will of the powerful 
 Roman general, in which he expressed the desire, 
 wherever he might die, to be buried beside the 
 woman whom he loved to his latest hour. His 
 wish was fulfilled, and the love-life of these two 
 distinguished mortals, which belongs to history, 
 has more than once afforded to art and poesy a 
 welcome subject. 
 
 In regard to Cleopatra, especially, life was 
 surrounded with an atmosphere of romance bor- 
 dering on the fabulous. Even her bitterest foes 
 admire her beauty and rare gifts of intellect. Her 
 character, on the contrary, presents one of the 
 most difficult problems of psychology. The ser- 
 vility of Roman poets and authors, who were un- 
 willing frankly to acknowledge the light emanat- 
 ing so brilliantly from the foe of the state and the 
 Imperator, solved it to her disadvantage. Every- 
 thing that bore the name of Egyptian was hateful 
 or suspicious to the Roman, and it was hard to
 
 Vi CLEOPATRA. 
 
 forgive this woman, born on the banks of the 
 Nile, for having seen Julius Caesar at her feet and 
 compelled Mark Antony to do her bidding. Other 
 historians, Plutarch at their head, explained the 
 enigma more justly, and in many respects in her 
 favour. 
 
 It was a delightful task to the author to scan 
 more closely the personality of the hapless Queen, 
 and from the wealth of existing information shape 
 for himself a creature in whom he could believe. 
 Years elapsed ere he succeeded ; but now that he 
 views the completed picture, he thinks that many 
 persons might be disposed to object to the bright- 
 ness of his colours. Yet it would not be difficult 
 for the writer to justify every shade which he has 
 used. If, during his creative work, he learned to 
 love his heroine, it was because, the more dis- 
 tinctly he conjured before his mind the image of 
 this wonderful woman, the more keenly he felt 
 and the more distinctly he perceived how fully 
 she merited not only sympathy and admiration, 
 but, in spite of all her sins and weaknesses, the 
 self-sacrificing affection which she inspired in so 
 many hearts. 
 
 It was an author of no less importance than 
 Horace who called Cleopatra " non humilis mu- 
 lier" a woman capable of no baseness. But the 
 phrase gains its greatest importance from the fact 
 that it adorns the hymn which the poet dedicated 
 to Octavianus and his victory over Antony and
 
 PREFACE. vii 
 
 Cleopatra. It was a bold act, in such an ode, to praise 
 the victor's foe. Yet he did it, and his words, which 
 are equivalent to a deed, are among this greatly 
 misjudged woman's fairest claims to renown. 
 
 Unfortunately it proved less potent than the 
 opinion of Dio, who often distorted what Plutarch 
 related, but probably followed most closely the 
 farce or the popular tales which, in Rome, did not 
 venture to. show the Egyptian in a favourable light. 
 
 The Greek Plutarch, who lived much nearer 
 the period of our heroine than Dio, estimated her 
 more justly than most of the Roman historians. 
 His grandfather had heard many tales of both 
 Cleopatra and Antony from his countryman Phi- 
 lotas, who, during the brilliant days when they 
 revelled in Alexandria, had lived there as a stu- 
 dent. Of all the writers who describe the Queen, 
 Plutarch is the most trustworthy, but even his 
 narrative must be used with caution. We have 
 closely followed the clear and comprehensive de- 
 scription given by Plutarch of the last days of 
 our heroine. It bears the impress of truth, and 
 to deviate widely from it would be arbitrary. 
 
 Unluckily, Egyptian records contain noth- 
 ing which could have much weight in estimating 
 the character of Cleopatra, though we have like- 
 nesses representing the Queen alone, or with her 
 son Csesarion. Very recently (in 1892) the frag- 
 ment of a colossal double statue was found in 
 Alexandria, which can scarcely be intended for
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 any persons except Cleopatra and Antony hand in 
 hand. The upper part of the female figure is in a 
 state of tolerable preservation, and shows a young 
 and attractive face. The male figure was doubt- 
 less sacrificed to Octavianus's command to destroy 
 Antony's statues. We are indebted to Herr Dr. 
 Walther, in Alexandria, for an excellent photo- 
 graph of this remarkable piece of sculpture. Com- 
 paratively few other works of plastic art, in which 
 we here include coins, that could render us famil- 
 iar with our heroine's appearance, have been pre- 
 served. 
 
 Though the author must especially desire to 
 render his creation a work of art, it is also requi- 
 site to strive for fidelity. As the heroine's portrait 
 must reveal her true character, so the life repre- 
 sented here must correspond in every line with the 
 civilization of the period described. For this pur- 
 pose we placed Cleopatra in the centre of a larger 
 group of people, whom she influences, and who 
 enable her personality to be displayed in the vari- 
 ous relations of life. 
 
 Should the author succeed in making the pic- 
 ture of the remarkable woman, who was so differ- 
 ently judged, as " lifelike" and vivid as it stamped 
 itself upon his own imagination, he might remem- 
 ber with pleasure the hours which he devoted to 
 this book. 
 
 GEORG EBERS. 
 
 TirrziNG ON THE STARNBERGER SEE, October 5,
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 GORGIAS, the architect, had learned to bear the 
 scorching sunbeams of the Egyptian noonday. 
 Though not yet thirty, he had directed first as 
 his late father's assistant and afterwards as his 
 successor the construction of the huge buildings 
 erected by Cleopatra in Alexandria. 
 
 Now he was overwhelmed with commissions; 
 yet he had come hither ere the hours of work were 
 over, merely to oblige a youth who had barely 
 passed the confines of boyhood. 
 
 True, the person for whom he made this sacri- 
 fice was Caesarion, the son whom Cleopatra had 
 given to Julius Caesar. Antony had honoured him 
 with the proud title of " King of kings"; yet he 
 was permitted neither to rule nor even to issue 
 orders, for his mother kept him aloof from affairs 
 of state, and he himself had no desire to hold the 
 sceptre. 
 
 Gorgias had granted his wish the more readily,
 
 2 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 because it was apparent that he wanted to speak 
 to him in private, though he had not the least 
 idea what Caesarion desired to confide, and, under 
 any circumstances, he could give him only a brief 
 interview. The fleet, at whose head the Queen 
 had set sail, with Mark Antony, for Greece, must 
 have already met Octavianus's galleys, and doubt- 
 less a battle wherein the destiny of the world was 
 decided had also been fought upon the land. 
 Gorgias believed that the victory would fall to 
 Antony and the Queen, and wished the noble pair 
 success with his whore heart. He was even obliged 
 to act as if the battle had been already determined 
 in their favour, for the architectural preparations 
 for the reception of the conquerors were entrusted 
 to his charge, and that very day must witness the 
 decision of the location of the colossal statues 
 which represented Antony hand in hand with his 
 royal love. 
 
 The epitrop Mardion, a eunuch, who as Regent, 
 represented Cleopatra ; and Zeno, the Keeper of the 
 Seal, who rarely opposed him, wished to have the 
 piece of sculpture erected in a different place from 
 the one he favoured. The principal objection to 
 the choice made by the powerful head of the gov- 
 ernment was that it had fallen on land owned by a 
 private individual. This might lead to difficulties, 
 ' and Gorgias opposed it. As an artist, too, he did 
 not approve Mardion's plan ; for though, on Didy- 
 mus's land, the statues would have faced the sea,
 
 CLEOPATRA. 3 
 
 which the Regent and the Keeper of the Seal re- 
 garded as very important, no fitting background 
 could have been obtained. 
 
 At any rate, the architect could now avail him- 
 self of Caesarion's invitation to overlook from the 
 appointed place of meeting the lofty steps of the 
 Temple of Isis the Bruchium, and seek the best 
 site for the twin statues. He was anxious to select 
 the most suitable one ; the master who had created 
 this work of art had been his friend, and had closed 
 his eyes in death shortly after its completion. 
 
 The sanctuary whence Gorgias commenced his 
 survey was in one of the fairest portions of the 
 Bruchium, the Alexandrian quarter, where stood 
 the royal palace with its extensive annexes, the 
 finest temples except the Serapeum, situated in 
 another part of the city and the largest theatres ; 
 the Forum invited the council of Macedonian citi- 
 zens to its assemblies, and the Museum afforded a 
 resort for the scholars. 
 
 The little square closed in the east by the Tem- 
 ple of Isis was *called the " Corner of the Muses," 
 on account of the two marble statues of women 
 before the entrance of the house, which, with its 
 large garden facing the square northward and ex- 
 tending along the sea, belonged to Didymus, an 
 old and highly respected scholar and member of 
 the Museum. 
 
 The day had been hot, and the shade of the 
 Temple of Isis was very welcome to the architect.
 
 4 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 This sanctuary rested upon a lofty foundation, and 
 a long flight of steps led to the cella. The spot 
 afforded Gorgias a wide prospect. 
 
 Most of the buildings within his vision belonged 
 to the time of Alexander and his successors in 
 the house of the Ptolemies, but some, and by no 
 means the least stately, were the work of Gorgias 
 himself or of his father. The artist's heart swelled 
 with enthusiastic delight at the sight of this por- 
 tion of his native city. 
 
 He had been in Rome, and visited many other 
 places numbered among the world's fairest and 
 most populous cities ; but not one contained so 
 many superb works of art crowded together in so 
 small a space. 
 
 " If one of the immortals themselves," he mur- 
 mured, " should strive to erect for the inhabitants 
 of Olympus a quarter meet for their grandeur and 
 beauty, it could scarcely be much more superb or 
 better fitted to satisfy the artistic needs which we 
 possess as their gift, and it would surely be placed 
 on the shore of such a sea." 
 
 While speaking, he shaded his keen eyes with 
 his hand. The architect, who usually devoted his 
 whole attention to the single object that claimed 
 his notice, now permitted himself the pleasure of 
 enjoying the entire picture in whose finishing 
 touches he had himself borne a part ; and, as his 
 practised eye perceived in every temple and colon- 
 nade the studied and finished harmony of form,
 
 CLEOPATRA. 5 
 
 and the admirable grouping of the various build- 
 ings and statues, he said to himself, with a sigh of 
 satisfaction, that his own art was the noblest and 
 building the highest of royal pleasures. No doubt 
 this belief was shared by the princes who, three 
 centuries before, had endeavoured to obtain an 
 environment for their palaces which should cor- 
 respond with their vast power and overflowing 
 wealth, and at the same time give tangible ex- 
 pression to their reverence for the gods and their 
 delight in art and beauty. No royal race in the 
 universe could boast of a more magnificent abode. 
 These thoughts passed through Gorgias's mind as 
 the deep azure hue of sea and sky blended with 
 the sunlight to bring into the strongest relief all 
 that the skill and brains of man, aided by exhaust- 
 less resources, had here created. 
 
 Waiting, usually a hard task for the busy archi- 
 tect, became a pleasure in this spot ; for the rays 
 streaming lavishly in all directions from the dia- 
 dem of the sovereign sun flooded with dazzling 
 radiance the thousands of white marble statues on 
 the temples and colonnades, and were reflected 
 from the surfaces of the polished granite of the 
 obelisks and the equally smooth walls of the 
 white, yellow, and green marble, the syenite, and 
 the brown, speckled porphyry of sanctuaries and 
 palaces. They seemed to be striving to melt the 
 bjright mosaic pictures which covered every foot 
 of the ground, where no highway intersected and
 
 6 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 no tree shaded it, and flashed back again from the 
 glimmering metal or the smooth glaze in the gay 
 tiles on the roofs of the temples and houses. Here 
 they glittered on the metal ornaments, yonder they 
 seemed to be trying to rival the brilliancy of the 
 gilded domes, to lend to the superb green of the 
 tarnished bronze surfaces the sparkling lustre of 
 the emerald, or to transform the blue and red 
 lines of the white marble temples into lapis-lazuli 
 and coral and their gilded decorations into topaz. 
 The pictures in the mosaic pavement of the 
 squares, and on the inner walls of the colonnades, 
 were doubly effective against the light masses of 
 marble surrounding them, which in their turn were 
 indebted to the pictures for affording the eye an 
 attractive variety instead of dazzling monotony. 
 
 Here the light of the westering sun enhanced 
 the brilliancy of colour in the flags and streamers 
 which fluttered beside the obelisks and Egyptian 
 pylons, over the triumphal arches and the gates of 
 the temples and palaces. Yet even the exquisite 
 purplish blue of the banner waving above the pal- 
 ace on the peninsula of Lochias, now occupied by 
 Cleopatra's children, was surpassed by the hue of 
 the sea, whose deep azure near the shore merged 
 far away into bands of lighter and darker blue, 
 blending with dull or whitish green. 
 
 Gorgias was accustomed to grasp fully what- 
 ever he permitted to influence him, and though 
 still loyal to his custom of associating with his art
 
 CLEOPATRA. 7 
 
 every remarkable work of the gods or man, he had 
 not forgotten in his enjoyment of the familiar 
 scene the purpose of his presence in this spot. 
 
 No, the garden of Didymus was not the proper 
 place for his friend's last work. 
 
 While gazing at the lofty plane, sycamore, and 
 mimosa trees which surrounded the old scholar's 
 home, the quiet square below him suddenly be- 
 came astir with noisy life, for all classes of the 
 populace were gathering in front of the seques- 
 tered house, as if some unusual spectacle attracted 
 them. 
 
 What could they want of the secluded philoso- 
 pher ? 
 
 Gorgias gazed earnestly at them, but soon 
 turned away again ; a gay voice from below called 
 his name. 
 
 A singular procession had approached the tem- 
 ple a small body of armed men, led by a short, 
 stout fellow, whose big head, covered with bushy 
 curls, was crowned with a laurel wreath. He was 
 talking eagerly to a younger man, but had paused 
 with the others in front of the sanctuary to greet 
 the architect. The latter shouted a few pleasant 
 words in reply. The laurel-crowned figure made a 
 movement as if he intended to join him, but his 
 companion checked him, and, after a short parley, 
 the older man gave the younger one his hand, 
 flung his heavy head back, and strutted onward 
 like a peacock, followed by his whole train.
 
 8 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 The other looked after him, shrugging his 
 shoulders ; then called to Gorgias, asking what 
 boon he desired from the goddess. 
 
 " Your presence," replied the architect blithely. 
 
 " Then Isis will show herself gracious to you," 
 was the answer, and the next instant the two young 
 men cordially grasped each other's hands. 
 
 Both were equally tall and well formed; their 
 features bore witness to their Greek origin ; nay, 
 they might have been taken for brothers, had not 
 the architect's whole appearance seemed sturdier 
 and plainer than that of his companion, whom he 
 called " Dion " and friend. As the latter heaped 
 merry sarcasms upon the figure wearing the laurel 
 wreath who had just left him, Anaxenor, the famous 
 zither-player, on whom Antony had bestowed the 
 revenues of four cities and permission to keep a 
 body-guard, and Gorgias's deeper voice sometimes 
 assented, sometimes opposed with sensible objec- 
 tions, the difference between these two men of the 
 same age and race became clearly apparent. 
 
 Both showed a degree of self-reliance unusual 
 at their age ; but the architect's was the assurance 
 which a man gains by toil and his own merit, 
 Dion's that which is bestowed by large possessions 
 and a high position in society. Those who were 
 ignorant that the weight of Dion's carefully pre- 
 pared speech had more than once turned the scale 
 in the city councils would probably have been dis- 
 posed to take him for one of the careless world-
 
 CLEOPATRA. O 
 
 lings who had no lack of representatives among the 
 gilded youth of Alexandria ; while the architect's 
 whole exterior, from his keen eye to the stouter 
 leather of his sandals, revealed earnest purpose 
 and unassuming ability. 
 
 Their friendship had commenced when Gorgias 
 built a new palace for Dion. During long business 
 association people become well acquainted, even 
 though their conversations relate solely to direc- 
 tion and execution. But in this case, he who gave 
 the orders had been only the inspirer and adviser, 
 the architect the warm-hearted friend, eager to do 
 his utmost to realize what hovered before the 
 other's mind as the highest attainable excellence. 
 So the two young men became first dear, and final- 
 ly almost indispensable to each other. As the 
 architect discovered in the wealthy man of the 
 world many qualities whose existence he had not 
 suspected, the latter was agreeably surprised to 
 find in the artist, associated with his solidity of 
 character, a jovial companion, who this first made 
 him really beloved by his friend had no lack of 
 weaknesses. 
 
 When the palace was completed to Dion's satis- 
 faction and became one of the most lauded orna- 
 ments of the city, the young men's friendship as- 
 sumed a new form, and it would have been difficult 
 to say which received the most benefit. 
 
 Dion had just been stopped by the zither-player 
 to ask for confirmation of the tidings that the unit-
 
 IO 
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 ed forces of Antony and Cleopatra had gained a 
 great victory on sea and land. 
 
 In the eating-house at Kanopus, where he had 
 breakfasted, every one was full of the joyful news, 
 and rivers of wine had been drunk to the health of 
 the victors and the destruction of the malicious foe. 
 
 " In these days," cried Dion, " not only weak- 
 brained fellows, like the zither-player, believe me 
 omniscient, but many sensible men also. And why ? 
 Because, forsooth, I am the nephew of Zeno, the 
 Keeper of the Seal, who is on the brink of despair 
 because he himself knows nothing, not even the 
 veriest trifle." 
 
 " Yet he stands nearest to the Regent," ob- 
 served Gorgias, " and must learn, if any one does, 
 how the fleet fares." 
 
 " You too ! " sighed his friend. " Had I been 
 standing so far above the ground as you, the 
 architect by the dog, I should not have failed 
 to note the quarter whence the wind blew ! It has 
 been southerly a whole fortnight, and keeps back 
 the galleys coming from the north. The Regent 
 knows nothing, absolutely nothing, and my uncle, 
 of course, no more. But if they do learn any- 
 thing they will be shrewd enough not to enrich me 
 with it." 
 
 " True, there are other rumours afloat," said 
 the architect thoughtfully. " If I were in Mardion's 
 place " 
 
 " Thank the Olympians that you are not,"
 
 CLEOPATRA. 1 1 
 
 laughed his companion. " He has as many cares 
 as a fish has scales. And one, the greatest. 
 That pert young Antyllus was over-ready with his 
 tongue yesterday at Barine's. Poor fellow ! He'll 
 have to answer for it to his tutor at home." 
 
 " You mean the remark about the Queen's ac- 
 companying the fleet ?" 
 
 " St ! " said Dion, putting his finger on his lips, 
 for many men and women were now ascending the 
 temple steps. Several carried flowers and cakes, 
 and the features of most expressed joyful emotion. 
 The news of the victory had reached their ears, 
 and they wanted to offer sacrifices to the goddess 
 whom Cleopatra, " the new Isis," preferred to all 
 others. 
 
 The first court-yard of the sanctuary was astir 
 with life. They could hear the ringing of the sis- 
 trum bells and the murmuring chant of the priests. 
 The quiet fore-court of the little temple of the 
 goddess, which here, in the Greek quarter of pal- 
 aces, had as few visitors as the great Temple of 
 Isis in the Rhakotis was overcrowded, had now be- 
 come the worst possible rendezvous for men who 
 stood so near the rulers of the government. The 
 remark made about the Queen the evening before 
 by Antyllus, Antony's nineteen-year-old son, at the 
 house of Barine, a beautiful young woman who at- 
 tracted all the prominent men in Alexandria, was 
 the more imprudent because it coincided with the 
 opinion of all the wisest heads. The reckless
 
 12 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 youth enthusiastically reverenced his father, but 
 Cleopatra, the object of Antony's love, and in 
 the Egyptians' eyes his wife, was not Antyllus's 
 mother. He was the son of Fulvia, his father's 
 first wife, and feeling himself a Roman, would 
 have preferred a thousand times to live on the 
 banks of the Tiber. Besides, it was certain An- 
 tony's stanchest friends made no attempt to con- 
 ceal the fact that the Queen's presence with the 
 army exerted a disturbing influence, and could not 
 fail to curb the daring courage of the brave gen- 
 eral. Antyllus, with the reckless frankness inher- 
 ited from his father, had expressed this view in 
 the presence of all Barine's guests, and in a form 
 which would be only too quickly spread through- 
 out Alexandria, whose inhabitants relished such 
 speeches. 
 
 These remarks would be slow in reaching the 
 plain people who were attracted to the temple by 
 the news of the victory, yet many doubtless knew 
 Caesarion, whom the architect was awaiting here. 
 It would be wiser to meet the prince at the foot 
 of the steps. Both men, therefore, went down to 
 the square, though the crowds seeking the temple 
 and thronging the space before Didymus's house 
 made it more and more difficult to pace to and fro. 
 
 They were anxious to learn whether the rumour 
 that Didymus's garden was to be taken for the 
 twin statues had already spread abroad, and their 
 first questions revealed that this was the case. It
 
 CLEOPATRA. ! 3 
 
 was even stated that the old sage's house was to 
 be torn down, and within a few hours. This was 
 vehemently contradicted ; but a tall, scrawny man 
 seemed to have undertaken to defend the ruler's 
 violence. 
 
 The friends knew him well. It was the Syrian 
 Philostratus, a clever extempore speaker and agi- 
 tator of the people, who placed his clever tongue 
 at the disposal of the highest bidder. 
 
 " The rascal is probably now in my uncle's em- 
 ploy," said Dion. "The idea of putting the piece 
 of sculpture there originated with him, and it is 
 difficult to turn him from such plans. There is 
 some secret object to be gained here. That is 
 why they have brought Philostratus. I wonder if 
 the conspiracy is connected in any way with Ba- 
 rine, whose husband unfortunately for her he 
 was before he cast her off." 
 
 "Cast her off ! " exclaimed Gorgias wrathfully. 
 " How that sounds ! True, he did it, but to per- 
 suade him the poor woman sacrificed half the for- 
 tune her father had earned by his brush. You 
 know as well as I that life with that scoundrel 
 would be unbearable." 
 
 " Very true," replied Dion quietly. " But as all 
 Alexandria melted into admiration after her sing- 
 ing of the yalemos at the Adonis festival, she no 
 longer needed her contemptible consort." 
 
 " How can you take pleasure, whenever it is 
 possible, in casting such slurs upon a woman,
 
 14 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 whom but yesterday you called blameless, charm- 
 ing, peerless ? " 
 
 " That the light she sheds may not dazzle your 
 eyes. I know how sensitive they are." 
 
 " Then spare, instead of irritating them. Be- 
 sides, your suggestion gives food for thought. 
 Barine is the granddaughter of the man- whose 
 garden they want, and the advocate would prob- 
 ably be glad to injure both. But I'll spoil his 
 game. It is my business to choose the site for the 
 statues." 
 
 "Yours?" replied Dion. "Unless some one 
 who is more powerful opposes you. I would try to 
 win my uncle, but there are others superior to him. 
 The Queen has gone, it is true ; but Iras, whose 
 commands do not die-away in empty air, told me 
 this morning that she had her own ideas about the 
 erection of the statue." 
 
 " Then you bring Philostratus here ! " cried the 
 architect. 
 
 " I ?" asked the other in amazement. 
 
 "Ay, you," asserted Gorgias. "Did not you 
 say that Iras, with whom you played when a boy, 
 was now becoming troublesome by watching your 
 every step ? And then you visit Barine constant- 
 ly, and she so evidently prefers you, that the fact 
 might easily reach the ears of Iras." 
 
 "As Argus has a hundred, jealousy has a thou- 
 sand eyes," interrupted Dion, " yet I seek nothing 
 from Barine, save two pleasant hours when the day
 
 CLEOPATRA. 15 
 
 is drawing towards its close. No matter ; Iras, 
 I suppose, heard that I was favoured by this much- 
 admired woman. Iras herself has some little re- 
 gard for me, so she bought Philostratus. She is 
 willing to pay something for the sake of injuring 
 the woman who stands between us, or the old man 
 who has the good or evil fortune of being her 
 rival's grandfather. No, no ; that would be too 
 base ! And believe me, if Iras desired to ruin Ba- 
 rine, she need not make so long a circuit. Besides, 
 she is not really a wicked woman. Or is she ? All 
 I know is that where any advantage is to be gained 
 for the Queen, she does not shrink even from 
 doubtful means, and also that the hours speed 
 swiftly for any one in her society. Yes, Iras, Iras 
 I like to utter the name. Yet I do not love her, 
 and she loves only herself, and a thing few can 
 say another still more. What is the world, what 
 am I to her, compared with the Queen, the idol of 
 her heart ? Since Cleopatra's departure, Iras seems 
 like the .forsaken Ariadne, or a young roe which 
 has strayed from its mother. But stop ; she may 
 have a hand in the game : the Queen trusted her 
 as if she were her sister, her daughter. No one 
 knows what she and Charmian are to her. They 
 are called waiting-women, but are their sovereign's 
 dearest friends. When, on the departure of the 
 fleet, Cleopatra was compelled to leave Iras here- 
 she was ill with a fever she gave her the charge 
 of her children, even those whose beards were be-
 
 !6 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 ginning to grow, the ' King of kings ' Caesarion, 
 whose tutor punishes him for every act of diso- 
 bedience ; and the unruly lad Antyllus, who has 
 forced his way the last few evenings into our 
 friend's house." 
 
 " Antony, his own father, introduced him to 
 her." 
 
 " Very true, and Antyllus took Caesarion there. 
 This vexed Iras, like everything which may disturb 
 the Queen. Barine is troublesome on account of 
 Cleopatra, whom she wishes to spare every annoy- 
 ance, and perhaps she dislikes her a little for my 
 sake. Now she wants to inflict on the old man, 
 Barine's grandfather, whom she loves, some injury 
 which the spoiled, imprudent woman will scarcely 
 accept quietly, and which will rouse her to commit 
 some folly that can be used against her. Iras 
 will hardly seek her life, but she may have in mind 
 exile or something of that kind. She knows peo- 
 ple as well as I know her, my neighbour and play- 
 mate, whom many a time I was obliged to lift down 
 from some tree into which the child had climbed as 
 nimbly as a kitten." 
 
 " I myself suggested this conjecture, yet I can- 
 not credit her with such unworthy intrigues," cried 
 Gorgias. 
 
 " Credit her ? " repeated Dion, shrugging his 
 shoulders. " I only transport myself in imagina- 
 tion to the court and to the soul of the woman who 
 helps make rain and sunshine there. You have
 
 CLEOPATRA. 17 
 
 columns rounded and beams hewed that they may 
 afterwards support the roof to which in due time 
 you wish to direct attention. She and all who 
 have a voice in the management of court affairs 
 look first at the roof and then seek anything to 
 raise and support it, though it should be corpses, 
 ruined lives, and broken hearts. The point is that 
 the roof shall stand until the architect, the Queen, 
 
 sees and approves it. As to the rest But 
 
 there is the carriage It doubtless brings 
 
 You were " 
 
 He paused, laid his hand on his friend's arm, 
 and whispered hastily : " Iras is undoubtedly at the 
 bottom of this, and it is not Antyllus, but yonder 
 dreaming lad, for whom she is moving. When she 
 spoke of the statues just now, she asked in the 
 same breath where I had seen him on the evening 
 of the day before yesterday, and that was the very 
 time he called on Barine. The plot was made by 
 her, and Iras is doing all the work. The mouse is 
 not caught while the trap is closed, and she is just 
 raising her little hand to open it." 
 
 " If only she does not use some man's hand," 
 replied the architect wrathfully, and then turned 
 towards the carriage and the elderly man who had 
 just left it, and was now approaching the two 
 friends.
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 WHEN Csesarion's companion reached Dion and 
 Gorgias, the former modestly made a movement to 
 retire. But Archibius was acquainted with both, 
 and begged him to remain. There was an air of 
 precision and clearness in the voice and quiet 
 movements of this big, broad-shouldered man, 
 with his robust frame and well-developed limbs. 
 Though only a few years beyond forty, not merely 
 his grey hair but the calm, impressive dignity of 
 his whole manner indicated a more advanced age. 
 
 " The young King yonder," he began in a deep, 
 musical voice, motioning towards the equipage, 
 " wished to speak to you here in person, Gorgias, 
 but by my advice he refrained from mingling with 
 the crowd. I have brought him hither in a closed 
 carriage. If the plan suits you, enter it and talk 
 with him while I keep watch here. Strange things 
 seem to be occurring, and yonder or am I mis- 
 taken ? Has the monster dragged along there any 
 connection with the twin statues of the Queen and 
 her friend ? Was it you who selected that place 
 for them ?"
 
 CLEOPATRA. ig 
 
 "No, "replied the architect. "The order was 
 issued over my head and against my will." 
 
 " I thought so," replied the other. " This is 
 the very matter of which Caesarion wishes to speak. 
 If you can prevent the erection of the statues on 
 Didymus's land, so much the better. I will do 
 everything in my power to aid you, but in the 
 Queen's absence that is little." 
 
 " Then what can be said of my influence ? " asked 
 the architect. " Who, in these days, knows whether 
 the sky will be blue or grey to-morrow ? I can 
 guarantee one thing only : I will do my best to 
 prevent this injury of an estimable citizen, inter- 
 ference with the laws of our city, and violation of 
 good taste." 
 
 " Say so to the young King, but express your- 
 self cautiously," replied Archibius as the architect 
 turned towards the carriage. 
 
 As soon as Dion and the older man were alone, 
 the latter inquired the cause of the increasing up- 
 roar, and as, like every well-disposed Alexandrian, 
 he esteemed Archibius, and knew that he was inti- 
 mately acquainted with the owner of the imper- 
 illed garden, and therefore with his granddaugh- 
 ter Barine, he confided his anxiety to him without 
 reserve. 
 
 " Iras is your niece, it is true," he said in his 
 open-hearted manner, "but I know that you un- 
 derstand her character. It suits her now to fling 
 a golden apple into the path of a person whom she
 
 20 
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 dislikes and believes incautious, that she may pick 
 it up and thus afford her an opportunity to bring 
 a charge of theft." 
 
 Noting the inquiring glance Archibius fixed 
 upon him as he made this comparison, he changed 
 his tone and continued more earnestly : " Zeus is 
 great, but destiny is superior even to him. Zeus 
 can accomplish much, but when Iras and your 
 sister Charmian, who unfortunately is now with 
 the Queen, wish to effect anything, he, like the Re- 
 gent Mardion, must give way. The more lovable 
 Cleopatra is, the more surely every one prizes a 
 position near her person above aught else, espe- 
 cially such trifles as law and justice." 
 
 " These are harsh words," responded Archibius, 
 "and seem the more bitter in proportion to the 
 germ of truth which they contain. Our court 
 shares the fate of every other in the East, and 
 those to whom Rome formerly set the example of 
 holding law and justice sacred " 
 
 " Can now go there," interrupted Dion, " to 
 learn how rudely both are trampled under foot. 
 The sovereigns here and there may smile at one 
 another like the augurs. They are like broth- 
 ers " 
 
 " But with the difference," Archibius broke in, 
 "that the head of our public affairs is the very em- 
 bodiment of affability and grace; while in Rome, 
 on the contrary, harsh severity and ,bloody arro- 
 gance, or even repulsive servility, guide the reins."
 
 CLEOPATRA. 2 1 
 
 Here Archibius interrupted himself to point 
 to the shouting throng advancing towards them. 
 " You are right," Dion answered. " Let us defer 
 this discussion till we can pursue it in the house of 
 the charming Barine. But I rarely meet-you there, 
 though by blood you are so nearly allied to her 
 father. I am her friend at my age that might 
 easily mean her lover. But in our case the com- 
 parison would not suit. Yet perhaps you will be- 
 lieve me, for you have the right to call yourself 
 the friend of the most bewitching of women." 
 
 A sorrowful smile flitted over the grave, set 
 features of the older man, who, raising his hand as 
 if in protest, answered carelessly : " I grew up with 
 Cleopatra, but a private citizen loves a queen only 
 as a divinity. I believe in your friendship for Ba- 
 rine, though I deem it dangerous." 
 
 " If you mean that it might injure the lovely 
 woman," replied Dion, raising his head more proud- 
 ly as if to intimate that he required no warning, 
 even from him, "perhaps you are right. Only I 
 beg you not to misunderstand me. I am not vain 
 enough to suppose that I could win her heart, but 
 unfortunately there are many who cannot forgive 
 the power of attraction which she exerts over me 
 as well as upon all. So many men gladly visit 
 Barine's house that there are an equal number of 
 women who would rejoice to close it. Among 
 them, of course, is Iras. She dislikes my friend; 
 nay, I fear that what you witness yonder is the
 
 22 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 apple she flung in order, if not to ruin, at least to 
 drive her from the city, ere the Queen may the 
 gods grant her victory ! ere Cleopatra returns. 
 You know your niece Iras. Like your sister 
 Charmian, she will shrink from nothing to remove 
 an annoyance from her mistress's pathway, and it 
 will hardly please Cleopatra when she learns that 
 the two youths whose welfare lies nearest her heart 
 Antyllus and Caesarion seek Barine's house, 
 no matter how stainless the latter's reputation 
 may be." 
 
 " I have just heard of it," replied Archibius, 
 " and I, too, am anxious. Antony's son has inherit- 
 ed much of his father's insatiable love of pleasure. 
 But Caesarion ! He has not yet ventured out of 
 the dreamland which surrounds him into actual 
 life. What others scarcely perceive deals him a 
 serious blow. I fear Eros is sharpening arrows for 
 him which will pierce deep into his heart. While 
 talking with me he seemed strangely changed. His 
 dreamy eyes glittered like a drunkard's when he 
 spoke of Barine. I fear, I fear " 
 
 " Impossible ! " cried Dion, in surprise, nay, 
 almost terror. " If that is the case, Iras is not 
 wholly wrong, and we must deal with the matter 
 differently. But it is of the first importance to 
 conceal the fact that Caesarion has any interest in 
 the affairs of the old house-owner. To seek to 
 maintain the old man's right to his own property 
 is a matter of course, and I will undertake to do
 
 CLEOPATRA. 23 
 
 this and try to get yonder orator home Just 
 
 see how the braggart is swinging his arms in Iras's 
 service ! As for Barine, it will be well to induce 
 her to leave of her own free will a city where it 
 will be made unpleasant for her. Try to persuade 
 her to pursue this course. If I went to her with 
 
 such a suggestion, I, who yesterday No, no ! 
 
 Besides, she might hear that Iras and I She 
 
 would imagine all sorts of absurdities. You know 
 what jealousy means. To you, whom she esteems, 
 she would surely listen, and she need not go far from 
 the city. If the heart of this enthusiastic boy 
 who might some day desire to be ' King of kings ' 
 not only in name should really be fired with love 
 for Barine, what serious misfortune might follow ! 
 We must secure her from him. She could not go 
 to my country house among the papyrus planta- 
 tions at Sebennys. It would afford too much 
 license for evil tongues. But you your villa at 
 Kanopus is too near but, if I am not mistaken, 
 you have " 
 
 " My estate in the lake region is remote enough, 
 and will be at her disposal," interrupted the other. 
 " The house is always kept ready for my reception. 
 1 will do my best to persuade her, for your advice 
 is prudent. She must be withdrawn from the boy's 
 eyes." 
 
 " I shall learn the result of your mission to- 
 morrow," cried Dion eagerly "nay, this evening. 
 If she consents, I will tell Iras, as if by accident, 
 3
 
 24 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 that Barine has gone to Upper Egypt to drink new 
 milk, or something of that kind. Iras is a shrewd 
 woman, and will be glad if she can keep aloof from 
 such trifles during the time which will decide the 
 fate of Cleopatra and of the world." 
 
 " My thoughts, too, are always with the army," 
 said Archibius. " How trivial everything else 
 seems compared with the result which will be de- 
 termined in the next few days! But life is made 
 up of trifles. They are food, drink, maintenance. 
 Should the Queen return triumphant, and find 
 Caesarion in wrong paths " 
 
 " We must close them against him," exclaimed 
 Dion. 
 
 " That the boy may not follow Barine ? " asked 
 Archibius, shaking his head. " I think we need 
 feel no anxiety on that score. He will doubtless 
 eagerly desire to do so, but with him there is a 
 wide gulf between the wish and its fulfilment. 
 Antyllus is differently constituted. He would be 
 quite capable of ordering a horse to be saddled, or 
 the sails of a boat to be spread in order to pur- 
 sue her beyond the Cataract if necessary. So we 
 must maintain the utmost secrecy concerning the 
 place to which Barine voluntarily exiles herself." 
 
 " But she is not yet on her way," replied Dion 
 with a faint sigh. " She is bound to this city by 
 many ties." 
 
 " I know it," answered Archibius, confirming 
 his companion's fear. The latter, pointing to the
 
 CLEOPATRA. 25 
 
 equipage, said in a rapid, earnest tone : " Gorgias 
 is beckoning. But, before we part, let me beseech 
 you to do everything to persuade Barine to leave 
 here. She is in serious. danger. Conceal nothing 
 from her, and say that her friends will not leave 
 her too long in solitude." 
 
 Archibius, with a significant glance, shook his 
 finger at the young man in playful menace, and 
 then went up to the carriage. 
 
 Csesarion's clear-cut but pallid face, whose 
 every feature resembled that of his father, the 
 great Cassar, bent towards them from the opening 
 above the door, as he greeted both with a formal 
 bend of the head and a patronizing glance. His 
 eyes had sparkled with boyish glee when he first 
 caught sight of the friend from whom he had been 
 separated several weeks, but to the stranger he 
 wished to assume the bearing which beseemed a 
 king. He desired to make him feel his superior 
 position, for he was ill-disposed towards him. He 
 had seen him favoured by the woman whom he 
 imagined he loved, and whose possession he had 
 been promised by the secret science of the Egyp- 
 tians, whose power to unveil the mysteries of the 
 future he firmly believed. Antyllus, Antony's son, 
 had taken him to Barine, and she had received him 
 with the consideration due his rank. Spite of her 
 bright graciousness, boyish timidity had hitherto 
 prevented any word of love to the young beauty 
 whom he saw surrounded by so many distinguished
 
 2 6 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 men of mature years. Yet his beaming, expressive 
 eyes must have revealed his feelings to her. 
 Doubtless his glances had not been unobserved, 
 for only a few hours before an Egyptian woman 
 had stopped him at the temple of his father, Csesar, 
 to which, according to the fixed rules governing 
 the routine of his life, he went daily at a certain 
 hour to pray, to offer sacrifices, to anoint the stone 
 of the altar, or to crown the statue of the departed 
 emperor. 
 
 Caesarion had instantly recognized her as the 
 female slave whom he had seen in Barine's atrium, 
 and ordered his train to fall back. 
 
 Fortunately his tutor, Rhodon, had not fulfilled 
 his duty of accompanying him. So the youth had 
 ventured to follow the slave woman, and in the 
 shadow of the mimosas, in the little grove beside 
 the temple, he found Barine's litter. His heart 
 throbbed violently as, full of anxious expectation, 
 he obeyed her signal to draw nearer. Still, she 
 had granted him nothing save the favour of grati- 
 fying one of her wishes. But his heart had swelled 
 almost to bursting when, resting her beautiful 
 white arm on the door of her litter, she had told 
 him that unjust men were striving to rob her 
 grandfather Didymus of his garden, and she ex- 
 pected him, who bore the title of the " King of 
 kings " to do his best to prevent such a crime. 
 
 It had been difficult for him to grasp her mean- 
 ing while she was speaking. There was a roaring
 
 CLEOPATRA. 27 
 
 sound in his ears as if, instead of being in the silent 
 temple grove, he was standing on a stormy day 
 upon the surf-beaten promontory of Lochias. He 
 had not ventured to raise his eyes and look into 
 her face. Not until she closed with the question 
 whether she might hope for his assistance did her 
 gaze constrain him to glance up. Ah, what had 
 he not fancied he read in her imploring blue eyes! 
 how unspeakably beautiful she had appeared ! 
 
 He had stood before her as if bereft of his 
 senses. -His sole knowledge was that he had 
 promised, with his hand on his heart, to do every- 
 thing in his power to prevent what threatened to 
 cause her pain. Then her little hand, with its 
 sparkling rings, was again stretched towards him, 
 and he had resolved to kiss it ; but while he glanced 
 around at his train, she had already waved him a 
 farewell, and the litter was borne away. 
 
 He stood motionless, like the figure of a man 
 on one of his mother's ancient vases, staring in be- 
 wilderment after the flying figure of Happiness, 
 whom he might easily have caught by her floating 
 locks. How he raged over the miserable indecision 
 which had defrauded him of so much joy ! Yet 
 nothing was really lost. If he succeeded in fulfill- 
 ing her wishes, she could not fail to be grateful ; 
 and then 
 
 He pondered over the person to whom he should 
 apply Mardion, the Regent, or the Keeper of the 
 Seal ? No, they had planned the erection of the
 
 2 8 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 group of sculpture in the philosopher's garden. 
 To Iras, his mother's confidante ? Nay, last of 
 all to her. The cunning woman would have per- 
 ceived his purpose and betrayed it to the Regent. 
 Ah, if Charmian, his mother's other attendant, had 
 been present ! but she was with the fleet, which 
 perhaps was even now engaged in battle with the 
 enemy. 
 
 At this recollection his eyes again sought the 
 ground he had not been permitted to take the 
 place in the army to which his birth entitled him, 
 
 while his mother and Charmian But he did 
 
 not pursue this painful current of thought ; for a 
 serious reproach had forced itself upon him and 
 sent the blood to his cheeks. He wished to be con- 
 sidered a man, and yet, in these fateful days, which 
 would determine the destiny of his mother, his 
 native city, Egypt, and that Rome which he, the 
 only son of Caesar, was taught to consider his heri- 
 tage, he was visiting a beautiful woman, thinking 
 of her, and of her alone. His days and half the 
 nights were passed in forming plans for securing 
 her love, forgetful of what should have occupied 
 his whole heart. 
 
 Only yesterday Iras had sharply admonished 
 him that, in times like these, it was the duty of 
 every friend of Cleopatra, and every foe of her 
 foes, to be with the army at least in mind. 
 
 He had remembered this, but, instead of heed- 
 ing the warning, the thought of her had merely
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 2 9 
 
 recalled her uncle, Archibius, who possessed great 
 influence, not merely on account of his wealth but 
 because every one also knew his high standing in 
 the regard of the Queen. Besides, the clever, kindly 
 man had always been friendly to him from child- 
 hood, and like a revelation came the idea of ap- 
 plying to him, and to the architect Gorgias, who 
 had a voice in the matter, and by whom he had 
 been strongly attracted during the period while he 
 was rebuilding the wing assigned to the prince in 
 the palaee at Lochias. 
 
 So one of the attendants was instantly de- 
 spatched with the little tablet which invited Gor- 
 gias to the interview at the Temple of Isis. 
 
 Then, in the afternoon, Csesarion went secretly 
 in a boat to the little palace of Archibius, situated 
 on the seashore at Kanopus, and now as the latter, 
 with his friend, stood beside the carriage door, he 
 explained to them that he was going with the archi- 
 tect to old Didymus to assure him of his assistance. 
 
 This was unadvisable in every respect, but it re- 
 quired all the weight of the older man's reasons 
 to induce the prince to yield. The consequences 
 which might ensue, should the populace discover 
 that he was taking sides against the Regent, would 
 be incalculable. But submission and withdrawal 
 were especially difficult to the young " King of 
 kings." He longed to pose as a man in Dion's 
 presence, and as this could not be, he strove to 
 maintain the semblance of independence by yield-
 
 30 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 ing his resolve only on the plea of not desiring to 
 injure the aged scholar and his granddaughter. 
 Finally, he again entreated the architect to secure 
 Didymus in the possession of his property. When 
 at last he drove away with Archibius, twilight was 
 already gathering, torches were lighted in front of 
 the temple and the little mausoleum adjoining the 
 cella, and pitch-pans were blazing in the square.
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 " THE lad is in an evil plight," said Gorgias, 
 shaking his head thoughtfully as the equipage 
 rolled over the stone pavement of the Street of 
 the King. 
 
 " And over yonder, added Dion," " the pros- 
 pect is equally unpleasing. Philostratus is setting 
 the people crazy. But the hired mischief-maker 
 will soon wish he had been less ready to seize 
 Iras's gold coins." 
 
 "And to think," cried the architect, "that Ba- 
 rine was this scoundrel's wife ! How could it 
 be " 
 
 " She was but a child when they married her," 
 interrupted Dion. "Who consults a girl of fifteen 
 in the choice of a husband ? And Philostratus he 
 was my classmate at Rhodus at that time had the 
 fairest prospects. His brother Alexas, Antony's fa- 
 vourite, could easily advance him. Barine's father 
 was dead, her mother was accustomed to follow 
 Didymus's counsel, and the clever fellow had man- 
 aged to strew dust in the old man's eyes. Long 
 and lank as he is, he is not bad-looking even now.
 
 32 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 When he appeared as an orator he pleased his 
 hearers. This turned his head, and a spendthrift's 
 blood runs in his veins. To bring his fair young 
 bride to a stately mansion, he undertook the bad 
 cause of the thievish tax-collector Pyrrhus, and 
 cleared him. 
 
 " He bought a dozen false witnesses." 
 
 " There were sixteen. Afterwards they became 
 as numerous as the open mouths you see shouting 
 yonder. It is time to silence them. Go to the old 
 man's house and soothe him Barine also, if she is 
 there. If you find messengers from the Regent, 
 raise objections to the unprecedented decree. You 
 know the portions of the law which can be turned 
 to Didymus's advantage." 
 
 " Since the reign of Euergetes II, registered 
 landed property has been unassailable, and his was 
 recorded." 
 
 "So much the better. Tell the officials also, 
 confidentially, that you know of objections just 
 discovered which may perhaps change the Re- 
 gent's views." 
 
 "And, above all, I shall insist upon my right 
 to choose the place for the twin statues. The 
 Queen herself directed the others to heed my 
 opinion." 
 
 " That will cast the heaviest weight into the 
 scale. We shall meet later. You will prefer to 
 keep away from Barine to-night. If you see her, 
 tell her that Archibius said he would visit her later
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 33 
 
 for an object I will explain afterwards. I shall 
 probably go to Iras to bring her to reason. It will 
 be better not to mention Csesarion's wish." 
 
 " Certainly and you will give nothing to yon- 
 der brawler." 
 
 " On the contrary. I feel very generous. If 
 Peitho will aid me, the insatiate fellow will get 
 more than may be agreeable to him." 
 
 Then grasping the architect's hand, Dion forced 
 his way through the throng surrounding the high 
 platformon wheels, upon which the closely covered 
 piece of sculpture had been rolled up. The gate 
 of the scholar's house stood open, for an officer 
 in the Regent's service had really entered a short 
 time before, but the Scythian guards sent by the 
 exegetus Demetrius, one of Barine's friends, were 
 keeping back the throng of curious spectators. 
 
 Their commander knew Gorgias, and he was 
 soon standing in the impluvium of the scholar's 
 house, an oblong, roofless space, with a fountain 
 in the centre, whose spray moistened the circular 
 bed of flowers around it. The old slave had just 
 lighted some three-branched lamps which burned 
 on tall stands. The officers sent by the Regent to 
 inform Didymus that his garden would be convert- 
 ed into a public square had just arrived. 
 
 When Gorgias entered, these magistrates, their 
 clerks, and the witnesses accompanying them a 
 group of twenty men, at whose head was Apol- 
 lonius, a distinguished officer of the royal treasury
 
 34 
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 were in the house. The slave who admitted the 
 architect informed him of it. 
 
 In the atrium a young girl, doubtless a member 
 of the household, stopped him. He was not mis- 
 taken in supposing that she was Helena, Didy- 
 mus's younger granddaughter, of whom Barine had 
 spoken. True, she resembled her sister neither in 
 face nor figure, for while the young matron's hair 
 was fair and waving, the young girl's thick black 
 tresses were wound around her head in a smooth 
 braid. Very unlike Barine's voice, too, were the 
 deep, earnest tones trembling with emotion, in 
 which she confronted him with the brief question, 
 concealing a faint reproach, " Another demand ? " 
 
 After first ascertaining that he was really speak- 
 ing to Helena, his friend's sister, he hastily told 
 her his name, adding that, on the contrary, he had 
 come to protect her grandfather from a serious 
 misfortune. 
 
 When his glance first rested upon her in the 
 dimly lighted room, the impression she made upon 
 him was by no means favourable. The pure brow, 
 which seemed to him too high for a woman's face, 
 wore an indignant frown ; and though her mouth 
 was beautiful in form, its outlines were often 
 marred by a passionate tremor that lent the ex- 
 quisitely chiselled features a har^h, nay, bitter ex- 
 pression. But she had scarcely heard the motive of 
 his presence ere, pressing her hand upon her bosom 
 with a sigh of relief, she eagerly exclaimed :
 
 CLEOPATRA. 35 
 
 " Oh, do what you can to avert this terrible 
 deed ! No one knows how the old man loves this 
 house. And my grandmother ! They will die if it 
 is taken from them." 
 
 Her large eyes rested upon him with a warm, 
 imploring light ; and the stern, almost repellent 
 voice thrilled with love for her relatives. He 
 must lend his aid here, and how gladly he would 
 do so ! He assured her of this ; and Helena, who 
 had heard him mentioned as a man of ability, saw 
 in him s helper in need, and begged him, with 
 touching fervour, to show her grandfather, when 
 he came before the officers, that all was not lost. 
 
 The astonished architect asked if Didymus did 
 not know what was impending, and Helena ha'stily 
 replied : 
 
 " He is working in the summer-house by the 
 sea. Apollonius is a kind-hearted man, and will 
 wait until I have prepared my grandfather. I 
 must go to him. He has already sent Philotas 
 his pupil, who finds and unrolls his books a dozen 
 times to inquire the cause of the tumult outside ; 
 but i replied that the crowds were flocking to the 
 harbour on account of the Queen. There is often 
 a mob shouting madly ; but nothing disturbs my 
 grandfather when he is absorbed in his work ; and 
 his pupil a young student from Amphissa loves 
 him and does what I bid him. My grandmother, 
 too, knows nothing yet. She is deaf, and the fe- 
 male slaves dare not tell her. After her recent
 
 36 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 attack of giddiness, the doctor said that any sud- 
 den shock might injure her. If only I can find 
 the right words, that my grandfather may not be 
 too sorely hurt ! " 
 
 " Shall I accompany you ? " asked Gorgias 
 kindly. 
 
 " No," she answered hurriedly. " He needs 
 time ere he will trust strangers. Only, if Apol- 
 lonius discloses the terrible truth, and his grief 
 threatens to overpower him, comfort him, and 
 show him that we still have friends who are ready 
 to protect us from such disaster." 
 
 She waved her hand in token of gratitude, and 
 hurried through the little side gate into the garden. 
 
 Gorgias looked after her with sparkling eyes, 
 and drew a long breath. How good this girl must 
 be, how wisely she cared for her relatives ! How 
 energetically the young creature behaved ! He had 
 seen his new acquaintance only in the dim light, 
 but she must be beautiful. Her eyes, lips, and 
 hair certainly were. How his heart throbbed as 
 he asked himself the question whether this young 
 girl, who was endowed with every gift which con- 
 stituted the true worth of womanhood, was not 
 preferable to her more attractive sister Barine ! 
 when the thought darted through his mind that 
 he had cause to be grateful to the beard which 
 covered his chin and cheeks, for he felt that he, a 
 sedate, mature man, must have blushed. And he 
 knew why. Only half an hour before he had felt
 
 CLEOPATRA. 37 
 
 and admitted to Dion that he considered Barine the 
 most desirable of women, and now another's image 
 cast a deep shadow over hers and filled his heart 
 with new, perhaps stronger emotions. 
 
 He had had similar experiences only too often, 
 and his friends, Dion at their head, had perceived 
 his weakness and spoiled many an hour for him by 
 their biting jests. The series of tall and short, fair 
 and dark beauties who had fired his fancy was 
 indeed of considerable length, and every one on 
 whom he had bestowed his quickly kindled affec- 
 tions had seemed to him the one woman he must 
 make his own, if he would be a happy man. But 
 ere he had reached the point of offering his hand, 
 the question had arisen in his mind whether he 
 might not love another still more ardently. So 
 he had begun to persuade himself that his heart 
 yearned for no individual, but the whole sex at 
 least the portion which was young and could feel 
 love and therefore he would scarcely be wise to 
 bind himself to any one. True, he knew that he 
 was capable of fidelity, for he clung to his friends 
 with changeless loyalty, and was ready to make 
 any sacrifice in their behalf. With women, how- 
 ever, he dealt differently. Was Helena's image, 
 which now floated before him so bewitchingly, des- 
 tined to fade as swiftly ? The contrary would 
 have been remarkable. Yet he firmly believed 
 that this time Eros meant honestly by him. The 
 laughing loves who twined their rose garlands
 
 38 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 around him and Helena's predecessors had noth- 
 ing to do with this grave maiden. 
 
 These reflections darted through his brain with 
 the speed of lightning, and still stirred his heart 
 when he was ushered into the impluvium, where 
 the magistrates were impatiently awaiting the 
 owner of the house. With the lucidity peculiar 
 to him, he explained his reasons for hoping that 
 Iheir errand would be vain, and Apollonius replied 
 that no one would rejoice more than he himself if 
 the Regent should authorize him, on the morrow, 
 to countermand his mission. He would gladly 
 wait there longer to afford the old man's grand- 
 daughter an opportunity to soften the tidings of 
 the impending misfortune. 
 
 The kind-hearted man's patience, however, was 
 not tested too long ; for when Helena entered the 
 summer-house Didymus had already been informed 
 of the disaster which threatened him and his family. 
 The philosopher Euphranor, an elderly member of 
 the Museum, had reached him through the garden 
 gate, and, spite of Philotas's warning sign, told 
 him what was occurring. But Didymus knew the 
 old philosopher, who, a recluse from the world 
 like himself, was devoting the remainder of his life 
 and strength to the pursuit of science. So he only 
 shook his head incredulously, pushed back the thin 
 locks of grey hair which hung down on his cheeks 
 over the barest part of his skull, and exclaimed 
 reproachfully, though as if the matter under dis-
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 39 
 
 cussion was of the most trivial importance : " What 
 have you been hearing ? We'll see about it ! " 
 
 He had risen as he spoke, and too abruptly 
 surprised by the news to remember the sandals on 
 the mat and the upper robe which lay on a chest 
 of drawers at the end of the room, he was in the 
 act of quitting it, when his friend, who had silently 
 watched his movements, stopped him, and Helena 
 entered. 
 
 The grey-haired sage turned to her, and, vexed 
 by his friend's doubts, begged her to convince her 
 grandfather that even matters which do not please 
 us may nevertheless be of some importance. She 
 did so as considerately as possible, thinking mean- 
 while of the architect and his hopes. 
 
 Didymus, with his eyes bent on the ground, 
 shook his grey head again and again. Then, sud- 
 denly raising it, he rushed to the door, and with- 
 out heeding the upper garment which Helena still 
 held in her hand, tore it open, shouting, " But 
 things must and shall be changed ! " 
 
 Euphranor and his granddaughter followed. 
 Though his head was bowed, he crossed the little 
 garden with a swift, firm tread, and, without notic- 
 ing the questions and warnings of his companions, 
 walked at once to the impluvium. The bright light 
 dazzled his weakened eyes, and his habit of gazing 
 into vacancy or on the ground compelled him to 
 glance from side to side for some time, ere he 
 could accustom himself to it. Apollonius ap- 
 4
 
 4 o CLEOPATRA. 
 
 proached, greeted him respectfully, and assured 
 him that he deeply regretted having interrupted 
 'him in the work for which the whole world was 
 waiting, but he had come on important business. 
 
 " I know, I know," the old scholar answered 
 with a smile of superiority. "What is all this ado 
 about ?" 
 
 As he spoke he looked around the group of 
 spectators, among whom he knew no one except 
 Apollonius, who had charge of the museum ac- 
 counts, and the architect, for whom he had com- 
 posed the inscription on the Odeum, which he had 
 recently built. But when his eyes met only un- 
 familiar faces, the confidence which hitherto had 
 sustained him began to waver, though still con- 
 vinced that a demand such as the philosopher sug- 
 gested could not possibly be made upon him, he 
 continued : " It is stated that there is a plan for 
 turning my garden into a public square. And for 
 what purpose ? To erect a piece of sculpture. But 
 there can be nothing serious in the rumour, for my 
 property is recorded in the land register, and the 
 law " 
 
 " Pardon me," Apollonius broke in, " if I inter- 
 rupt you. We know the ordinance to which you 
 refer, but this case is an exceptional one. The 
 Regent desires to take nothing from you. On the 
 contrary, he offers, in the name of the Queen, any 
 compensation you yourself may fix for the piece 
 of land which is to be honoured by the statues of
 
 CLEOPATRA. 4! 
 
 the highest personages in the country Cleopatra 
 and Antony, hand in hand. The piece of sculpture 
 has already been brought here. A work by the ad-: 
 mirable artist Lysander, who passed too early to 
 the nether world, certainly will not disfigure your 
 house. The little summer-house by the sea must 
 be removed to-morrow, it is true ; you know that 
 our gracious Queen may return any day victo- 
 rious if the immortals are just. This piece of 
 sculpture, which is created in her honour, to afford 
 her pleasure, must greet her on her arrival, so the 
 Regent sent me to-day to communicate his wish, 
 which, as he represents the Queen " 
 
 " Yet," interrupted the architect, who had again 
 warmly assured the old man's granddaughter of 
 his aid " yet your friends will endeavour to per- 
 suade the Regent to find another place for the 
 statues." 
 
 " They are at liberty to do so," said the officer. 
 " What will happen later the future will show. My 
 office merely requires me to induce the worthy 
 owner of this house and garden to submit to-day 
 to the Queen's command, which the Regent and my 
 own heart bid me clothe in the form of a request." 
 
 During this conversation the old man had at 
 first listened silently to the magistrate's words, 
 gazing intently into his face. So it was true. 
 The demand to yield up his garden, and even the 
 little house, for fifty years the scene of his study 
 and creative work, for the sake of a statue, would
 
 42 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 be made. Since this had become a certainty, he 
 had stood with his eyes fixed upon the ground. 
 Grief had paralyzed his tongue, and Helena, who 
 felt this, for the aged head seemed as if it were 
 bending under a heavy burden, had drawn close to 
 his side. 
 
 The shouts and howls of the throng outside 
 echoed through the open roof of the impluvium, 
 but the old man did not seem to hear them, and did 
 not even notice his granddaughter. Yet, no sooner 
 did he feel her touch than he hurriedly shrank 
 away, flung back his drooping head, and gazed 
 around the circle of intruders. 
 
 The dull, questioning eyes of the old commen- 
 tator and writer of many books now blazed with 
 the hot fire of youthful passion and, like a wrestler 
 who seeks the right grip, he measured Apollonius 
 and his companions with wrathful glances. The 
 fragile recluse seemed transformed into a warrior 
 ready for battle. His lips and the nostrils of his 
 delicate nose quivered, and when Apollonius began 
 to say that it would be wise to remove the contents 
 of the summer-house that day, as it would be torn 
 down early the next morning, Didymus raised his 
 arms, exclaiming : 
 
 " That will not be done. Not a single roll shall 
 be removed ! They will find me at work as usual 
 early to-morrow morning, and if it is still your wish 
 to rob me of my property you must use violence 
 to attain your purpose."
 
 CLEOPATRA. 43 
 
 "Calm yourself," replied Apollonius. "Every 
 one beneath the moon must submit to a higher 
 power ; the gods bow to destiny, we mortals to 
 the sovereign. You are a sage ; I, merely mindful 
 of the behests of duty, administer my office. But I 
 know life, and if I may offer my counsel, you will ; 
 accept what cannot be averted, and I will wager 
 ten to one that you will have the best of it ; that 
 the Queen will place in your hands means " 
 
 "Sufficient to build a palace on the site of the 
 little house of which I was robbed," Didymus in- 
 terrupted bitterly. Then rage burst forth afresh : 
 "What do I care for your money? I want my 
 rights, my good, guaranteed rights. I insist upon 
 them, and whoever assails the ground which my 
 grandfather and father bequeathed to me " 
 
 He hesitated, for the throng outside had burst 
 into a loud shout of joy ; and when it died away, 
 and the old man began once more defiantly to 
 claim his rights, he was interrupted by a woman's 
 clear tones, addressing him with the Greek greet- 
 ing, " Rejoice ! " a voice so gay and musical that 
 it seemed to dispel the depression which rested 
 like a grey fog on the whole company. 
 
 While Didymus was listening to the excited 
 populace, and the new-comer was gazing at the old 
 man whose rigid obstinacy could scarcely be con- 
 quered by kindness, the younger men were looking 
 at the beautiful woman who joined them. Her 
 haste had flushed her cheeks, and from beneath
 
 44 
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 the turquoise-blue kerchief that covered her fair 
 locks a bewitching face smiled at her sister, the 
 architect, and her grandfather. 
 
 Apollonius and many of his companions felt as 
 if happiness in person had entered this imperilled 
 house, and many an eye brightened when the infu- 
 riated old man exclaimed in an altered tone, " You 
 here, Barine ?" and she, without heeding the pres- 
 ence of the others, kissed his cheek with tender 
 affection. 
 
 Helena, Gorgias, and the old philosopher Eu- 
 phranor, had approached her, and when the latter 
 asked with loving reproach, "Why, Barine, how 
 did you get through the howling mob ? " she 
 answered gaily : " That a learned member of the 
 Museum may receive me with the query whether I 
 am here, though from childhood a kind or what 
 do you think, grandfather ? a malign fate has pre- 
 served me from being overlooked, and some one 
 else reprovingly asks how I passed through the 
 shouting mob, as if it were a crime to wade into 
 the water to hold out a helping hand to those we 
 love best when it is up to their chins ! But, oh ! 
 dear, this howling is too hideous ! " 
 
 While speaking, she pressed her little hands on 
 the part of the kerchief which concealed her ears, 
 and said no more until the noise subsided, although 
 she declared that she was in a hurry, and had only 
 come to learn how matters were. Meanwhile it 
 seemed as if she was so full of quick, pulsing life,
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 45 
 
 that it was impossible to leave even a moment 
 unused, if it were merely to bestow or answer a 
 friendly glance. 
 
 The architect and her sister were obliged to re- 
 turn hurried answers to hasty questions ; and as 
 soon as she ascertained what had brought the 
 strangers there she thanked Apollonius, and said 
 that old friends would do their best to spare her 
 grandfather such a sorrow. 
 
 In reply to repeated inquiries from the two old 
 men in regard to her arrival there, she answered : 
 " Nobody will believe it, because in this hurry I 
 could not keep my mouth shut ; but I acted like a 
 mute fish and reached the water." Then, drawing 
 her grandfather aside, she whispered to him that, 
 when she left her boat at the harbour, Archibius 
 had seen her from his carnage, and instantly stopped 
 it to inform her of his intended visit that evening. 
 He was coming to discuss an important matter. 
 Therefore she must receive the worthy man, whom 
 she sincerely liked, so she could not stay. Then 
 turning to the- others still with her kerchief on 
 her head ready for departure she asked what the 
 people meant by their outcries. The architect re- 
 plied that Philostratus had endeavoured to make 
 the crowd believe that the only appropriate site 
 for the statues of which she had heard was her 
 grandfather's garden, and he thought he knew in 
 whose behalf the fellow was acting. 
 
 " Certainly not in the Regent's," said Apol-
 
 46 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 lonius, in a tone of sincere conviction ; but 1^ 
 rine, over whose sunny brow a shadow had flitted 
 when Gorgias uttered the orator's name, assented 
 with a slight bend of the head, and then whispered 
 hurriedly, yet earnestly, that she would answer for 
 the old man's allowing himself to be persuaded, if 
 he had only time to collect his thoughts. 
 
 The next morning, when the market was crowd- 
 ed, the officer might commence his negotiations 
 afresh, if the Regent insisted on his plan. Mean- 
 while she would do her best to persuade her grand- 
 father to yield, though he was not exactly one of 
 the class who are easily guided. Apollonius might 
 remind the Regent that it would be advisable at 
 this time to avoid a public scandal, to remember 
 Didymus's age, and the validity of his claim. 
 
 While Apollonius was talking with his compan- 
 ions, Barine beckoned to the architect, and hastily 
 took leave of the others, protesting that she was in 
 no danger, since she would slip away again like a 
 fish, only this time she would use her tongue, and 
 hoped by its means to win to the support of Didy- 
 mus's just cause a man who would already have 
 ended all the trouble had the Queen only been in 
 Alexandria. 
 
 Until now the eyes and ears of the whole com- 
 pany had been fixed upon Barine. No one had 
 desired anything better than to gaze at and listen 
 to her. 
 
 Not until she had quitted the room with Gorgias
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 47 
 
 did the officials discuss the matter together, and 
 soon after Apollonius went away with his compan- 
 ions, to hold another conference with the Regent 
 about this unpleasant business. This time the 
 architect had followed the young beauty with very 
 mingled feelings. Only an hour before he would 
 have rejoiced to be permitted to accompany and 
 protect Barine ; now he would have gladly re- 
 mained with her sister, who had returned his fare- 
 well greeting so gratefully and yet with such 
 maidenly- modesty. But even the most vacillat- 
 ing man cannot change one fancy for another as 
 he would replace a black piece on the draught- 
 board with a white one, and he still found it de- 
 lightful to be so near Barine. Only the thought 
 that Helena might believe that he stood on very 
 intimate terms with her sister had darted with a 
 disquieting influence through his brain when the 
 latter invited him to accompany her. 
 
 In the garden Barine begged him, before they 
 went to the landing-place where the boat was 
 moored, to help her ascend the narrow flight of 
 steps leading to the flat roof of the gatekeeper's 
 little house. 
 
 Here they could watch unseen the tumult in 
 the square below, for it was surrounded by dense 
 laurel bushes. Bright flames were blazing in the 
 pitch-pans before the two temples at the side of 
 the Corner of the Muses, and their light was in- 
 creased by the torches held in the hands of Scythi-
 
 48 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 ans. Yet no individuals could be distinguished in 
 the throng. The marble walls of the temples shim- 
 mered, the statues at Didymus's gate, and the her- 
 mse along the street of the King which passed the 
 threatened house and connected the north of the 
 Corner of the Muses with the sea-shore, loomed 
 from the darkness in the brilliancy of the reflected 
 light, but the smoke of the torches darkened the 
 sky and dimmed the starlight. 
 
 The only persons distinctly visible were Dion, 
 who had stationed himself on the lofty framework 
 of the platform on which the muffled statues had 
 been drawn hither, and the attorney Philostratus, 
 who stood on the pedestal of one of the dolphins 
 which surrounded the fountain between the Tem- 
 ple of Isis and the street. The space, a dozen paces 
 wide, which divided them, permitted the antago- 
 nists to understand each other, and the attention 
 of the whole throng was fixed upon the wranglers. 
 
 These verbal battles were one of the greatest 
 pleasures of the Alexandrians, and they greeted 
 every clever turn of speech with shouts of ap- 
 plause, every word which displeased them with 
 groans, hisses, and cat-calls. 
 
 Barine could see and hear what was passing 
 below. She had pushed aside the foliage of the 
 laurel bushes which concealed her, and, with her 
 hand raised to her ear, stood listening to the two 
 disputants. When the scoundrel whom she had 
 called husband, and for whom her contempt had
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 49 
 
 become too deep for hate, sneeringly assailed her 
 family as having been fed from generation to gen- 
 eration from the corn-bin of the Museum, she bit 
 her lips. But they soon curled, as if what she 
 heard aroused her disgust, for the speaker now 
 turned to Dion and accused him of preventing the 
 kindly disposed Regent from increasing the re- 
 nown of the great Queen and affording her noble 
 heart a pleasure. 
 
 " My tongue," he cried, "is the tool which sup- 
 ports me. Why am I using it here till it is weary 
 and almost paralyzed ? In honour of Cleopatra, 
 our illustrious Queen, and her generous friend, to 
 whom we all owe a debt of gratitude. Let all who 
 love her and the divine Antony, the new Herakles 
 and Dionysus both will soon make their entry 
 among us crowned with the laurels of victory 
 join the Regent and every well-disposed person in 
 seizing yonder bit of land so meanly withheld by 
 base avarice and a sentiment a sentiment, do you 
 hear ? which I do not name more plainly, simply 
 because wickedness is repulsive to me, and I do 
 not stand here as an accuser. Whoever upholds 
 the word-monger who spouts forth books as the 
 dolphin at my side does water, may do so. I shall 
 not envy him. But first look at Didymus's ally 
 and panegyrist. There he stands opposite to me. 
 It would have been better for him had the dolphin 
 at his feet taught him silence. Then he might 
 have remained in the obscurity which befits him.
 
 50 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 But whether willing or not, I must drag him forth, 
 and I will show you Dion, fellow-citizens, though I 
 would far rather have you see things which arouse 
 less ire. The dim light prevents your distinguish- 
 ing the colour of his robe, but I know it, for I saw 
 it in the glare of day. It is hyacinthine purple. 
 You know what that costs. It would support the 
 wives and children of many among you for ten long 
 years. ' How heavy must be the purse which can 
 expose such a treasure to sun and rain ! ' is the 
 thought of every one who sees him strutting about 
 as proudly as a peacock. And his purse is loaded 
 with many talents. Only it is a pity that, day after 
 day, most of you must give your children a little less 
 bread and deprive yourselves of many a draught of 
 wine to deck him out so bravely. His father, Eu- 
 menes, was a tax-collector, and what the leech ex- 
 torted from you and your children, the son now 
 uses to drive, clad in hyacinthine purple, a four- 
 horse chariot, which splashes the mire from the 
 street into your faces as it rolls onward. By the 
 dog ! the gentleman d&es not weigh so very 
 much, yet he needs four horses to drag him. And, 
 fellow-citizens, do you know why ? I'll tell you. 
 He's afraid of sticking fast everywhere, even in 
 his speech." 
 
 Here Philostratus lowered his voice, for the 
 phrase "sticking fast" had drawn a laugh from 
 some of his hearers ; but Dion, whose father had 
 really amassed, in the high position of a receiver
 
 CLEOPATRA. 5 1 
 
 of taxes, the handsome fortune which his son pos- 
 sessed, did not delay his reply. 
 
 " Yes, yes," he retorted scornfully, " yonder Syr- 
 ian babbler hit the mark this time. He stands be- 
 fore me, and who does not easily stick fast when 
 marsh and mire are so near? As for the hyacin- 
 thine purple cloak, I wear it because I like it. His 
 crocus-yellow one is less to my taste, though he 
 certainly looks fine enough in it in the sunlight. 
 It shines like a buttercup in the grass. You know 
 the plant. When it fades and I ask whether you 
 think Philostratus looks like a bud when it fades, 
 it leaves a hollow spiral ball which a child's breath 
 could blow away. Suppose in future we should 
 call the round buttercup seed-vessels 'Philostratus 
 heads ' ? You like the suggestion ? I am glad, 
 fellow-citizens, and I thank you. It proves your 
 good taste. Then we will stick to the comparison. 
 Every head contains a tongue, and Philostratus 
 says that his is the tool which supports him." 
 
 " Heaj the money-bag, the despiser of the peo- 
 ple ! " interrupted Philostratus furiously. " The 
 honest toil by which a citizen earns a livelihood 
 is a disgrace in his eyes." 
 
 "Honest toil, my good friend," replied Dion, " is 
 scarcely in question here. I spoke only of your 
 tongue. You understand me, fellow-citizens. Or, 
 if any of you are not yet acquainted with this wor- 
 thy man, I will show him to you, for I know him 
 well. He is my foe, yet I can sincerely recom-
 
 52 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 mend him to many of you. If any one has a very 
 bad, shamefully corrupt cause to bring before the 
 courts, I most earnestly counsel him to apply to 
 the buttercup man perched on yonder fountain. 
 He will thank me for it. Believe me, Didymus's 
 cause is just, precisely because this advocate so 
 eagerly assails it. I told you just now the matter 
 under discussion. Which of you who owns a gar- 
 den can say in future, ' It is mine,' if, during the 
 absence of the Queen, it is allowable to take it 
 away to be used for any other purpose ? But this 
 is what threatens Didymus. If this is to be the 
 custom here, let every one beware of sowing a 
 radish or planting a bush or a tree, for should the 
 wife of some great noble desire to dry her linen 
 there, he may be deprived of it ere the former can 
 ripen or the latter give shade." 
 
 Loud applause followed this sentence, but Phi- 
 lostratus shouted in a voice that echoed far and 
 wide : " Hear me, fellow-citizens ; do not allow your- 
 selves to be deceived ! No one is to be robbed 
 here. The project is to purchase, at a high price, 
 the spot which the city needs for her adornment, 
 and to honour and please the Queen. Are the Re- 
 gent and the citizens to lose this opportunity of 
 expressing the gratitude of years, and the rejoicing 
 over the greatest of victories, of which we shall 
 soon hear, because an evil-disposed person the 
 word must be uttered a foe to his country, op- 
 poses it ? "
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 53 
 
 " Now the mire is coming too near me," Dion 
 angrily responded, " and I might really stick fast, 
 as I was warned ; for I do not envy the ready 
 presence of mind of any person whose tongue 
 would not falter when the basest slander scattered 
 its venom over him. You all know, fellow-citizens, 
 through how many generations the Didymus family 
 has lived to the honour of this city, doing praise- 
 worthy work in yonder house. You know that the 
 good old man who dwells there was one of the 
 teachers "of the royal children." 
 
 "And yet," cried Philostratus, "only the day 
 before yesterday he walked arm in arm in the 
 Paneum garden with Arius, the tutor of Octavi- 
 anus, our own and our Queen's most hated foe. 
 In my presence, and before I know not how many 
 others, Didymus distinguished this Arius as his 
 most beloved pupil." 
 
 " To give you that title," retorted Dion, "would 
 certainly fill any teacher with shame and anger, no 
 matter how far you had surpassed him in wisdom 
 and knowledge. Nay, had you been committed 
 to the care of the herring dealers, instead of the 
 rhetoricians, every honest man among them would 
 disown you, for they sell only good wares for good 
 money, while you give the poorest in exchange for 
 glittering gold. This time you trample under foot 
 the fair name of an honourable man. But I will 
 not suffer it ; and you hear, fellow-citizens, I now 
 challenge this Syrian to prove that Didymus ever
 
 54 
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 betrayed his native land, or I will brand him in 
 your presence a base slanderer, an infamous, venal 
 destroyer of character! " 
 
 "An insult from such lips is easily borne," re- 
 plied Philostratus in a tone of scornful superiority ; 
 but there was a pause ere he again turned to the 
 listening throng, and with all the warmth he could 
 throw into his voice continued : li What do I de- 
 sire, then, fellow-citizens ? What is the sole object 
 of my words ? I stand here with clean hands, im- 
 pelled solely by the impulse of my heart, to plead 
 for the Queen. In order to secure the only suit- 
 able site for the statues to be erected to Cleopa- 
 tra's honour and fame, I enter into judgment with 
 her foes, expose myself to the insult with which 
 boastful insolence is permitted to vent its wrath 
 upon me. But I am not dismayed, though, in pur- 
 suing this course, I am acting against the law of 
 Nature ; for the infamous man against whom I raise 
 my voice was my teacher, too, and ere he turned 
 from the path of right and virtue under influ- 
 ences which I will not mention here he numbered 
 me also, in the presence of many witnesses, among 
 his best pupils. I was certainly one of the most 
 grateful I chose his granddaughter the truth 
 must be spoken for my wife. The posses- 
 sion " 
 
 " Possession ! " interrupted Dion in a loud, ex- 
 cited tone. " The corpse cast ashore by the waves 
 might as well boast possession of the sea! "
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 55 
 
 The dim torchlight was sufficient to reveal Phi- 
 lostratus's pallor to the bystanders. For a moment 
 the orator seemed to lose his self-control, but he 
 quickly recovered himself, and shouted : " Fellow- 
 citizens, dear friends ! I was about to make you 
 witnesses of the misery which a woman, whose 
 wickedness is even greater than her beauty, 
 brought upon an inexperienced " 
 
 But he went no further ; for his hearers many 
 of whom knew the brilliant, generous Dion, and 
 Barine, the fair singer at the last Adonis festival 
 gave the orator tokens of their indignation, which 
 were all the more pitiless because of the pleasure 
 they felt in seeing an expert vanquished by an un- 
 trained foe. The wordy war would not have ended 
 so quickly, however, had not restlessness and alarm 
 taken possession of the crowd. The shout, " Back ! 
 disperse ! " ran through the multitude, and directly 
 after the trampling of hoofs and the commands of 
 the leader of a troop of Libyan cavalry were heard. 
 The matter at stake was not sufficiently important 
 to induce the populace to offer an armed force re- 
 sistance which might have entailed serious danger. 
 Besides, the blustering war of tongues had reached 
 a merry close, and loud laughter blended with the 
 shouts of fear and warning ; for the surging throng 
 had swept with unexpected speed towards the 
 fountain and plunged Philostratus into the basin. 
 Whether this was due to the wrath of some enemy, 
 or to mere accident, could not be learned ; the vain 
 5
 
 56 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 efforts of the luckless man to crawl out of the 
 water up the smooth marble were so comical, and 
 his gestures, after helping hands had dragged him 
 dripping upon the pavement of the square, were so 
 irresistibly funny, that more laughing than angry 
 voices were heard, especially when some one cried, 
 " His hands were soiled by blackening Didymus, 
 so the washing will do him good." " Some wise 
 physicians flung him into the water," retorted an- 
 other ; "he needed the cold application after the 
 blows Dion dealt him." 
 
 The Regent, who had sent the troop of horsemen 
 to drive the crowd away from Didymus's house, 
 might well be pleased that the violent measure en- 
 countered so little resistance. 
 
 The throng quickly scattered, and was speedily 
 attracted by something new at the Theatre of 
 Dionysus the zither-player Anaxenor had just 
 announced from its steps that Cleopatra and An- 
 tony had won the most brilliant victory, and had 
 sung to the accompaniment of his lute a hymn 
 which had deeply stirred all hearts. He had com- 
 posed it long before, and seized the first oppor- 
 tunity the report had reached his ears while 
 breakfasting in Kanopus to try its effect. 
 
 As soon as the square began to empty, Barine 
 left her post of observation. It was long since her 
 heart had throbbed so violently. Not one of the 
 many suitors for her favour had been so dear to 
 her as Dion ; but she now felt that she loved him.
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 57 
 
 What he had just done for her and her grandfather 
 was worthy of the deepest gratitude ; it proved 
 that he did not come to her house, like most of 
 her guests, merely to while away the evening 
 hours. 
 
 It had been no small matter for the young 
 aristocrat, in the presence of the whole multitude, 
 to enter into a debate with the infamous Philos- 
 tratus, and how well he had succeeded in silencing 
 the dreaded orator ! Besides, Dion had even taken 
 her part against his own powerful uncle, and per- 
 haps by his deed drawn upon himself the hostility 
 of his enemy's brother, Alexas, Antony's powerful 
 favourite. Barine might assure herself that he, 
 who was the peer of any Macedonian noble in the 
 city, would have done this for no one else. 
 
 She felt as if the act had ransomed her. 
 
 When, after an unhappy marriage and many 
 desolate days, she had regained her former bright 
 cheerfulness and saw her house become the centre 
 of the intellectual life of the city, she had striven 
 until now to extend the same welcome to all her 
 guests. She had perceived that she ought not to 
 give any one the power over her which is possessed 
 by the man who knows that he is beloved, and even 
 to Dion she had granted little more than to the 
 others. But now she saw plainly that she would 
 resign the pleasure of being a universally admired 
 woman, whose modest home attracted the most dis- 
 tinguished men in the city, for the far greater hap-
 
 eg CLEOPATRA. 
 
 piness which would be hers as Dion's beloved wife. 
 With him, cherished by his love, she believed that 
 she could find far greater joy in solitude than in 
 the gay course of her present life. 
 
 She knew now what she must do if Dion sought 
 her, and the architect, for the first time, found her 
 a silent companion. He had willingly accompanied 
 her back to her grandfather's house, where he had 
 again met her sister Helena, while she had quitted 
 it disappointed, because her brave defender had 
 not returned there. 
 
 After the interruption of the debate Dion had 
 been in a very cheerful mood. The pleasant sen- 
 sation of having championed a good cause, and 
 the delightful consciousness of success were not 
 new to him, but he had rarely felt so uplifted as 
 now. He most ardently longed for his next meet- 
 ing with Barine, and imagined how he would de- 
 scribe what had happened and claim her gratitude 
 for his friendly service. The scene had risen clear- 
 ly before his mind, but scarcely had the radiant 
 vision of the future faded when the unusually 
 bright expression of his manly face was clouded 
 by a grave and troubled one. 
 
 The darkness of the night, illumined only by 
 the flare of the pitch-pans, had surrounded him, 
 yet it had seemed as if he were standing with Ba- 
 rine in the full light of noon in the blossoming 
 garden of his own palace, and, after asking a re- 
 ward for his sturdy championship, she had clung
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 59 
 
 to him with deep emotion, and he had passionately 
 kissed her tearful face. 
 
 The face had quickly vanished, yet it had been 
 as distinct as the most vivid picture in a dream. 
 
 Was Barine more to him than he supposed ? 
 Had he not been drawn to her, during the past 
 few months, by the mere charm of her pliant intel- 
 lect and her bright beauty ? Had a new, strong 
 passion awakened within him ? Was he in danger 
 of seeing the will which urged him to preserve his 
 freedom Conquered ? Had he cause to fear that 
 some day, constrained by a mysterious, invincible 
 power, in defiance of the opposition of calm reason, 
 he might perhaps bind himself for life to this Ba- 
 rine, the woman who had once been the wife of a 
 Philostratus, and who bestowed her smiles on all 
 who found admittance to her house seeking a feast 
 for the eye, a banquet for the ear, a pleasant en- 
 tertainment ? 
 
 Though her honor was as stainless as the breast 
 of a swan and he had no reason to doubt it 
 she would still be classed with Aspasia and other 
 women whose guests sought more than songs and 
 agreeable conversations. The gifts with which the 
 gods had so lavishly endowed her had already 
 been shared with too many to permit him, the last 
 scion of a noble Macedonian house, to think of 
 leading her, as mistress, to the palace whose erec- 
 tion he had so carefully and successfully planned 
 with Gorgias.
 
 60 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 Surely it lacked nothing save the gracious rule 
 of a mistress. 
 
 But if she should consent to become his with- 
 out the blessing of Hymen ? No. 
 
 He could not thus dishonor the granddaughter 
 of Didymus, the man who had been his father's 
 revered teacher, a woman whom he had always 
 rejoiced that, spite of the gay freedom with which 
 she received so many admirers, he could still es- 
 teem. He would not do so, though his friends 
 would have greeted such scruples with a smile of 
 superiority. Who revered the sacredness of mar- 
 riage in a city whose queen was openly living for 
 the second time with the husband of another ? 
 Dion himself had formed many a brief connec- 
 tion, but for that very reason he could not place 
 a woman like Barine on the same footing with 
 those whose love he had perhaps owed solely to 
 his wealth. He had never lacked courage and reso- 
 lution, but he felt that this time he would have to 
 resist a power with which he had never coped. 
 
 That accursed face! Again and again it rose 
 before his mental vision, smiling and beckoning 
 so sweetly that the day must come when the 
 yearning to realize the dream would conquer all 
 opposition. If he remained near her he would in- 
 evitably do what he might afterwards regret, and 
 therefore he would fain have offered a sacrifice 
 to Peitho to induce her to enhance Archibius's 
 powers of persuasion and induce Barine to leave
 
 CLEOPATRA. 6 1 
 
 Alexandria. It would be hard for him to part 
 from her, yet much would be gained if she went 
 into the country. Between the present and the 
 distant period of a second meeting lay respite from 
 peril, and perhaps the possibility of victory. Dion 
 did not recognize himself. He seemed as unstable 
 as a swaying reed, because he had conquered his 
 wish to re-enter old Didymus's house and encour- 
 age him, and passed on to his own home. But he 
 would probably have found Barine still with her 
 grandfather, and he would not meet her, though 
 every fibre of his being longed for her face, her 
 voice, and a word of gratitude from her beloved 
 lips. Instead of joy, he was filled with the sense 
 of dissatisfaction which overpowers a man stand- 
 ing at a crossing in the roads, who sees before 
 him three goals, yet can be fully content with 
 neither. 
 
 The Street of the King, along which he suf- 
 fered himself to be carried by the excited throng, 
 ran between the sea and the Theatre of Dionysus. 
 The thought darted through his mind that his 
 friend the architect desired to erect the luckless 
 statues of the royal lovers in front of this stately 
 building. He would divert his thoughts by ex- 
 amining the site which Gorgias had chosen. 
 
 The zither-player finished his hymn just as 
 Dion approached the theatre, and the crowd began 
 to disperse. Every one was full of the joyful tid- 
 ings of victory, and one shouted to another what
 
 6 2 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 Anaxenor, the favourite of the great Antony, who 
 must surely know, had just recited in thrilling 
 verse. Many a joyous lo and loud Evoe to Cleo- 
 patra, the new Isis, and Antony, the new Diony- 
 sus, resounded through the air, while bearded and 
 smooth, delicate Greek and thick Egyptian lips 
 joined in the shout, " To the Sebasteum ! " This 
 was the royal palace, which faced the government 
 building containing the Regent's residence. The 
 populace desired to have the delightful news con- 
 firmed, and to express, by a public demonstration, 
 the grateful joy which filled every heart. 
 
 Dion, too, was eager to obtain certainty, and, 
 though usually averse to mingling with the popu- 
 lace during such noisy outbursts of feeling, he was 
 preparing to follow the crowd thronging towards 
 the Sebasteum, when the shouts of runners clear- 
 ing a passage for a closed litter fell upon his ear. 
 
 It was occupied by Iras, the Queen's trusted 
 attendant. If any one could give accurate infor- 
 mation, it was she; yet it would hardly be possible 
 to gain an opportunity of conversing with her in 
 this throng. But Iras must have had a different 
 opinion ; she had seen Dion, and now called him to 
 her side. There were hoarse tones in her voice, 
 usually so clear and musical, which betrayed the 
 emotion raging in her breast as she assailed the 
 young Macedonian noble with a flood of ques- 
 tions. Without giving him the usual greeting, she 
 hastily desired to know what was exciting the peo-
 
 CLEOPATRA. 63 
 
 pie, who had brought the tidings of victory, and 
 whither the multitude was flocking ? 
 
 Dion had found it difficult not to be forced 
 from the litter while answering. Iris .perceived 
 this, and as they were just passing the Maeander, 
 the labyrinth, which was closed after sunset, she 
 ordered her bearers to carry the litter to the en- 
 trance, made herself known to the watchman, 
 ordered the outer court to be opened, the litter 
 to be placed there, and the bearers and runners to 
 wait outside for her summons, which would soon 
 be given. 
 
 This unusual haste and excitement filled Dion 
 with just solicitude. She refused his invitation to 
 alight and walk up and down, declaring that life 
 offered so many labyrinths that one need not seek 
 them. He, too, seemed to be following paths which 
 were scarcely straight ones. "Why," she conclud- 
 ed, thrusting her head far out of the opening in the 
 litter, "are you rendering it so difficult for the Re- 
 gent and your own uncle to execute their plans, 
 making common cause with the populace, like a 
 paid agitator ? " 
 
 " Like Philostratus, you mean, on whom J be- 
 stowed a few blows in addition to the golden guer- 
 don received from your hand ? " 
 
 " Ay, like him, for aught I care. Probably it was 
 you, too, who had him flung into the water, after 
 you had vented your wrath on him ? You man- 
 aged your cause well. What we do for love's sake
 
 6 4 
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 is usually successful. No matter, if only his broth- 
 er Alexas does not rouse Antony against you. For 
 my part, I merely desire to know why and for whom 
 all this was done." 
 
 " For whom save the good old man who was 
 my father's preceptor, and his just claim ? " replied 
 Dion frankly. " Moreover for no site more un- 
 suitable could be found than his garden in behalf 
 of good taste." 
 
 Iras laughed a shrill, short laugh, and her nar- 
 row, regularly formed face, which might have been 
 called beautiful, had not the bridge of the straight 
 delicate nose been too long and the chin too small, 
 darkened slightly, as she exclaimed, " That is frank 
 at least." 
 
 " You ought to be accustomed to that from 
 me," replied Dion calmly. " In this case, however, 
 the expert, Gorgias, fully shares my opinion. I 
 heard that too. You are both the most constant 
 visitors of what is the woman's name ? the be- 
 witching Barine." 
 
 "Barine?" repeated Dion, as if the mention of 
 the name surprised him. " You take care, my 
 friend, that our conversation does honour to its 
 scene, the labyrinth. I speak of works of the 
 sculptor's art, and you pretend that I am referring 
 to what is most certainly a very successful living 
 work from the creative hands of the gods. I was 
 very far from thinking of the granddaughter of 
 the old scholar for whom I interceded."
 
 CLEOPATRA. 65 
 
 "Ay," she scornfully retorted, "young gentle- 
 men in your position, and with your habits of life, 
 always think of their fathers estimable teachers 
 rather than of the women who, ever since Pandora 
 opened her box, have brought all sorts of misfor- 
 tunes into the world. But," she added, pushing 
 back her dark locks from her high forehead, " I 
 don't understand myself, how, with the mountain 
 of care that now burdens my soul, I can waste 
 even a single word upon such trifles. I care as 
 little for" the aged scholar as I do for his legion 
 of commentaries and books, though they are not 
 wholly unfamiliar to me. For any concern of 
 mine he might have as many grandchildren as 
 there are evil tongues in Alexandria, were it not 
 that just at this time it is of the utmost impor- 
 tance to remove everything which might cast a 
 shadow on the Queen's pathway. I have just come 
 from the palace of the royal children at Lochias, 
 and what I learned there. But that I will not, I 
 cannot believe it. It fairly stifles me ! " 
 
 "Have you received bad news from the fleet?" 
 questioned Dion, with sincere anxiety ; but she only 
 bent her head in assent, laying her fan of ostrich- 
 plumes on her lips to enjoin silence, at the same 
 time shivering so violently that he perceived it, 
 even in the dusk. It was evident that speech was 
 difficult, as she added in a muffled tone : " It must 
 be kept secret Rhodian sailors thank the gods, 
 it is still very doubtful it cannot, must not be
 
 66 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 true and yet the prattle of that zither-player, 
 which has filled the multitude with joyous anticipa- 
 tion, is abominable the great ones of the earth 
 are often most sorely injured by those who owe 
 them the most gratitude. I know you can be si- 
 lent, Dion. You could as a boy, if anything was 
 to be hidden from our parents. Would you still be 
 ready to plunge into the water for me, as in those 
 days ? Scarcely. Yet you may be trusted, and, 
 even in this labyrinth, I will do so. My heart is 
 heavy. But not one word to any person. I need 
 no confidant and could maintain silence even to- 
 wards you, but I am anxious that you should un- 
 derstand me, you who have just taken such a stand. 
 Before I entered my litter at Lochias, the boy re- 
 turned, and I talked with him." 
 
 "Young Caesarion loves Barine," replied Dion 
 with grave earnestness. 
 
 "Then this horrible folly is known?" asked 
 Iras excitedly. "A passion far deeper than I 
 should ever have expected this dreamer to feel has 
 taken possession of him. And if the Queen should 
 now return perhaps less successful than we de- 
 sire if she looks to those from whom she still ex- 
 pects pleasure, satisfaction, lofty deeds, and learns 
 what has befallen the boy for what does not that 
 sun-bright intellect learn and perceive ? He is 
 dear to her, dearer than any of you imagine. How 
 it will increase her anxiety, perhaps her suffering ! 
 With what good reason she will be angered against
 
 CLEOPATRA. 67 
 
 those whom duty and love should have commanded 
 to guard the boy ! " 
 
 " And therefore," added Dion, " the stone of 
 offence must be removed. Your first step to se- 
 cure this object was the attack on Didymus." 
 
 He had judged correctly and perceived that, in 
 her assault upon the old scholar, she had at first 
 intended to play into the hands of the rulers, work 
 against the old philosopher and his relatives, 
 among whose number was Barine; for the Egyp- 
 tian law p'ermitted the relatives of those who were 
 convicted of any crime against the sovereign or 
 the government to be banished with the criminal. 
 This attack upon an innocent person was disgrace- 
 ful, yet every word Iras uttered made Dion feel, 
 every feature of her face betrayed, that it was not 
 merely base jealousy, but a nobler emotion, that 
 caused her to assail the guiltless sage love for 
 her mistress, the desire which dominated her whole 
 being to guard Cleopatra from grief and trouble 
 in these trying times. He knew Iras's iron will 
 and the want of consideration with which she 
 had learned to pursue her purpose at the court. 
 His first object was to protect Barine from the 
 danger which threatened her; but he also wished 
 to relieve the anxiety of Iras, the daughter of 
 Krates, his father's neighbour, with whom he had 
 played in boyhood and for whom he had never 
 ceased to feel a tender interest. 
 
 His remark surprised her. She saw that her
 
 68 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 plot was detected by the man whose esteem she 
 most valued, and a loving woman is glad to recog- 
 nize the superiority of her lover. Besides, from 
 her earliest childhood and she was only two years 
 younger than Dion she had belonged to circles 
 where no quality was more highly prized than 
 mental pliancy and keenness. Her dark eyes, 
 which at first had glittered distrustfully and ques- 
 tioningly and afterwards glowed with a gloomy 
 light, now gained a new expression. Her gaze 
 sought her friend's with a tender, pleading look as, 
 admitting his charge, she began : "Yes! Dion, the 
 philosopher's granddaughter must not stay here. 
 Or do you see any other way to protect the un- 
 happy boy from incalculable misfortune? You 
 know me well enough to be aware that, like you, 
 I am reluctant to infringe another's rights, that 
 except in case of necessity I am not cruel. I 
 value your esteem. No one is more truthful, and 
 yesterday you averred that Eros had no part in 
 your visits to the much-admired young woman, 
 that you joined her guests merely because the so- 
 ciety you found at her house afforded a pleasant 
 stimulus to the mind. I have ceased to believe in 
 many things, but not in you and your words, and if 
 hearing that you had taken sides with the grand- 
 father, I fancied that you were secretly seeking 
 the thanks and gratitude of the granddaughter, 
 why surely the atrocious maxim that Zeus does 
 not hear the vows of lovers comes from you men
 
 CLEOPATRA. 69 
 
 why, suspicion again reared its head. Now you 
 seem to share my opinion " 
 
 " Like you," Dion interrupted, " I believe that 
 Barine ought to be withdrawn from the boy's pur- 
 suit, which cannot be more unpleasant to you than 
 to her. As Caesarion neither can nor ought to 
 leave Alexandria while affairs are so threatening, 
 nothing is left except to remove the young woman 
 but, of course, in all kindness." 
 
 " In a golden chariot, garlanded with roses, if 
 you so desire," cried Iras eagerly. 
 
 " That might attract attention," answered Dion, 
 smiling and raising his hand as if to enjoin mod- 
 eration. " Your mode of action does not please 
 me, even now that I know its purpose, but I will 
 gladly aid you to attain your object. Your crooked 
 paths also lead to the goal, and perhaps one is less 
 likely to stumble in them ; but straight ways suit 
 me better, and I think I have already found the 
 right one. A friend will invite Barine to an estate 
 far away from here, perhaps in the lake regions." 
 
 " You ? " cried Iras, her narrow eyebrows sud- 
 denly contracting. 
 
 " Do you imagine that she would go with me ? " 
 he asked, in a faintly reproachful tone. " No. 
 Fortunately, we have older friends, and at their 
 head is one who happens to be your uncle and at 
 the same time is wax in the hands of the Queen." 
 
 " Archibius ? " exclaimed Iras. " Ah ! if he 
 could persuade her to do so ! "
 
 70 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 " He will try. He, too, is anxious about the 
 lad. While we are talking here, he is inviting 
 Barine to his estate. The country air will benefit 
 her." 
 
 " May she bloom there like a young shepherd- 
 ess!" 
 
 " You are right to wish her the best fortune ; 
 for if the Queen does not return victorious, the 
 irritability of our Alexandrians will be doubled. 
 W T hen you laid hands on Didymus's garden, you 
 were so busily engaged in building the triumphal 
 arch that you forgot " 
 
 "Who would have doubted the successful issue 
 of this war ? " cried Iras. " And they will, they 
 will conquer. The Rhodian said that the fleet was 
 scattered. The disaster happened on the Acharna- 
 nian coast. How positive it sounded ! But he 
 had it only at second and third hand. And what 
 are mere rumours ? The source of the false tid- 
 ings is discovered later. Besides, even if the naval 
 battle were really lost, the powerful army, which 
 is far superior to Octavianus's forces, still remains. 
 Which of the enemy's generals could cope with 
 Antony on the land? How he will fight when all 
 is at stake fame, honour, sovereignty, hate, and 
 love ! Away with this fear, based on mere rumour ! 
 After Dyrrachium Caesar's cause was deemed lost, 
 and how soon Pharsalus made him master of the 
 world ! Is it worthy of a sensible person to suffer 
 courage to be depressed by a sailor's gossip ? And
 
 CLEOPATRA. 71 
 
 yet yet ! It began while I was ill. And then the 
 swallows on the Antonias, the admiral's ship. We 
 have already spoken of it. Mardion and your 
 uncle Zeno saw with their own eyes the strange 
 swallows drive away those which had built their 
 nest on the helm of the Antonias, and kill the 
 young ones with their cruel beaks. An evil omen ! 
 I cannot forget it. And my dream, while I lay 
 ill with fever far away from my mistress ! But I 
 have already lingered here too long. No, Dion, 
 no. I am" grateful for the rest here I can now 
 feel at ease about Csesarion. Place the monument 
 where you choose. The people shall see and hear 
 that we respect their opposition, that we are just 
 and friendly. Help me to turn this matter to the 
 advantage of the Queen, and if Archibius succeeds 
 in getting Barine away and keeping her in the 
 country, then if I had aught that seemed to you 
 desirable it should be yours. But what does the 
 petted Dion care for his fading playfellow ?" 
 
 " Fading ? " he repeated in a tone of indignant 
 reproach. " Say rather the fully developed flower 
 has learned from her royal friend the secret of 
 eternal youth." 
 
 With a swift impulse of gratitude Iras bent her 
 face towards him in the dusk, extending the slender 
 white hand next to Cleopatra's famed as the most 
 beautiful at court for him to kiss, but when he 
 merely pressed his lips lightly on it with no shadow 
 of tenderness, she hastily withdrew it, exclaiming 
 6
 
 72 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 as if overwhelmed by sudden repentance: "This 
 idle, hollow dalliance at such a time, with such a 
 burden of anxiety oppressing the heart ! It is un- 
 worthy, shameful ! If Barine goes with Archib- 
 ius, her time will scarcely hang heavy on his es- 
 tates. I think I know some one who will speedily 
 follow to bear her company. Here, Sasis! the 
 bearers ! To the Tower of Nilus, before the Gate 
 of the Sun ! " 
 
 Dion gazed after her litter a short time, then 
 passed his hand through his waving brown hair, 
 walked swiftly to the shore and, without pausing 
 long to choose, sprang into one of the boats which 
 were rented for pleasure voyages. Ordering the 
 sailors who were preparing to accompany him to 
 remain on shore, he stretched the sail with a prac- 
 tised hand, and ran out towards the mouth of the 
 harbour. He needed some strong excitement, and 
 wished to go himself in search of news.
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE house facing the garden of the Paneum, 
 where Barine lived, was the property of her mother, 
 who had inherited it from her parents. The artist 
 Leonax, the young beauty's father, son of the old 
 philosopher Didymus, had died long before. 
 
 After Barine's unhappy marriage with Philostra- 
 tus was dissolved, she had returned to her mother, 
 who managed the affairs of the household. She too, 
 belonged to a family of scholars and had a brother 
 who had won high repute as a philosopher, and 
 had directed the studies of the young Octavianus. 
 This had occurred long before the commencement 
 of the hostility which separated the heirs of Caesar 
 and Mark Antony. But even after the latter had 
 deserted Octavia, the sister of Octavianus, to re- 
 turn to Cleopatra, the object of his love, and there 
 was an open breach between the two rivals for the 
 sovereignty of the world, Antony had been friendly 
 to Arius and borne him no grudge for his close 
 relations to his rival. The generous Roman had 
 even given his enemy's former tutor a fine house, 
 to show him that he was glad to have him in Alex- 
 andria and near his person.
 
 74 
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 The widow Berenike, Barine's mother, was 
 warmly attached to her only brother, who often 
 joined her daughter's guests. She was a quiet, 
 modest woman whose happiest days had been 
 passed in superintending the education of her 
 children, Barine, the fiery Hippias, and the quiet 
 Helena, who for several years had lived with her 
 grandparents and, with faithful devotion, assumed 
 the duty of caring for them. She had been more 
 easily guided than the two older children ; for the 
 boy's aspiring spirit had often drawn him beyond 
 his mother's ^control, and the beautiful, vivacious 
 girl had early possessed charms so unusual that she 
 could not remain unnoticed. 
 
 Hippias had studied oratory, first in Alexandria 
 and later in Athens and Rhodes. Three years be- 
 fore, his uncle Arius had sent him with excellent 
 letters of introduction to Rome to become ac- 
 quainted with the life of the capital and try whether, 
 in spite of his origin, his brilliant gifts of eloquence 
 would forward his fortunes there. 
 
 Two miserable years with an infamous, unloved 
 husband had changed the wild spirits of Barine's 
 childhood into the sunny cheerfulness now one of 
 her special charms. Her mother was conscious of 
 having desired only her best good in uniting the 
 girl of sixteen to Philostratus, whom the grand- 
 father Didymus then considered a very promising 
 young man, and whose advancement, in addition 
 to his own talents, his brother Alexas, Antony's
 
 CLEOPATRA. 75 
 
 favourite, promised to aid. She had believed that 
 this step would afford the gay, beautiful girl the 
 best protection from the perils of the corrupt capi- 
 tal ; but the worthless husband had caused both 
 mother and daughter much care and sorrow, 
 while his brother Alexas, who constantly pursued 
 his young sister-in-law with insulting attentions, 
 was the source of almost equal trouble. Berenike 
 often gazed in silent astonishment at the child, 
 who, spite of such sore grief and humiliation, had 
 preserved the innocent light-heartedness which 
 made her seem as if life had offered her only 
 thornless roses. 
 
 Her father, Leonax, had been one of the most 
 distinguished artists of the day, and Barine had in- 
 herited from him the elastic artist temperament 
 which speedily rebounds from the heaviest pres- 
 sure. To him also she owed the rare gift of song, 
 which had been carefully cultivated and had 
 already secured her the first position in the 
 woman's chorus at the festival of the great god- 
 desses of the city. Every one was full of her 
 praises, and after she had sung the Yalemos in the 
 palace over the waxen image of the favourite of 
 the gods, slain by the boar, her name was eagerly 
 applauded. To have heard her was esteemed a 
 privilege, for she sang only in her own house 
 or at religious ceremonials " for the honour of the 
 gods." 
 
 The Queen, too, had heard her, and, after the
 
 7 6 
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 Adonis festival, her uncle Arius had presented her 
 to Antony, who expressed his admiration with all 
 the fervour of his frank nature, and afterwards 
 came to her house a second time, accompanied by 
 his son Antyllus. Doubtless he would have called 
 on her frequently and tested upon her heart his 
 peculiar power over women, had he not been com- 
 pelled to leave the city on the day after his last 
 visit. 
 
 Berenike had reproved her brother for bringing 
 the Queen's lover to Barine, for her anxiety was 
 increased by the repeated visits of Antony's son, 
 and still more aroused by that of Caesarion, who 
 was presented by Antyllus. 
 
 These youths were not numbered among the 
 guests whose presence she welcomed and whose 
 conversation afforded her pleasure. It was flat- 
 tering that they should honour her simple home 
 by their visits, but she knew that Csesarion came 
 without his tutor's knowledge, and perceived, by 
 the expression of his eyes, what drew him to her 
 daughter. Besides, Berenike, in rearing the two 
 children, who had been the source of so much 
 anxiety had lost the joyous confidence which had 
 characterized her own youth. Whenever life pre- 
 sented any new phase, she saw the dark side first. 
 If a burning candle stood before her, the shadow 
 of the candlestick caught her eye before the light. 
 Her whole mental existence became a chain of 
 fears, but the kind-hearted woman loved her chil-
 
 CLEOPATRA. yj 
 
 dren too tenderly to permit them to see it. Only 
 it was a relief to her heart when some of her evil 
 forebodings were realized, to say that she had 
 foreseen it all. 
 
 No trace of this was legible in her face, a coun- 
 tenance still pretty and pleasing in its unruffled 
 placidity. She talked very little, but what she did 
 say was sensible, and proved how attentively she 
 understood how to listen. So she was welcome 
 among Barine's guests. Even the most distin- 
 guished received something from her, because he 
 felt that the quiet woman understood him. 
 
 Before Barine had returned that evening, some- 
 thing had occurred which made her mother doubly 
 regret the accident to her brother Arius the day 
 before. On his way home from his sister's he had 
 been run over by a chariot darting recklessly along 
 the Street of the King, and was carried, severely in- 
 jured, to his home, where he now lay helpless and 
 fevered. . Nor did it lessen his sufferings to hear 
 his two sons threaten to take vengeance on the 
 reckless fellow who had wrought their father this 
 mischief, for he had reason to believe Antylhis the 
 perpetrator of the deed, and a collision between 
 the youths and the son of Antony could only re- 
 sult in fresh disaster to him and his, especially as 
 the young Roman seemed to have inherited little 
 of his father's magnanimous generosity. Yet Arius 
 could not be vexed with his sons for stigmatizing, 
 in the harshest terms, the conduct of the man
 
 78 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 who had gone on without heeding the accident. 
 He had cautioned his sister against the utterly 
 unbridled youth whose father he had himself 
 brought to her house. With what good reason lu 
 had raised his voice in warning was now evident. 
 At sunset that very day several guests had arrived 
 as usual, followed by Antyllus, a youth of nineteen. 
 When the door-keeper refused to admit him, he 
 had rudely demanded to see Barine, thrust aside the 
 prudent old porter, who endeavoured to detain 
 him, and, in spite of his protestations, forced his 
 way into his dead master's work-room, where the 
 ladies usually received their visitors. Not until 
 he found it empty would he retire, and then he 
 first fastened a bouquet of flowers he had brought 
 to a statue of Eros in burnt clay, which stood 
 there. Both the porter and Barine's waiting-maid 
 declared that he was drunk ; they saw it when he 
 staggered away with the companions who had 
 waited for him in the garden outside. 
 
 This unseemly and insulting conduct filled 
 Berenike with the deepest indignation. It must 
 not remain unpunished, and, while waiting for her 
 daughter, she imagined what evil consequences 
 might ensue if Antyllus were forbidden the house 
 and accused to his tutor, and how unbearable, on 
 the other hand, he might become if they omitted 
 to do so. 
 
 She was full of sad presentiments, and as, with 
 such good reason, she feared the worst, she cher-
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 79 
 
 ished a faint hope that her daughter might perhaps 
 bring home some pleasant tidings ; for she had had 
 the experience that events which had filled her 
 with the utmost anxiety sometimes resulted in 
 good fortune. 
 
 At last Barine appeared, and it was indeed 
 long since she had clasped her mother in her arms 
 with such joyous cheerfulness. 
 
 The widow's troubled heart grew lighter. Her 
 daughter-must have met with something u-nusually 
 gratifying, she looked so happy, although she had 
 surely heard what had happened here ; for her cloak 
 was laid aside and her hair newly arranged, so she 
 must have been to her chamber, where she was 
 dressed by her loquacious Cyprian slave, who cer- 
 tainly could not keep to herself anything that was 
 worth mentioning. The nimble maid had shown 
 her skill that day. 
 
 "Any stranger would take her for nineteen," 
 thought her mother. " How becoming the white 
 robe and blue-bordered peplum are to her; how 
 softly the azure bombyx ribbon is wound around 
 the thick waves of her hair ! Who would believe 
 that no curling-irons had touched the little golden 
 locks that rest so gracefully on her brow, that no 
 paint-brush had any share in producing the rose and 
 white hues on her cheek, or the alabaster glimmer 
 of her arms ? Such beauty easily becomes a Danae 
 dower ; but it is a magnificent gift of the gods ! 
 Yet why did she put on the bracelet which Antony
 
 gO CLEOPATRA. 
 
 gave her after his last visit ? Scarcely on my ac- 
 count. She can hardly expect Dion at so late an 
 hour. Even while I am rejoicing in the sight of 
 her beauty, some new misfortune may be impend- 
 ing." 
 
 So ran the current of her thoughts while her 
 daughter was gaily describing what she had wit- 
 nessed at her grandfather's. Meanwhile she had 
 nestled comfortably among the cushions of a 
 lounge ; and when she mentioned Antyllus's un- 
 seemly conduct, she spoke of it, with a careless- 
 ness that startled Berenike, as a vexatious piece of 
 rudeness which must not occur again. 
 
 "But who is to prevent it?" asked the mother 
 anxiously. 
 
 " Who, save ourselves ? " replied Barine. 
 
 " He will not be admitted." 
 
 " And if he forced his way in ? " 
 
 Barine's big blue eyes flashed angrily, and there 
 was no lack of decision in her voice as she ex- 
 claimed, " Let him try it ! " 
 
 " But what power have we to restrain the 
 son of Antony ? " asked Berenike. " I do not 
 know." 
 
 " I do," replied her daughter. " I will be brief, 
 for a visitor is coming." 
 
 "So late?" asked the mother anxiously. 
 
 " Archibius wishes to discuss an important mat- 
 ter with us." 
 
 The lines on the brow of the older woman
 
 CLEOPATRA. g x 
 
 smoothed, but it contracted again as she ex- 
 claimed inquiringly : " Important business at so 
 unusual an hour ! Ah, I have expected nothing 
 good since early morning ! On my way to my 
 brother's a raven flew up before me and fluttered 
 towards the left into the garden." 
 
 " But I," replied Barine, after receiving, in re- 
 ply to her inquiry, a favourable report concerning 
 her uncle's health " I met seven there were 
 neither more nor less ; for seven is the best of 
 numbers seven snow-white doves, which all flew 
 swifty towards the right. The fairest of all came 
 first, bearing in its beak a little basket which 
 contained the power that will keep Antony's son 
 away from us. Don't look at me in such amaze- 
 ment, you dear receptacle of every terror." 
 
 " But, child, you said .that Archibius was com- 
 ing so late to discuss an important matter," re- 
 joined the mother. 
 
 " He must be here soon." 
 
 " Then cease this talking in riddles ; I do not 
 guess them quickly." 
 
 "You will solve this one," returned Barine; 
 " but we really have no time to lose. So my beau- 
 tiful dove was a good, wise thought, and what it 
 carried in its basket you shall hear presently. 
 You see, mother, many will blame us, though 
 here and there some one may pity ; but this state 
 of things must not continue. I feel it more and 
 more plainly with each passing day ; and several
 
 82 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 years must yet elapse ere this scruple becomes 
 wholly needless. I am too young to welcome as 
 a guest every one whom this or that man presents 
 to me. True, our reception-hall was my father's 
 work-room and you, my own estimable, blameless 
 mother, are the hostess here ; but though superior 
 to me in every respect, you are so modest that 
 you shield yourself behind your daughter until 
 the guests think of you only when you are absent. 
 So those who seek us both merely say, ' I am 
 going to visit Barine ' and there are too many 
 who say this I can no longer choose, and this 
 thought " 
 
 "Child! child!" interrupted her mother joy- 
 fully, " what god met you as you went out this 
 morning?" 
 
 "Surely you know," she answered gaily; "it 
 was seven doves, and, when I took the little basket 
 from the bill of the first and prettiest one, it told 
 me a story. Do you want to hear it ? " 
 
 "Yes, yes; but be quick, or we shall be inter- 
 rupted." 
 
 Then Barine leaned farther back among the 
 cushions, lowered her long lashes, and began : 
 " Once upon a time there was a woman who had 
 a garden in the most aristocratic quarter of the 
 city here near the Paneum, if you please. In the 
 autumn, when the fruit was ripening, she left the 
 gate open, though all her neighbours did the oppo- 
 site. To keep away unbidden lovers of her nice
 
 CLEOPATRA. 83 
 
 figs and dates, she fastened on the gate a tablet 
 bearing the inscription: 'All may enter and enjoy 
 the sight of the garden ; but the dogs will bite any 
 one who breaks a flower, treads upon the grass, or 
 steals the fruit.' 
 
 " The woman had nothing but a lap-dog, and 
 that did not always obey her. But the tablet ful- 
 filled its purpose; for at first none came except 
 her neighbours in the aristocratic quarter. They 
 read the- threat, and probably without it would 
 have respected the property of the woman who so 
 kindly opened the door to them. Thus matters 
 went on for a time, until first a beggar came, and 
 then a Phoenician sailor, and a thievish Egyptian 
 from the Rhakotis neither of whom could read. 
 So the tablet told them nothing ; and as, moreover, 
 they distinguished less carefully between mine and 
 thine, one trampled the turf and another snatched 
 from the boughs a flower or fruit. More and more 
 of the rabble came, and you can imagine what fol- 
 lowed. No one punished them for the crime, for 
 they did not fear the barking of the lap-dog, and 
 this gave even those who could read, courage not 
 to heed the warning. So the woman's pretty gar- 
 den soon lost its peculiar charm ; and the fruit, 
 too, was stolen. When the rain at last washed 
 the inscription from the tablet, and saucy boys 
 scrawled on it, there was no harm done; for the 
 garden no longer offered any attractions, and no 
 one who looked into it cared to enter. Then the
 
 84 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 owner closed her gate like the neighbours, and 
 the next year she again enjoyed the green grass 
 and the bright hues of the flowers. She ate her 
 fruit herself, and the lap-dog no longer disturbed 
 her by its barking." 
 
 " That is," said her mother, " if everybody was 
 as courteous and as well bred as G-orgias, Lysias, 
 and the others, we would gladly continue to re- 
 ceive them. But since there are rude fellows like 
 Antyllus " 
 
 " You have understood the story correctly," 
 Barine interrupted. " We are certainly at liberty 
 to invite to our house those who have learned to 
 read our inscription. To-morrow visitors will be 
 informed that we can no longer receive them as 
 before." 
 
 " Antyllus's conduct affords an excellent pre- 
 text," her mother added. " Every fair-minded 
 person must understand " 
 
 "Certainly," said Barine, "and if you, shrewd- 
 est of women, will do your part " 
 
 " Then for the first time we can act as we please 
 in our own home. Believe me, child if you only 
 do not " 
 
 "No ifs ! not this time!" cried the young 
 beauty, raising her hand beseechingly. " It gives 
 me such delight to think of the new life, and if 
 matters come to pass as I hope and wish then 
 do not you also believe, mother, that the gods 
 owe me reparation ?"
 
 CLEOPATRA. 85 
 
 " For what ?" asked the deep voice of Archib- 
 ius, who had entered unannounced, and was now 
 first noticed by the widow and her daughter. 
 
 Barine hastily rose and held out both hands to 
 her old friend, exclaiming, " Since they bring you 
 to us, they are already beginning the payment."
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 AN artist, especially a great artist, finds it easy 
 to give his house an attractive appearance. He 
 desires comfort in it, and only the beautiful is com- 
 fortable to him. Whatever would disturb harmony 
 offends his eye, and to secure the noblest ornament 
 of his house he need not invite any stranger to 
 cross its threshold. The Muse, the best of assist- 
 ants, joins him unbidden. 
 
 Leonax, Barine's father, had been thus aided to 
 transform the interior of his house into a very 
 charming residence. He had painted on the walls 
 of his own work-room incidents in the life of Alex- 
 ander the Great, the founder of his native city, and 
 on the frieze a procession of dancing Cupids. 
 
 Here Barine now received her guests, and the 
 renown of these paintings was not one of the small- 
 est inducements which had led Antony to visit the 
 young beauty and to take his son, in whom he 
 wished to awaken at least a fleeting pleasure in 
 art. He also knew how to prize her beauty and 
 her singing, but the ardent passion which had taken 
 possession of him in his mature years was for Cle-
 
 CLEOPATRA. g^ 
 
 opatra alone. He whose easily won heart and sus- 
 ceptible fancy had urged him from one common- 
 place love to another had been bound by the Queen 
 with chains of indestructible and supernatural pow- 
 er. By her side a Barine seemed to him merely a 
 work of art endowed with life and a voice that 
 charmed the ear. Yet he owed her some pleasant 
 hours, and he could not help bestowing gifts upon 
 any one to whom he was indebted for anything 
 pleasant. " He liked to be considered the most 
 generous spendthrift on earth, and the polished 
 bracelet set with, a gem, on which was carved 
 Apollo playing on his lyre, surrounded by the list- 
 ening Muses, looked very simple, but was really 
 an ornament of priceless value, for the artist who 
 made it was deemed the best stone-cutter in Al- 
 exandria in the time of Philadelphus, and each 
 one of the tiny figures sculptured on the bit of 
 onyx scarcely three fingers wide was a carefully 
 executed masterpiece of the most exquisite beauty. 
 Antony had chosen it because he deemed it a fit- 
 ting gift for the woman whose song had pleased 
 him. He had not thought of asking its value ; in- 
 deed, only a connoisseur would have perceived it; 
 and as the circlet was not showy and well became 
 her beautiful arm, Barine liked to wear it. 
 
 Had not the war taken him away, Antony's sec- 
 ond visit would certainly not have been his last. 
 Besides the singing which enthralled him, the con- 
 versation had been gay and brilliant, and in addi- 
 7
 
 88 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 tion to Leonax's paintings, he had seen other beau- 
 tiful works of art which the former had obtained 
 by exchanging with many distinguished compan- 
 ions. 
 
 Nor was there any lack of plastic creations in 
 the spacious apartment, to which the flashing of 
 the water poured by a powerful man from the 
 goatskin bottle on his shoulder into a shell lent a 
 special charm. 
 
 The master who had carved this stooping Nu- 
 bian had also created the much-discussed statues 
 of the royal lovers. The clay Eros, who with bent 
 knee was aiming at a victim visible to himself 
 alone, was also his work. Antony, when paying his 
 second visit, had laughingly laid the garland he 
 wore before " the greatest of human conquerors," 
 while a short time ago his son Antyllus had rudely 
 thrust his bouquet of flowers into the opening of 
 the curved right arm which was drawing the string. 
 In doing so the statue had been injured. Now the 
 flowers lay unheeded upon the little altar at the 
 end of the large room, lighted only by a single 
 lamp ; for the ladies had left it with their guest. 
 They were in Barine's favourite apartment, a small 
 room, where there were several pictures by her 
 dead father. 
 
 Antyllus's bouquet, and the damage to the clay 
 statue of Eros, had played a prominent part in the 
 conversation between the three, and rendered Ar- 
 chibius's task easier.
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 8 9 
 
 Berenike had greeted the guest with a com- 
 plaint of the young Roman's recklessness and un- 
 seemly conduct, to which Barine added the decla- 
 ration that they had now sacrificed enough to Zeus 
 Xenios, the god of hospitality. She meant to de- 
 vote her future life to the modest household gods 
 and to Apollo, to whom she owed the gift of song. 
 
 Archibius had listened silently in great surprise 
 until she had finished her explanation and declared 
 that henceforth she intended to live alone with her 
 mother, instead of having her father's workshop 
 filled with guests. 
 
 The young beauty's vivid imagination trans- 
 ported her to this new and quieter life. But, spite 
 of the clear and glowing hues in which she de- 
 scribed her anticipations, her grey-haired listener 
 could not have believed in them fully. A subtle 
 smile sometimes flitted over his grave, somewhat 
 melancholy face that of a man who has ceased to 
 wrestle in the arena of life, and after severe con- 
 flict now preferred to stand among the spectators 
 and watch others win or lose the prize of victory. 
 Doubtless the wounds which he had received still 
 ached, yet his sorrowful experiences did not pre- 
 vent his being an attentive observer. The expres- 
 sion of his clear eyes showed that he mentally 
 shared whatever aroused his sympathy. Whoever 
 understood how to listen thus, and, moreover the 
 prominence of the brow above the nose showed it 
 was also a trained thinker, could not fail to be a
 
 9 o 
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 good counsellor, and as such he was regarded by 
 many, and first of all by the Queen. 
 
 The wise deliberation, which was one of his 
 characteristic traits, showed itself on this occasion 
 also, for though he had come to persuade Barine 
 to try a country residence, he refrained from doing 
 so until she had exhausted the story of her own 
 affairs and inquired the important cause of his 
 visit. 
 
 In the principal matter his request was granted 
 ere he made it. So he could begin with the query 
 whether the mother and daughter did not think 
 that the transition to the new mode of life could 
 be effected more easily if they were absent from 
 the city a short time. It would awaken comment 
 if they should close their house against guests on 
 the morrow, and as the true reason could not be 
 given, many would be offended. If, on the con- 
 trary, they could resolve to quit the capital for a 
 few weeks, many, it is true, would lament their de- 
 cision, but what was alloted to all alike could be 
 resented by no one. 
 
 Berenike eagerly assented, but Barine grew 
 thoughtful. Then Archibius begged her to speak 
 frankly, and after she had asked where they could 
 go, he proposed his country estate. 
 
 His keen grey eyes had perceived that some- 
 thing bound her so firmly to the city that in the 
 case of a true woman like Barine it must be an 
 affair of the heart. He had evidently judged cor-
 
 CLEOPATRA. 91 
 
 rectly, for, at his prediction that there would be 
 no lack of visits from her dearest friends, she 
 raised her head, her blue eyes sparkled more 
 brightly, and when Archibius paused she turned 
 to her mother, exclaiming gaily : 
 
 " We will go ! " 
 
 Again the vivid imagination of the artist's 
 daughter conjured the future before her in dis- 
 tinct outlines. She alone knew whom she meant 
 when she "spoke of the visitor she expected at 
 Irenia, Archibius's estate. The name meant "The 
 place of peace," and it pleased her. 
 
 Archibius listened smilingly ; but when she be- 
 gan to assign him also a part in driving the little 
 Sardinian horses and pursuing the birds, he inter- 
 rupted her with the statement that whether he 
 could speedily allow himself a pleasure which he 
 should so keenly enjoy that of breathing the 
 country air with such charming guests would de- 
 pend upon the fate of another. Thank the gods, 
 he had been able to come here with a lighter heart, 
 because, just before his departure, he had heard 
 of a splendid victory gained by the Queen. The 
 ladies would perhaps permit him to remain a little 
 longer, as he was expecting confirmation of the 
 news. 
 
 It was evident that he awaited it in great sus- 
 pense, and that his heart was by no means free 
 from anxiety. 
 
 Berenike shared it, and her pleasant face, which
 
 9 2 
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 had hitherto reflected her delight at her daughter's 
 sensible resolution, was now clouded with care as 
 Archibius began : " The object of my presence 
 here ? You are making it very easy for me to at- 
 tain it. If I deemed it honest, I could now conceal 
 the fact that I had sought you to induce you to 
 leave the city. I see no peril from the boyish in- 
 solence of the son of Antony. The point in ques- 
 tion, child, is merely to put yourself out of the 
 reach of Caesarion." 
 
 " If you could place me in the moon, it would 
 please me best, as far as he is concerned," replied 
 Barine eagerly. " That is just what induced me 
 to change our mode of life, since my door cannot 
 be closed against the boy who, though still under 
 a tutor, uses his rank as a key to open it. And 
 just think of being compelled to address that 
 dreamer, with eyes pleading for help, by the title 
 of ' king ' ! " 
 
 " Yet what mighty impulse might not be slum- 
 bering in the breast of a son of Julius Caesar and 
 Cleopatra ? " said Archibius. " And passion I 
 know, my child, that it is no fault of yours has 
 now awakened within him. Whatever the result 
 may be, it must fill his mother's heart with anxi- 
 ety. That is why it is needful to hasten your 
 departure, and to keep your destination a secret. 
 He will attempt no violence ; but he is the child 
 of his parents and some unexpected act may be 
 anticipated from him."
 
 CLEOPATRA. 03 
 
 "You startle me !" cried Barine. " You trans- 
 form the cooing dove which entered my house into 
 a dangerous griffin." 
 
 " As such you may regard him," said the other, 
 warningly. " You will be a welcome guest, Barine, 
 but I invited you, whom I have loved from your 
 earliest childhood, the daughter of my dearest 
 friend, not merely to do you a service at Irenia, 
 but to save from grief or even annoyance the 
 person to" whom who is not aware of it I owe 
 everything." 
 
 The words conveyed to both ladies the knowl- 
 edge that, though they were dear to Archibius, he 
 would sacrifice them, and with them, perhaps, all 
 the rest of the world, for the peace and happiness 
 of the Queen. 
 
 Barine had expected nothing else. She knew 
 that Cleopatra had made the philosopher's son a 
 wealthy man and the owner of extensive estates; 
 but she also felt that the source of his loyal de- 
 votion to the Queen, over whom he watched like 
 a tender father, was due to other causes. Cleo- 
 patra prized him also. Had he been ambitious, he 
 could have stood at the helm of the ship of state, 
 as Epitrop long ago, but the whole city knew it 
 he had more than once refused to accept a per- 
 manent office, because he believed that he could 
 serve his mistress better as an unassuming, unno- 
 ticed counsellor. Berenike had told Barine that the 
 relations between Cleopatra and Archibius dated
 
 94 
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 back to their childhood, but she had learned no 
 particulars. Various rumours were afloat which, in 
 the course of time, had been richly adorned and 
 interwoven with anecdotes, and Barine naturally 
 lent the most ready credence to those which as- 
 serted that the princess, in her earliest youth, had 
 cherished a childish love for the philosopher's son. 
 Now her friend's conduct led her to believe it. 
 
 When Archibius paused, the young beauty as- 
 sured him that she understood him ; and as the 
 alabaster hanging lamp and a three-branched light 
 cast a brilliant glow upon the portrait which her 
 father had painted of the nineteen-year-old Queen, 
 and afterwards copied for his own household, she 
 pointed to it, and, pursuing the current of her own 
 thoughts, asked the question : 
 
 " Was she not marvellously beautiful at that 
 time ? " 
 
 " As your father's work represents her," was the 
 reply. " Leonax painted the portrait of Octavia, 
 on the opposite side, the same year, and perhaps 
 the artist deemed the Roman the fairer woman." 
 He pointed as he spoke to a likeness of Octavj- 
 anus's sister, whom Barine's father had painted as 
 the young wife of Marcellus, her first husband. 
 
 "Oh, no!" said Berenike. "I still remember 
 perfectly how Leonax returned in those days. 
 What woman might not have been jealous of his 
 enthusiasm for the Roman Hera ? At that time 
 I had not seen the portrait, and when I asked
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 95 
 
 whether he thought Octavia more beautiful than 
 the Queen, for whom Eros had inflamed his heart, 
 as in the case of most of the beautiful women he 
 painted, he exclaimed you know his impetuous 
 manner ' Octavia stands foremost in the ranks of 
 those who are called "beautiful " or " less beau- 
 tiful " ; the other, Cleopatra, stands alone, and can 
 be compared with no one.' " 
 
 Archibius bent his head in assent, then said 
 firmly, " But, as a child, when I first saw her, she 
 would have been the fairest even in the dance of 
 the young gods of love." 
 
 "How old was she then?" asked Barine, ea- 
 gerly. 
 
 " Eight years," he answered. " How far in the 
 past it is, yet I have not forgotten a single hour! " 
 
 Barine now earnestly entreated him to tell 
 them the story of those days, but Archibius gazed 
 thoughtfully at the floor for some time ere he raised 
 his head and answered : " Perhaps it will be well if 
 you learn more of the woman for whose sake I 
 ask a sacrifice at your hands. Arius is your brother 
 and uncle. He stands near to Octavianus, for he 
 was his intellectual guide, and I know that he re- 
 veres the Roman's sister, Octavia, as a goddess. 
 Antony is now struggling with Octavianus for the 
 sovereignty of the world. Octavia succumbed in 
 the conflict against the woman of whom you de- 
 sire to hear. It is not my place to judge her, but 
 I may instruct and warn. Roman nations burn
 
 9 6 
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 incense to Octavia, and, when Cleopatra's name 
 is uttered, they veil their faces indignantly. Here 
 in Alexandria many imitate them. Whoever up- 
 holds shining purity may hope to win a share of 
 the radiance emanating from it. They call Oc- 
 tavia the lawful wife, and Cleopatra the criminal 
 who robbed her of her husband's heart." 
 
 " Not I ! " exclaimed Barine eagerly. " How 
 often I have heard my uncle say that Antony and 
 Cleopatra were fired with the most ardent love for 
 each other ! Never did the arrows of Eros pierce 
 two hearts more deeply. Then it became neces- 
 sary to save the state from civil war and blood- 
 shed. Antony consented to form an alliance with 
 his rival, and, as security for the sincerity of the 
 reconciliation, he gave his hand in marriage to 
 Octavia, whose first husband, Marcellus, had just 
 died his hand, I say, only his hand, for his heart 
 was captive to the Queen of Egypt. And if An- 
 tony was faithless to the wife to whom statecraft 
 had bound him, he kept his pledge to the other, 
 who had an earlier, better title. If Cleopatra did 
 not give up the man to whom she had sworn 
 fidelity forever, she was right a thousand times 
 right ! In my eyes no matter how often my 
 mother rebukes me Cleopatra, in the eyes of the 
 immortals, is and always will be Antony's real 
 wife; the other, though on her marriage day no 
 custom, no word, no stroke of the stylus, no gesture 
 was omitted, is the intruder in a bond of love
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 97 
 
 which rejoices the gods, however it may anger 
 mortals, and forgive me, mother virtuous ma- 
 trons." 
 
 Berenike had listened with blushing cheeks to 
 her vivacious daughter; now with timid earnest- 
 ness she interrupted : " I know that those are the 
 views of the new times ; that Antony in the eyes 
 of the Egyptians, and probably also, according 
 to their customs, is the rightful husband of the 
 Queen. "I know, too, that you are both against me. 
 Yet Cleopatra is in reality a Greek, and therefore 
 eternal gods! I can sincerely pity her; but 
 the marriage has been solemnized, and I cannot 
 blame Octavia. She rears and cherishes, as if they 
 were her own, the children of her faithless hus- 
 band and Fulvia, his first wife, who have no claim 
 upon her. It is more than human to take the 
 stones from the path of the man who became her 
 foe, as she does. No woman In Alexandria can 
 pray more fervently than I that Cleopatra and 
 Her friend may conquer Octavianus. His cold na- 
 ture, highly as my brother esteems him, is repel- 
 lent to me. But when I gaze at Octavia's beauti- 
 ful, chaste, queenly, noble countenance, the mir- 
 ror of true womanly purity " 
 
 " You can rejoice," Archibius added, complet- 
 ing the sentence, and laying his right hand sooth- 
 ingly on the arm of the excited woman, "only it 
 would be advisable at this time to put the portrait 
 elsewhere, and rest satisfied with confiding your
 
 9 8 
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 opinion of Octavia to your brother and a friend 
 as reliable as myself. If we conquer, such things 
 may pass ; if not The messenger tarries long- 
 Here Barine again entreated him to use the 
 time. She had only once had the happiness of 
 being noticed by the Queen just after her song 
 at the Adonis festival. Then Cleopatra had ad- 
 vanced to thank her. She said only a few kind 
 words, but in a voice which seemed to penetrate 
 the inmost depths of her heart and bind her with 
 invisible threads. Meanwhile Barine's eyes met 
 those of her sovereign, and at first they roused an 
 ardent desire to press her lips even on the hem 
 of her robe, but afterwards she felt as if a venom- 
 ous serpent had crawled out of the most beautiful 
 flower. 
 
 Here Archibius interrupted her with the remark 
 that he remembered perfectly how, after the song, 
 Antony had addressed her at the same time as the 
 Queen, and Cleopatra lacked no feminine weak- 
 ness. 
 
 " Jealousy ? " asked Barine, in astonishment. 
 " I was not presumptuous enough to admit it. I 
 secretly feared that Alexas, the brother of Philos- 
 tratus, had prejudiced her. He is as ill-disposed 
 towards me as the man who was my husband. But 
 everything connected with those two is so base 
 and shameful that I will not allow it to cloud this 
 pleasant hour. Yet the fear that Alexas might 
 have slandered me to the Queen is not groundless.
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 99 
 
 He is as shrewd as his brother, and through An- 
 tony, into whose favour he ingratiated himself, 
 is always in communication with Cleopatra. He 
 went to the war with him." 
 
 " I learned that too late, and am utterly pow- 
 erless against Antony," replied Archibius. 
 
 " But was it not natural that I should fear he 
 had prejudiced the Queen?" asked Barine. "At 
 any rate, I imagined that I detected a hostile ex- 
 pression in her eyes, and it repelled me, though 
 at first I had been so strongly attracted towards 
 her." 
 
 "And had not that other stepped between you, 
 you could not have turned from her again ! " said 
 Archibius. " The first time I saw her I was but a 
 mere boy, and she as I have already said a child 
 eight years old." 
 
 Barine nodded gratefully to Archibius, brought 
 the distaff to her mother, poured water into the 
 wine in the mixing vessel, and after at first lean- 
 ing comfortably back among the cushions, she 
 soon bent forward in a listening attitude, with her 
 elbow propped on her knee, and her chin supported 
 by her hand. Berenike drew the flax from the dis- 
 taff, at first slowly, then faster and faster. 
 
 " You know my^country-house in the Kanopus," 
 the guest began. " It was originally a small sum- 
 mer palace belonging to the royal family, and 
 underwent little change after we moved into it. 
 Even the garden is unaltered. It was full of
 
 IO Q CLEOPATRA. 
 
 shady old trees. Olympus, the leech, had chosen 
 this place, that my father might complete within 
 its walls the work of education entrusted to him. 
 You shall hear the story. At that time Alexandria 
 was in a state of turmoil, for Rome had not recog- 
 nized the King, and ruled over us like Fate, though 
 it had not acknowledged the will by which the 
 miserable Alexander bequeathed Egypt to him like 
 a field or a slave. 
 
 " The King of Egypt, who called himself ' the 
 new Dionysus,' was a weak man, whose birth did 
 not give him the full right to the sovereignty. 
 You know that the people called him the ' flute- 
 player.' He really had no greater pleasure than 
 to hear music and listen to his own performances. 
 He played by no means badly on more than one 
 instrument, and, moreover, as a reveller did hon- 
 our to the other name. Whoever kept sober at 
 the festival of Dionysus, whose incarnate second 
 self he regarded himself, incurred his deepest dis- 
 pleasure. 
 
 "The flute-player's wife, Queen Tryphcena, and 
 her oldest daughter she bore your name, Bere- 
 nike ruined his life. Compared with them, the 
 King was worthy and virtuous. What had be- 
 come of the heroes and the high-minded princes 
 of the house of Ptolemy ? Every passion and 
 crime had found a home in their palaces ! 
 
 " The flute-player, Cleopatra's father, was by 
 no means the worst. He was a slave to his own
 
 CLEOPATRA. IOI 
 
 caprices ; no one had taught him to bridle his pas- 
 sions. Where it served his purpose, even death 
 was summoned to his aid ; but this was a custom 
 of the last sovereigns of his race. In one respect 
 he was certainly superior to most of them he 
 still possessed a capacity to feel a loathing for the 
 height of crime, to believe in virtue and loftiness 
 of soul, and the possibility of implanting them in 
 youthful .hearts. When a boy, he had been under 
 the influence of an excellent teacher, whose pre- 
 cepts had lingered in his memory and led him to 
 determine to withdraw his favourite children two 
 girls from their mother's sway, at least as far as 
 possible. 
 
 " I learned afterwards that it had been his de- 
 sire to confide the princesses wholly to my par- 
 ents' care. But an invincible power opposed this. 
 Though Greeks might be permitted to instruct 
 the royal children in knowledge, the Egyptians 
 would not yield the right to their religious edu- 
 cation. The leech Olympus you know the good 
 old man had insisted that the. delicate Cleopatra 
 must spend the coldest winter months in Upper 
 Egypt, where the sky was never clouded, and the 
 summer near the sea in a shady garden. The little 
 palace at Kanopus was devoted to this purpose. 
 
 "When we moved there it was entirely unoccu- 
 pied, but the princesses were soon to be brought 
 to us. During the winter Olympus preferred the 
 island of Philae, on the Nubian frontier, because
 
 I02 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 the famous Temple of Isis was there, and its 
 priests willingly undertook to watch over the 
 children. 
 
 " The Queen would not listen to any of these 
 plans. Leaving Alexandria and spending the win- 
 ter on a lonely island in the tropics was an utterly 
 incomprehensible idea. So she let the King have 
 his way, and no doubt was glad to be relieved 
 from the care of the children ; for, even after her 
 royal husband's exile from the city, she never vis- 
 ited her daughters. True, death allowed her only 
 a short time to do so. 
 
 " Her oldest daughter, Berenike, who became 
 her successor, followed her example, and troubled 
 herself very little about her sisters. I heard after- 
 wards that she was very glad to know that they 
 were in charge of persons who filled their minds 
 with other thoughts than the desire to rule. Her 
 brothers were reared at Lochias by our country- 
 man Theodotus, under the eyes of their guardian, 
 Pothinus. 
 
 " Our family life was of course wholly trans- 
 formed by the reception of the royal children. 
 In the first place, we moved from our house in the 
 Museum Square into the little palace at Kanopus, 
 and the'big, shady garden delighted us. I remem- 
 ber, as though it were but yesterday, the morning 
 I was then a boy of fifteen when my father 
 told us that two of the King's daughters would 
 soon become members of the household. There
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 103 
 
 were three of us children Charmian, who went to 
 the war with the Queen, because Iras, our niece, 
 was ill; I myself; and Straton, who died long ago. 
 We were urged to treat the princesses with the 
 utmost courtesy and consideration, and we per- 
 ceived that their reception really demanded re- 
 spect ; for the palace, which we had found empty 
 and desolate, was refurnished from roof to foun- 
 dation. 
 
 " The day before they were expected horses, 
 chariots, and litters came, while boats and a splen- 
 did state galley, fully manned, arrived by sea. 
 Then a train of male and female slaves appeared, 
 among them two fat eunuchs. 
 
 ' I can still see the angry look with which my 
 father surveyed all these people. He drove at 
 once to the city, and on his return his clear eyes 
 were as untroubled as ever. A court official ac- 
 companied him, and only that portion of the use- 
 less amount of luggage and number of persons 
 that my father desired remained. 
 
 " The princesses were to come the next morn- 
 ing it was at the end of February flowers were 
 blooming in the grass and on the bushes, while 
 the foliage of the trees glittered with the fresh 
 green which the rising sap gives to the young 
 leaves. I was sitting on a strong bough of a 
 sycamore-tree, which grew opposite to the house, 
 watching for them. Their arrival was delayed 
 and, as I gazed meanwhile over the garden, I
 
 104 
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 thought it must surely please them, for not a pal- 
 ace in the city had one so beautiful. 
 
 " At last the litters appeared ; tftey had neither 
 runners nor attendants, as my father had re- 
 quested, and when the princesses alighted both 
 at the same moment I knew not which way to 
 turn my eyes first, for the creature that fluttered 
 like a dragon-fly rather than stepped from the first 
 litter, was not a girl like other mortals she seemed 
 like a wish, a hope. When the dainty, beautiful 
 creature turned her head hither and thither, and 
 at last gazed questioningly, as if beseeching help, 
 into the faces of my father and mother, who stood 
 at the gate to receive her, it seemed to me that 
 such must have been the aspect of Psyche when 
 she stood pleading for mercy at the throne of Zeus. 
 
 "But it was worth while to look at the other 
 also. Was that Cleopatra ? She might have been 
 the elder, for she was as tall as her sister, but how 
 utterly unlike ! From the waving hair to every 
 movement of the hands and body the former it 
 was Cleopatra had. seemed to me as if she were 
 flying. Everything about the second figure, on 
 the contrary, was solid, nay, even seemed to offer 
 positive resistance. She sprang from the litter and 
 alighted on the ground with both feet at once, 
 clung firmly to the door, and haughtily flung back 
 her head, crowned with a wealth of dark locks. 
 Her complexion was pink and white, and her blue 
 eyes sparkled brightly enough ; but the expression
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 105 
 
 with which she gazed at my parents was defiant 
 rather than questioning, and as she glanced around 
 her red lips curled scornfully as though she deemed 
 her surroundings despicable and unworthy of her 
 royal birth. 
 
 " This irritated me against the seven-year-old 
 child, yet I said to myself that, though it was very 
 beautiful here thanks to my father's care per- 
 haps it appeared plain and simple when compared 
 with the marble, gold, and purple of the royal 
 palace whence she came. Her features, too, were 
 regular and beautiful, and she would have attract- 
 ed attention by her loveliness among a multitude. 
 When I soon heard her issue imperious commands 
 and defiantly insist upon the fulfilment of every 
 wish, I thought, in my boyish ignorance, that 
 Arsinoe must be the elder; for she was better 
 suited to wield a sceptre than her sister. I said so 
 to my brother and Charmian ; but we all soon saw 
 which really possessed queenly majesty ; for Arsi- 
 noe, if her will were crossed, wept, screamed, and 
 raged like a lunatic, or, if that proved useless, 
 begged and teased; while if Cleopatra wanted any- 
 thing she obtained it in a different way. Even at 
 that time she knew what weapons would give her 
 victory and, while using them, she still remained 
 the child of a king. 
 
 " No artisan's daughter could have been further 
 removed from airs of majestic pathos than this 
 embodiment of the most charming childlike grace;
 
 I0 6 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 but if anything for which her passionate nature 
 ardently longed was positively refused, she under- 
 stood how to attain it by the melody of her voice, 
 the spell of her eyes, and in extreme cases by a 
 silent tear. When to such tears were added up- 
 lifted hands and a few sweet words, such as, ' It 
 would make me happy,' or, ' Don't you see how it 
 hurts me?' resistance was impossible; and in after- 
 years also her silent tears and the marvellous mu- 
 sic of her voice won her a victory in the decisive 
 questions of life. 
 
 "We children were soon playmates and friends, 
 for my parents did not wish the princesses to be- 
 gin their studies until after they felt at home with 
 us. This pleased Arsinoe, although she could 
 already read and write; but Cleopatra more than 
 once asked to hear something from my father's 
 store of wisdom, of which she had been told. 
 
 "The King and her former teacher had cher- 
 ished the highest expectations from the brilliant 
 intellect of this remarkable child, and Olympus 
 once laid his hand on my curls and bade me take 
 care that the princess did not outstrip the philoso- 
 pher's son. I had always occupied one of the fore- 
 most places, and laughingly escaped, assuring him 
 that there was no danger. 
 
 " But I soon learned that this warning was not 
 groundless. You will think that the old fool's 
 heart has played him a trick, and in the magic 
 garden of childish memories the gifted young girl
 
 CLEOPATRA. 107 
 
 was transformed into a goddess. That she cer- 
 tainly was not ; for the immortals are free from 
 the faults and weaknesses of humanity." 
 
 " And what robbed Cleopatra of the renown of 
 resembling the gods?" asked Barine eagerly. 
 
 A subtle smile, not wholly free from reproach, 
 accompanied Archibius's reply: " Had I spoken of 
 her virtues, you would hardly have thought of 
 asking further details. But why should I try to 
 conceal what she has displayed to the world openly 
 enough throughout her whole life? Falsehood and 
 hypocrisy were as unfamiliar to her as fishing is 
 to the sons of the desert. The fundamental princi- 
 ples which have dominated this rare creature's life 
 and character to the present day are two ceaseless 
 desires: first, to surpass every one, even in the most 
 difficult achievements ; and, secondly, to love and 
 to be loved in return. From them emanated what 
 raised her above all other women. Ambition and 
 love will also sustain her like two mighty wings on 
 the proud height to which they have borne her, 
 so long as they dwell harmoniously in her fiery 
 soul. Hitherto a rare favour of destiny has per- 
 mitted this, and may the Olympians grant that thus 
 it may ever be ! " 
 
 Here Archibius paused, wiped the perspiration 
 from his brow, asked if the messenger had ar- 
 rived, and ordered him to be admitted as soon 
 as he appeared. Then he went on as calmly as 
 Before :
 
 108 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 " The princesses were members of our house- 
 hold, and in the course of time they seemed like 
 sisters. During the first winter the King allowed 
 them to spend only the most inclement months at 
 Philae, for he was unwilling to live without them. 
 True, he saw them rarely enough ; weeks often 
 elapsed without a visit ; but, on the other hand, he 
 often came day after day to our garden, clad in 
 plain garments, and borne in an unpretending 
 litter, for these visits were kept secret from every 
 one save the leech Olympus. 
 
 " I often saw the tall, strong man, with red, 
 bloated face, playing with his children like a me- 
 chanic who had just returned from work. But he 
 usually remained only a short time, seeming to be 
 satisfied with having seen them again. Perhaps he 
 merely wished to assure himself that they were 
 comfortable with us. At any rate, no one was per- 
 mitted to go near the group of plane-trees where^. 
 he talked with them. % 
 
 " But it is easy to hide amid the dense folia^ 
 of these trees, so my knowledge that he questioned 
 them is not solely hearsay. 
 
 " Cleopatra was happy with us from the begin- 
 ning; Arsinoe needed a longer time; but the King 
 valued only the opinion of his older child, his dar- 
 ling, on whom he feasted his eyes and ears like a 
 lover. He often shook his heavy head at the sight 
 of her, and when she gave him one of her apt re- 
 plies, he laughed so loudly that the sound of his
 
 CLEOPATRA. IO g 
 
 deep, resonant voice was heard as far as the 
 house. 
 
 " Once I saw tear after tear course down his 
 flushed cheeks, and yet his visit was shorter than 
 usual. The closed harmamaxa in which he came 
 bore him from our house directly to the vessel 
 which was to convey him to Cyprus and Rome. 
 The Alexandrians, headed by the Queen, had 
 forced him to leave the city and the country. 
 
 " He was indeed unworthy of the crown, but 
 he loved his little daughter like a true father. Still, 
 it was terrible, monstrous for him to invoke curses 
 upon the mother and sister of the children, in their 
 presence, and in the same breath command them 
 to hate and execrate them, but to love and never 
 forget him. 
 
 " I was then seventeen and Cleopatra ten years 
 old. I, who loved my parents better than my 
 life, felt an icy chill run through my veins and 
 then a touch upon my heart like balsam, as I heard 
 little Arsinoe, after her father had gone, whisper 
 to her sister, ' We will hate them may the gods 
 destroy them ! ' and when Cleopatra answered with 
 tearful eyes, ' Let us rather be better than they, 
 very good indeed, Arsinoe, that the immortals may 
 love us and bring our father back.' 
 
 "'Because then he will make you Queen,' re- 
 plied Arsinoe sneeringly, still trembling with angry 
 excitement. 
 
 "Cleopatra gazed at her with a troubled look.
 
 IIO CLEOPATRA. 
 
 Her tense features showed that she was weighing 
 the meaning of the words, and I can still see her 
 as she suddenly drew up her small figure, and said 
 proudly, 'Yes, I will be Queen ! ' 
 
 " Then her manner changed, and in the sweetest 
 tones of her soft voice, she said beseechingly, 
 ' You won't say such naughty things again, will 
 you ?' 
 
 " This was at the time that my father's instruc- 
 tion began to take possession of her mind. The 
 prediction of Olympus was fulfilled. True, I at- 
 tended the school of oratory, but when my father 
 set the royal maiden a lesson, I was permitted to 
 repeat mine on the same subject, and frequently I 
 could not help admitting that Cleopatra had suc- 
 ceeded better than I. 
 
 " Soon there were difficult problems to master, 
 for the intellect-of this wonderful child demanded 
 stronger food, and she was introduced into philos- 
 ophy. My father himself belonged to the school 
 of Epicurus, and succeeded far beyond his expec- 
 tations in rousing Cleopatra's interest in his mas- 
 ter's teachings. She had been made acquainted 
 with the other great philosophers also, but always 
 returned to Epicurus, and induced the rest of us 
 to live with her as a true disciple of the noble 
 Samian. 
 
 " Your father and brother have doubtless made 
 you familiar with the precepts of the Stoa; yet 
 you have certainly heard that Epicurus spent the
 
 CLEOPATRA. ! j t 
 
 latter part of his life with his friends and pupils in 
 quiet meditation and instructive conversation in 
 his garden at Athens. We, too according to Cleo- 
 patra's wish were to live thus and call ourselves 
 ' disciples of Epicurus.' 
 
 " With the exception of Arsinoe, who preferred 
 gayer pastimes, into which she drew my brother 
 Straton at that time a giant in strength we all 
 liked the. plan. I was chosen master, but I per- 
 ceived that Cleopatra desired the position, so she 
 took my place. 
 
 " During our next leisure afternoon we paced 
 up and down the garden, and the conversation 
 about the chief good was so eager, Cleopatra 
 directed it with so much skill, and decided doubt- 
 ful questions so happily, that we reluctantly obeyed 
 the brazen gong which summoned us to the house, 
 and spent the whole evening in anticipating the 
 next afternoon. 
 
 " The following morning my father saw several 
 country people assembled before the secluded 
 garden; but he did not have time to inquire what 
 they wanted ; for Timagenes, who shared the in- 
 struction in history you know he was afterwards 
 taken to Rome as a prisoner of war rushed up to 
 him, holding out a tablet which bore the inscrip- 
 tion Epicurus had written on the gate of his gar- 
 den : ' Stranger, here you will be happy ; here is 
 the chief good, pleasure.' 
 
 " Cleopatra had written this notice in large let-
 
 H2 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 ters on the top of a small table before sunrise, and 
 a slave had secretly fastened it on the gate for her. 
 
 " This prank might have easily proved fatal to 
 our beautiful companionship, but it had been done 
 merely to make our game exactly like the model. 
 
 " My father did not forbid our continuing this 
 pastime, but strictly prohibited our calling our- 
 selves ' Epicureans ' outside of the garden, for this 
 noble name had since gained among the people a 
 significance wholly alien. Epicurus says that true 
 pleasure is to be found only in peace of mind and 
 absence of pain." 
 
 " But every one," interrupted Barine, " believes 
 that people like the wealthy Isidorus, whose object 
 in life is to take every pleasure which his wealth 
 can procure, are the real Epicureans. My mother 
 would not have confided me long to a teacher by 
 whose associates ' pleasure ' was deemed the chief 
 good." 
 
 " The daughter of a philosopher," replied Ar- 
 chibius, gently shaking his head, "ought to under- 
 stand what pleasure means in the sense of Epicu- 
 rus, and no doubt you do. True, those who are 
 further removed from these things cannot know 
 that the master "forbids yearning for individual 
 pleasure. Have you an idea of his teachings ? 
 No definite one ? Then permit me a few words 
 of explanation. It happens only too often that 
 Epicurus is confounded with Aristippus, who places 
 sensual pleasure above intellectual enjoyment, as
 
 CLEOPATRA. H^ 
 
 he holds that bodily pain is harder to endure than 
 mental anguish. Epicurus, on the contrary, con- 
 siders intellectual pleasure to be the higher one ; 
 for sensual enjoyment, which he believes free to 
 every one, can be experienced only in the present, 
 while intellectual delight extends to both the past 
 and the future. To the Epicureans the goal of 
 life, as has already been mentioned, is to attain 
 the chief, blessings, peace of mind, and freedom 
 from pain. He is to practise virtue only because 
 it brings him pleasure ; for who could remain vir- 
 tuous without being wise, noble, and just ? and 
 whoever is all these cannot have his peace of mind 
 disturbed, and must be really happy in the exact 
 meaning of the master. I perceived long since the 
 peril lurking in this system of instruction, which 
 takes no account of moral excellence ; but at that 
 time it seemed to me also the chief good. 
 
 " How all this charmed the mind of the thought- 
 ful child, still untouched by passion ! It was dif- 
 ficult to supply her wonderfully vigorous intellect 
 with sufficient sustenance, and she really felt that 
 to enrich it was the highest pleasure. And to her, 
 who could scarcely endure to have a rude hand 
 touch her, though a small grief or trivial disap- 
 pointment could not be averted, the freedom from 
 pain which the master had named as the first con- 
 dition for the existence of every pleasure, and 
 termed the chief good, seemed indeed the first 
 condition of a happy life.
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 "Yet this child, whom my father once compared 
 to a thinking flower, bore without complaint her 
 sad destiny her father's banishment, her mother's 
 death, her sister Berenike's profligacy. Even to 
 me, in whom she found a second brother and fully 
 trusted, she spoke of these sorrowful things only 
 in guarded allusions. I know that she understood 
 what was passing fully and perfectly, and how 
 deeply she felt it ; but pain placed itself between 
 her and the 'chief good,' and she mastered it. And 
 when she sat at work, with what tenacious power 
 the delicate creature struggled until she had con- 
 quered the hardest task and outstripped Charmian 
 and even me ! 
 
 " In those days I understood why, among the 
 gods, a maiden rules over learning, and why she 
 is armed with the weapons of war. You have 
 heard how many languages Cleopatra speaks. A 
 remark of Timagenes had fallen into her soul like 
 a seed. 'With every language you learn,' he had 
 said, ' you will gain a nation." But there were 
 many peoples in her father's kingdom, and when 
 she was Queen they must all love her. True, she 
 began with the tongue of the conquerors, not the 
 conquered. So it happened that we first learned 
 Lucretius, who reproduces in verse the doctrines 
 of Epicurus. My father was our teacher, and the 
 second year she read Lucretius as if it were a 
 Greek book. She had only half known Egyptian ; 
 now she speedily acquired it. During our stay at
 
 CLEOPATRA. ! i 5 
 
 Philse she found a troglodyte who was induced 
 to teach her his language. There were Jews 
 enough here in Alexandria to instruct her in 
 theirs, and she also learned its kindred tongue, 
 Arabic. 
 
 " When, many years later, she visited Antony 
 at Tarsus, the warriors imagined that some piece 
 of Egyptian magic was at work, for she addressed 
 each commander in his own tongue, and talked 
 with him as if she were a native of the same 
 country. 
 
 " It was the same with everything. She out- 
 stripped us in every branch of study. To her 
 burning ambition it would have been unbearable 
 to lag behind. 
 
 " The Roman Lucretius became her favourite 
 poet, although she was no more friendly to his 
 nation than I, but the self-conscious power of the 
 foe pleased her, and once I heard her exclaim : 
 'Ah ! if the Egyptians were Romans, I would give 
 up our garden for Berenike's throne." 
 
 " Lucretius constantly led her back to Epicu- 
 rus, and awakened a severe conflict in her unrest- 
 ing mind. You probably know that he teaches 
 that life in itself is not so great a blessing that 
 it mnst be deemed a misfortune not to live. It is 
 only spoiled by having death appear to us as the 
 greatest of misfortunes. Only the soul which ceases 
 to regard death as a misfortune finds peace. Who- 
 ever knows that thought and feeling end with, life
 
 H6 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 will not fear death ; for, no matter how many dear 
 and precious thing? the dead have left here below, 
 their yearning for them has ceased with life. He 
 declares that providing for the body is the greatest 
 folly, while the Egyptian religion, in which Anubis 
 strove to strengthen her faith, maintained precisely 
 the opposite. 
 
 " To a certain degree he succeeded, for his per- 
 sonality exerted a powerful influence over her; and 
 besides, she naturally took great pleasure in mysti- 
 cal, supernatural things, as my brother Straton did 
 in physical strength, and you, Barine, enjoy the 
 gift of song. You know Anubis by sight. What 
 Alexandrian has not seen this remarkable man J 
 and whoever has once met his eyes does not easily 
 forget him. He does indeed rule over mysterious 
 powers, and he used them in his intercourse with 
 the young princess. It is his work if she cleaves 
 to the religious belief of her people, if she who is 
 a Hellene to the last drop of blood loves Egypt, 
 and is ready to make any sacrifice for her inde- 
 pendence and grandeur. She is called ' the new 
 Isis,' but Isis presides .over the magic arts of the 
 Egyptians, and Anubis initiated Cleopatra into this 
 secret science, and even persuaded her to enter the 
 observatory and the laboratory 
 
 " But all these things had their origin in our 
 garden of Epicurus, and my father did not venture 
 to forbid it ; for the King had sent a message from 
 Rome to say that he was glad to have Cleopatra
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 II/ 
 
 find pleasure in her own people and their secret 
 knowledge. 
 
 " The flute-player, during his stay on the Tiber, 
 had given his gold to the right men or bound them 
 as creditors to his interest. After Pompey, Caesar, 
 and Crassus had concluded their alliance, they con- 
 sented at Lucca to the restoration of the Ptolemy. 
 Millions upon millions would not have seemed to 
 him too large a price for this object. Pompey would 
 rather have gone to Egypt himself, but the jealousy 
 of the others would not permit it. Gabinius, the 
 Governor of Syria, received the commission. 
 
 " But the occupants of the Egyptian throne 
 were not disposed to resign it without a struggle. 
 You know that meanwhile Queen Berenike, Cleo- 
 patra's sister, had been twice married. She had 
 her miserable first husband strangled a more man- 
 ly spouse had been chosen by the Alexandrians 
 for her second consort. He bravely defended his 
 rights, and lost his life on the field of battle. 
 
 " The senate learned speedily enough that Ga- 
 binius had brought the Ptolemy back to his coun- 
 try; the news reached us more slowly. We watched 
 for every rumour with the same passionate anxiety 
 as now. 
 
 " At that time Cleopatra was fourteen, and had 
 developed magnificently. Yonder portrait shows 
 the perfect flower, but the bud possessed, if pos- 
 sible, even more exquisite charm. How clear and 
 earnest was the gaze of her bright eyes ! When
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 she was gay they could shine like stars, and then 
 her little red mouth had an indescribably mischiev- 
 ous expression, and in each cheek came one of the 
 tiny dimples which still delight every one. Her 
 nose was more delicate than it is now, and the 
 slight curve which appears in the portrait, and 
 which is far too prominent in the coins, was not 
 visible. Her hair did not grow dark until later in 
 life. My sister Charmian had no greater pleasure 
 than to arrange its wavy abundance. It was like 
 silk, she often said, and she was right. I know 
 this, for when at the festival of Isis, Cleopatra, 
 holding the ststrum, followed the image of the 
 goddess, she was obliged to wear it tinconfined. 
 On her return home she often shook her head mer- 
 rily, and her hair fell about her like a cataract, 
 veiling her face and figure. Then, as now, she was 
 not above middle height, but her form possessed 
 the most exquisite symmetry, only it was still more 
 delicate and pliant. 
 
 " She had understood how to win all hearts. Yet, 
 though she seemed to esteem our father higher, 
 trust me more fully, look up to Anubis with greater 
 reverence, and prefer to argue with the keen-witted 
 Timagenes, she still appeared to hold all who sur- 
 rounded her in equal favour, while Arsinoe left me 
 in the lurch if Straton were present, and whenever 
 the handsome Melnodor, one of my father's pupils, 
 came to us, she fairly devoured him with her glow- 
 ing eyes.
 
 CLEOPATRA. ! IC) 
 
 "As scon as it was rumoured that the Romans 
 were bringing the King back, Queen Berenike came 
 to us to take the young girls to the city. When 
 Cleopatra entreated her to leave her in our parents' 
 care and not interrupt her studies, a scornful smile 
 flitted over Berenike's face, and turning to her hus- 
 band Archelaus, she said scornfully, ' I think books 
 will prove to be the smallest danger.' 
 
 " Pothinus, the guardian of the two princesses' 
 brothers, had formerly permitted them at times to 
 visit their sisters. Now they were no longer al- 
 lowed to leave Lochias, but neither Cleopatra nor 
 Arsinoe made many inquiries about them. The 
 little boys always retreated from their caresses, 
 and the Egyptian locks on their temples, which 
 marked the age of childhood, and the Egyptian 
 garments which Pothinus made them wear, lent 
 them an unfamiliar aspect. 
 
 " When it was reported that the Romans were 
 advancing from Gaza., both girls were overpowered 
 by passionate excitement. Arsinoe's glittered in 
 every glance; Cleopatra understood how to con- 
 ceal hers, but her colour often varied, and her face, 
 which was not pink and white like her sister's, but 
 how shall I express it ? " 
 
 " I know what you mean," Barine interrupted. 
 "When I saw her, nothing seemed to me more 
 charming than that pallid hue through which the 
 crimson of her cheeks shines like the flame through 
 yonder alabaster lamp, the tint of the peach through 
 9
 
 120 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 the down. I have seen it often in convalescents. 
 Aphrodite breathes this hue on the faces and fig- 
 ures of her favourites only, as the god of time 
 imparts the green tinge to the bronze. Nothing 
 is more beautiful than when such women blush." 
 
 " Your sight is keen," replied Archibius, smiling. 
 " It seemed indeed as if not Eos, but her faint re- 
 flection in the western horizon, was tinting the sky, 
 when joy or shame sent the colour to her cheeks, 
 But when wrath took possession of her and ere 
 the King's return this often happened she could 
 look as if she were lifeless, like a marble statue, 
 with lips as colourless as those of a corpse. 
 
 " My father said that the blood of Physkon and 
 other degenerate ancestors, who had not learned 
 to control their passions, was asserting itself in 
 her also. But I must continue my story, or the 
 messenger will interrupt me too soon. 
 
 " Gabinius was bringing back the King. But 
 from the time of his approach with the Roman 
 army and the auxiliary troops of the Ethnarch of 
 Judea, nothing more was learned of him or of An- 
 tipater, who commanded the forces of Hyrkanus ; 
 every one talked constantly of the Roman gen- 
 eral Antony. He had led the troops successfully 
 through the deserts between Syria and the Egyp- 
 tian Delta without losing a single man on the dan- 
 gerous road by the Sirbonian Sea and Barathra, 
 where many an army had met destruction. Not 
 to Antipater, but to him, had the Jewish garrison
 
 CLEOPATRA. I2 i 
 
 of Pelusium surrendered their city without striking 
 a blow. He had conquered in two battles ; and 
 the second, where, as you know, Berenike's hus- 
 band fell after a brave resistance, had decided the 
 destiny of the country. 
 
 " From the time his name was first mentioned, 
 neither of the girls could hear enough about him. 
 It was said that he was the most aristocratic of 
 aristocratic Romans, the most reckless of the 
 daring, the wildest of the riotous, and the hand- 
 somest of the handsome. 
 
 " The waiting-maid from Mantua, with whom 
 Cleopatra practised speaking the Roman language, 
 had often seen him, and had heard of him still more 
 frequently for his mode of life was the theme of 
 gossip among all classes of Roman men and women. 
 His house was said to have descended in a direct 
 line from Hercules, and his figure and magnificent 
 black beard recalled his ancestor. You know him, 
 and know that the things reported of him are those 
 which a young girl cannot hear with indifference, 
 and at that time he was nearly five lustra younger 
 than he is to-day. 
 
 " How eagerly Arsinoe listened when his name 
 was uttered ! How Cleopatra flushed and paled 
 when Timagenes condemned him as an unprincipled 
 libertine ! True, Antony was opening her father's 
 path to his home. 
 
 " The flute-player had not forgotten his daugh- 
 ters. He had remained aloof from the battle, but
 
 122 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 as soon as the victory was decided, he pressed on 
 into the city. 
 
 " The road led past our garden. 
 
 " The King had barely time to send a runner to 
 his daughters, fifteen minutes before his arrival, to 
 say that he desired to greet them. They were hur- 
 riedly attired in festal garments, and both pre- 
 sented an appearance that might well gladden a 
 father's heart. 
 
 " Cleopatra was not yet as tall as Arsinoe, but, 
 though only fourteen, she looked like a full-grown 
 maiden, while her sister's face and figure showed 
 that in years she was still a child. But she was no 
 longer one in heart. Bouquets for the returning 
 sovereign had been arranged as well as haste per- 
 mitted. Each one of the girls held one in her 
 hand when the train approached. 
 
 " My parents accompanied them to the garden 
 gate. I could see what was passing, but could 
 hear distinctly only the voices of the men. 
 
 " The King alighted from the travelling chariot, 
 which was drawn by eight white Median steeds. 
 The chamberlain who attended him was obliged to' 
 support him. His face, reddened by his potations, 
 fairly beamed as he greeted'his daughters. His 
 joyful surprise at the sight of both, but especially 
 of Cleopatra, was evident. True, he kissed and 
 embraced Arsinoe, but after that he had eyes and 
 ears solely for Cleopatra. 
 
 " Yet hisyounger daughter was very beautiful.
 
 CLEOPATRA. !23 
 
 Away from her sister, she would have commanded 
 the utmost admiration ; but Cleopatra was like the 
 sun, beside which every other heavenly body pales. 
 Yet, no ; she should not be compared to the sun. 
 It was part of the fascination she exerted that 
 every one felt compelled to gaze at her, to discover 
 the source of the charm which emanated from her 
 whole person. 
 
 " Antony, too, was enthralled by the spell as 
 soon as he heard the first words from her lips. He 
 had dashed up to the King's chariot, and seeing the 
 two daughters by their father's side, he greeted 
 them with a hasty salute. When, in reply to the 
 question whether he might hope for her gratitude 
 for bringing her father back to her so quickly, she 
 said that as a daughter she sincerely rejoiced, but 
 as an Egyptian the task would be harder, he gazed 
 more keenly at her. 
 
 "I did not know her answer until later; but 
 ere the last sound of her voice had died away, I 
 saw the Roman spring from his charger and fling 
 the bridle to Ammonius the chamberlain who had 
 assisted the King from the chariot as if he were 
 his groom. The woman-hunter had met with rare 
 game in his pursuit of the fairest, and while he con- 
 tinued his conversation with Cleopatra her father 
 sometimes joined in, and his deep laughter was 
 often heard. 
 
 " No one would have recognized the earnest 
 disciple of Epicurus. We had often heard apt re-
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 plies and original thoughts from Cleopatra's lips, 
 but she had rarely answered Timagenes's jests with 
 another. Now she found one could see it by 
 watching the speakers a witty answer to many of 
 Antony's remarks. It seemed as if, for the first 
 time, she had met some one for whom she deemed 
 it worth while to bring into the field every gift of 
 her deep and quick intelligence. Yet she did not 
 lose for a moment her womanly dignity ; her eyes 
 did not sparkle one whit more brightly than during 
 an animated conversation with me or our father. 
 
 " It was very different with Arsinoe. When 
 Antony flung himself from his horse, she had 
 moved nearer to her sister, but, as the Roman 
 continued to overlook her, her face crimsoned, she 
 bit her scarlet lips. Her whole attitude betrayed 
 the agitation that mastered her, and I, who knew 
 her, saw by the expression of her eyes and her 
 quivering nostrils that she was on the point of 
 bursting into tears. Though Cleopatra stood so 
 much nearer to my heart, 1 felt sorry for her, and 
 longed to touch the arm of the haughty Roman, 
 who indeed looked like the god of war, and whis- 
 per to him to take some little notice of the poor 
 child, who was also a daughter of the King. 
 
 "But a still harder blow was destined to fall 
 upon Arsinoe; for when the King, who had been 
 holding both bouquets, warned Antony that it 
 was time to depart, he took one, and I heard him 
 say in his deep, loud tones, ' Whoever calls such
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 125 
 
 flowers his daughters does not need so many oth- 
 ers.' Then he gave Cleopatra the blossoms and, 
 laying his hand upon his heart, expressed the hope 
 of seeing her in Alexandria, and swung himself 
 upon the charger which the chamberlain, pale with 
 fury, was still holding by the bridle. 
 
 "The flute-player was delighted with his old- 
 est daughter, and told my father he would have 
 the youjig princess conveyed to the city on the 
 day after the morrow. The next day he had 
 things to do of which he desired her to have no 
 knowledge. Our father, in token of his gratitude, 
 should retain for himself and his heirs the sum- 
 mer palace and the garden. He would see that 
 the change of owner was entered in the land regis- 
 ter. This was really done that very day. It was, 
 indeed, his first-act save one the execution of his 
 daughter Berenike. 
 
 " This ruler, who would have seemed to any 
 one who beheld his meeting with his children a 
 warm-hearted man and a tender father, at that 
 time would have put half Alexandria to the sword, 
 had not Antony interposed. He forbade the blood- 
 shed, and honoured Berenike's dead husband by a 
 stately funeral. 
 
 " As the steed bore him away, he turned back 
 towards Cleopatra; he could not have saluted Ar- 
 sinoe, for she had rushed into the garden, and 
 her swollen face betrayed that she had shed burn- 
 ing tears.
 
 I2 6 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 "From that hour she bitterly hated Cleopatra. 
 
 " On the day appointed, the King brought the 
 princesses to the city with regal splendour. The 
 Alexandrians joyously greeted the royal sisters, 
 as, seated on a golden throne, over which waved 
 ostrich-feathers, they were borne in state down the 
 Street of the King, surrounded by dignitaries, army 
 commanders, the body-guard, and the senate of 
 the city. Cleopatra received the adulation of the 
 populace with gracious majesty, as if she were 
 already Queen. Whoever had seen her as, with 
 floods of tears, she bade us all farewell, assuring 
 us of her gratitude and faithful remembrance, the 
 sisterly affection she showed me I had just been 
 elected commander of the Ephebi " Here Ar- 
 chibius was interrupted by a slave, who announced 
 the arrival of the messenger, and, rising hurriedly, 
 he went to Leonax's workshop, to which the man 
 had been conducted, that he might speak to him 
 alone.
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE men sent by Archibius to obtain news had 
 brought back no definite information; but a short 
 time before, a royal runner had handed him a tablet 
 from Iras, requesting him to visit her the next 
 day. Disquieting, but fortunately as yet unveri- 
 fied tidings had arrived. The Regent was doing 
 everything in his power to ascertain the truth ; 
 but he (Archibius) was aware of the distrust of the 
 government, and everything connected with it, 
 felt by the sailors and all the seafaring folk at the 
 harbour. . An independent person like himself could 
 often learn more than the chief of the harbour 
 police, with all his ships and men. 
 
 The little tablet was accompanied by a second, 
 which, in the Regent's name, authorized the bearer 
 to have the harbour chains raised anywhere, to go 
 out into the open sea and return without interfer- 
 ence. 
 
 The messenger, the overseer of Archibius's 
 galley slaves, was an experienced man. He under- 
 took to have the " Epicurus " a swift vessel, which 
 Cleopatra had given to her friend ready for a
 
 128 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 voyage to the open sea within two hours. The 
 carriage should be sent for his master, that no time 
 might be lost. 
 
 When Archibius had returned to the ladies and 
 asked whether it would be an abuse of their hos- 
 pitality, if it was now nearly midnight he should 
 still delay his departure for a time, they expressed 
 sincere pleasure, and begged him to continue his 
 narrative. 
 
 " I must hasten," he hurriedly began, after eat- 
 ing the lunch which Berenike had ordered while 
 he was talking with the messenger, "but the 
 events of the next few years are hardly worth 
 mentioning. Besides, my 'time was wholly occu- 
 pied by my studies in the museum. 
 
 "As for Cleopatra and Arsinoe, they stood like 
 queens at the head of all the magnificence of the 
 court. The day on which they left our house was 
 the last of their childhood. 
 
 "Who would venture to determine whether her 
 father's restoration, or the meeting with Antony, 
 had wrought the great change which took place 
 at that time in Cleopatra ? 
 
 " Just before she left us, my mother had 
 lamented that she must give her to a father like 
 the flute-player, instead of to a worthy mother; 
 for the best could not help regarding herself happy 
 in the possession of such a daughter. Afterwards 
 her character and conduct were better suited to 
 delight men than to please a mother. The yearn-
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 129 
 
 ing for peace of mind seemed over. Only the 
 noisy festivals, the singing and music, of which 
 there was never any cessation in the palace of the 
 royal virtuoso, seemed to weary her and at such 
 times she appeared at our house and spent several 
 days beneath its roof. Arsinoe never accompanied 
 her ; her heart was sometimes won by a golden- 
 haired officer in the ranks of the German horse- 
 men whom Gabinius had left among the garrison 
 of Alexandria, sometimes by a Macedonian noble 
 among the youths who, at that time, performed 
 the service of guarding the palace. 
 
 "Cleopatra lived apart from her, and Arsinoe 
 openly showed her hostility from the time that she 
 entreated her to put an end to the scandal caused 
 by her love affairs. 
 
 " Cleopatra held aloof from such things. 
 
 " Though she had devoted much time to the 
 magic arts of the Egyptians, her clear intellect 
 had rendered her so familiar with the philosophy 
 of the Hellenes that it was a pleasure to hear 
 her converse or argue in the museum as she 
 often did with the leaders of the various schools. 
 Her self-confidence had become very strong. 
 Though, while with us, she said that she longed 
 to return to the days of the peaceful Garden of 
 Epicurus, she devoted herself eagerly enough to 
 the events occurring in the world and to statecraft. 
 She was familiar with everything in Rome, the de- 
 sires and struggles of the contending parties, as
 
 130 
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 well as the characters of the men who were direct- 
 ing affairs, their qualities, views, and aims. 
 
 " She followed Antony's career with the inter- 
 est of love, for she had bestowed on him the first 
 affection of her young heart. She had expected 
 the greatest achievements, but his subsequent 
 course seemed to belie these lofty hopes. A tinge 
 of scorn coloured her remarks concerning him at 
 that time, but here also her heart had its share. 
 
 " Pompey, to whom her father owed his res- 
 toration to the throne, she considered a lucky 
 man, rather than a great and wise one. Of Julius 
 Csesar, on the contrary, long before she met him, 
 she spoke with ardent enthusiasm, though she 
 knew that he would gladly have made Egypt a 
 Roman province. The greatest deed which she 
 expected from the energetic Julius was that he 
 would abolish the republic, which she hated, and 
 soar upward to tyrannize over the arrogant rulers 
 of the world only she would fain have seen An- 
 tony in his place. How often in those days she 
 used magic art to assure herself of his future ! Her 
 father was interested in these things, especially as, 
 through them, and the power of the mighty Isis, he 
 expected to obtain relief from his many and severe 
 sufferings. 
 
 " Cleopatra's brothers were still mere boys, com- 
 pletely dependent upon their guardian, Pothinus, 
 to whom the King left the care of the government, 
 and their tutor, Theodotus, a clever but unprin-
 
 CLEOPATRA. j^I 
 
 cipled rhetorician. These two men and Achillas, 
 the commander of the troops, would gladly have 
 aided Dionysus, the King's oldest male heir, to 
 obtain the control of the state, in order afterwards 
 to rule him, but the flute-player baffled their plans. 
 You know that in his last will he made Cleopatra, 
 his favourite child, his successor, but her brother 
 Dionysus was to share the throne as her husband. 
 This caus.ed much scandal in Rome, though it was 
 an old custom of the house of Ptolemy, and suited 
 the Egyptians. 
 
 " The flute-player died. Cleopatra became 
 Queen, and at the same time the wife of a-hus- 
 band ten years old, for whom she did not even pos- 
 sess the natural gift of sisterly tenderness. But 
 with the obstinate child who had been told by his 
 counsellors that the right to rule should be his 
 alone, she also married the former governors of the 
 country. 
 
 " Then began a period of sore suffering. Her 
 life was a perpetual battle against notorious in- 
 trigues, the worst of which owed their origin to 
 her sister. Arsinoe had surrounded herself with a 
 court of her own, managed by the eunuch Gany- 
 medes, an experienced commander, and at the 
 same time a shrewd adviser, wholly devoted to her 
 interest. He understood how to bring her into 
 close relations with Pothinus and other rulers of 
 the state, and thus at last united all who possessed 
 any power in the royal palace in an endeavour to
 
 132 
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 thrust Cleopatra from the throne. Pothinus, Theo- 
 dotus, and Achillas hated her because she saw 
 their failings and made them feel the superiority 
 of her intellect. Their combined efforts might 
 ave succeeded in overthrowing her before, had 
 not the Alexandrians, headed by the Ephebi, over 
 whom I still had some influence, stood by her so 
 steadfastly. Whoever could still be classed as a 
 ' youth ' glowed with enthusiasm for her, and most 
 of the Macedonian nobles in the body-guard would 
 have gone to death for her sake, though she had 
 forced them to gaze hopelessly up to her as if she 
 were some unapproachable goddess. 
 
 "When her father died she was seventeen, but 
 she knew how to resist oppressors and foes as if 
 she were a man. My sister, Charmian, whom she 
 had appointed to a place in her service, loyally 
 aided her. At that time she was a beautiful and 
 lovable girl, but the spell exerted by the Queen fet- 
 tered her like chains and bonds. She voluntarily 
 resigned the love of a noble man he afterwards 
 became your husband, Berenike in order not to 
 leave her royal friend at a time when she so ur- 
 gently needed her. Since then my sister has shut 
 her heart against love. It belonged to Cleopatra. 
 She lives, thinks, cares for her alone. She is fond 
 of you, Barine, because your father was so dear to 
 her. Iras, whose name is so often associated with 
 hers, is the daughter of my oldest sister, who 
 was already married when the King entrusted the
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 133 
 
 princesses to our father's care. She is thirteen 
 years younger than Cleopatra, but her mistress 
 holds the first place in her heart also. Her father, 
 the wealthy Krates, made every effort to keep her 
 from entering the service of the Queen, but in vain. 
 A single conversation with this marvellous woman 
 had bound her forever. 
 
 " But I must be brief. You have doubtless heard 
 how completely Cleopatra bewitched Pompey's son 
 during his visit to Alexandria. She had not been 
 so gracious to any man since her meeting with 
 Antony, and it was not from affection, but to main- 
 tain the independence of her beloved native land. 
 At that time the father of Gnejus was the man 
 who possessed the most power, and statecraft 
 commanded her to win him through his son. 
 The young Roman also took his leave ' full of 
 her,' as the Egyptians say. This pleased her, but 
 the visit greatly aided her foes. There was no 
 slander which was not disseminated against her. 
 The commanders of the body-guard, whom she 
 had always treated as a haughty Queen, had seen 
 her associate with Pompey's son in the theatre as 
 if he were a friend of equal rank ; and on many 
 other occasions the Alexandrians saw her repay 
 his courtesies in the same coin. But in those days 
 hatred of Rome surged high. The regents, leagued 
 with Arsinoe, spread the rumour that Cleopatra 
 would deliver Egypt up to Pompey, if the senate 
 would secure to her the sole sovereignty of the
 
 134 
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 new province, and leave her free to rid herself of 
 her royal brother and husband. 
 
 "She was compelled to fly, and went first to 
 the Syrian frontier, to gain friends for her cause 
 among the Asiatic princes. My brother Straton 
 you remember the noble youth who won the 
 prize for wrestling at Olympia, Berenike and I 
 were commissioned to carry the treasure to her. 
 We doubtless exposed ourselves to great peril, but 
 we did so gladly, and left Alexandria with a few 
 camels, an ox-cart, and some trusted slaves. We 
 were to go to Gaza, where Cleopatra was already 
 beginning to collect an army, and had disguised 
 ourselves asNabatsean merchants. The languages 
 which I had learned, in order not to be distanced 
 by Cleopatra, were now of great service. 
 
 " Those were stirring times. The names of 
 Caesar and Pompey were in every mouth. After 
 the defeat at Dyrrachium the cause of Julius 
 seemed lost, but the Pharsalian battle again placed 
 him uppermost, unless the East rose in behalf of 
 Pompey. Both seemed to be favourites of Fortune. 
 The question now was to which the goddess would 
 prove most faithful. 
 
 " My sister Charmian was with the Queen, but 
 through one of Arsinoe's maids, who was devoted 
 to her, we had learned from the palace that Pom- 
 pey 's fate was decided. He had come a fugitive 
 from the defeat of Pharsalus, and begged the King 
 of Egypt that is, the men who were acting in his
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 135 
 
 name for a hospitable reception. Pothinus and 
 his associates had rarely confronted a greater 
 embarrassment. The troops and ships of the vic- 
 torious Caesar were close at hand ; many of Ga- 
 binius' men were serving in the Egyptian army. 
 To receive the vanquished Pompey kindly was to 
 make the victorious Caesar a foe. I was to witness 
 the terrible solution of this dilemma. The infa- 
 mous wojds of Theodotus, c Dead dogs no longer 
 bite,' had turned the scale. 
 
 " My brother and I reached Mount Casius with 
 our precious freight, and pitched our tents to 
 await a messenger, when a large body of armed 
 men approached from the city. At first we feared 
 that we were pursued ; but a spy reported that the 
 King himself was among the soldiery, and at the 
 same time a large Roman galley drew near the 
 coast. It must be Pompey's. So they had changed 
 their views, and the King was coming in person to 
 receive their guest. The troops encamped on the 
 flat shore on which stood the Temple of the Casian 
 Amon. 
 
 "The September sun shone brightly, and was 
 reflected from the weapons. From the high bank 
 of the dry bed of the river, where we had pitched 
 our tent, we saw something scarlet move to and 
 fro. It was the King's mantle. The waves, stirred 
 by the autumn breeze, rippled lightly, blue as corn- 
 flowers, over the yellow sand of the dunes; but 
 the King stood still, shading his eyes with his
 
 136 
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 hand as he gazed at the galley. Meanwhile, 
 Achillas, the commander of the troops, and Sep- 
 timius, the tribune, who belonged to the Roman 
 garrison in Alexandria, and who, I knew, had 
 served under Pompey and owed him many fa- 
 vours, had entered a boat and put off to the vessel, 
 which could not come nearer the land on account 
 of the shallow water. 
 
 " The conference now began, and Achillas's 
 offer of hospitality must have been very warm and 
 well calculated to inspire confidence, for a tall 
 lady it was Cornelia, the wife of the Imperator 
 waved her hand to him in token of gratitude." 
 
 Here the speaker paused, drew a long breath, 
 and, pressing his hand to his brow, continued : 
 
 "What follows alas, that it was my fate to 
 witness the dreadful scene ! How often a garbled 
 account has been given, and yet the whole was so 
 terribly simple ! 
 
 " Fortune makes her favourites confiding. 
 Pompey was also. Though more than fifty years 
 old he lacked two years of sixty he sprang 
 into the boat quickly enough, with merely a little 
 assistance from a freedman. A sailor he was 
 a negro shoved the skiff off from the side of 
 the huge ship as violently as if the pole he used 
 for the purpose was a spear, and the galley his 
 foe. The boat, urged by his companions' oars, 
 had already moved forward, and he stumbled, the 
 brown cap falling from his woolly head in the act.-
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 137 
 
 It seems as if I could still see him. Ere I clearly 
 realized that this was an evil omen, the boat 
 stopped. 
 
 "The water was shallow. I saw Achillas point 
 to the shore. It could be reached by a single 
 bound. Pompey looked towards the King. The 
 freedman put his hand under his arm to help him 
 rise. Septimius also stood up. I thought he in- 
 tended to assist him. But no ! What did this 
 mean ? Something flashed by the Imperator's 
 silver-grey hair as if a spark had fallen from the 
 sky. Would Pompey defend himself, or why did 
 he raise his hand ? It was to draw around him the 
 toga, with which he silently covered his face. The 
 tribune's arm was again raised high into the air, 
 and then what confusion ! Here, there, yonder, 
 hands suddenly appeared aloft, bright flashes 
 darted through the clear air. Achillas, the gen- 
 eral, dealt blows with his dagger as if he were 
 skilled in murder. The Imperator's stalwart figure 
 sank forward. The freedman supported him. 
 
 " Then shouts arose, here a cry of fury, yonder 
 a wail of grief, and, rising above all, a woman's 
 shriek of anguish. It came from the lips of Cor- 
 nelia, the murdered man's wife. Shouts of ap- 
 plause from the King's camp followed, then the 
 blast of a trumpet ; the Egyptians drew back from 
 the shore. The scarlet cloak again appeared. 
 Septimius, bearing in his hand a bleeding head, 
 went towards it and held the ghastly trophy aloft.
 
 138 
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 The royal boy gazed into the dull eyes of the vic- 
 tim, who had guided the destinies of many a battle- 
 field, of Rome, of two quarters of the globe. The 
 sight was probably too terrible for the child upon 
 the throne, for he averted his head. The ship 
 moved away from the land, the Egyptians formed 
 into ranks and marched off. Achillas cleansed his 
 blood-stained hands in the sea-water. The freed- 
 man beside him washed his master's headless trunk. 
 The general shrugged his shoulders as the faithful 
 fellow heaped reproaches on him." 
 
 Here Archibius paused, drawing a long breath. 
 Then he continued more calmly : 
 
 " Achillas did not lead the troops back to Alex- 
 andria, but eastward, towards Pelusium, as I learned 
 later. 
 
 " My brother and I stood on the rocky edge of 
 the ravine. It was long ere either spoke. A cloud 
 of dust concealed the King and his body-guard, 
 the sails of the galley disappeared. Twilight 
 closed in, and Straton pointed westward towards 
 Alexandria. Then the sun set. Red ! red ! It 
 seemed as if a torrent of blood was pouring over 
 the city. 
 
 " Night followed. A scanty fire was glimmer- 
 ing on the strand. Where had the wood been 
 gathered in this desert ? How had it been kindled ? 
 A wrecked, mouldering boat had lain close beside 
 the scene of the murder. The freedman and his 
 companions had, broken it up and fed the flames
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 139 
 
 with withered boughs, the torn garments of the 
 murdered man, and dry sea-weed. A blaze soon 
 rose, and a body was carefully placed upon the 
 wretched funeral pyre. It was the corpse of the 
 great Pompey. One of the Imperator's veterans 
 aided the faithful servant." 
 
 Here Archibius sank back again among the 
 cushions, adding in explanation : 
 
 " Cordus, the man's name was Servius Cordus. 
 He fared well later. The Queen provided for him. 
 The others ? Fate overtook them all soon enough. 
 Theodotus was condemned by Brutus to a tortur- 
 ing death. Amid his loud shrieks of agony one of 
 Pompey 's veterans shouted, ' Dead dogs no longer 
 bite, but they howl when dying ! ' 
 
 " It was worthy of Caesar that he averted his 
 face in horror from the head of his enemy, which 
 Theodotus sent to him. Pothinus, too, vainly 
 awaited the reward of his infamous deed. 
 
 " Julius Caesar had cast anchor before Alexan- 
 dria shortly after the King's return. Not until after 
 his arrival in Egypt did he learn how Pompey had 
 been received there. You know that he remained 
 nine months. How often I have heard it said that 
 Cleopatra understood how to chain him here ! This 
 is both true and false. He was obliged to stay 
 half a year; the following three months he did 
 indeed give to the woman whom he loved. Ay, 
 the heart of the man of fifty-four had again opened 
 to a great passion. Like all wounds, those in-
 
 140 
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 flicted by the arrows of Eros heal more slowly 
 when youth lies behind the stricken one. It was 
 not only the eyes and the senses which attracted a 
 couple so widely separated by years, but far more 
 the mental characteristics of both. Two winged 
 intellects had met. The genius of one had recog- 
 nized that of the other. The highest type of man- 
 hood had met perfect womanhood. They could 
 not fail to attract each other. I expected it ; for 
 Cleopatra had long watched breathlessly the flight 
 of this eagle who soared so far above the others, 
 and she was strong enough to keep at his side. 
 
 "We succeeded in joining Cleopatra, and heard 
 that, spite of the hostility of our citizens, Caesar 
 had occupied the palace of the Ptolemies and was 
 engaged in restoring order. 
 
 "We knew in what way Pothinus, Achillas, and 
 Arsinoe would seek to influence him. Cleopatra 
 had good reason to fear that her foes might de- 
 liver Egypt unconditionally to Rome, if Caesar 
 should leave the reins of government in their 
 hands and shut her out. She had cause to dread 
 this, but she also had the courage to act in person 
 in her own behalf. 
 
 " The point now was to bring her into the 
 city, the palace nay, into direct communication 
 with the dictator. Children tell the tale of the 
 strong man who bore Cleopatra in a sack through 
 the palace portals. It was not a sack which con- 
 cealed her, but a Syrian carpet. The strong man
 
 CLEOPATRA, 
 
 141 
 
 was my brother Straton. I went first, to secure a 
 free passage. 
 
 "Julius Caesar and she saw and found each 
 other. Fate merely drew the conclusion which 
 must result from such premises. Never have I 
 seen Cleopatra happier, more exalted in mind and 
 heart, yet she was menaced on all sides by serious 
 perils. It required all the military genius of Caesar 
 to conquer the fierce hostility which he encoun- 
 tered here. It was this, not the thrall of Cleopatra, 
 I repeat, which first bound him to Egypt. What 
 would have prevented him as he did later from 
 taking the object of his love to Rome, had it been 
 possible at that time ? But this was not the case. 
 The Alexandrians provided for that. 
 
 " He had recognized the flute-player's will, nay, 
 had granted more to the royal house than could 
 have been given to the former. Cleopatra and 
 her brother-husband, Dionysus, were to share the 
 government, and he also bestowed on Arsinoe and 
 her youngest brother the island of Cyprus, which 
 had been wrested from their uncle Ptolemy by the 
 republic. Rome was, of course, to remain the 
 guardian of the brothers and sisters. 
 
 " This arrangement was unendurable to Po- 
 thinus and the former rulers of the state. Cleo- 
 patra as Queen, and Rome that is Caesar, the dic- 
 tator, her friend, as guardian meant their removal 
 from power, their destruction, and they resisted 
 violently.
 
 142 
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 " The Egyptians and even the Alexandrians 
 supported them. The young King hated nothing 
 more than the yoke of the unloved sister, who 
 was so greatly his superior. Caesar had come with 
 a force by no means equal to theirs, and it might 
 be possible to draw the mighty general into a 
 snare. They fought with all the power at their 
 command, with such passionate eagerness, that 
 the dictator had never been nearer succumb- 
 ing to peril. But Cleopatra certainly did not 
 paralyze his strength and cautious deliberation. 
 No! He had never been greater; never proved 
 the power of his genius so magnificently. And 
 against what superior power, what hatred he con- 
 tended ! I myself saw the young King, when he 
 heard that Cleopatra had succeeded in entering 
 the palace and meeting Caesar, rush into the street, 
 fairly crazed by rage, tear the diadem from his 
 head, hurl it on the pavement, and shriek to the 
 passers-by that he was betrayed, until Caesar's 
 soldiers forced him back into the palace, and dis- 
 persed the mob. 
 
 " Arsinoe had received more than she could 
 venture to expect ; but she was again most deeply 
 angered. After Caesar's entry into the palace, she 
 had received him as Queen, and hoped everything 
 from his favour. Then her hated sister had come 
 and, as so often happened, she was forgotten for 
 Cleopatra's sake. 
 
 "This was too much, and 'with the eunuch
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 143 
 
 Ganymedes, her confidant, and as I have already 
 said an able warrior, she left the palace and 
 joined the dictator's foes. 
 
 "There were severe battles on land and sea; 
 in the streets of the city, for the drinkable water 
 excavated by the foe ; and against the conflagra- 
 tion which destroyed part of the Bruchium and 
 the library of the museum. Yet, half dead with 
 thirst, barely escaped from drowning, threatened 
 on all sides by fierce hatred, he stood firm, and 
 remained victor also in the open field, after the 
 young King had placed himself at the head of the 
 Egyptians and collected an army. 
 
 u You know that the boy was drowned in the 
 flight. 
 
 "In battle and mortal peril, amid blood and 
 the clank of arms, Caesar and Cleopatra spent half 
 a year ere they were permitted to pluck the fruit 
 of their common labour. The dictator now made 
 her Queen of Egypt, and gave her, as co-regent, 
 her youngest brother, a boy not half her own age. 
 To Arsinoe he granted the life she had forfeited, 
 but sent her to Italy. 
 
 " Peace followed the victory. Now r it is true, 
 grave duties must have summoned the statesman 
 back to Rome, but he tarried three full months 
 longer. 
 
 " Whoever knows the life of the ambitious 
 Julius, and is aware what this delay might have 
 cost him, may well strike his brow with his hand,
 
 144 
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 and ask, ' Is it true and possible that he used this 
 precious time to take a trip with the woman he 
 loved up the Nile, to the island of Isis, which is so 
 dear to the Queen, to the extreme southern fron- 
 tier of the country ? ' Yet it was so, and I myself 
 went in the second ship, and not only saw them 
 together, but more than once shared their ban- 
 quets and their conversation. It was giving and 
 taking, forcing down and elevating, a succession 
 of discords, not unpleasant to hear, because ex- 
 perience taught that they would finally terminate 
 in the most beautiful harmony. It was a festal 
 day for all the senses." 
 
 "I imagine the whole Nile journey," interrupted 
 Barine, " to be like the fairy voyage, when the 
 purple silk sails of Cleopatra's galley bore Antony 
 along the Cydnus." 
 
 " No, no," replied Archibius, " she first learned 
 from Antony the art of filling this earthly exist- 
 ence with fleeting pleasures. Caesar demanded 
 more. Her intellect offered him the highest en- 
 joyment." 
 
 Here he hesitated. 
 
 " True, the skill with which, to please Antony, 
 she daily offered him for years fresh charms for 
 every sense, was not a matter of accident." 
 
 "And this," cried Barine, "this was under- 
 taken by the woman who had recognized the 
 chief good in peace of mind ! " 
 
 "Ay," replied Archibius thoughtfully, "yet
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 145 
 
 this was the inevitable result. Pleasure had been 
 the young girl's object in life. Ere passion awoke 
 in her soul, peace of mind was the chief good she 
 knew. When the hour arrived that this proved 
 unattainable, the firmly rooted yearning for happi- 
 ness still remained the purpose of her existence. 
 My father would have been wiser to take her to 
 the Stoa and impress it upon her that, if life must 
 have a goal, it should be only to live in accord- 
 ance with the sensibly arranged course of the 
 world, and in harmony with one's own nature. 
 He should have taught her to derive happiness 
 from virtue. He should have stamped goodness 
 upon the soul of the future Queen as the funda- 
 mental law of her being. He omitted to do this, 
 because in his secluded life he had succeeded in 
 finding the happiness which the master promises 
 to his disciples. From Athens to Cyrene, from 
 Epicurus, to Aristippus, is but a short step, and 
 Cleopatra took it when she forgot that the master 
 was far from recognizing the chief good in the 
 enjoyment of individual pleasure. The happiness 
 of Epicurus was not inferior to that of Zeus, if he 
 had only barley bread and water to appease his 
 hunger and thirst. 
 
 "Yet she still considered herself a follower of 
 Epicurus, and later, when Antony had gone to the 
 Parthian war, and she was a long time alone, she 
 once more began to strive for freedom from pain 
 and peace of mind, but the state, her children, the
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 marriage of Antony who had long been her lover 
 to Octavia, the yearning of her own heart, Anu- 
 bis, magic, and the Egyptian teachings of the life 
 after death, above all, the burning ambition, the 
 unresting desire to be loved, where she herself 
 
 loved, to be first among the foremost " 
 
 Here he was interrupted by the messenger, who 
 informed him that the ship was ready.
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 ARCHIBIUS had buried himself so deeply in the 
 past that it was several minutes ere he could bring 
 himself back to the present. When he did so, he 
 hastily discussed with the two ladies the date of 
 their departure. 
 
 It was hard for Berenike to leave her injured 
 brother, and Barine longed to see Dion once more 
 before the journey. Both were reluctant to quit 
 Alexandria ere decisive news had arrived from the 
 army and the fleet. So they requested a few days' 
 delay ; but Archibius cut them short, requiring 
 them, with a resolution which transformed the 
 amiable friend into a stern master, to be ready for 
 the journey the next day at sunset. His Nile boat 
 would await them at the Agathodsemon harbour 
 on Lake Mareotis, and his travelling chariot would 
 convey them thither, with as much luggage and as 
 many female slaves as they desired to take with 
 them. Then softening his tone, he briefly re- 
 minded the ladies of the great annoyances to 
 which a longer stay would expose them, excused his 
 rigour on the plea of haste, pressed the hands of
 
 I4 8 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 the mother and daughter, and retired without heed- 
 ing Barine, who called after him, yet could desire 
 nothing save to plead for a longer delay. The 
 carriage bore him swiftly to the great harbour. 
 
 The waxing moon was mirrored like a silver 
 column, now wavering and tremulous, now rent by 
 the waves tossing under a strong southeast wind, 
 and illumined the -warm autumn night. The sea 
 outside was evidently running high. This was ap- 
 parent by the motion of the vessels lying at anchor 
 in the angle which the shore in front of the superb 
 Temple of Poseidon formed with the Choma. This 
 was a tongue of land stretched like a finger inta 
 the sea, on whose point stood a little palace which 
 Cleopatra, incited by a chance remark of Antony, 
 had had built there to surprise him. 
 
 Another, of white marble, glimmered in the 
 moonlight from the island of Antirrhodus; and 
 farther still a blazing fire illumined the darkness. 
 Its flames flared from the top of the famous light- 
 house on the island of Pharos at the entrance of 
 the harbour, and, swayed to and fro by the wind, 
 steeped the horizon and the outer edge of the 
 dark water in the harbour with moving masses of 
 light which irradiated the gloomy distance, some- 
 times faintly, anon more brilliantly. 
 
 Spite of the late hour, the harbour was full of 
 bustle, though the wind often blew the men's 
 cloaks over their heads, and the women were 
 obliged to gather their garments closely around
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 149 
 
 them. True, at this hour commerce had ceased ; 
 but many had gone to the port in search of news, 
 or even to greet before others the first ship re- 
 turning from the victorious fleet ; for that Antony 
 had defeated Octavianus in a great battle was 
 deemed certain. 
 
 Guards were watching the harbour, and a band 
 of Syrian horsemen had just passed from the bar- 
 racks in the southern part of the Lochias to the 
 Temple of Poseidon. 
 
 Here the galleys lay at anchor, not in the har- 
 bour of Eunostus, which was separated from the 
 other by the broad, bridge-like dam of the Hepta- 
 stadium, that united the city and the island of 
 Pharos. Near it were the royal palaces and the 
 arsenal, and any tidings must first reach this spot. 
 The other harbour was devoted to commerce, but, 
 in order to prevent the spread of false reports, 
 newly arrived ships were forbidden to enter. 
 
 True, even at the great harbour, news could 
 scarcely be expected, for a chain stretching from 
 the end of the Pharos to a cliff directly opposite in 
 the Alveus Steganus, closed the narrow opening. 
 But it could be raised if a state galley arrived with 
 an important message, and this was expected by 
 the throng on the shore. 
 
 Doubtless many came from banquets, cook- 
 shops, taverns, or the nocturnal me"eting-places of 
 the sects that practised the magic arts, yet the 
 weight of anxious expectation seemed to check
 
 150 
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 the joyous activity, and wherever Archibius glanced 
 he beheld eager, troubled faces. The wind forced 
 many to bow their heads, and, wherever they 
 turned their eyes, flags and clouds of dust were 
 fluttering in the air, increasing the confusion. 
 
 As the galley put off from the shore, and the 
 flutes summoned the oarsmen to their toil, its 
 owner felt so disheartened that he did not even 
 venture to hope that he was going in quest of 
 good tidings. 
 
 Long-vanished days had, as it were, been called 
 from the grave, and many a scene from the past 
 rose before him as he lay among the cushions on 
 the poop, gazing at the sky, across which dark, 
 swiftly sailing clouds sometimes veiled the stars 
 and again revealed them. 
 
 " How much we can conceal by words without 
 being guilty of falsehood ! " he murmured, while 
 recalling what he had told the women. 
 
 Ay, he had been Cleopatra's confidant in his 
 early youth, but how he had loved her, how, even 
 as a boy, he had been subject to her, body and 
 soul ! He had allowed her to see it, displayed, 
 confessed it ; and she had accepted it as her right- 
 ful due. She had repelled with angry pride his 
 only attempt to clasp her, in his overflowing affec- 
 tion, in his arms; but to show his love for her is 
 a crime for which the loftiest woman pardons the 
 humblest suitor, and a few hours later Cleopatra 
 had met him with the old affectionate familiarity.
 
 CLEOPATRA. I5 ! 
 
 Again he recalled the torments which he had 
 endured when compelled to witness how com- 
 pletely she yielded to the passion which drew her 
 to Antony. At that time the Roman had merely 
 swept through her life like a swiftly passing meteor, 
 but many things betrayed that she did not forget 
 him ; and while Archibius had seen without pain 
 her love for the great Caesar bud and grow, the 
 torturing -feeling of jealousy again stirred in his 
 heart, though youth was past, when at Tarsus, on 
 the river Cydnus, she renewed the bond which still 
 united her to Antony. 
 
 Now his hair had grown grey, and though noth, 
 ing had clouded his friendship for the Queen, 
 though he had always been ready to serve her, 
 this foolish feeling had not been banished, and 
 again and again mastered his whole being. He 
 by no means undervalued Antony's attractions; 
 but he saw his foibles no less clearly. All in all, 
 whenever he thought of this pair, he felt like the 
 lover of art who entrusts the finest gem in his 
 collection to a rich man who knows not how to 
 prize its real value, and puts it in the wrong place. 
 
 Yet he wished the Roman the most brilliant 
 victory ; for his defeat would have been Cleopatra's 
 also, and would she endure the consequences of 
 such a disaster ? 
 
 The galley was approaching the flickering circle 
 of light at the foot of the Pharos, and Archibius 
 was just producing the token which was to secure 
 ii
 
 152 
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 the lifting of the chain, when his name echoed 
 through the stillness of the night. 
 
 It was Dion hailing him from a boat tossing 
 near the mouth of the harbour on the waves surg- 
 ing in from the turbulent sea. He had recognized 
 Archibius's swift galley from the bust of Epicurus 
 which was illumined by the light of the lantern in 
 the prow. Cleopatra had had it placed upon the 
 ship which, by her orders, had been built for her 
 friend. 
 
 Dion now desired to join him, and was soon 
 standing on the deck at his side. He had landed 
 on the island of Pharos, and entered a sailors' 
 tavern to learn what was passing. But no one 
 could give him any definite information, for the 
 wind was blowing from the land and allowed large 
 vessels to approach the Egyptian coast only by 
 the aid of oars. Shortly before the breeze had 
 veered from south to southeast, and an experienced 
 Rhodian would "never again lift cup of wine to 
 his lips " if it did not blow from -the north to-mor- 
 row or the day after. Then ships bearing news 
 might reach Alexandria by the dozen that is, the 
 greybeard added with a defiant glance at the 
 daintily clad city gentleman if they were allowed 
 to pass the Pharos or go through the Poseidon 
 basin into the Eunostus. He had fancied that he 
 saw sails on the horizon at sunset, but the swiftest 
 galley became a hedgehog when the wind blew 
 against its prow, and even checked the oars.
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 153 
 
 Others, too, had fancied that they had seen 
 sails, and Dion would gladly have gone out to sea 
 to investigate, but he was entirely alone in a frail 
 hired boat, and this would not have been per- 
 mitted to pass beyond the harbour. The expecta- 
 tion that every road would be open to Archibius 
 had not deceived him, and the harbour chain was 
 drawn aside for the Epicurus. With swelling sails, 
 urged by- the strong wind blowing from the south- 
 east, its keel cut the rolling waves. 
 
 Soon a faint, tremulous light appeared in the 
 north. It must be a ship; and though the helms- 
 man in the tavern at Pharos, who looked as though 
 he had not always steered peaceful trading-vessels, 
 had spoken of some which did not let the ships 
 they caught pass unscathed, the men on the well- 
 equipped, stately Epicurus did not fear pirates, es- 
 pecially as morning was close at hand, and it had 
 just shot by two clumsy men-of-war which had 
 been sent out by the Regent. 
 
 The strong wind filled every sail, rowing would 
 have been useless labour, and the light in front 
 seemed to be coming nearer. 
 
 A wan glimmer was already beginning to 
 brighten the distant east when the Epicurus ap- 
 proached the vessel with the light, but it seemed 
 to wish to avoid the Alexandrian, and turned sud- 
 denly towards the northeast. 
 
 Archibius and Dion now discussed whether it 
 would be worth while to pursue the fugitive. It
 
 154 
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 was a small ship, which, as the dark masses of 
 clouds became bordered with golden edges, grew 
 more distinct and appeared to be a Cilician pirate 
 of the smallest size. 
 
 As to its crew, the tried sailors on the Epicurus, 
 a much larger vessel, which lacked no means of 
 defence, showed no signs of alarm, the helmsman 
 especially, who had served in the fleet of Sextus 
 Pompey, and had sprung upon the deck of many 
 a pirate ship. 
 
 Archibius deemed it foolish to commence a con- 
 flict unnecessarily. But Dion was in the mood to 
 brave every peril. 
 
 If life and death were at stake, so much the 
 better J 
 
 He had informed his friend of Iras's fears. 
 
 The fleet must be in a critical situation, and if 
 the little Cilician had had nothing to conceal she 
 would not have shunned the Epicurus. 
 
 It was worth while to learn what had induced 
 her to turn back just before reaching the harbour. 
 
 The warlike helmsman also desired to give 
 chase, and Archibius yielded, for the uncertainty 
 was becoming more and more unbearable. Dion's 
 soul was deeply burdened too. He could not ban- 
 ish Barine's image; and since Archibius had told 
 him that he had found her resolved to shut her 
 house against guests, and how willingly she had 
 accepted his invitation to the country, again and 
 again he pondered over the question what should
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 155 
 
 prevent his marrying the quiet daughter of a dis- 
 tinguished artist, whom he loved ? 
 
 Archibius had remarked that Barine would be 
 glad to greet her most intimate friends among 
 whom he was included in her quiet country 
 home. 
 
 Dion did not doubt this, but he was equally 
 sure that the greeting would bind him to her and 
 rob him of his liberty, perhaps forever. But would 
 the Alexandrian possess the lofty gift of freedom, 
 if the Romans ruled his city as they governed 
 Carthage or Corinth ? If Cleopatra were defeated, 
 and Egypt became a Roman province, a share in 
 the business of the council, which was still ad- 
 dressed as " Macedonian men," and which was 
 dear to Dion, could offer nothing but humiliation, 
 and no longer afford satisfaction. 
 
 If a pirate's spear put an end to bondage under 
 the Roman yoke and to this unworthy yearning 
 and wavering, so much the better ! 
 
 On this autumn morning, under this grey sky, 
 from which sank a damp, light fog, with these hopes 
 and fears in his heart, he beheld in both the present 
 and future naught save shadows. 
 
 The Epicurus overtook and captured the fugi- 
 tive. The slight resistance the vessel might have 
 offered was relinquished when Archibius's helms- 
 man shouted that the Epicurus did not belong 
 to the royal navy, and had come in search of 
 news.
 
 1 56 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 The Cilician took in his oars ; Archibius and 
 Dion entered the vessel and questioned the com- 
 mander. 
 
 He was an old, weather-beaten seaman, who 
 would give no information until after he had 
 learned what his pursuers really desired. 
 
 At first he protested that he had witnessed on 
 the Peloponnesian coast a great victory gained by 
 the Egyptian galleys over those commanded by Oc- 
 tavianus; but the queries of the two friends in- 
 volved him in contradictions, and he then pre- 
 tended to know nothing, and to have spoken of a 
 victory merely to please the Alexandrian gentle- 
 men. 
 
 Dion, accompanied by a few men from the crew 
 of the Epicurus, searched the ship, and found in 
 the little cabin a man bound and gagged, guarded 
 by one of the pirates. 
 
 It was a sailor from the Pontus, who spoke only 
 his native language. Nothing intelligible could 
 be obtained from him ; but there were important 
 suggestions in a letter, found in a chest in the 
 cabin, among clothing, jewels, and other stolen 
 articles. 
 
 The letter Dion could scarcely believe his 
 own eyes was addressed to his friend, the archi- 
 tect Gorgias. The pirate, being ignorant of writ- 
 ing, had not opened it, but Dion tore the wax 
 from the cord without delay. Aristocrates, the 
 Greek rhetorician, who had accompanied Antony
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 157 
 
 to the war, had written from Tgenarum, in the 
 south of the Peloponnesus, requesting the architect, 
 in the general's name, to set the little palace at 
 the end of the Choma in order, and surround it on 
 the land side with a high wall. 
 
 No door would be necessary. Communication 
 with the dwelling could be had by water. He 
 must do his utmost to complete the work speedily. 
 
 The friends gazed at each other in astonish- 
 ment, as they read this commission. 
 
 What could induce Antony to give so strange 
 an order ? How did it fall into the hands of the 
 pirates ? 
 
 This must be understood. 
 
 When Archibius, whose gentle nature, so well 
 adapted to inspire confidence, quickly won friends, 
 burst into passionate excitement, the unexpected 
 transition rarely failed to produce its effect, espe- 
 cially as his tall, strong figure and marked fea- 
 tures made a still more threatening impression. 
 
 Even the captain gazed at him with fear, when 
 the Alexandrian threatened to recall all his promises 
 of consideration and mercy if the pirate withheld 
 even the smallest trifle connected with this letter. 
 The man speedily perceived that it would be use- 
 less to make false statements ; for the captive 
 from Pontus, though unable to speak Greek, un- 
 derstood the language, and either confirmed every 
 remark of the other with vehement gestures, or 
 branded it in the same manner as false.
 
 i 5 8 
 
 Thus it was discovered that the pirate craft, in 
 company with a much larger vessel, owned by a 
 companion, had lurked behind the promontory of 
 Crete for a prize. They had neither seen nor heard 
 aught concerning the two fleets, when a dainty 
 galley, " the finest and fleetest that ever sailed in 
 the sea " it was probably the " Swallow," An- 
 tony's despatch-boat had run into the snare. To 
 capture her was an easy task. The pirates had 
 divided their booty, but the lion's share of goods 
 and men had fallen to the larger ship. 
 
 A pouch containing letters and money had 
 been taken from a gentleman of aristocratic ap- 
 pearance probably Antony's messenger who had 
 received a severe wound, died, and had been flung 
 into the sea. The former had been used to light 
 the fire, and only the one addressed to the archi- 
 tect remained. 
 
 The captured sailors had said that the fleet 
 of Octavianus had defeated Cleopatra's, and the 
 Queen had fled, but that the land forces were still 
 untouched, and might yet decide the conflict in 
 Antony's favour. The pirate protested that he 
 did not know the position of the army it might 
 be at Taenarum, whence the captured ship came. 
 It was a sin and a shame, but his own crew had set 
 it on fire, and it sank before his eyes. 
 
 This report seemed to be true, yet the Achar- 
 nanian coast, where the battle was said to have 
 been fought, was so far from the southern point of
 
 159 
 
 the Peloponnesus, whence Antony's letter came, 
 that it must have been written during, the flight. 
 
 One thing appeared to be certain the fleet 
 had been vanquished and dispersed on the 26. or 
 3d of September. 
 
 Where would the Queen go now ? What had 
 become of the magnificent galleys which had ac- 
 companied her to the battle ? 
 
 Even .the contrary winds would not have de- 
 tained them so long, for they were abundantly 
 supplied with rowers. 
 
 Had Octavianus taken possession of them ? 
 
 Were they burned or sunk ? 
 
 But in that case how had Antony reached 
 Tsenarum ? 
 
 The pirate could give no answer to these ques- 
 tions, which stirred both heart and brain. Why 
 should he conceal what had reached his ears? 
 
 At last Archibius ordered the property stolen 
 from Antony*s ship, and the liberated sailor to be 
 brought on board the Epicurus, but the pirate was 
 obliged to swear no.t to remain in the waters be- 
 tween Crete and Alexandria. Then he was suf- 
 fered to pursue his way unmolested. 
 
 This adventure had occupied many hours, and 
 the return against the wind was slow ; for, during 
 the chase the Epicurus had been carried by the 
 strong breeze far out to sea. Yet, when still 
 several miles from the mouth of the harbour at 
 the Pharos, it was evident that the Rhodian helms-
 
 l6o CLEOPATRA. 
 
 man in the island tavern had predicted truly ; for 
 the weather changed with unusual speed, and the 
 wind now blew from the north. The sea fairly 
 swarmed with ships, some belonging to the royal 
 fleet, some to curious Alexandrians, who had sailed 
 out to take a survey. Archibius and Dion had 
 spent a sleepless night and day. The heavy air, 
 pervaded by a fine mist, had grown cool. After 
 refreshing themselves by a repast, they paced up 
 and down the deck of the Epicurus. 
 
 Few words were exchanged, and they wrapped 
 their cloaks closer around them. Both had quaffed 
 large draughts of the fiery wine with which the 
 Epicurus was well supplied, but it would not warm 
 them. Even the fire, blazing brightly in the richly 
 furnished cabin, could scarcely do so. 
 
 Archibius's thoughts lingered with his beloved 
 Queen, and his vivid power of imagination con- 
 jured before his mind everything which could dis- 
 tress her. No possible chance, not even the most 
 terrible, was forgotten, and when he saw her sink- 
 ing in the ship, stretching her beautiful arms im- 
 ploringly towards him, to whom she had so long 
 turned in every perilous position, when he beheld 
 her a captive in the presence of the hostile, cold- 
 hearted Octavianus, the blood seemed to freeze in 
 his veins. At last he dropped his felt mantle and, 
 groaning aloud, struck his brow with his clenched 
 hand. He had fancied her walking with gold 
 chains on her slender wrists before the victor's
 
 CLEOPATRA. j6l 
 
 four-horse chariot, and heard the exulting shouts 
 of the Roman populace. 
 
 That would have been the most terrible of all. 
 
 To pursue this train of thought was beyond the 
 endurance of the faithful friend, and Dion turned 
 in surprise as he heard him sob and saw the tears 
 which bedewed his face. 
 
 His own heart was heavy enough, but he knew 
 his companion's warm devotion to the Queen ; so, 
 passing his arm around his shoulder, he entreated 
 him to maintain that peace of soul and mind which 
 he had so often admired. In the most critical sit- 
 uations he had seen him stand high above them, 
 as yonder man who fed the flames on the summit 
 of the Pharos stood above the wild surges of the 
 sea. If he would reflect over what had happened 
 as dispassionately as usual, he could not fail to see 
 that Antony must be free and in a position to 
 guide his own future, since he directed the palace 
 in the Choma to be put in order. He did not un- 
 derstand about the wall, but perhaps he was bring- 
 ing home some distinguished captive whom he 
 wished to debar from all communication with the 
 city. It might prove that everything was far bet- 
 ter than they feared, and they would yet smile 
 at these grievous anxieties. His heart, too, was 
 heavy, for he wished the Queen the best fortune, 
 not only for her own sake, but because with her and 
 her successful resistance to the greed of Rome was 
 connected the liberty of Alexandria.
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 " My love and anxiety, like yours," he con- 
 cluded, " have ever been given to her, the sovereign 
 of this country. The world will be desolate, life 
 will no longer be worth living, if the iron foot of 
 Rome crushes our independence and freedom." 
 
 The words had sounded cordial and sincere, 
 and Archibius followed Dion's counsel. Calm 
 thought convinced him that nothing had yet hap- 
 pened which compelled belief in the worst result; 
 and, as one who needs consolation often finds 
 relief in comforting another, Archibius cheered his 
 own heart by representing to his younger friend 
 that, even if Octavianus were the victor and should 
 deprive Egypt of her independence, he would 
 scarcely venture to take from the citizens of Alex- 
 andria the free control of their own affairs. Then 
 he explained to Dion that, as a young, resolute, 
 independent man, he might render himself doubly 
 useful if it were necessary to guard the endangered 
 liberty of the city, and told him how many beauti- 
 ful things life still held in store. 
 
 His voice expressed anxious tenderness for his 
 young friend. No one had spoken thus to Dion 
 since his father's death. 
 
 The Epicurus would soon reach the mouth of 
 the harbour, and after landing he must again leave 
 Archibius. 
 
 The decisive hour which often unites earnest 
 men more firmly than many previous years had 
 come to both. They had opened their hearts to
 
 CLEOPATRA. ^3 
 
 each other. Dion had withheld only the one thing 
 which, at the first sight of the houses in the city, 
 filled his soul with fresh uneasiness. 
 
 It was long since he had sought counsel from 
 others. Many who had asked his, had left him 
 with thanks, to do exactly the opposite of what he 
 had advised, though it would have been to their 
 advantage. More than once he, too, had done the 
 same, bu-t now a powerful impulse urged him to 
 confide in Archibius. He knew Barine, and wished 
 her the greatest happiness. Perhaps it would be 
 wise to let another person, who was kindly dis- 
 posed, consider what his own heart so eagerly de- 
 manded and prudence forbade. 
 
 Hastily forming his resolution, he again turned 
 to his friend, saying: 
 
 " You have shown yourself a father to me. Im- 
 agine that I am indeed your son, and, as such 
 wished to confess that a woman had become dear 
 to my heart, and to ask whether you would be 
 glad to greet her as a daughter." 
 
 Here Archibius interrupted him with the ex- 
 clamation : "A ray of light amid all this gloom? 
 Grasp what you have too long neglected as soon 
 as possible ! It befits a good citizen to marry. 
 The Greek does not attain full manhood till he 
 becomes husband and father. If I have remained 
 unwedded, there was a special reason for it, and 
 how often I have envied the cobbler whom I saw 
 standing before his shop in the evening, holding
 
 164 
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 his child in his arms, or the pilot, to whom large 
 and small hands were stretched in greeting when 
 he returned home ! When I enter my dwelling 
 only my dogs rejoice. But you, whose beautiful 
 palace stands empty, to whose proud family it 
 is due that you should provide for its continu- 
 ance " 
 
 " That is just what brings me into a state of 
 indecision, which is usually foreign to my nature," 
 interrupted Dion. " You know me and my posi- 
 tion in the world, and you have also known from 
 her earliest childhood the woman to whom I al- 
 lude." 
 
 " Iras ? " asked his companion, hesitatingly. 
 His sister, Charmian, had told him of the love felt 
 by the Queen's younger waiting-woman. 
 
 But Dion eagerly denied this, adding : " I am 
 speaking of Barine, the daughter of your dead 
 friend Leonax. I love her, yet my pride is sensi- 
 tive, and I know that it will extend to my future 
 wife. The contemptuous glances which others 
 might cast at her I should scorn, for I know her 
 worth. Surely you remember my mother : she was 
 a very different woman. Her house, her child, the 
 slaves, her loom, were everything to her. She rig- 
 idly exacted from other women the chaste reserve 
 which was a marked trait in her own character. 
 Yet she was gentle, and loved me, her only son, be- 
 yond aught else. I think she would have opened 
 her arms to Barine, had she believed that she was
 
 CLEOPATRA. ^5 
 
 necessary to my happiness. But would the young 
 beauty, accustomed to gay intercourse with distin- 
 guished men, have been able to submit to her de- 
 mands? When I consider that she cannot help 
 taking into her married life the habit of being sur- 
 rounded and courted ; when I think that the impru- 
 dence of a woman accustomed to perfect freedom 
 might set idle tongues in motion, and cast a shad- 
 ow upon, the radiant purity of my name ; when I 
 even " and he raised his clenched right hand. 
 But Archibius answered soothingly : 
 
 " That anxiety is groundless if Barine warmly 
 and joyfully gives you her whole heart. It is a 
 sunny, lovable, true woman's heart, and therefore 
 capable of a great love. If she bestows it on you 
 and I believe she will go and offer sacrifices 
 in your gratitude; for the immortals desired your 
 happiness when they guided your choice to her 
 and not to Iras, my own sister's child. If you 
 were really my son, I would now exclaim, ' You 
 could not bring me a dearer daughter, if I repeat 
 it if you are sure of her love.' " 
 
 Dion gazed into vacancy a short time, and then 
 cried firmly : 
 
 "I am!"
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 THE Epicurus anchored before the Temple of 
 Poseidon. The crew had been ordered to keep 
 silence, though they knew nothing, except that a 
 letter from Antony, commanding the erection of a 
 wall, had been found on board the pirate. This 
 might be regarded as a good omen, for people do 
 not think of building unless they anticipate a time 
 of peace. 
 
 The light rain had ceased, but the wind blew 
 more strongly from the north, and the air had 
 grown cool. A dense throng still covered the 
 quay from the southern end of the Heptastadium 
 to the promontory of Lorhias. The strongest 
 pressure was between the peninsula of the Choma 
 and the Sebasteum ; for this afforded a view of the 
 sea, and the first tidings must reach the residence 
 of the Regent, which was connected with the palace. 
 
 A hundred contradictory rumours had been in 
 circulation that morning ; and when, at the third 
 hour in the afternoon, the Epicurus arrived, it was 
 surrounded by a dense multitude eager to hear 
 what news the ship had brought from without.
 
 CLEOPATRA. 1 67 
 
 Other vessels shared the same fate, but none could 
 give reliable tidings. 
 
 Two swift galleys from the royal fleet reported 
 meeting a Samian trireme, which had given news of 
 a great victory gained by Antony on the land and 
 Cleopatra on the sea, and, as men are most ready 
 to believe what they desire, throngs of exulting 
 men and women moved to and fro along the shore, 
 strengthening by their confidence many a timorous 
 spirit. Prudent people, who had regarded the long 
 delay of the first ships of the fleet with anxiety, 
 had opened their ears to the tales of evil, and 
 looked forward to the future with uneasiness. But 
 they avoided giving expression to their fears, for 
 the overseer of an establishment for gold embroid- 
 ery, who had ventured to warn the people against 
 premature rejoicing, had limped home badly beaten, 
 and two other pessimists who had been flung in 
 the sea had just been dragged out dripping wet. 
 
 Nor could the multitude be blamed for this 
 confidence; for at the Serapeum, the theatre of 
 Dionysus, the lofty pylons of the Sebasteum, the 
 main door of the museum, in front of the entrance 
 of the palace in the Bruchium, and before the for- 
 tress-like palaces in the Lochias, triumphal arches 
 had been erected, adorned with gods of victory 
 and trophies hastily constructed of plaster, inscrip- 
 tions of congratulations and thanks to the deities, 
 garlands of foliage and flowers. The wreathing of 
 the Egyptian pylons and obelisks, the principal 
 12
 
 1 68 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 temple, and the favourite statues in the city had 
 been commenced during the night. The last 
 touches were now being given to the work. 
 
 Gorgias, like his friend Dion, had not closed 
 his eyes since the night before ; for he had had 
 charge of all the decorations of the Bruchium, 
 where one superb building adjoined another. 
 
 Sleep had also fled from the couches of the oc- 
 cupants of the Sebasteum, the royal palace where 
 Iras lived during the absence of the Queen, and 
 the praetorium, facing its southern front, which 
 contained the official residence of the Regent. 
 
 When Archibius was conducted to the Queen's 
 waiting-woman, her appearance fairly startled him. 
 She had been his guest in Kanopus only the day 
 before yesterday, and how great was the alteration 
 within this brief time ! Her oval face seemed to 
 have lengthened, the features to have grown 
 sharper; and this woman of seven-and-twenty 
 years, who had hitherto retained all the charms of 
 youth, appeared suddenly to have aged a decade. 
 There was a feverish excitement in her manner, 
 as, holding out her hand to her uncle, in greeting, 
 she exclaimed hastily, "You, too, bring no good 
 tidings?'' 
 
 " Nor any evil ones," he answered quietly. 
 " But, child, I do not like your appearance the 
 dark circles under your keen eyes. You have had 
 news which rouses your anxiety ? " 
 
 " Worse than that," she answered in a low tone.
 
 CLEOPATRA. ^9 
 
 "Well?" 
 
 " Read ! " gasped Iras, her lips and nostrils 
 quivering as she handed Archibius a small tablet, 
 
 With a gesture of haste very unusual in him, 
 he snatched it from her hand and, as his eyes ran 
 over the words traced upon it, every vestige of 
 colour vanished from his cheeks and lips. 
 
 They were written by Cleopatra's own hand, 
 and contained the following lines : 
 
 " The naval battle was lost and by my fault. 
 The land forces might still save us, but not under 
 his command. He is with me, uninjured, but ap- 
 parently exhausted; like a different being, bereft 
 of courage, listless as if utterly crushed. I foresee 
 the beginning of the end. As soon as this reaches 
 you, arrange to have some unpretending litters 
 ready for us every evening at sunset. Make the 
 people believe that we have conquered until trust- 
 worthy intelligence arrives concerning the fate of 
 Canidius and the army. When you kiss the chil- 
 dren in my name, be very tender with them. Who 
 knows how soon they may be orphaned ? They al- 
 ready have an unhappy mother; may they be spared 
 the memory of a cowardly one ! Trust no one ex- 
 cept those whom I left in authority, and Archibius, 
 not even Caesarion or Antyllus. Provide for hav- 
 ing every one whose aid may be valuable to me 
 within reach when I come. I cannot close with 
 the familiar ' Rejoice ' the ' Fresh Courage ' * placed 
 
 * " Rejoice " and " Fresh Courage " may be read on many tombs.
 
 I/O 
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 on many a tombstone seems more appropriate. 
 You who did not envy me in my happiness will 
 help me to bear misfortune. Epicurus, who believes 
 that the gods merely watch the destiny of men 
 inactively from their blissful heights, is right. 
 Were it otherwise, how could the love and loyalty 
 which cleave to the hapless, defeated woman, be 
 repaid with anguish of heart and tears ? Yet 
 continue to love her." 
 
 Archibius, pale and silent, let the tablet fall. 
 It was long ere he gasped hoarsely : " I foresaw it; 
 yet now that it is here " His voice failed, and 
 violent, tearless sobs shook his powerful frame. 
 
 Sinking on a couch he buried his face amid the 
 cushions. 
 
 Iras gazed at the strong man and shook her head. 
 
 She, too, loved the Queen ; the news had 
 brought tears to her eyes also ; but even while she 
 wept, a host of plans coping with this disaster had 
 darted through her restless brain. A few minutes 
 after the arrival of the message of misfortune she 
 had consulted with the members of Cleopatra's 
 council, and adopted measures for sustaining the 
 people's belief in the naval victory. 
 
 What was she, the delicate, by no means cou- 
 rageous girl, compared to this man of iron strength 
 who, she was well aware, had braved the greatest 
 perils in the service of the Queen ? Yet there he 
 lay with his face hidden in the pillows as if utterly 
 overwhelmed.
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 171 
 
 Did a woman's soul rebound more quickly 
 after being crushed beneath the burdens of the 
 heaviest suffering, or was hers of a special charac- 
 ter, and her slender body the casket of a hero's 
 nature ? 
 
 She had reason to believe so when she recalled 
 how the Regent and the Keeper of the Seal had re- 
 ceived the terrible news. They had rushed fran- 
 tically up and down the vast hall as if desperate ; 
 but Mardion the eunuch had little manhood, and 
 Zeno was a characterless old author who had won 
 the Queen's esteem, and the high office which he 
 occupied solely by the vivid power of imagination, 
 that enabled him constantly to devise new exhi- 
 bitions, amusements, and entertainments, and pre- 
 sent them with magical splendour. 
 
 But Archibius, the brave, circumspect counsel- 
 lor and helper ? 
 
 His shoulders again quivered as if they had re- 
 ceived a blow, and Iras suddenly remembered what 
 she had long known, but never fully realized that 
 yonder grey-haired man loved Cleopatra, loved 
 her as she herself loved Dion ; and she wondered 
 whether she would have been strong enough to 
 maintain her composure if she had learned that 
 a cruel fate threatened to rob him of life, liberty, 
 and honour. 
 
 Hour after hour she had vainly awaited the 
 young Alexandrian, yet he had witnessed her anx- 
 iety the day before. Had she offended him ? Was
 
 1/2 
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 he detained by the spell of Didymus's beautiful 
 granddaughter ? 
 
 It seemed a great wrong that, amid the un- 
 speakably terrible misfortune which had overtaken 
 her mistress, she could not refrain from thinking 
 continually of Dion. Even as his image filled her 
 heart, Cleopatra's ruled her uncle's mind and soul, 
 and she said to herself that it was not alone among 
 women that love paid no heed to years, or whether 
 the locks were brown or tinged with grey. 
 
 But Archibius now raised himself, left the 
 couch, passed his hand across his brow, and in the 
 deep, calm tones natural to his voice, began with 
 a sorrowful smile: "A man stricken by an arrow 
 leaves the fray to have his wound bandaged. The 
 surgeon has now finished his task. I ought to 
 have spared you this pitiable spectacle, child. But 
 I am again ready for the battle. Cleopatra's ac- 
 count of Antony's condition renders a piece of 
 news which we have just received somewhat more 
 intelligible." 
 
 "We?" replied Iras. "Who was your com- 
 panion ?" 
 
 " Dion," answered Archibius ; but when he was 
 about to describe the incidents of the preceding 
 night, she interrupted him with the question 
 whether Barine had consented to leave the city. 
 He assented with a curt " Yes," but Iras assumed 
 the manner of having expected nothing different, 
 and requested him to continue his story.
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 173 
 
 Archibius now related everything which they 
 had experienced, and their discovery in the pirate 
 ship. Dion was even now on the way to carry 
 Antony's order to his friend Gorgias. 
 
 " Any slave might have attended to that mat- 
 ter equally well," Iras remarked in an irritated 
 tone. " I should think he would have more reason 
 to expect trustworthy tidings here. But that's the 
 way with men ! " 
 
 Here she hesitated but, meeting an inquiring 
 glance from her uncle, she went on eagerly; 
 " Nothing, I believe, binds them more firmly to 
 one another than mutual pleasure. But that must 
 now be over. They will seek other amusements, 
 whether with Heliodora or Thais I care not. If the 
 woman had only gone before! When she caught 
 young Caesarion " 
 
 " Stay, child," her uncle interrupted reproving- 
 ly. " I know how much she would rejoice if 
 Antyllus had never brought the boy to her house." 
 
 " Now because the poor deluded lad's infatu- 
 ation alarms her." 
 
 " No, from his first visit. Immature boys do 
 not suit the distinguished men whom she re- 
 ceives." 
 
 " If the door is always kept open, thieves will 
 enter the house." 
 
 " She received only old acquaintances, and the 
 friends whom they presented. Her house was 
 closed to all others. So there was no trouble with
 
 174 
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 thieves. But who in Alexandria could venture to 
 refuse admittance to a son of the Queen ?" 
 
 " There is a wide difference between quiet 
 admittance and fanning a passion to madness. 
 Wherever a fire is burning, there has certainly been 
 a spark to kindle it. You men do not detect such 
 women's work. A glance, a pressure of the hand, 
 even the light touch of a garment, and the flame 
 blazes, where such inflammable material lies ready." 
 
 " We lament the violence of the conflagration. 
 You are not well disposed towards Barine." 
 
 " I care no more for her than this couch here 
 cares for the statue of Mercury in the street ! " 
 exclaimed Iras, with repellent arrogance. " There 
 could be no two things in the world more utterly 
 alien than we. Between the woman whose door 
 stands open, and me, there is nothing in common 
 save our sex." 
 
 " And," replied Archibius reprovingly, "many 
 a beautiful gift which the gods bestowed upon her 
 as well as upon you. As for the open door, it was 
 closed yesterday. The thieves of whom you spoke 
 spoiled her pleasure in granting hospitality. An- 
 tyllus forced himself with noisy impetuosity into 
 her house. This made her dread still more unpre- 
 cedented conduct in the future. In a few hours she 
 will'be on the way to Irenia. I am glad for Csesa- 
 rion's sake, and still more for his mother's, whom we 
 have wronged by forgetting so long for another." 
 
 "To think that we should be forced to do so ! "
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 175 
 
 cried Iras excitedly "now, at this hour, when 
 every drop of blood, every thought of this poor 
 brain should belong to the Queen ! Yet it could 
 not be avoided. Cleopatra is returning to us with 
 a heart bleeding from a hundred wounds, and it is 
 terrible to think that a new arrow must strike her 
 as soon as she steps upon her native soil. You 
 know how she loves the boy, who is the living 
 image of -the great man with whom she shared the 
 highest joys of love. When she learns that he, 
 the son of Caesar, has given his young heart to the 
 cast-off wife of a street orator, a woman whose 
 home attracted men as ripe dates lure birds, it will 
 be I know like rubbing salt into her fresh 
 wounds. Alas! and the one sorrow will not be all. 
 Antony, her husband, also found the way to Earine. 
 He sought her more than once. You cannot know 
 it as I do ; but Charmian will tell you how sensi- 
 tive she has become since the flower of her youth- 
 ful charms you don't perceive it is losing one 
 leaf after another. Jealousy will torture her, and 
 I know her well perhaps no one will ever ren- 
 der the siren a greater service than I did when I 
 compelled her to leave the city." 
 
 The eyes of Archibius's clever niece had glit- 
 tered with such hostile feeling as she spoke that 
 he thought with just anxiety -of his dead friend's 
 daughter. What did not yet threaten Barine as 
 serious danger Iras had the power to transform 
 into grave peril.
 
 176 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 Dion had begged him to maintain strict secrecy ; 
 but even had he been permitted to speak, he would 
 not have done so now. From his knowledge of 
 Iras's character she might be expected, if she 
 learned that some one had come between her and 
 the friend of her youth, to shrink from no means 
 of spoiling her game. He remembered the noble 
 Macedonian maiden whom the Queen had begun 
 to favour, and who was hunted to death by Iras's 
 hostile intrigues. Few were more clever, and if 
 she once loved more loyal and devoted, more 
 yielding, pliant, and in happy hours more bewitch- 
 ing* Y et even in childhood she had preferred a 
 winding path to a straight one. It seemed as if 
 her shrewdness scorned to attain the end desired 
 by the simple method lying close at hand. How 
 willingly his mother and his younger sister Char- 
 mian had cared for the slaves and nursed them 
 when they were ill ; nay, Charmian had gained in 
 her Nubian maid Aniukis a friend who would have 
 gone to death for her sake ! Cleopatra, too, when 
 a child, had found sincere delight in taking a bou- 
 quet to his parents' sick old housekeeper and sit- 
 ting by her bedside to shorten the time for her 
 with merry talk. She had gone to her unasked, 
 while Iras had often been punished because she 
 had made the lives of numerous slaves in her 
 parents' household still harder by unreasonable 
 harshness. This trait in her character had roused 
 her uncle's anxiety and, in after-years, her treat-
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 177 
 
 ment of her inferiors had been such that he could 
 not number her among the excellent of her sex. 
 Therefore he was the more joyfully surprised by 
 the loyal, unselfish love with which she devoted 
 herself to the service of the Queen. Cleopatra 
 had gratified Charmian's wish to have her niece for 
 an assistant ; and Iras, who had never been a loving 
 daughter to her own faithful mother, had served 
 her royal- mistress with the utmost tenderness. 
 
 Archibius valued this loyalty highly, but he 
 knew what awaited any one who became the object 
 of her hatred, and the fear that it would involve 
 Barine in urgent peril was added to his still greater 
 anxiety for Cleopatra. 
 
 When about to depart, burdened by the sorrow- 
 ful conviction that he was powerless against his 
 niece's malevolent purpose, he was detained by 
 the representation that every fresh piece of intelli- 
 gence would first reach the Sebasteum and her. 
 Some question might easily arise which his calm, 
 prudent mind could decide far better than hers, 
 whose troubled condition resembled a shallow pool 
 disturbed by stones flung into the waves. 
 
 The apartments of his sister Charmian, which 
 were connected with his by a corridor, were empty, 
 and Iras begged him to remain there a short time. 
 The anxiety and dread that oppressed her heart 
 would kill her. To know that he was near would 
 be the greatest comfort. 
 
 When Archibius hesitated because he deemed it
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 his duty to urge Caesarion, over whom he possessed 
 some influence, to give up his foolish wishes for 
 his mother's sake, Iras assured him that he would 
 not find the youth. He had gone hunting with 
 Antyllus and some other friends. She had approved 
 the plan, because it removed him from the city and 
 Barine's dangerous house. 
 
 "As the Queen does not wish him to know the 
 terrible news yet," she concluded, " his presence 
 would only have caused us embarrassment. So 
 stay, and when it grows dark go with us to the 
 Lochias. I think it will please the sorrowing 
 woman, when she lands, to see your familiar face, 
 which will remind her of happier days. Do me the 
 favour to stay." She held out both hands beseech- 
 ingly as she spoke, and Archibius consented. 
 
 A repast was served, and he shared it with his 
 niece; but Iras did not touch the carefully chosen 
 viands, and Archibius barely tasted them. Then, 
 without waiting for dessert, he rose to go to his 
 sister's apartments. But Iras urged him to rest on 
 the divan in the adjoining room, and he yielded. 
 Yet, spite of the softness of the pillows and his 
 great need of sleep, he could not find it ; anxiety 
 kept him awake, and through the curtain which 
 divided the room in which Iras remained from the 
 one he occupied he sometimes heard her light 
 footsteps pacing restlessly to and fro, sometimes 
 the coming and going of messengers in quest of 
 news.
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 179 
 
 All his former life passed before his mind. 
 Cleopatra had been his sun, and now black clouds 
 were rising which would dim its light, perchance 
 forever. He, the disciple of Epicurus, who had 
 not followed the doctrines of other masters until 
 later in life, held the same view of the gods as 
 his first master. To him also they had seemed 
 immortal beings sufficient unto themselves, dwel- 
 ling free f-rom anxiety in blissful peace, to whom 
 mortals must look upward on account of their 
 supreme grandeur, but who neither troubled them- 
 selves about the guidance of the world, which was 
 fixed by eternal laws, nor the fate of individuals. 
 Had he been convinced of the contrary, he would 
 have sacrificed everything he possessed in order, 
 by lavish offerings, to propitiate the immortals in 
 behalf of her to whom he had devoted his life and 
 every faculty of his being. 
 
 Like Iras, he, too, could find no rest upon his 
 couch, and when she heard his step she called to 
 him and asked why he did not recover the sleep 
 which he had lest. No one knew the demands the 
 next night might make upon him. 
 
 " You will find me awake," he answered 
 quietly. 
 
 Then he went to the window which, above the 
 pylons that rose before the main front of the Se- 
 basteum, afforded a view of the Bruchium and the 
 sea. The harbour was now swarming with vessels 
 of every size, garlanded with flowers and adorned
 
 !8o CLEOPATRA. 
 
 with gay flags and streamers. The report of the 
 successful issue of the first naval battle was be- 
 lieved, and many desired to greet the victorious 
 fleet and hail their sovereign as she entered the 
 harbour. 
 
 Many people, equipages, and litters had also 
 gathered on the shore, between the lofty pylons 
 and the huge door of the Sebasteum. They were 
 representatives of the aristocracy of the city ; for 
 the majority were attended by richly attired slaves. 
 Many wore costly garlands, and numerous chariots 
 and litters were adorned with gold or silver orna- 
 ments, gems, and glittering paste. The stir and 
 movement in front of the palace were ceaseless, 
 and Iras, who was now standing beside her uncle, 
 waved her hand towards it, saying: "The wind of 
 rumour ! Yesterday only one or two came ; to-day 
 every one who belongs to the ' Inimitable Livers ' 
 flocks hither in person to get news. The victory, 
 was proclaimed in the market-place, at the theatre, 
 the gymnasium, and the camp. Every one who 
 wears garlands or weapons heard of a battle won. 
 Yesterday, among all the thousands, there was 
 scarcely a single doubter ; but to-day how does 
 it happen ? Even among those who as ' Inimi- 
 tables ' have shared all the pleasures, entertain- 
 ments, and festivities of our noble pair, faith 
 wavers ; for if they were firmly convinced of 
 the brilliant victory which was announced loudly 
 enough, they would not come themselves to watch,
 
 to spy, to listen. Just look down ! There is the 
 litter of Diogenes yonder that of Ammonius. 
 The chariot beyond belongs to Melampous. The 
 slaves in the red bombyx garments serve Hermias. 
 They all belong to the society of ; Inimitables,' 
 and shared our banquets. That very Apollonius 
 who, for the last half hour, has been trying to 
 question the palace servants, day before yesterday 
 ordered fifty oxen to be slaughtered to Ares, Nike, 
 and the great Isis, as the Queen's goddess, and 
 when I met him in the temple he exclaimed that 
 this was the greatest piece of extravagance he had 
 ever committed ; for even without the cattle Cleo- 
 patra and Antony would be sure of victory. But 
 now the wind of rumour has swept away his beau- 
 tiful confidence also. They are not permitted to see 
 me. The doorkeepers say that I am in the coun- 
 try. The necessity of showing every one a face 
 radiant with the joy of victory would kill me. 
 There comes Apoilonius. How his fat face beams ! 
 He believes in the victory, and after sunset none 
 of yonder throng will appear here ; he is already 
 giving orders to his slaves. He will invite all his 
 friends to a banquet, and won't spare his. costly 
 wines. Capital ! At least no one from that com- 
 pany can disturb us. Dion is his cousin, and will 
 be present also. We shall see what these pleasure- 
 lovers will do when they are forced to confront the 
 terrible reality." 
 
 " I think," replied Archibius, " they will afford
 
 j82 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 the world a remarkable spectacle; friends won in 
 prosperity who remain constant in adversity." 
 
 " Do you ? " asked Iras, with sparkling eyes. 
 " If that proves true, how I would praise and value 
 men the majority of whom without their wealth 
 would be poorer than beggars. But look at yon- 
 der figure in the white robe beside the left obelisk 
 is it not Dion ? The crowd is bearing him away 
 I think it was he." 
 
 But she had been deceived ; the man whom she 
 fancied she had seen, because her heart so ardently 
 yearned for him, was not near the Sebasteum, and 
 his thoughts were still farther away. 
 
 At first he had intended to give the architect 
 the letter which was addressed to him. He would 
 be sure to find him at the triumphal arch which 
 was being erected on the shore of the Bruchium. 
 But on reaching the former place he learned that 
 Gorgias had gone to remove the statues of Cleo- 
 patra and Antony from the house of Didymus, and 
 erect them in front of the Theatre of Dionysus. 
 The Regent, Mardion, had ordered it. Gorgias 
 was already superintending the erection of the 
 foundation. 
 
 The huge hewn stones which he required for 
 this purpose had been taken from the Temple of 
 Nemesis, which he was supervising. Whatever 
 number of government slaves he needed were 
 at his disposal, so Gorgias's foreman reported, 
 proudly adding that before the sun went down,
 
 CLEOPATRA. 183 
 
 the architect would have shown the Alexandrians 
 the marvel of removing the twin statues from one 
 place to another in a single day, and yet establish- 
 ing them as firmly as the Colossus which had been 
 in Thebes a thousand years. 
 
 Dion found the piece of sculpture in front of 
 Didymus's garden, ready for removal, but the 
 slaves who had placed before the platform the 
 rollers on which it was to be moved had already 
 been kept waiting a long time by the architect. 
 
 This was his third visit to the old philosopher's 
 house. First, he had been obliged to inform him 
 and his family that their property was no longer in 
 danger; then he had come to tell them at what hour 
 he would remove the statues, which still attracted 
 many curious spectators; and, finally, he had again 
 appeared, to announce that they were to be taken 
 away at once. His foreman or a slave could prob- 
 ably have done this, but Helena Didymus's grand- 
 daughter, Barine's sister drew him again and again 
 to the old man's home. He would gladly have 
 come still more frequently, for at every meeting 
 he had discovered fresh charms in the beautiful, 
 quiet, thoughtful maiden, who cared so tenderly 
 for her aged grandparents. He believed that he 
 loved her, and she seemed glad to welcome him. 
 But this did not entitle him to seek her hand, though 
 his large, empty house so greatly needed a mistress. 
 His heart had glowed with love for too many. He 
 wished first to test whether this new fancy would 
 13
 
 1 84 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 prove more lasting. If he succeeded in remaining 
 faithful even a few days, he would, as it were, re- 
 ward himself for it, and appear before Didymus as 
 a suitor. 
 
 He excused his frequent visits to himself on the 
 pretext of the necessity of becoming acquainted 
 with his future wife, and Helena made the task 
 easier for him. The usual reserve of her manner 
 lessened more and more ; nay, the great confidence 
 with which he at first inspired her was increased 
 by his active assistance. When he entered just 
 now, she had even held out her hand to him, and 
 inquired about the progress of his work. 
 
 He was overwhelmed with business, but so great 
 was his pleasure in talking with her that he lin- 
 gered longer than he would have deemed right 
 under any other circumstances, and regarded it as 
 an unpleasant interruption when Barine for whom 
 his heart had throbbed so warmly only yesterday 
 entered the tablinum. 
 
 The young beauty was by no means content 
 with a brief greeting; but drew Helena entirely 
 away from him. Never had he seen her embrace 
 and kiss her sister so passionately as while hurried- 
 ly telling her that she had come to bid farewell to 
 the loved ones in her grandparents' house. 
 
 Berenike had arrived with her, but went first to 
 the old couple. 
 
 While Barine was telling Helena and Gorgias, 
 also, why all this plan had been formed so hastily,
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 I8 5 
 
 Gorgias was silently comparing the two sisters. 
 He found it natural that he had once believed 
 that he loved Barine ; but she would not have been 
 a fitting mistress of his house. Life at her side 
 would have been a chain of jealous emotions and 
 anxieties, and her stimulating remarks and search- 
 ing questions, which demanded absolute attention, 
 would not have permitted him, after his return 
 home, wearied by arduous toil, to find the rest for 
 which he longed. His eye wandered from her to 
 her sister, as if testing the space between two 
 newly erected pillars; and Barine, who had noticed 
 his strange manner, suddenly laughed merrily, and 
 asked whether they might know what building was 
 occupying his thoughts, while a good friend was 
 telling him that the pleasant hours in her house 
 were over. 
 
 Gorgias started, and the apology he stammered 
 showed so plainly how inattentively he had lis- 
 tened, that Barine would have had good reason to 
 feel offended. But one glance at her sister and 
 another at him enabled her speedily to guess the 
 truth. She was pleased; for she esteemed Gor- 
 gias, and had secretly feared that she might be 
 forced to grieve him by a refusal, but he seemed 
 as if created for her sister. Her arrival had 
 probably interrupted them so, turning to Helena, 
 she exclaimed : " I must see my mother and our 
 grandparents. Meanwhile entertain our friend 
 here. We know each other well. He is one of
 
 !86 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 the few men who can be trusted. That is my 
 honest opinion, Gorgias, and I say it to you also, 
 Helena." 
 
 With these words she nodded to both, and Gor- 
 gias was again alone with the maiden whom he 
 loved. 
 
 It was difficult to begin the conversation anew, 
 and when, spite of many efforts, it would not flow 
 freely, the shout of the overseer, which reached 
 his ear through the opening of the roof, urging 
 the men to work, was like a deliverance. Promis- 
 ing to return again soon, as eagerly as if he had 
 been requested to do so, he took his leave and 
 opened the door leading into the adjoining room. 
 But on the threshold he started back, and Helena, 
 who had followed him, did the same, for there 
 stood his friend Dion, and Barine's beautiful head 
 lay on his breast, while his hand rested as if in 
 benediction on her fair hair. And no, Gorgias 
 was not mistaken the slender frame of the lovely 
 woman, whose exuberant vivacity had so often 
 borne him and others away with it, trembled as if 
 shaken by deep and painful emotion. 
 
 When Dion perceived his friend, and Barine 
 raised her head, turning her face towards him, it 
 was indeed wet with tears, but their source could 
 not be sorrow ; for her blue eyes were sparkling 
 with a happy light. 
 
 Yet Gorgias found something in her features 
 which he was unable to express in words the
 
 CLEOPATRA. 1 87 
 
 reflection of the ardent gratitude that had taken 
 possession of her soul and filled it absolutely. 
 
 While seeking the architect, Dion had met Ba- 
 rine, who was on her way to her grandparents, and 
 what he had dreaded the day before happened. 
 
 The first glance from her eyes which met his 
 forced the decisive question from his lips. 
 
 In brief, earnest words he confessed his love 
 for her, -and his desire to make her his own, as the 
 pride and ornament of his house. 
 
 Then, in the intensity of her bliss, her eyes 
 overflowed and, under the spell of a great miracle 
 wrought in her behalf, she found no words to 
 answer; but Dion had approached, clasped her 
 right hand in both of his, and frankly acknowl- 
 edged how, with the image of his strict mother 
 before his eyes, he had wavered and hesitated until 
 love had overmastered him. Now, full of the 
 warmest confidence, he asked whether she would 
 consent to rule as mistress of his home, the honour 
 and ornament of his ancient name ? He knew that 
 her heart was his, but he must hear one thing more 
 from her lips 
 
 Here she had interrupted him with the cry, 
 " This one thing that your wife, in joy and in 
 sorrow, will live for you and you alone ? The 
 whole world can vanish for her, now that you 
 have raised her to your side and she is yours." 
 
 After this assurance, which sounded like an 
 oath, Dion felt as if a heavy burden had fallen
 
 !88 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 from his heart, and clasping her in his arms with 
 passionate tenderness, he repeated, " In joy and in 
 sorrow ! " 
 
 Thus Gorgias and Helena had surprised them, 
 and the architect felt for the first time that there 
 is no distinction between our own happiness and 
 that of those whom we love. 
 
 His friend Helena seemed to have the same 
 feeling, when she saw what this day had given 
 her sister ; and the philosopher's house, so lately 
 shadowed by anxiety, and many a fear, would soon 
 ring with voices uttering joyous congratulations. 
 
 The architect no longer felt that he had a 
 place in this circle, which was now pervaded by a 
 great common joy, and after Dion made a brief 
 explanation, Gorgias's voice was soon heard out- 
 side loudly issuing orders to the workmen.
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 GORGIAS went to his work without delay. 
 When the twin statues were only waiting to be 
 erected in front of the Theatre of Dionysus, Dion 
 sought him. Some impulse urged him to talk to 
 his old friend before leaving the city with his be- 
 trothed bride. Since they parted the latter had 
 accomplished the impossible; for the building of 
 the wall on the Choma, ordered by Antony, was 
 commenced, the restoration of the little palace at 
 the point, and many other things connected with 
 the decoration of the triumphal arches, were ar- 
 ranged. His able and alert foreman found it diffi- 
 cult to follow him as he dictated order after order 
 in his writing-tablet. 
 
 The conversation with his friend was not a long 
 one, for Dion had promised Barine and her mother 
 to accompany them to the country. Notwith- 
 standing the betrothal, they were to start that very 
 day ; for Caesarion had called upon Barine twice 
 that morning. She had not received him, but the 
 unfortunate youth's conduct induced her to hasten 
 the preparations for her departure.
 
 1 90 
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 To avoid attracting attention, they were to use 
 Archibius's large travelling chariot and Nile boat, 
 although Dion's were no less comfortable. 
 
 The marriage was to take place in the " abode 
 of peace." The young Alexandrian's own ship, 
 which was to convey the newly wedded pair to 
 Alexandria, bore the name of Peitho, the goddess 
 of persuasion, for Dion liked to be reminded of his 
 oratorical powers in the council. Henceforward it 
 would be called the Barine, and was to receive 
 many an embellishment. 
 
 Dion confided to his -friend what he had learned 
 in relation to the fate of the Queen and the fleet, 
 and, notwithstanding the urgency of the claims 
 upon Gorgias's time, he lingered to discuss the 
 future destiny of the city and her threatened lib- 
 erty ; for these things lay nearest to his heart. 
 
 " Fortunately," cried Dion, " I followed my in- 
 clination ; now it seems to me that duty commands 
 every true man to make his own house a nursery 
 for the cultivation of the sentiments which he in- 
 herited from his forefathers and which must not 
 die, so long as there are Macedonian citizens in 
 Alexandria. We must submit if the superior might 
 of Rome renders Egypt a province of the republic, 
 but we can preserve to our city and her council 
 the lion's share of their freedom. Whatever may 
 be the development of affairs, we are and shall re- 
 main the source whence Rome draws the largest 
 share of the knowledge which enriches her brain."
 
 CLEOPATRA. ICj l 
 
 " And the art which adorns her rude life," re- 
 plied Gorgias. " If she is free to crush us without 
 pity, she will fare, I think, like the maiden who 
 raises her foot to trample on a beautiful, rare 
 flower, and then withdraws it because it would 
 be a crime to destroy so exquisite a work of the 
 Creator." 
 
 " And what does the flower owe to your 
 maiden, "-cried Dion, "or our city to Rome ? Let 
 us meet her claims with dignified resolution, then 
 I think we shall not have the worst evils to 
 fear." 
 
 " Let us hope so. But, my friend, keep your 
 eyes open for other than Roman foes. Now that 
 it will become known that you do not love her, 
 beware of Iras. There is something about her 
 which reminds me of the jackal. Jealousy ! I 
 believe she would be capable of the worst " 
 
 " Yet," Dion interrupted, "Charmian will soften 
 whatever injury Iras plans to do me, and, though 
 I cannot rely much upon my uncle, Archibius is 
 above both and favours us and our marriage." 
 
 Gorgias uttered a sigh of relief, and exclaimed, 
 " Then on to happiness ! " 
 
 "And you must also begin to provide for 
 yours," replied Dion warmly. " Forbid your heart 
 to continue this wandering, nomad life. The tent 
 which the wind blows down is not fit for the archi- 
 tect's permanent residence. Build yourself a fine 
 house, which will defy storms, as you built my
 
 192 
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 palace. I shall not grudge it, and have already 
 said, the times demand it." 
 
 " I will remember the advice," replied Gorgias. 
 " But six eyes are again bent upon me for direc- 
 tion. There are so many important things to be 
 done while we waste the hours in building tri- 
 umphal arches for the defeated trophies for an 
 overthrow. But your uncle has just issued orders 
 to complete the work in the most magnificent style. 
 The ways of destiny and the great are dark ; may 
 the brightest sunshine illumine yours! A prosper- 
 ous journey ! We shall hear, of course, when you 
 celebrate the wedding, and if I can I shall join 
 you in the Hymenaeus. Lucky fellow that you 
 are ! Now I'm summoned from over yonder ! May 
 Castor and Pollux, and all the gods favourable to 
 travel, Aphrodite, and all the Loves attend your 
 trip to Irenia, and protect you in the realm of 
 Eros and Hymen ! " 
 
 With these words the warm-hearted man clasped 
 his friend to his breast for the first time. Dion 
 cordially responded, and at last shook his hard 
 right hand with the exclamation : 
 
 " Farewell, then, till we meet in Irenia on the 
 wedding day, you dear, faithful fellow." 
 
 Then he entered the chariot which stood wait- 
 ing, and Gorgias gazed after him thoughtfully. 
 
 The hyacinthine purple cloak which Dion wore 
 that day had not vanished from his sight when a 
 loud crashing, rattling, and roaring arose behind
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 193 
 
 him. A hastily erected scaffold, which was to sup- 
 port the pulleys for raising the statues, had col- 
 lapsed. The damage could be easily repaired, but 
 the accident aroused a troubled feeling in the 
 architect's mind. He was a child of his time, a 
 period when duty commanded the prudent man to 
 heed omens. Experience also taught him that 
 when such a thing happened in his work something 
 unpleasant was apt to occur within the circle of 
 his friends. The veil of the future concealed what 
 might be in store for the beloved couple ; but he 
 resolved to keep his eyes open on Dion's behalf and 
 to request Archibius to do the same. 
 
 The pressure of work, however, soon silenced 
 the sense of uneasiness. The damage was speedily 
 repaired, and later Gorgias, sometimes with one, 
 sometimes with another tablet or roll of MS. in his 
 hand, issued the most varied orders. 
 
 Gradually the light of this dismal day faded. 
 
 Ere the night, which threatened to bring rain 
 and storm, closed in, he again rode on his mule to 
 the Bruchium to overlook the progress of the work 
 in the various buildings and give additional direc- 
 tions, for the labour was to be continued during the 
 night. 
 
 The north wind was now blowing so violently 
 from the sea that it was difficult to keep the 
 torches and lamps lighted. The gale drove the 
 drops of rain into his face, and a glance north- 
 ward showed him masses of black clouds beyond
 
 194 
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 the harbour and the lighthouse. This indicated a 
 bad night, and again the boding sense of coming 
 misfortune stole over him. Yet he set to work 
 swiftly and prudently, helping with his own hands 
 when occasion required. 
 
 Night closed in. Not a star was visible in the 
 sky, and the air, chilled by the north wind, grew so 
 cold that Gorgias at last permitted his body slave 
 to wrap his cloak around him. While drawing the 
 hood over his head, he gazed at a procession of 
 litters and men moving towards Lochias. 
 
 Perhaps the Queen's children were returning 
 home from some expedition. But probably they 
 were rather private citizens on their way to some 
 festival celebrating the victory ; for every one 
 now believed in a great battle and a successful 
 issue of the war. This was proved by the shouts 
 and cheers of the people, who, spite of the storm, 
 were still moving to and fro near the harbour. 
 
 The last of the torch-bearers had just passed 
 Gorgias, and he had told himself that a train of 
 litters belonging to the royal family would not 
 move through the darkness so faintly lighted, 
 when a single man, bearing in his hand a lantern, 
 whose flickering rays shone on his wrinkled face, 
 approached rapidly from the opposite direction. It 
 was old Phryx, Didymus's house slave, with whom 
 the architect had become acquainted, while the 
 aged scholar was composing the inscription for 
 the Odeum which Gorgias had erected. The aged
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 195 
 
 servant had brought him many alterations of his 
 master's first sketch, and Gorgias had reminded 
 him of it the previous day. 
 
 The workmen by whom the statues had been 
 raised to the pedestal, amid the bright glare of 
 torches, to the accompaniment of a regular chant, 
 had just dropped the ropes, windlasses, and levers, 
 when the architect recognized the slave. 
 
 What did the old man want at so late an hour 
 on this dark night ? The fall of the scaffold again 
 returned to his mind. 
 
 Was the slave seeking for a member of the 
 family ? Did Helena need assistance ? He stopped 
 the gray-haired man, who answered his question 
 with a heavy sigh, followed by the maxim, " Mis- 
 fortunes come in pairs, like oxen." Then he con- 
 tinued : " Yesterday there was great anxiety. To- 
 day, when there was so much rejoicing on account 
 of Barine, I thought directly, ' Sorrow follows joy, 
 and the second misfortune won't be spared us.' 
 And so it proved." 
 
 Gorgias anxiously begged him to relate what 
 had happened, and the old man, drawing nearer, 
 whispered that the pupil and assistant of Didymus 
 young Philotas of Amphissa, a student, and, 
 moreover, a courteous young man of excellent fam- 
 ily had gone to a banquet to which Antyllus, the 
 son of Antony, had invited several of his class- 
 mates. This had already happened several times, 
 and he, Phryx, had warned him, for, when the lowly
 
 ig6 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 associate with the lofty, the lowly rarely escape 
 kicks and blows. The young fellow, who usually 
 had behaved no worse than the other Ephebi, had 
 always returned from such festivities with a flushed 
 face and unsteady steps, but to-night he had not 
 even reached his room in the upper story. He had 
 darted into the house as though pursued by the 
 watch, and, while trying to rush up the stairs it 
 was really only a ladder he had made a misstep and 
 fell. He, Phryx, did not believe that he was hurt, 
 for none of his limbs ached, even when they were 
 pulled and stretched, and Dionysus kindly pro- 
 tected drunkards; but some demon must have 
 taken possession of him, for he howled and 
 groaned continually, and would answer no ques- 
 tions. True, he was aware, from the festivals of 
 Dionysus, that the young man was one of those 
 who, when intoxicated, weep and lament ; but this 
 time something unusual must have occurred, for 
 in the first place his handsome face was coloured 
 black and looked hideous, since his tears had washed 
 away the soot in many places, and then he talked 
 nothing but a confused jargon. It was a pity. - 
 
 When an attempt was made, with the helo of 
 the garden slave, to carry him to his room, he dealt 
 blows and kicks like a lunatic. Didymus now also 
 believed that he was possessed by demons, as often 
 happens to those who, in falling, strike their heads 
 against the ground, and thus wake the demons in 
 the earth. Well, yes, they might be demons, but
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 I 9 7 
 
 only those of wine. The student was just "crazy 
 drunk," as people say. But the old gentleman was 
 very fond of his pupil, and had ordered him, Phryx, 
 to go to Olympus, who, ever since he could re- 
 member, had been the family physician. 
 
 "The Queen's leech?" asked Gorgias, disap- 
 provingly, and when the slave assented, the archi- 
 tect exclaimed in a positive tone : " It is not right 
 to force the old man out of doors in such a north 
 wind. Age is not specially considerate to age. 
 Now that the statues stand yonder, I can leave my 
 post for half an hour and will go with you. I 
 don't think a leech is needed to drive out these 
 demons." 
 
 " True, my lord, true ! " cried the slave, " but 
 Olympus is our friend. He visits few patients, 
 but he will come to our house in any weather. He 
 has litters, chariots, and splendid mules. The 
 Queen gives him whatever is best and most com- 
 fortable. He is skilful, and perhaps can render 
 speedy help. People must use what they have." 
 
 " Only where it is necessary," replied the archi- 
 tect. " There are my two mules ; follow me on the 
 second. If I don't drive out the demons, you will 
 have plenty of time to trot after Olympus." 
 
 This proposal pleased the old slave, and a short 
 time after Gorgias entered the venerable philoso- 
 pher's tablinum. 
 
 Helena welcomed him like an intimate friend. 
 Whenever he appeared she thought the peril was
 
 198 
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 half over. Didymus, too, greeted him warmly, and 
 conducted him to the little room where the youth 
 possessed by demons lay on a divan. 
 
 He was still groaning and whimpering. Tears 
 were streaming down his cheeks, and, whenever 
 any member of the household approached, he 
 pushed him away. 
 
 When Gorgias held his hands and sternly or- 
 dered him to confess what wrong he had done, he 
 sobbed out that he was the most ungrateful wretch 
 on earth. His baseness would ruin his kind par- 
 ents, himself, and all his friends. 
 
 Then he accused himself of having caused the 
 destruction of Didymus's granddaughter. He 
 would not have gone to Antyllus again had not 
 his recent generosity bound him to him, but now 
 he must atone ay, atone. Then, as if completely 
 crushed, he continued to mumble the word, "atone !" 
 and for a time nothing more could be won from 
 him. 
 
 Didymus, however, had the key to the last sen- 
 tence. A -few weeks before, Philotas and several 
 other pupils of the rhetorician whose lectures m 
 the museum he attended had been invited to break- 
 fast with Antyllus. When the young student 
 loudly admired the beautiful gold and silver 
 beakers in which the wine was served, the reckless 
 host cried : " They are yours; take them with you." 
 When the guests departed the cup-bearer asked 
 Philotas, who had been far from taking the gift
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 199 
 
 seriously, to receive his property. Antyllus had 
 intended to bestow the goblets ; but he advised 
 the youth to let him pay their value in money, for 
 among them were several ancient pieces of most 
 artistic workmanship, which Antony, the extrava- 
 gant young fellow's father, might perhaps be un- 
 willing to lose. 
 
 Thereupon several rolls of gold solidi were 
 paid to the astonished student and they had been 
 of little real benefit, since they had made it possible 
 for him to keep pace with his wealthy and aristo- 
 cratic classmates and share many of their extrav- 
 agances. Yet he had not ceased to fulfil his duty 
 to Didymus. 
 
 Though he sometimes turned night into day, he 
 gave no serious cause for reproof. Small youthful 
 errors were willingly pardoned ; for he was a good- 
 looking, merry young fellow, who knew how to 
 make himself agreeable to the entire household, 
 even to the women. 
 
 What had befallen the poor youth that day ? 
 Didymus was filled with compassion for him, and, 
 though he gladly welcomed Gorgias, he gave him 
 to understand that the leech's absence vexed 
 him. 
 
 But, during a long bachelor career in Alex- 
 andria, a city ever gracious to the gifts of Bacchus, 
 Gorgias had become familiar with attacks like 
 those of Philotas and their treatment, and after 
 several jars of water had been brought and he had 
 14
 
 200 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 been left alone a short time with the sufferer, the 
 philosopher secretly rejoiced that he had not sum- 
 moned the grey-haired leech into the stormy night. 
 for Gorgias led forth his pupil with dripping hair, 
 it is true, but in a state of rapid convalescence. 
 
 The youth's handsome face was freed from 
 soot, but his eyes were bent in confusion on the 
 ground, and he sometimes pressed his hand upon 
 his aching brow. It needed all the old philoso- 
 pher's skill in persuasion to induce him to speak, 
 and Philotas, before he began, begged Helena to 
 leave the room. 
 
 He intended to adhere strictly to the truth, 
 though he feared that the reckless deed into which 
 he had suffered himself to be drawn might have a 
 fatal effect upon his future life. 
 
 Besides, he hoped to obtain wise counsel from 
 the architect, to whom he owed his speedy re- 
 covery, and whose grave, kindly manner inspired 
 him with confidence ; and, moreover, he was so 
 greatly indebted to Didymus that duty required 
 him to make a frank confession yet he dared not 
 acknowledge one of the principal motives of his 
 foolish act. 
 
 The plot into which he had been led was di- 
 rected against Barine, whom he had long imagined 
 he loved with all the fervour of his twenty years. 
 But, just before he went to the fatal banquet, he 
 had heard that the young beauty was betrothed to 
 Dion. This had wounded him deeply ; for in many
 
 CLEOPATRA. . 2 OI 
 
 a quiet hour it had seemed possible to win her for 
 himself and lead her as his wife to his home in 
 Amphissa. He was very little younger than she, 
 and if his parents once saw her, they could not 
 fail to approve his choice. And the people in 
 Amphissa ! They would have gazed at Barine as 
 if she were a goddess. 
 
 And now this fine gentleman had come to crush 
 his fairest hopes. No word of love had ever been 
 exchanged between him and Barine, but how kindly 
 she had always looked at him, how willingly she 
 had accepted trivial services ! Now she was lost. 
 
 At first this had merely saddened him, but after 
 he had drunk the wine, and Antyllus, Antony's son, 
 in the presence of the revellers, over whom Caesarion 
 presided as " symposiarch " * had accused Barine of 
 capturing hearts by magic spells, he had arrived at 
 the conviction that he, too, had been shamefully 
 allured and betrayed. 
 
 He had served for a toy, he said to himself, un- 
 less she had really loved him and merely preferred 
 Dion on account of his wealth. In any case, he 
 felt justified in cherishing resentment against 
 Barine, and with the number of goblets which he 
 drained his jealous rage increased. 
 
 When urged to join in the escapade which now 
 burdened his conscience he consented with a burn- 
 ing brain in order to punish her for the wrong 
 
 * Director of a banquet.
 
 202 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 which, in his heated imagination, she had done 
 him. 
 
 All this he withheld from the older men and 
 merely briefly described the splendid banquet which 
 Csesarion, pallid and listless as ever, had directed, 
 and Antyllus especially had enlivened with the 
 most reckless mirth. 
 
 The " King of kings " and Antony's son had 
 escaped from their tutors on the pretext of a hunt- 
 ing excursion, and the chief huntsman had not 
 grudged them the pleasure only they were obliged 
 to promise him that they would be ready to set out 
 for the desert early the next morning. 
 
 When, after the banquet, the mixing-vessels 
 were brought out and the beakers were filled more 
 rapidly, Antyllus whispered several times to 
 Csesarion and then turned the conversation upon 
 Barine, the fairest of the fair, destined by the im- 
 mortals for the greatest and highest of mankind. 
 This was the " King of kings," Caesarion, and he 
 also claimed the favour of the gods for himself. 
 But everybody knew that Aphrodite deemed her- 
 self greater than the highest of kings, and there- 
 fore Barine ventured to close her doors upon their 
 august symposiarch in a manner which could not 
 fail to be unendurable, not only to him but to all the 
 youth of Alexandria. Whoever boasted of being 
 one of the Ephebi might well clench his fist with 
 indignation, when he heard that the insolent beauty 
 kept young men at a distance because she con-
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 203 
 
 sidered only the older ones worthy of her notice. 
 This must not be! The Ephebi of Alexandria 
 must make her feel the power of youth. This was 
 the more urgently demanded, because Csesarion 
 would thereby be led to the goal of his wishes. 
 
 Barine was going into the country that very 
 evening. Insulted Eros himself was smoothing 
 their way. He commanded them to attack the ar- 
 rogant fair one's carriage and lead her to him who 
 sought her in the name of youth, in order to show 
 her that the hearts of the Ephebi, whom she dis- 
 dainfully rejected, glowed more ardently than 
 those of the older men on whom she bestowed her 
 favours. 
 
 Here Gorgias interrupted the speaker with a 
 loud cry of indignation, but old Didymus's eyes 
 seemed to be fairly starting from their sockets, as 
 he hoarsely shouted an impatient 
 
 "Go .on! " 
 
 And Philotas, now completely sobered, described 
 with increasing animation the wonderful change 
 that had taken place in the quiet Caesarion, as if 
 some magic spell had been at work ; for scarcely 
 had the revellers greeted Antyllus's words with 
 shouts of joy, declaring themselves ready to avenge 
 insulted youth upon Barine, than the " King of 
 kings " suddenly sprang from the cushions on 
 which he had listlessly reclined, and with flashing 
 eyes shouted that whoever called himself his 
 friend must aid him in the attack.
 
 204 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 Here he was urged to still greater haste by 
 another impatient " Go on ! " from his master, and 
 hurriedly continued his story, describing how they 
 had blackened their faces and armed themselves 
 with Antyllus's swords and lances. As the sun was 
 setting they went in a covered boat through the 
 Agathodsemon Canal to Lake Mareotis. Every- 
 thing must have been arranged in advance ; for 
 they landed precisely at the right hour. 
 
 As, during the trip, they had kept up their 
 courage by swallowing the most fiery wine, Philotas 
 had staggered on shore with difficulty and then 
 been dragged forward by the others. After this 
 he knew nothing more, except that he had rushed 
 with the rest upon a large harmamaxa* and in so 
 doing fell. When he rose from the earth all was 
 over. 
 
 As if in a dream he saw Scythians and other 
 guardians of the peace seize Antyllus, while Caesa- 
 rion was struggling on the ground with another 
 man. If he was not mistaken it was Dion, Barine's 
 betrothed husband. 
 
 These communications were interrupted by 
 many exclamations of impatience and wrath ; but 
 now Didymus, fairly frantic with alarm, cried : 
 
 " And the child Barine ? " 
 
 But when Philotas's sole reply to this question 
 was a silent shake of the head, indignation con- 
 
 * A closed Asiatic travelling-carriage with four wheels.
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 205 
 
 quered the old philosopher, and clutching his pu- 
 pil's chiton with both hands, he shook him violently, 
 exclaiming furiously : 
 
 "You don't know, scoundrel? Instead of de- 
 fending her who should be dear to you as a child 
 of this household, 'you joined the rascally scorners 
 of morality and law as the accomplice of this way- 
 layer in purple ! " 
 
 Here the architect soothed the enraged old 
 man with expostulations, and the assertion that 
 everything must now yield to the necessity of 
 searching for Barine and Dion. He did not know 
 which way to turn, in the amount of labour pressing 
 upon him, but he would have a hasty talk with the 
 foreman and then try to find his friend. 
 
 "And I," cried the old man, " must go at once 
 to the unfortunate child. My cloak, Phryx, my 
 sandals ! " 
 
 In spite of Gorgias's counsel to remember his 
 age and the inclement weather, he cried angrily: 
 
 " I am going, I say ! If the tempest hurls me 
 to the earth, and the bolts of Zeus strike me, so be 
 it. One misfortune more or less matters little in a 
 life which has been a chain of heavy blows of Fate. 
 1 buried three sons in the prime of manhood, and 
 two have been slain in battle. Barine, the joy of 
 my heart, I myself, fool that I was, bound to the 
 scoundrel who blasted her joyous existence ; and 
 now that I believed she would be protected from 
 trouble and misconstruction by the side of a
 
 20 6 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 worthy husband, these infamous rascals, whose birth 
 protects them from vengeance, have wounded, per- 
 haps killed her betrothed lover. They trample in 
 the dust her fair name and my white hair ! Phryx, 
 my hat and staff." 
 
 The storm had long been raging around the 
 house, which stood close by the sea, and the sail- 
 cloth awning which was stretched over the implu- 
 vium noisily rattled the metal rings that confined 
 it. Now so violent a gust swept from room to 
 room that two of the flames in the three-branched 
 lamp went out. The door of the house had been 
 opened, and drenched with rain, a hood drawn 
 over his black head, Barine's .Nubian doorkeeper 
 crossed the threshold. 
 
 He presented a pitiable spectacle and at first 
 could find no answer to the greetings and questions 
 of the men, who had been joined by Helena, her 
 grandmother leaning on her arm ; his rapid walk 
 against the fury of the storm had fairly taken away 
 his breath. 
 
 He had little, however, to tell. Barine merely 
 sent a message to her relatives that, no matter 
 what tales rumour might bring, she and her mother 
 were unhurt. Dion had received a wound in the 
 shoulder, but it was not serious. Her grand- 
 parents need have no anxiety ; the attack had 
 completely failed. 
 
 Doris, who was deaf, had listened vainly, hold- 
 ing her hand to her ear, to catch this report ; and
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 2O7 
 
 Didymus now told his granddaughter as much as 
 he deemed it advisable for her to know,Jhat she 
 might communicate it to her grandmother, who 
 understood the movements of her lips. 
 
 The old man was rejoiced to learn that his 
 granddaughter had escaped so great a peril unin- 
 jured, yet he was still burdened by sore anxiety. 
 The architect, too, feared the worst, but by dint of 
 assuring.him that he would return at once with full 
 details when he had ascertained the fate of Dion 
 and his betrothed bride, he finally persuaded the 
 old man to give up the night walk through the 
 tempest. 
 
 Philotas, with tears in his eyes, begged them to 
 accept his services as messenger or for any other 
 purpose ; but Didymus ordered him to go to 
 bed. An opportunity would be found to enable 
 him to atone for the offence so recklessly com- 
 mitted. 
 
 The scholar's peaceful home was deprived of its 
 nocturnal repose, and when Gorgias had gone and 
 Didymus had refused Helena's request to have the 
 aged porter take her to her sister, the old man re- 
 mained alone with his wife in the tablinum. * 
 
 She had been told nothing except that thieves 
 had attacked her granddaughter, Barine, and 
 slightly wounded her lover; but her own heart and 
 the manner of the husband, at whose side she had 
 grown grey, showed that many things were being 
 concealed. She longed to know the story more
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 THE tempest swept howling from the north 
 across the island of Pharos, and the shallows of 
 Diabathra in the great harbour of Alexandria. The 
 water, usually so placid, rose in high waves, and 
 the beacon on the lighthouse of Sastratus sent the 
 rent abundance of its flames with hostile impetu- 
 osity towards the city. The fires in the pitch-pans 
 and the torches on the shore sometimes seemed on 
 the point of being extinguished, at others burst 
 with a doubly brilliant blaze through the smoke 
 which obscured them. 
 
 The royal harbour, a fine basin which surrounded 
 in the form of a semicircle the southern part of the 
 Lochias and a portion of the northern shore of the 
 Bruchium, was brightly illuminated every night; 
 but this evening there seemed to be an unusual 
 movement among the lights on its western shore, 
 the private anchorage of the royal fleet. 
 
 Was it the storm that stirred them ? No. How 
 could the wind have set one torch in the place of 
 another, and moved lights or lanterns in a direc- 
 tion opposite to its violent course ? Only a few per-
 
 CLEOPATRA. 211 
 
 sons, however, perceived this ; for, though joyous 
 anticipation or anxious fears urged many thither, 
 who would venture upon the quay on such a tem- 
 pestuous night ? Besides, no one would have 
 found admittance to the royal port, which was 
 closed on all sides. Even the mole which, towards 
 the west, served as the string to the bow of land 
 surrounding it, had but a single opening and as 
 every one -knew that was closed by a chain in the 
 same way as the main entrance to the harbour be- 
 tween the Pharos and Alveus Steganus. 
 
 About two hours before midnight, spite of the 
 increasing fury of the tempest, the singular move- 
 ment of the lights diminished, but rarely had the 
 hearts of those for whom they burned throbbed so 
 anxiously. These were the dignitaries and court 
 officials who stood nearest to Cleopatra about 
 twenty men and a single woman, Iras. Mardion 
 and she had summoned them because the Queen's 
 letter permitted those to whom she had given au- 
 thority to offer her a quiet reception. After a long 
 consultation they had not invited the commanders 
 of the little Roman garrison left behind. It was 
 doubtful whether those whom they expected would 
 return that night, and the Roman soldiers who 
 were loyal to Antony had gone with him to the 
 war. 
 
 The hall in the centre of the private roadstead 
 of the royal harbour, where they had assembled, 
 was furnished with regal magnificence ; for it was
 
 212 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 a favourite resort of the Queen. The spacious 
 apartment lacked no requisite of comfort, and most 
 of those who were waiting used the well-cushioned 
 couches, while others, harassed by mental anxiety, 
 paced to and fro. 
 
 As the room had remained unused for months, 
 bats had made nests there, and now that it was 
 lighted, dazzled by the glare of the lamps and 
 candles, they darted to and fro above the heads of 
 the assembly. Iras had ordered the commander of 
 the Mellakes, or youths, a body-guard composed 
 of the sons of aristocratic Macedonian families, to 
 expel the troublesome creatures, and it diverted the 
 thoughts of these devoted soldiers of the Queen 
 to strike at them with their swords. 
 
 Others preferred to watch this futile battle 
 rather than give themselves up to the anxiety which 
 filled their minds. The Regent was gazing mutely 
 at the ground ; Iras, pale and absent-minded, was 
 listening to Zeno's statements; and Archibius had 
 gone out of doors, and, unheeding the storm, was 
 looking across the tossing waves of the harbour for 
 the expected ships. 
 
 In a wooden shed, whose roof was supported 
 by gaily painted pillars, through which the wind 
 whistled, the servants, from the porters to the lit- 
 ter-bearers, had gathered in groups under the flick- 
 ering light of the lanterns. The Greeks sat on 
 wooden stools, the Egyptians upon mats on the 
 floor. The largest circle contained the parties who
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 213 
 
 attended to the Queen's luggage and the upper 
 servants, among whom were several maids. 
 
 They had been told that the Queen was expect- 
 ed that night, because it was possible that the 
 strong north wind would bear her ship home with 
 unexpected speed after the victory. But they were 
 better informed : palaces have chinks in doors and 
 curtains, and are pervaded by a very peculiar echo 
 which bears even a whisper distinctly from ear to 
 ear. 
 
 The body-slave of the commander-in-chief Se- 
 leukus was the principal spokesman. His master 
 had reached Alexandria but a few hours ago from 
 the frontier fortress of Pelusium, which he com- 
 manded. A mysterious order from Lucilius, An- 
 tony's most faithful friend, brought from Taenarum 
 by a swift galley, had summoned him hither. 
 
 The freedman Beryllus, a loquacious Sicilian, 
 who, as an actor, had seen better days ere pirates 
 robbed him of his liberty, had heard many new 
 things, and his hearers listened eagerly ; for ships 
 coming from the north, which touched at Pelusium, 
 had confirmed and completed the evil tidings that 
 had penetrated the Sebasteum. 
 
 According to his story, he was as well informed 
 as if he had been an eye-witness of the naval bat- 
 tle ; for he had been present during his master's 
 conversation with many ship-captains and messen- 
 gers from Greece. He even assumed the air of a 
 loyal, strictly silent servant, who would only ven-
 
 214 
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 ture to confirm and deny what the Alexandrians 
 had already learned. Yet his knowledge consisted 
 merely of a confused medley of false and true oc- 
 currences. While the Egyptian fleet had been de- 
 feated at Actium, and Antony, flying with Cleopatra, 
 had gone first to Taenarum at the end of the Pel- 
 oponnesian coast, he asserted that the army and 
 fleet had met on the Peloponnesian coast and Octa- 
 vianus was pursuing Antony, who had turned to- 
 wards Athens, while Cleopatra was on her way to 
 Alexandria. 
 
 His " trustworthy intelligence " had been 
 patched together from a few words caught from 
 Seleukus at table, or while receiving and dis- 
 missing messengers. In other matters his infor- 
 mation was more accurate. 
 
 While for several days the harbour of Alexan- 
 dria had been closed, vessels were permitted to 
 enter Pelusium, and all captains of newly arrived 
 ships and caravans were compelled to report to 
 Beryllus's master, the commandant of the impor- 
 tant frontier fortress. 
 
 He had quitted Pelusium the night before. 
 The strong wind had driven the trireme before it 
 so swiftly that it was difficult for even the sea- 
 gulls to follow. It was easy for the listeners to 
 believe this; for the storm outside howled louder 
 and louder, whistling through the open hall where 
 the servants had gathered. Most of the lamps and 
 torches had been blown out, the pitch-pans only
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 215 
 
 sent forth still blacker clouds of smoke, lit by red 
 and yellow flames, and the closed lanterns alone 
 continued to diffuse a flickering light. So the wide 
 space, dim with smoke, was illumined only by a 
 dull, varying glimmer. 
 
 One of the porters had furnished wine to shorten 
 the hours of waiting; but it could only be drunk 
 in secret, so there were no goblets. The jars 
 wandered from mouth to mouth, and every sip was 
 welcome, for the wind blew keenly, and besides, the 
 smoke irritated their throats. 
 
 The freedman, Beryllus, was often interrupted 
 by paroxysms of coughing, especially from the 
 women, while relating the evil omens which were 
 told to his master in Pelusium. Each was well 
 authenticated and surpassed its predecessor in sig- 
 nificance. 
 
 Here one of Iras's maids interrupted him to 
 tell the story of the swallows on the " An- 
 tonius," Cleopatra's admiral galley. He could 
 scarcely report from Pelusium an omen of darker 
 presage. 
 
 But Beryllus gazed at her with a pitying smile, 
 which so roused the expectations of the others that 
 the overseer of the litter and baggage porters, who 
 were talking loudly together, hoarsely shouted, 
 " Silence ! " 
 
 Soon no sound was heard in the open space 
 save the shrill whistling of the wind, a word of 
 command to the harbour-guards, and the freedman's 
 15
 
 2i6 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 voice, which he lowered to increase the charm of 
 the mysterious events he was describing. 
 
 He began with the most fulsome praise of Cleo- 
 patra and Antony, reminding his hearers that the 
 Imperator was a descendant of Herakles. The 
 Alexandrians especially were aware that their 
 Queen and Antony claimed and desired to be 
 called "The new Isis " and "The new Dionysus." 
 But every one who beheld the Roman must admit 
 that in face and figure he resembled a god far more 
 than a man. * 
 
 The Imperator had appeared as Dionysus, es- 
 pecially to the Athenians. In the proscenium of 
 the theatre in that city was a huge bas-relief of 
 the Battle of the Giants, the famous work of an an- 
 cient sculptor he, Beryllus, had seen it and from 
 amid the numerous figures in this piece of sculp- 
 ture the tempest had torn but a single one which ? 
 Dionysus, the god as whose mortal image An- 
 tony had once caroused in a vine-clad arbour in 
 the presence of the Athenians. The storm to-night 
 was at the utmost like the breath of a child, com- 
 pared with the hurricane which could wrest from 
 the hard marble the form of Dionysus. But Na- 
 ture gathers all her forces when she desires to an- 
 nounce to short-sighted mortals the approach of 
 events which are to shake the world. 
 
 The last words were quoted from his master ? 
 who had studied in Athens. They had escaped 
 from his burdened soul when he heard of another
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 portent, of which a ship from Ostia had brought 
 tidings. The flourishing city Pisaura 
 
 Here, however, he was interrupted, for several 
 of those present had learned, weeks before, that 
 this place had sunk in the sea, but merely pitied 
 the unfortunate inhabitants. 
 
 Beryllus quietly permitted them to free them- 
 selves fro.m the suspicion that people in Alexandria 
 had had tidings of so remarkable an event later 
 than those in Pelusium, and at first answered their 
 query what this had to do with the war merely by 
 a shrug of the shoulders; but when the overseer 
 of the porters also put the question, he went on : 
 " The omen made a specially deep impression upon 
 our minds, for we know what Pisaura is, or rather 
 how it came into existence. The hapless city which 
 dark Hades ingulfed really belonged to Antony, for 
 in the days of its prosperity he was its founder." 
 
 He -measured the group with a defiant glance, 
 and there was no lack of evidences of horror; nay, 
 one of the maid-servants shrieked aloud, for the 
 storm had just snatched a torch from the iron rings 
 in the wall and hurled it on the floor close beside 
 the listener. 
 
 Suspense seemed to have reached its height. 
 Yet it was evident that Beryllus had not yet drawn 
 his last arrow from the quiver. 
 
 The maid-servant, whose scream had startled 
 the others, had regained her composure and seemed 
 eager to hear some other new and terrible omen,
 
 2i8 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 for, with a beseeching glance, she begged the 
 freedman not to withhold the other things he 
 knew. 
 
 He pointed to the drops of perspiration which, 
 spite of the wind sweeping through the hall, cov- 
 ered her brow : " You must use your handkerchief. 
 Merely listening to my tale will dampen your skin. 
 Stone statues are made of harder material, but a 
 soul dwells within them too. Their natures may 
 be harsher or more gentle ; they bring us woe or 
 heal heavy sorrows, according to their mood. 
 Every one learns this who raises his hands to 
 them in prayer. One of these statues stands in 
 Alba. It represents Mark Antony, in whose honour 
 it was erected by the city. And it foresaw what 
 menaced the man whose stone double it is. Ay, 
 open your ears ! About four days ago a ship's 
 captain came to my master and in my presence this 
 man reported he grew as pale as ashes while he 
 spoke what he himself had witnessed. Drops of 
 perspiration had oozed from the statue of Antony 
 in Alba. Horror seized all the citizens ; men and 
 women came to wipe the brow and cheeks of the 
 statue, but the drops of perspiration did not cease 
 to drip, and this continued several days and nights. 
 The stone image had felt what was impending over 
 the living Mark Antony. It was a horrible specta- 
 cle, the man said." 
 
 Here the speaker paused, and the group of lis- 
 teners started, for the clang of a gong was heard
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 219 
 
 outside, and the next instant all were on their feet 
 hastening to their posts. 
 
 The officials in the magnificent hall had also 
 risen. Here the silence had been interrupted only 
 by low whispers. The colour had faded from most 
 of the grave, anxious faces, and their timid glances 
 shunned one another. 
 
 Archibius had first perceived, by the flames of 
 the Pharos, the red glimmer which announced the 
 approach of the royal galley. It had not been ex- 
 pected so early, but was already passing the islands 
 into the great harbour. It was probably the An- 
 tonius, the ship on which the old swallows had 
 pecked the young ones to death. 
 
 Though the waves were running high, even in 
 the sheltered harbour, they scarcely rocked the 
 massive vessel. An experienced pilot must have 
 steered it past the shallows and cliffs on the east- 
 ern side of the roadstead, for instead of passing 
 around the island of Antirrhodus as usual, it kept 
 between the island and the Lochias, steering 
 straight towards the entrance into the little royal 
 harbour. The pitch-pans on both sides had been 
 filled with fresh resin and tow to light the way. 
 The watchers on the shore could now see its out- 
 lines distinctly. 
 
 It was the Antonius, and yet it was not. 
 
 Zeno, the Keeper of the Seal, who was standing 
 beside Iras, wrapped his cloak closer around his 
 shivering limbs, pointed to it, and whispered,
 
 220 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 " Like a woman who leaves her parents' house in 
 the rich array of a bride, and returns to it an im- 
 poverished widow." 
 
 Iras drew herself up, and with cutting harsh- 
 ness replied, " Like the sun veiled by mists, but 
 which will soon shine forth again more radiantly 
 than ever." 
 
 " Spoken from the depths of my soul," said the 
 old courtier eagerly, " so far as the Queen is con- 
 cerned. Of course, I did not allude to her Majesty, 
 but to the ship. You were ill when it left the har- 
 bour, garlanded with flowers and adorned with 
 purple sails. And now ! Even this flickering light 
 shows the wounds and rents. I am the last person 
 whom you need tell that our sun Cleopatra will 
 soon regain its old radiance, but at present it is 
 very chilly and cold here by the water's edge in 
 this stormy air ; and when I think of our first mo- 
 ment of meeting " 
 
 "Would it were over!" murmured Iras, wrap- 
 ping herself closer in her cloak. Then she drew 
 back shivering, for the rattle of the heavy chain, 
 which was drawn aside from the opening of the 
 harbour, echoed with an uncanny sound through 
 the silence of the night. A mountain seemed to 
 weigh upon the watchers' breasts, for the wooden 
 monster which now entered the little harbour 
 moved forward as slowly and silently as a spec- 
 tral ship. It seemed as if life were extinct on the 
 huge galley usually swarming with a numerous
 
 CLEOPATRA. 221 
 
 crew; as if a vessel were about to cast anchor 
 whose sailors had fallen victims to the plague. 
 Nothing was heard save an occasional word of 
 command, and the signal whistles of the flute- 
 player who directed the rowers. A few lanterns 
 burned with a wavering light on the vast length 
 of her decks. The brilliant illumination which 
 usually shone through the darkness would have 
 attracted the attention of the Alexandrians. 
 
 Now it was close to the landing. The group 
 on shore watched every inch of its majestic prog- 
 ress with breathless suspense, but when the first 
 rope was flung to the slaves on shore several men 
 in Greek robes pressed forward hurriedly among 
 the courtiers. 
 
 They had come with a message, whose impor- 
 tance would permit no delay, to the Regent Mar- 
 dion, who stood between Zeno and Iras, gazing 
 gloomily at the ground with a frowning brow. He 
 was pondering over the words in which to address 
 the Queen, and within a few minutes the ship would 
 have made her landing, and Cleopatra might cross 
 the bridge. To disturb him at that moment was 
 an undertaking few who knew the irritable, uncer- 
 tain temper of the eunuch would care to risk. But 
 the tall Macedonian, who for a short time attracted 
 the eyes of most of the spectators from the galley, 
 ventured to do so. It was the captain of the night- 
 watch, the aristocratic commander of the police 
 force of the city.
 
 222 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 " Only a word, my lord," he whispered to 
 the Regent, " though the time may be inoppor- 
 tune." 
 
 " As inopportune as possible," replied the eu- 
 nuch with repellent harshness. 
 
 "We will say as inopportune as the degree of 
 haste necessary for its decision. The King Caesa- 
 rion, with Antyllus and several companions, at- 
 tacked a woman. Blackened faces. A fight. Cae- 
 sarion and the woman's companion an aristocrat, 
 member of the Council slightly wounded. Lie- 
 tors interfered just in time. The young gentle- 
 men were arrested. At first they refused to give 
 their names " 
 
 " Caesarion slightly, really only slightly wound- 
 ed ? " asked the eunuch with eager haste. 
 
 " Really and positively. Olympus was sum- 
 moned at once. A knock on the head. The man 
 who was attacked flung him on the pavement in 
 the struggle." 
 
 " Dion, the son of Eumenes, is the man," inter- 
 rupted Iras, whose quick ear had caught the offi- 
 cer's report. " The woman is Barine, the daughter 
 of the artist Leonax." 
 
 " Then you know already ? " asked the Mace- 
 donian in surprise. 
 
 " So it seems," answered Mardion, gazing into 
 the girl's face with a significant glance. Then, 
 turning to her rather than to the Macedonian, he 
 added, " I think we will have the young rascals
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 223 
 
 set free and brought to Lochias with as little pub- 
 licity as possible." 
 
 " To the palace ? " asked the Macedonian. 
 
 " Of course," replied Iras firmly. " Each to his 
 own apartments, where they must remain until 
 further orders." 
 
 " Everything else must be deferred until after 
 the reception," added the eunuch, and the Mace- 
 donian, with a slight, haughty nod, drew back. 
 
 " Another misfortune," sighed the eunuch. 
 
 " A boyish prank," Iras answered quickly, "but 
 even a still greater misfortune is less than nothing 
 so long as we are not conscious of it. This un- 
 pleasant occurrence must be concealed for the 
 present from the Queen. Up to this time it is a 
 vexation, nothing more and it can and must re- 
 main so ; for we have it in our power to uproot the 
 poisonous tree whence it emanates." 
 
 "You look as if no one could better perform 
 the task," the Regent interrupted, with a side glance 
 at the galley, " so you shall have the commission. 
 It is the last one I shall give, during the Queen's 
 absence, in her name." 
 
 * I shall not fail," she answered firmly. 
 
 When Iras again looked towards the landing- 
 place she saw Archibius standing alone, with his 
 eyes fixed upon the ground. Impulse prompted 
 her to tell her uncle what had happened; but at 
 the first step she paused, and her thin lips uttered 
 a firm " No."
 
 224 
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 Her friend had become a stone in her path. If 
 necessary, she would find means to thrust him also 
 aside, spite of his sister Charmian and the old tie 
 which united him to Cleopatra. He bad grown 
 weak, Charmian had always been so. 
 
 She would have had time enough now to con- 
 sider what step to take first, had not her heart 
 ached so sorely. 
 
 - After the huge galley lay moored, several 
 minutes elapsed ere two pastophori of the goddess 
 Isis, who guarded the goblet of Nektanebus, taken 
 from the temple treasures and borne along in a 
 painted chest, stepped upon the bridge, followed 
 by Cleopatra's first chamberlain, who in a low tone 
 announced the approach of the Queen and com- 
 manded the waiting groups to make way. A 
 double line of torch-bearers had been stationed 
 from the landing to the gate leading into the 
 Bruchium, and the other on the north, which 
 was the entrance to the palaces on the Lochias, 
 since it was not known where Cleopatra would 
 desire to go. The chamberlain, however, said 
 that she would spend the night at Lochias, where 
 the children lived,- and ordered all the flicker- 
 ing, smoking torches, save a few, to be extin- 
 guished. 
 
 Mardion,the Keeper of the Seal, Archibius, and 
 Iras were standing by the bridge a little in advance 
 of the others, when voices were heard on the ship, 
 and the Queen appeared, preceded by several
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 225 
 
 lantern-bearers and followed by a numerous train 
 of court officials, pages, maids, and female slaves. 
 Cleopatra's little hand rested on Charmian's arm, 
 as, with a haughty carriage of the head, she moved 
 towards the shore. A thick veil covered her face, 
 and a large, dark cloak concealed her figure. How 
 elastic her step was still ! how proud yet graceful 
 was the gesture with which she waved a greeting 
 to Mardion and Zeno ! 
 
 Extending her hand to raise Iras, who had sunk 
 prostrate before her, she kissed her on the fore- 
 head, whispering, " The children ?" 
 
 "All is well with them," replied the girl. 
 
 Then the returning sovereign greeted the others 
 with a gracious gesture, but vouchsafed a word to 
 no one until the eunuch stepped before her to de- 
 liver his address of welcome. She motioned him 
 aside with a curt " Later " ; and when Zeno held 
 open the door of the litter, she said in a stifled 
 tone: "I will walk. After the rocking of the 
 galley in this tempest, I feel reluctant to enter the 
 litter. There are many things to be considered 
 to-day. An idea came to me on the way home. 
 Summon the captain of the harbour and his chief 
 counsellors, the heads of the war office, the super- 
 intendent of the fortifications on land and water, 
 especially the Aristarch and Gorgias I want to 
 see them. Time presses. They must be here in 
 two hours no, in an hour and a half. I wish to 
 examine all their plans and charts of the eastern
 
 226 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 frontier, especially the river channels and canals 
 in the Delta." 
 
 Then she turned to Archibius, who had ap- 
 proached the litter, laid her hand upon his arm, and 
 though her veil prevented him from seeing her 
 sparkling eyes, he felt them shining deep into his 
 heart, as the voice whose melody had often en- 
 thralled his soul cried, " We will take it as a 
 favourable omen that it is again you who lead me 
 to this palace in a time of trouble." 
 
 His overflowing heart found expression in the 
 warm reply, " Whenever it may be, forever and 
 ever this arm and this life are yours ! " And the 
 Queen answered in a tone of earnest belief, " I 
 know it." 
 
 Then, with her hand still resting on his arm, 
 she moved forward ; but when he began to ask 
 whether she really had cause to speak of a time 
 of trouble, she cut him short with the entreaty : 
 " Not now. Let us say nothing. It is worse than 
 bad as evil as possible. Yet no. Few are per- 
 mitted, in an hour of trouble, to lean on the arm 
 of a faithful friend." 
 
 The words were accompanied with a light pres- 
 sure of her little hand, and it seemed as if his old 
 heart was growing young. 
 
 He dared not speak, for her wish was law ; but 
 while moving silently at her side, first along the 
 shore, then through the gate, and finally over the 
 marble flagstones which led to the palace portal, it
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 227 
 
 seemed as if he beheld, instead of the veiled head 
 of the hapless Queen, the soft, light-brown locks 
 which floated around the face of a happy child. 
 Before his mental vision rose the little mistress 
 of the garden of Epicurus. He saw the sparkle of 
 her large blue eyes, which never ceased to ques- 
 tion, yet appeared to contain the mystery of the 
 world. He fancied he heard once more the silvery 
 cadence'of her voice and the bewitching magic of 
 her pure, childlike laughter, and it was hard to re- 
 member what she had become. 
 
 Snatched away from the present, yet conscious 
 that Fate had granted him a great boon in this sor- 
 rowful hour, he moved on at her side and led her 
 through the main entrance, the spacious inner 
 court-yard of the palace. At the rear was the great 
 door opening into the Queen's apartments, before 
 which Mardion, Iras, and their companions had 
 already stationed themselves. At the left was a 
 smaller one leading into the wing occupied by the 
 children. 
 
 Archibius was about to conduct Cleopatra 
 across the lighted court-yard, but she motioned 
 towards the children's rooms, and he understood 
 her. 
 
 At the threshold her hand fell from his arm, 
 and when he bowed as if to retire, she said kindly : 
 " There is Charmian. You both deserve to accom- 
 pany me to the spot where childhood is dreaming 
 and peace of mind and painlessness have their
 
 228 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 abode. But respect for the Queen has prevented 
 the brother and sister from greeting each other 
 after so long a separation. Do so now ! Then, 
 follow me." 
 
 While speaking, she hastened with the swift 
 step of youth into the atrium and up the staircase 
 which led to the sleeping-rooms of the princes and 
 princesses. 
 
 Archibius and Charmian obeyed her bidding ; 
 the brother clasped his sister affectionately in his 
 arms, and in hurried tones, with tears streaming 
 from her eyes, she informed him that to her all 
 seemed lost. 
 
 Antony had behaved in a manner for which no 
 words of condemnation or regret were adequate. 
 Probably he would follow Cleopatra ; the fleet, and 
 perhaps the army also, were destroyed. Her fate 
 lay in the hands of Octavianus. 
 
 Then she preceded him towards the staircase, 
 where Iras was standing with a tall Syrian, who 
 bore a striking resemblance to Philostratus, Barine's 
 former husband. It was his brother Alexas, the 
 trusted favourite of Mark Antony. His place 
 should now have been with him, and Archibius 
 asked his sister with a hasty look how this man 
 chanced to be in the Queen's train. 
 
 " His skill in reading the stars," was the reply. 
 " His flattering tongue. He is a parasite of the 
 worst kind, but he tells her many things, he diverts 
 her, and she tolerates him near her person."
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 229 
 
 As soon as Iras saw the direction in which Cleo- 
 patra had turned, she had hastened after her to ac- 
 company her to the children. The Syrian Alexas 
 had stopped her to express his joy in meeting her 
 again. Even before the outbreak of the war he 
 had devoted himself zealously to her, and he now 
 plainly showed that during the long period of sep- 
 aration his feelings had by no means cooled. Like 
 his brother, he had a head too small for his body, 
 but his well-formed features were animated by a 
 pair of eyes sparkling with a keen, covetous ex- 
 pression. 
 
 Iras, too, seemed glad to welcome the favourite, 
 but ere the brother and sister reached the staircase 
 she left him to embrace Charmian, her aunt and 
 companion, with the affection of a daughter. 
 
 They found the Queen in the anteroom of the 
 children's apartments. Euphronion, their tutor, 
 had awaited her there, and hurriedly gave, in the 
 most rapturous terms, his report of them and the 
 wonderful gifts which became more and more ap- 
 parent in each, now as a heritage from their mother, 
 now from their father- 
 Cleopatra had interrupted the torrent of his en- 
 thusiastic speech with many a question, meanwhile 
 endeavouring to loose the veil wound about her 
 head ; but the little hands, unaccustomed to the 
 task, failed. Iras noticed it from the stairs and, 
 hastening up the last steps, skilfully released her 
 from the long web of lace.
 
 230 
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 The Queen acknowledged the service by a gra- 
 cious nod, but when the chief eunuch opened the 
 door leading into the children's rooms, she called 
 joyously to the brother and sister, "Come!" The 
 tutor, who was obliged to leave the charge of his 
 pupils' sleeping apartments to the eunuchs and 
 nurses, drew back, but Iras felt it a bitter affront 
 to be excluded from this visit. Her cheeks flushed 
 and paled ; her thin lips were more firmly com- 
 pressed, and she gazed intently at the basket of 
 fruit in the mosaic floor at her feet as if she were 
 counting the cherries that filled it. But she sud- 
 denly pushed the little curls back from her fore- 
 head, darted swiftly down the stairs, and called to 
 Alexas just as he was about to leave the atrium. 
 
 The Syrian hastened towards her, extolling the 
 good fortune that made his sun rise for him a sec- 
 ond time that night, but she cut him short with the 
 words: "Cease this foolish love-making. It would 
 be far better for us both to become allies in seri- 
 ous, bitter earnest. I am ready." 
 
 " So am I ! " cried the Syrian rapturously, press- 
 ing his hand upon his heart.. 
 
 Meanwhile Cleopatra had entered the chamber 
 where the children lay sleeping. Deep silence per- 
 vaded the lofty hall hung with bright-hued carpets, 
 and softly lighted by three lamps with rose-colored 
 globes. An arch, supported by pillars of Libyan 
 marble, divided the wide space. In the first, near 
 a window closely muffled with draperies, stood two
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 231 
 
 ivory beds, surmounted with crowns of gold and 
 silver set with pearls and turquoises. Around the 
 edge, carved by the hands of a great artist, ran a 
 line of happy children dancing to the songs of 
 birds in blossoming bushes. 
 
 The couches were separated by a heavy curtain 
 which the eunuchs had raised at the approach of 
 the Queen. Cleopatra could now see them all at a 
 single glance, and the picture was indeed one of 
 exquisite charm; for on these beautiful couches 
 slept the twins, the ten-year-old children of Cleo- 
 patra and Antony Antonius Helios and Cleopatra 
 Selene. The girl was pink and white, fair and 
 wonderfully lovely; the boy no less beautiful, but 
 with ebon-black hair, like his father. Both curly 
 heads were turned towards the side, and rested on 
 a dimpled hand pressed upon the silken pillow. 
 
 Upon a third bed, beyond the arch, was Alex- 
 ander, the youngest prince, a lovely boy of six, the 
 Queen's darling. 
 
 After gazing a long while at the twins, and 
 pressing a light kiss upon cheeks flushed with 
 slumber, she turned to the youngest child and sank 
 beside his couch as if forced to bend the knee be- 
 fore some apparition which Heaven had vouchsafed 
 to her. Tears streamed from her eyes as, drawing 
 the child carefully towards her, she kissed his 
 mouth, eyes, and cheeks, and then laid him gently 
 back upon the pillows. The boy, however, did not 
 instantly relapse into slumber, but threw his little 
 16
 
 232 
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 plump arms around his mother's neck, murmuring 
 incomprehensible words. She joyously submitted 
 to his caresses, till sleep again overpowered him, 
 and his little hands fell back upon the bed. 
 
 She lingered a short time longer, with her brow 
 resting on the ivory of the couch, praying for this 
 child and his brother and sister. When she rose 
 again her cheeks were wet with tears, and she 
 pressed her hand upon her breast. Then, beck- 
 oning to Charmian and Archibius, she motioned 
 towards Alexander and the twins, saying, as she 
 saw tears glittering in the eyes of both : " I know 
 you have lost this happiness for my sake. For 
 each one of these children a great empire would 
 
 not be too high a price ; for them all What 
 
 does earth contain that I would not bestow ? Yet 
 what can I still call my own ?" 
 
 Her smiling face clouded as she asked the ques- 
 tion. The vision of the lost battle again rose be- 
 fore her mind. Her own power was lost, forfeited, 
 and with it the independence of the native land 
 which she loved. Rome was already stretching out 
 her hand to add it to the others as a new province. 
 But this should not be ! Her twin children yonder, 
 sleeping beneath crowns, must wear them ! And 
 the boy slumbering on the pillows ? How many 
 kingdoms Antony had bestowed ! What remained 
 for her to give ? 
 
 Again she bent to the child. A beautiful dream 
 must have hovered over him, for he was smiling in
 
 CLEOPATRA. 233 
 
 his sleep. A flood of maternal love welled up in 
 her agitated heart, and, as she saw the companions 
 of her childhood also gazing tenderly at the little 
 sleeper, she remembered the days of her own 
 youth, and the quiet happiness which she had en- 
 joyed in her garden of Epicurus. 
 
 Power and splendour had begun for her beyond 
 its confines, but the greater the heights of worldly 
 grandeur she attained, the more distant, the more 
 irrecoverable became the consciousness of the hap- 
 piness which she had once gratefully enjoyed, and 
 for which she had never ceased to long. And as 
 she now gazed once more at the peaceful, smiling 
 face, whence all pain and anxiety seemed worlds 
 away, and all the love which her heart contained 
 appeared to be pouring towards him, the question 
 arose in her mind whether this boy, for whom she 
 possessed no crown, might not be the only happy 
 mortal of them all happy in the sense of the mas- 
 ter. Deeply moved by this thought, she turned to 
 Archibius and Charmian, exclaiming in a subdued 
 tone, in order not to rouse the sleeper : " Whatever 
 destiny may await us, I commend this child to your 
 special love and care. If Fate denies him the lustre 
 of the crown and the elation of power, teach him 
 to enjoy that other happiness, which how long 
 ago it is! your father unfolded to his mother." 
 
 Archibius kissed her robe, and Charmian her 
 hands ; but Cleopatra, drawing a long breath, said : 
 " The mother has already taken too much time
 
 234 
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 from the Queen. I have ordered the news of my 
 arrival to be kept from Caesarion. This was well. 
 The most important matters will be settled before 
 our meeting. Everything relating to me and to the 
 state must be decided within an hour. But, first, 
 I am something more than mother and Queen. 
 The woman also asserts her claim. I will find 
 time for you, my friend, to-morrow ! To my 
 chamber first, Charmian. But you need rest still 
 more than I. Go with your brother. Send Iras 
 to me. She will be glad to use her skilful fingers 
 again in her mistress's service."
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 THE Queen had left her bath. Iras had arranged 
 the still abundant waves of her hair, now dark- 
 browft in hue, and robed her magnificently to re- 
 ceive the dignitaries whom, spite of the late hour 
 of the night, she expected. 
 
 How wonderfully she had retained her beauty ! 
 It seemed as if Time had not ventured to touch 
 this masterpiece of feminine loveliness; yet the 
 Greek's keen eye detected here and there some 
 token of the vanishing spell of youth. She loved 
 her mistress, yet her inmost soul rejoiced whenever 
 she detected in her the same changes which began 
 to appear in herself, the woman of seven-and-twenty, 
 so many years her sovereign's junior. She would 
 gladly have given Cleopatra everything at her 
 command, yet she felt as if she must praise Na- 
 ture for an act of justice, when she perceived that 
 even her royal favourite was not wholly relieved 
 from the law which applied to all. 
 
 " Cease your flattery," said Cleopatra, smiling 
 mournfully. " They say that the works of the 
 Pharaohs here on the Nile flout Time. The inex-
 
 236 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 orable destroyer is less willing to permit this from 
 the Queen of Egypt. These are grey hairs, and 
 they came from this head, however eagerly you 
 may deny it. Whose save my own are these lines 
 around the corners of the eyes and on the brow ? 
 What say you to the tooth which my lips do not 
 hide so kindly as you assert? It was injured the 
 night before the luckless battle. My dear, faith- 
 ful, skilful Olympus, the prince of leeches, is the 
 only one who can conceal such things. But 
 it would not do to take the old man to the war, 
 and Glaucus is far less adroit. How I missed 
 Olympus during those fatal hours ! I seemed a 
 monster even to myself, and he Antony's eye is 
 only too keen for such matters. What is the love 
 of men ? A blackened tooth may prove its de- 
 struction. An aspect obnoxious to the gaze will 
 pour water on the fiercest fire. What hours I ex- 
 perienced, Iras ! Many a glance from him seemed 
 an insult, and, besides, my heart was filled with tor- 
 turing anxiety. 
 
 "Something had evidently come between us! I 
 felt it. The trouble began soon after he left Alex- 
 andria. It gnawed my soul like a worm, and now 
 that I am here again I must see clearly. He will 
 follow me in a few days, I know. Pinarius Scarpus, 
 with his untouched legions, is in Paraetonium, 
 whither he went. At Tsenarum he resolved to re- 
 tire from the world which he, on whom it had be- 
 stowed so much that is great, hates because he
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 237 
 
 has given it" cause for many a shake of the head. 
 But the old spirit woke again, and if Fortune, 
 usually so faithful, still aids him, a large force 
 will soon join the new African army. The Asiatic 
 
 princes But the ruler of the state must be 
 
 silent. I entered this room to give the woman her 
 just rights, and the woman shall have thdm. He 
 will soon be here. He cannot live without me. 
 It is not alone the beaker of Nektanebus which 
 draws him after me ! " 
 
 " When the greatest of the great, Julius Caesar, 
 sued for your love in Alexandria, and Antony on 
 the Cydnus, you did not possess the goblet," ob- 
 served Iras. " It is two years since Anubis per- 
 mitted you to borrow the masterpiece from the 
 temple treasures, and within a few days you will 
 be obliged to restore it. That a mysterious spell 
 emanates from the cup is certain, but one still more 
 powerful dwells in the magic of your own nature." 
 
 " Would that it might assert itself to-day ! " cried 
 the Queen. "At any rate the power of the beaker 
 impelled Antony to do many things. I am not 
 vain enough to believe that it was love, that it was 
 solely the spell of my own personality which drew 
 him to me in that disastrous hour. That battle, 
 that incomprehensible, disgraceful battle ! You 
 were ill, and could not see our fleet when it set sail ; 
 but even experienced spectators said that hand- 
 somer, larger vessels were never beheld. I was 
 right in insisting that the decision of the conflict
 
 238 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 should be left to them. I was entitled to call them 
 mine. Had we conquered, what a proud delight it 
 would have been to say, ' The weapons which you 
 gave to the man you loved gained him the sover- 
 eignty of the world ! ' Besides, the stars had assured 
 me that good fortune would attend us on the sea. 
 They had given the same message to Anubis here t 
 and to Alexas upon Antony's galley. I also trusted 
 the spell of the goblet, which had already com- 
 pelled Antony to do many things he opposed. So 
 I succeeded in having the decision of the conflict 
 left to the fleet, but the prediction was false, false, 
 false ! how utterly, was to be proved only too 
 soon. 
 
 " If I had only been told in time what I learned 
 later ! After the defeat people were more loqua- 
 cious. That one remark of a veteran commander 
 of the foot-soldiers would probably have sufficed to 
 open my eyes. He had asked Mark Antony why 
 he fixed his hopes on miserable wood, exclaiming, 
 'Let the Phoenicians and Egyptians war on the 
 water, but leave us the land where we are accus- 
 tomed, with our feet firmly set upon the earth, to 
 fight, conquer, or die ! ' This alone, I am sure, 
 would have changed my resolve in a happy hour. 
 But it was kept from me. 
 
 "The conflict began. Our troops had lost pa- 
 tience. The left wing of the fleet advanced. At 
 first I watched the battle eagerly, with a throbbing 
 heart. How proudly the huge galleys moved for-
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 239 
 
 ward ! Everything was going admirably. Antony 
 had made an address, assuring the warriors that, 
 even without soldiers, our ships would destroy the 
 foe by their mere height and size. What orator 
 can so carry his hearers with him ! I, too, was 
 still fearless. Who cherishes anxiety when confi- 
 dently expecting victory? When he went on board 
 his own ship, after bidding me farewell far less 
 cordially' than usual, I became more troubled. I 
 thought it was evident that his love was waning. 
 What had I become since we left Alexandria, and 
 Olympus no longer attended me ! Matters could 
 not continue in this way. I would leave the di- 
 rection of the war to him, and vanish from his 
 eyes. After he had looked into the beaker of 
 Nektanebus, he yielded to my will, but often with 
 indignation. The unconcealed, ineffaceable lines, 
 and the years, the cruel years ! " 
 
 "What thoughts are these ?" cried Iras. "Let 
 me take oath, my sovereign mistress, that as you 
 stand before me " 
 
 "Thanks to this toilet-table and the new com- 
 pounds of Olympus in these boxes ! At that time, 
 I tell you, I was fairly startled at the sight of my 
 own face. Trouble does not enhance beauty, and 
 what condemnation the Romans had heaped on the 
 woman who meddled with war, the craft of man ! I 
 had answers for them, but I would not endure it 
 longer. I had previously determined to hold aloof 
 from the battle on land ; but even at the com-
 
 240 
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 mencement of the conflict, spite of its favourable 
 promise, I longed to leave Antony and return to 
 the children. They do not heed the colour of their 
 mother's hair, nor her wrinkles ; and he, when he 
 had looked for and called me in vain, would feel 
 for the first time what he possessed in me, would 
 miss me, and with the longing the old love would 
 awaken with fresh ardour. As soon as the fleet 
 had gained the victory I would have the prow of 
 my galley turned southward and, without a fare- 
 well, exclaiming only, 'We will meet in Alexan- 
 dria ! ' set sail for Egypt. 
 
 " I summoned Alexas, who had remained with 
 me, and ordered him to give me a signal as soon 
 as the battle was decided in our favour. I re- 
 mained on deck. Then I saw the ships of the foe 
 describing a wide circle. The nauarch told me 
 that Agrippa was trying to surround us. This 
 roused a feeling of discomfort. I began to repent 
 having meddled with men's work. 
 
 " Antony looked across at me from his galley. 
 I waved my hand to point cut the peril, but instead 
 of eagerly and lovingly answering the greeting, as 
 of yore, he turned his back, and in a short time 
 after the wildest uproar arose around me. One 
 ship became entangled with another, planks and 
 poles shattered with a loud crash. Shouts, the cries 
 and moans of the combatants and the wounded, 
 mingled with the thunder of the stones hurled by 
 the catapults, and the sharp notes of the signals
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 2 4 I 
 
 which sounded like calls for help. Two soldiers, 
 stricken by arrows, fell beside me. It was horrible ! 
 Yet my courage remained steadfast, even when a 
 squadron it was commanded by Aruntius pressed 
 upon the fleet. I saw another line of galleys steer- 
 ing directly towards us, and a Roman vessel as- 
 sailed by one of mine I had named her the Selene 
 turn on her side and sink. This pleased me and 
 seemed like the first presage of victory. I again 
 ordered Alexas to have the ship's prow turned as 
 soon as the result of the battle was decided. Ere 
 I had ceased speaking, Jason, the steward you 
 know him appeared with refreshments. I took 
 the beaker, but, ere I could raise it to my lips, he 
 fell to the deck with a cloven skull, mingling his 
 blood with the spilled juice of the grape. My 
 blood seemed fairly to freeze in my veins, and 
 Alexas, trembling and deadly pale, asked, ' Do you 
 command us to quit the battle ? ' 
 
 " Every fibre of my being urged me to give the 
 order, but I controlled myself, and asked the nau- 
 arch, who was standing on the bridge before me, 
 'Are we gaining the advantage?' The reply was 
 a positive ' Yes.' I thought the fitting time had 
 come, and called to him to steer the galley south- 
 ward. But the man did not seem to understand. 
 Meanwhile the noise of the conflict had grown 
 louder and louder. So, in spite of Charmian, who 
 besought me not to interfere in the battle, I sent 
 Alexas to the commander on the bridge, and while
 
 242 
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 he talked with the grey-bearded seaman, who 
 wrathfully answered I know not what, I glanced at 
 the nearest ship I no longer knew whether it was 
 friend or foe and as I saw the rows of restless 
 oars moving in countless numbers to and fro, 
 it seemed as if every ship had become a huge 
 spider, and the long wooden handles of the oars 
 were its legs and feet. Each of these monsters 
 appeared to be seeking to snare me in a horrible 
 net, and when the nauarch came to beseech me to 
 wait, I imperiously commanded him to obey my 
 orders. 
 
 " The luckless man bowed, and performed his 
 Queen's behest. The giant was turned, and forced 
 a passage through the maze. 
 
 " I breathed more freely. 
 
 "What had threatened me like the legs of huge 
 spiders became oars once more. Alexas led me 
 under a roof, where no missiles could reach me. 
 My desire wa fulfilled. I had escaped Antony's 
 eyes, and we were going towards Alexandria and 
 my children. When I at last looked around I saw 
 that my other ships were following. I had not 
 given this order, and was terribly startled. When 
 I sought Alexas, he had vanished. The centurion 
 whom I sent to order the nauarch to give the sig- 
 nal to the other ships to return to the battle, re- 
 ported that the captain's dead body has just been 
 borne away, but that the command should be given. 
 How this was done I do not know, but it produced
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 243 
 
 no effect, and no one noticed the anxious waving 
 of my handkerchief. 
 
 " We had left Antony's galley he was standing 
 on the bridge far behind. 
 
 " I had waved my hand as we passed close by, 
 and he hurried down to bend far over the bulwark 
 and shout to me. I can still see his hands raised 
 to his bearded lips. I did not understand what 
 he said, and only pointed southward and in spirit 
 wished him victory and that this separation might 
 tend to the welfare of our love. But he shook his 
 head, pressed his hand despairingly to his brow, 
 and waved his arms as though to give me a sign, 
 but the Antonias swept far ahead of his ship and 
 steered straight towards the south. 
 
 " I breathed more freely, in the pleasant con- 
 sciousness of escaping a twofold danger. Had I 
 remained long before Antony's eyes, looking as I 
 did then, it might 
 
 "Wretched blunder of a wretched woman, I say 
 now. But at that time I could not suspect what a 
 terrible doom I had brought down in that hour 
 upon ourselves, my children, perhaps the whole 
 world ; so I remained under the thrall of these 
 petty fears and thoughts until wounded men were 
 carried past me. The sight distressed me ; you 
 know how sensitive I am, and with what difficulty 
 I endure and witness suffering. 
 
 " Charmian led me to the cabin. There I first 
 realized what I had done. I had hoped to aid in
 
 244 
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 crushing the hated foe, and now perhaps it was I 
 who had built for him the bridge to victory, to 
 sovereignty, to our destruction. Pursued by such 
 thoughts, as if by the Furies, I paced restlessly to 
 and fro. 
 
 " Suddenly I heard a loud noise on deck. A 
 crashing blow seemed to shake the huge ship. 
 We were pursued ! A Roman galley had boarded 
 mine ! This was my thought as I grasped the 
 dagger Antony had given me. 
 
 "But Charmian came back with tidings which 
 seemed scarcely less terrible than the baseless fear. 
 I had angrily commanded her to leave me because 
 she had urged me to revoke the command to turn 
 back. Now, deadly pale, she announced that Mark 
 Antony had left his galley, followed me in a little 
 five-oared boat, and come on board our ship. 
 
 " My blood froze in my veins. 
 
 " He had come, I imagined, to force me to re- 
 turn to the battle and, drawing a long breath, my 
 defiant pride urged me to show him that I was the 
 Queen and would obey only my own will, while 
 my heart impelled me to sink at his feet and be- 
 seech him, without heeding me, to issue any order 
 which promised to secure a victory. 
 
 " But he did not come. 
 
 " I sent Charmian up again. Antony had been 
 unable to continue the conflict when parted from 
 me. Now he sat in front of the cabin with his head 
 resting on his hands, staring at the planks of the
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 245 
 
 deck like one distraught. He," he Antony! The 
 bravest horseman, the terror of the foe, let his 
 arms fall like a shepherd-boy whose sheep are 
 stolen by the wolves. Mark Antony, the hero who 
 had braved a thousand dangers, had flung down 
 his sword. Why, why ? Because a woman had 
 yielded to idle fears, obeyed the yearning of a 
 mother's heart, and fled ? Of all human weak- 
 nesses, not one had been more alien than coward- 
 ice to the man whose recklessness had led him to 
 many an unprecedented venture. And now ? No, 
 a thousand times no ! Fire and water would 
 unite sooner than Mark Antony and cowardice ! 
 He had been under^ the coercive power of a de- 
 mon ; a mysterious spell had forced him ." 
 
 " The mightiest power, love," interrupted Iras 
 with enthusiastic warmth "a love as great and 
 overmastering as ever subjugated the soul of 
 man." 
 
 " Ay, love," repeated Cleopatra, in a hollow 
 tone. Then her lips curled with a faint tinge of 
 derision, and her voice expressed the very bitter- 
 ness of doubt, as she continued : " Had it been 
 merely the love which makes two mortals one, 
 transfers the heart of one to the other, it might 
 perchance have borne my timorous soul into the 
 hero's breast ! But no. Violent tempests had 
 raged before the battle. It had not been possible 
 always to appear before him in the guise in which 
 we would fain be seen by those whom we love.
 
 246 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 Even now, when your skilful hands have served 
 me there is the mirror the image it reflects 
 seems to me like a carefully preserved wreck 
 
 " O my royal mistress," cried Iras, raising her 
 hands beseechingly, " must I again declare that 
 neither the grey hairs which are again brown, nor 
 the few lines which Olympus will soon render in- 
 visible, nor whatever else perhaps disturbs you in 
 the image you behold reflected, impairsyour beauty ? 
 Unclouded and secure of victory, the spell of your 
 godlike nature " 
 
 " Cease, cease ! " interrupted Cleopatra. " I 
 know what I know. No mortal can escape the 
 great eternal laws of Nature. As surely as birth 
 commences life, everything that exists moves on- 
 ward to destruction and decay." 
 
 "Yet the gods," Iras persisted, "give to their 
 works different degrees of existence. The water- 
 lily blooms but a single day, yet how full of vigour 
 is the sycamore in the garden of the Paneum, 
 which has flourished a thousand years ! Not a 
 petal in the blossoms of your youth has faded, and 
 is it conceivable that there is even the slightest 
 diminution in the love of him who cast away all 
 that man holds dearest because he could not en- 
 dure to part, even for days or weeks, from the 
 woman whom he worshipped?" 
 
 " Would that he had done so ! " cried Cleopatra 
 mournfully. " But are you so sure that it was 
 love which made him follow me ? I am of a dif-
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 247 
 
 ferent opinion. True love does not paralyze, but 
 doubles the high qualities of man.- I learned this 
 when Caesar was prisoned by a greatly superior 
 force within this very palace, his ships burned, his 
 supply of water cut off. In him also, in Antony, I 
 was permitted to witness this magnificent spectacle 
 twenty what do I say ? a hundred times, so long 
 as he loved me with all the ardour of his fiery soul. 
 But what happened at Actium ? That shameful 
 flight of the cooing dove after his mate, at which 
 generations yet unborn will point in mockery ! He 
 who does not see more deeply will attribute to the 
 foolish madness of love this wretched forgetfulness 
 of duty, honour, fame, the present and the future; 
 but I, Iras and this is the thought which whitens 
 one hair after another, which will speedily destroy 
 the remnant of your mistress's former beauty by 
 the exhaustion of sleepless nights I know better. 
 It was not love which drew Antony after me, not 
 love that trampled in the dust the radiant image 
 of reckless courage, not love that constrained the 
 demigod to follow the pitiful track of a fugitive 
 woman." 
 
 Here her voice fell, and seizing the girl's wrist 
 with a painful pressure, she drew her closer to her 
 side and whispered : 
 
 " The goblet of Nektanebus is connected with 
 
 it. Ay, tremble ! The powers that emanate from 
 
 the glittering wonder are as terrible as they are 
 
 unnatural. The magic spell exerted by the beaker 
 
 17
 
 248 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 has transformed the heroic son of Herakles, the 
 more than mortal, into the whimpering coward, 
 the crushed, broken nonentity I found upon the 
 galley's deck. You are silent ? Your nimble 
 tongue finds no reply. How could you have for- 
 gotten that you aided me to win the wager which 
 forced Antony to gaze into the beaker before I 
 filled it for him ? How grateful I was to Anubis 
 when he finally consented to trust to my care this 
 marvel of the temple treasures, when the first trial 
 succeeded, and Antony, at my bidding, placed the 
 magnificent wreath which he wore upon the bald 
 brow of that crabbed old follower of Aristoteles, 
 Diomedes, whom he detested in his inmost soul ! 
 It was scarcely a year ago, and you know how 
 rarely at first I used the power of the terrible ves- 
 sel. The man whom I loved obeyed my slightest 
 glance, without its aid. But later before the 
 battle I felt how gladly he would have sent me, 
 who might ruin all, back to Egypt. Besides, I felt 
 I have already said so that something had come 
 between us. Yet, often as he was on the point of 
 sacrificing me to the importunate Romans, I need 
 only bid him gaze into the beaker, and exclaim : 
 ' You will not send me hence. We belong together. 
 Whither one goes, the other will follow ! ' and he 
 besought me not to leave him. The very morning 
 before the battle I gave him the drinking cup, 
 urging him, whatever might happen, never, never to 
 leave me. And he obeyed this time also, though
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 249 
 
 the person to whom a magic spell bound him was 
 a fleeing woman. It is terrible. And yet, have I 
 a right to execrate the thrall of the beaker ? 
 Scarcely ! For without the Magian's glittering 
 vessel a secret voice in my soul has whispered 
 the warning a thousand times during the sleepless 
 nights he would have taken another on the galley. 
 And I believe I know this other I mean the wom- 
 an whose singing enthralled my heart too at the 
 Adonis festival just before our departure. I noticed 
 the look with which his eyes sought hers. Now I 
 know that it was not merely my old deceitful foe, 
 jealousy, which warned me against her. Alexas, 
 the most faithful of his friends, also confirmed 
 what I merely feared ah ! and he told me other 
 things which the stars had revealed to him. Be- 
 sides, he knows the siren, for she was the wife of 
 his own brother. To protect his honour, he cast 
 off the coquettish Circe." 
 
 " Barine ! " fell in resolute tones from the lips 
 of Iras. 
 
 " So you know her ? " asked Cleopatra, eagerly. 
 
 The girl raised her clasped hands beseechingly 
 to the Queen, exclaiming : 
 
 " I know this woman only too well, and how 
 my heart rages against her ! O my mistress, that 
 I, too, should aid in darkening this hour ! Yet 
 it must be said. That Antony visited the singer, 
 and even took his son there more than once, is 
 known throughout the city. Yet that is not the
 
 250 
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 worst. A Barine entering into rivalry with you ! 
 It would be too ridiculous. But what bounds can 
 be set to the insatiate greed of these women ? 
 No rank, no age is sacred. It was dull in the 
 absence of the court and the army. There were 
 no men who seemed worth the trouble of catching, 
 so she cast her net for boys, and the one most 
 closely snared was the King Cassarion." 
 
 " Cassarion ! " exclaimed Cleopatra, her pale 
 cheeks flushing. "And his tutor Rhodon ? My 
 strict commands ? " 
 
 "Antyllus secretly presented him to her," re- 
 plied Iras. "But I kept my eyes open. The boy 
 clung to the singer with insensate passion. The 
 only expedient was to remove her from the city. 
 Archibius aided me." 
 
 " Then I shall be spared sending her away." 
 
 "Nay, that must still be done; for, on the 
 journey to the country Caesarion, with several 
 comrades, attacked her." 
 
 " And the reckless deed was successful ? " 
 
 " No, my royal mistress. I wish it had been. 
 A love-sick fool who accompanied her drew his 
 sword in her defence, raised his hand against the 
 son of Caesar, and wounded him. Calm yourself, 
 I beseech you, I conjure you the wound is slight. 
 The boy's mad passion makes me far more anx- 
 ious." 
 
 The Queen's pouting scarlet lips closed so 
 firmly that her mouth lost the winning charm which
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 251 
 
 was peculiar to it, and she answered in a firm, reso- 
 lute tone: "It is the mother's place to protect the 
 son against the temptress, Alexas is right. Her 
 star stands in the path of mine. A woman like 
 this casts a deep shadow on her Queen's course. 
 I will defend myself. It is she who has placed 
 herself between us; she has won Antony. But no! 
 Why should I blind myself ? Time and the charms 
 he steals from women are far more powerful than 
 twenty such little temptresses. Then, there, are 
 the circumstances which prevented my concealing 
 the defects that wounded the eyes of this most 
 spoiled of all spoiled mortals. All these things 
 aided the singer. I feel it. In her pursuit of men 
 she had at her command all the means which aid 
 us women to conceal what is unlovely and enhance 
 what is beautiful in a lover's eyes, while I was at 
 a disadvantage, lacking your aid and the long- 
 tested skill of Olympus. The divinity on the ship, 
 amid the raging of the storm, was forced more 
 than once to appear before the worshipper ungar- 
 landed, without ornament for the head, or in- 
 cense." 
 
 " But though she used all the combined arts of 
 Aphrodite and Isis, she could not vie with you, my 
 royal mistress ! " cried Iras. " How little is re- 
 quired to delude the senses of one scarcely more 
 than a child ! " 
 
 " Poor boy ! " sighed the Queen, gently. " Had 
 he not been wounded, and were it not so hard to
 
 252 
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 resign what we love, I should rejoice that he, too, 
 understands how to plan and act. Perhaps O 
 Iras, would that it might be so !: now that the gate 
 is burst open, the brain and energy of the great 
 Caesar will enter his living image. As the Egyp- 
 tians call Horus ' the avenger of his father,' per- 
 haps he may become his mother's defender and 
 avenger. If Caesar's spirit wakes within him, he 
 will wrest from the dissembler Octavianus the 
 heritage of which the nephew robbed the son. 
 You* swear that the wound is but a slight one ?" 
 
 "The physicians have said so." 
 
 "Well, then we will hope so. Let him enter 
 the conflict of life. We will afford him ample 
 opportunity to test his powers. No foolish pas- 
 sion shall prevent the convalescent youth from 
 following his father upward along the pathway of 
 fame. But send for the woman who ensnared him, 
 the audacious charmer whose aspirations mount to 
 those I hold dearest. We will see how she appears 
 beside me ! " 
 
 " These are grievous times," said Iras, who saw 
 in amazement the Queen's eyes sparkle with the 
 confident light of victory. " Grant your foot its 
 right. Let it crush her ! Monsters enough, on 
 whom you cannot set your foot, throng your path. 
 Hence to Hades, in these days of conflict, with all 
 who can be quickly removed ! " 
 
 "Murder?" asked Cleopatra, her noble brow 
 contracting in a frown.
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 253 
 
 " If it must be, ay," replied Iras, sharply. " If 
 possible, banishment to an island, an oasis. If 
 necessity requires, to the mines with the siren ! " 
 
 "If necessity requires?" repeated the Queen. 
 " I think that means, if it proves that she has de- 
 served the harshest punishment." 
 
 " She has brought it upon herself by every hour 
 of my sovereign's life clouded through her wiles. 
 In the mines the desire to set snares for husbands 
 and sons soon vanishes." 
 
 " And people languish in the most terrible tor- 
 ture till death ends their suffering," added Cleo- 
 patra, in a tone of grave reproof. " No, girl, this 
 victory is too easy. I will not send even my foe 
 to death without a hearing, especially at this time, 
 which teaches me what it is to await the verdict of 
 one who is more powerful. This woman who, as 
 it were, summons me to battle, shall have her wish. 
 I am curious to see the singer again, and to learn 
 the means by which she has succeeded in chaining 
 to her triumphal car so many captives, from boys 
 up to the most exacting men." 
 
 " What do you intend, my royal mistress ? " 
 cried Iras in horror. 
 
 "I intend," said Cleopatra imperiously, "to see 
 the daughter of Leonax, the granddaughter of Didy- 
 mus, two men whom I hold in high esteem, ere I 
 decide her destiny. I wish to behold, test, and 
 judge my rival, heart and mind, ere I condemn 
 her. I will engage in the conflict to which she
 
 254 
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 challenged the loving wife and mother ! But this 
 is my right I will compel her to show herself to 
 me as Antony so often saw me during the past 
 few weeks, unaided and unimproved by the arts 
 which we both have at command." 
 
 Then, without paying any further heed to her 
 attendant, she went to a window, and, after a swift 
 glance at the sky, added quietly : " The first hour 
 after midnight is drawing to a close. The coun- 
 cil will begin immediately. The matter to be un- 
 der discussion is a venture which might save much 
 from the wreck. The council will last two hours, 
 perchance only one. The singer can wait. Where 
 does she live ?" 
 
 " In the house which belonged to her father, 
 the artist Leonax, in the garden of the Paneum," 
 replied Iras hoarsely. "But, O my Queen, if ever 
 my opinion had the slightest weight with you " 
 
 " I desire no counsel now, but demand the ful- 
 filment of my orders ! " cried Cleopatra resolutely. 
 "As soon as those whom I expect are here 
 
 The Queen was interrupted by a chamberlain, 
 who announced the arrival of the men whom she 
 had summoned, and Cleopatra bade him tell them 
 that she was on her way to the council chamber. 
 Then she turned again to Iras and in rapid words 
 commanded her to go at once in a closed carriage, 
 accompanied by a reliable person, to Barine's 
 house. She must be brought to the palace with- 
 out the least delay Iras would understand even
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 255 
 
 if it should be necessary to rouse her from her 
 sleep. " I wish to see her as if a storm had forced 
 her suddenly upon the deck of a ship," she said in 
 conclusion. 
 
 Then snatching a small tablet from the dress- 
 ing-table, she scrawled upon the wax with a rapid 
 hand : " Cleopatra, the Queen, desires to see Ba- 
 rine, the daughter of Leonax, without delay. She 
 must obey any command of Iras, Cleopatra's mes- 
 senger, and her companion." 
 
 Then, closing the diptychon, she handed it to 
 her attendant, asking : 
 
 " Whom will you take ? " 
 
 She answered without hesitation, " Alexas." 
 
 " Very well," answered Cleopatra. " Do not 
 allow her a moment for preparations, whatever they 
 may be. But do not forget I command you 
 that she is a woman." 
 
 With these words she turned to follow the 
 chamberlain, but Iras hurried after her to adjust 
 the diadem upon her head and arrange some of the 
 folds of her robe. 
 
 Cleopatra submitted, saying kindly, " Some- 
 thing else, I see, is weighing on your heart." 
 
 " O my mistress ! " cried the girl. " After these 
 tempests of the soul, these harassing months, you 
 are turning night into day and assuming fresh 
 labours and anxieties. If the leech Olympus " 
 
 " It must be," interrupted Cleopatra kindly. 
 " The last two weeks seemed like a single long
 
 256 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 and gloomy night, during which I sometimes left 
 my couch for a few hours. One who seeks to 
 drag what is dearest from the river does not con- 
 sider whether the cold bath is agreeable. If we 
 succumb, it does not matter whether we are well 
 or ill ; if, on the contrary, we succeed in gathering 
 another army and saving Egypt, let it cost health 
 and life. The minutes I intend to grant to the 
 woman will be thrown into the bargain. Whatever 
 may come, I shall be ready to meet my fate. I 
 am at one of life's great turning points. At such 
 a time we fulfil our obligations and demands, both 
 great and small." 
 
 A few minutes later Cleopatra entered the 
 throne-room and saluted the men whom she had 
 roused from their slumber in order to lay before 
 them a bold plan which, in the lowest depths of 
 misfortune, her yearning to offer fresh resistance 
 to the victorious foe had caused her vigorous, rest- 
 less mind to evoke. 
 
 When, many years before, the boy with whom, 
 according to her father's will, she shared the 
 throne, and his guardian Pothinus, had compelled 
 her to fly from Alexandria, she had found in the 
 eastern frontier of the Delta, on the isthmus which 
 united Egypt to Asia, the remains of the canal 
 which the energetic Pharaohs of former times had 
 constructed to connect the Mediterranean with the 
 Red Sea. 
 
 Even at that period she had deemed this ruinous
 
 CLEOPATRA. 257 
 
 work worthy of notice, had questioned the Unites 
 who dwelt there about the remains, and even vis- 
 ited some of them herself during the leisure hours 
 of waiting. 
 
 From this survey it had seemed possible, by a 
 great expenditure of labour, to again render navi- 
 gable the canal which the Pharaohs had used to 
 reach both seas in the same galleys, and by which, 
 less than five hundred years before, Darius, the 
 founder of the Persian Empire, had brought his 
 fleet to his support. 
 
 With the tireless desire for knowledge charac- 
 teristic of her, Cleopatra had sought information 
 concerning all these matters, and in quiet hours 
 had more than once pondered over plans for 
 again uniting the Grecian and Arabian seas. 
 
 Clearly, plainly, fully, with more thorough 
 knowledge of many details than even the super- 
 intendent of the water works, she explained her 
 design to the assembled professionals. If it proved 
 practicable, the rescued ships of the fleet, with 
 others lying in the roadstead of Alexandria, could 
 be conveyed across the isthmus into the Red Sea, 
 and thus saved to Egypt and withdrawn from the 
 foe. Supported by this force, many things might 
 be attempted, resistance might be considerably 
 prolonged, and the time thus gained used in gath- 
 ering fresh aid and allies. 
 
 If the opportunity to make an attack arrived, 
 a powerful fleet would be at her disposal, for which
 
 258 
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 smaller ships also should now be built at Klysma, 
 on the basis of the experience gained at Actium. 
 
 The men who had been robbed of their night's 
 rest listened in amazement to the melodious words 
 of this woman who, in the deepest disaster, had 
 devised a plan of escape so daring in its grandeur, 
 and understood how to explain it better than any 
 one of their number could have done. They fol- 
 lowed every sentence with the keenest attention, 
 and Cleopatra's language grew more impassioned, 
 gained greater power and depth, the more plainly 
 she perceived the unfeigned, enthusiastic admira- 
 tion paid her by her listeners. 
 
 Even the oldest and most experienced men did 
 not consider the surprising proposal utterly im- 
 possible and impracticable. Some, among them 
 Gorgias, who during the restoration of the Sera- 
 peum had helped his father on the eastern frontier 
 of the Delta, and thus became familiar with the 
 neighbourhood of Heroonopolis, feared the diffi- 
 culties which an elevation of the earth in the cen- 
 tre of the isthmus would place in the way of the 
 enterprise. Yet, why should an undertaking which 
 was successful in the days of Sesostris appear un- 
 attainable ? 
 
 The shortness of the time at their disposal was 
 a still greater source of anxiety, and to this was 
 added the information that one hundred and twen- 
 ty thousand workmen had perished during the 
 restoration of the canal which Pharaoh Necho
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 259 
 
 nearly completed. The water way was not finished 
 at that period, because an oracle had asserted that 
 it would benefit only the foreigners, the Phoeni- 
 cians. 
 
 All these points were duly considered, but could 
 not shake the opinion that, under specially favour- 
 able conditions, the Queen's plan would be practi- 
 cable ; though, to execute it, obstacles mountain- 
 high were to be conquered. All the labourers in 
 the fields, who had not been pressed into the army, 
 must be summoned to the work. 
 
 Not an hour's delay was permitted. Where 
 there was no water to bear the ships, an attempt 
 must be made to convey them across the land. 
 There was no lack of means. The mechanics who 
 had understood how to move the obelisks and co- 
 lossi from the cataract to Alexandria, could here 
 again find opportunity to test their brains and 
 former skiH. 
 
 Never had Cleopatra's kindling spirit roused 
 more eager, nay, more passionate sympathy, in any 
 counsellors gathered around her than during this 
 nocturnal meeting, and when at last she paused, 
 the loud acclamations of excited men greeted her. 
 The Queen's return, and the tidings of the lost bat- 
 tle which she had communicated, were to be kept 
 secret. 
 
 Gorgias had been appointed one of the direct- 
 ors of the enterprise, and the intellect, voice, and 
 winning charm of Cleopatra had so enraptured him
 
 2 6o CLEOPATRA. 
 
 that he already fancied he saw the commencement 
 of a new love which would be fatal to his regard 
 for Helena. 
 
 It was foolish to raise his wishes so high, but 
 he told himself that he had never beheld a woman 
 more to be desired. Yet he cherished a very warm 
 memory of the philosopher's granddaughter, ^and 
 lamented that he would scarcely find it possible to 
 bid her farewell. 
 
 Zeno, the Keeper of the Seal, Dion's uncle, had 
 questioned him about his nephew in a very myste- 
 rious manner as soon as he entered the council 
 chamber, and received the reply that the wound 
 in the shoulder, which Caesarion had dealt with a 
 short Roman sword, though severe, was so the 
 physicians assured them not fatal. 
 
 This seemed to satisfy Zeno, and ere Gorgias 
 could urge him to extend a protecting hand over 
 his nephew, he excused himself and, with a mes- 
 sage to the wounded man, turned his back upon 
 him. 
 
 The courtier had not yet learned what view the 
 Queen would take of this unfortunate affair, and 
 besides, he was overloaded with business. The 
 new enterprise required the issue of a large num- 
 ber of documents conferring authority, which all 
 passed through his hands. 
 
 Cleopatra addressed a few kind, encouraging 
 words to each one of the experts who had been 
 entrusted with the execution of her plan. Gorgias,
 
 CLEOPATRA. 2 6l 
 
 too, was permitted to kiss her robe, which stirred 
 his blood afresh. He would fain have flung him- 
 self at the feet of this marvellous woman and, 
 with his services, place his life at her disposal. 
 And Cleopatra noticed the enthusiastic ardour of 
 his glance. 
 
 He, too, had been mentioned in the list of Ba- 
 rine's admirers. There must be something unusual 
 about this woman ! But could she have fired a 
 body of grave men in behalf of a great, almost im- 
 possible deed, roused them to such enthusiastic 
 admiration as she, the vanquished, menaced Queen ? 
 Certainly not. 
 
 She felt in the right mood to confront Barine 
 as judge and rival. 
 
 In the midst of the deepest misery she had 
 spent one happy hour. She had again felt, with 
 joyous pride, that her intellect, fresh and uncloud- 
 ed, would be capable of outstripping the best 
 powers, and in truth she needed no magic goblet 
 to win hearts.
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 BARINE had been an hour in the palace. The 
 magnificently furnished room to which she was 
 conducted was directly above the council chamber, 
 and sometimes, in the silence of the night, the voice 
 of the Queen or the loud cheers of men were dis- 
 tinctly heard. 
 
 Barine listened without making the slightest 
 effort to catch the meaning of the words which 
 reached her ears. She longed only for something 
 to divert her thoughts from the deep and bitter 
 emotion which filled her soul. Ay, she was roused 
 to fury, and yet she felt how completely this 
 passionate resentment contradicted her whole 
 nature. 
 
 True, the shameless conduct of Philostratus 
 during their married life had often stirred the in- 
 most depths of her placid, kindly spirit, and after- 
 wards his brother Alexas had come to drive her, 
 by his disgraceful proposals, to the verge of de- 
 spair ; rage was added to the passionate agitation 
 of her soul, and for this she had cause to rejoice- 
 but for this mighty resentment during the time of
 
 CLEOPATRA. 263 
 
 struggle she might have, perhaps, succumbed from 
 sheer weariness and the yearning desire to rest. 
 
 At last, at last, she and her friends, by means 
 of great sacrifices, had succeeded in releasing her 
 from these tortures. Philostratus's consent to lib- 
 erate her was purchased. Alexas's persecution had 
 ceased long before ; he had first been sent away as 
 envoy by his patron Antony, and afterwards been 
 compelled to accompany him to the war. 
 
 How she had enjoyed the peaceful days in her 
 mother's house ! How quickly the bright cheerful- 
 ness which she had supposed lost had returned to 
 her soul ! and to-day Fate had blessed her with 
 the greatest happiness life had ever offered. True, 
 she had had only a few brief hours in which to en- 
 joy it, for the attack of the unbridled boys and the 
 wound inflicted upon her lover had cast a heavy 
 shadow on her bliss. 
 
 Her mother had again proved to be in the right 
 when she so confidently predicted a second misfor- 
 tune which would follow the first only too soon. 
 
 Barine had been torn at midnight from her 
 peaceful home and her wounded lover's bedside. 
 This was done by the Queen's command, and, full 
 of angry excitement, she said to herself that the 
 men were right who cursed tyranny because it 
 transformed free human beings into characterless 
 chattels. 
 
 There could be nothing good awaiting her ; that 
 was proved by the messengers whom Cleopatra 
 18
 
 264 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 had sent to summon her at this unprecedented 
 hour. They were her worst enemies : Iras, who 
 desired to wed her lover Dion had told her so 
 after the assault and Alexas, whose suit she had 
 rejected in a way which a man never forgives. 
 
 She had already learned Iras's feelings. The 
 slender figure with the narrow head, long, delicate 
 nose, small rhin, and pointed fingers, seemed to 
 her like a long, sharp thorn. This strange com- 
 parison had entered her head as Iras stood rigidly 
 erect, reading aloud in a shrill, high voice the 
 Queen's command. Everything about this hard, 
 cold face appeared as sharp as a sting, and ready 
 to destroy her. 
 
 Her removal from her mother's house to the 
 royal palace had been swift and simple. 
 
 After the attack of which she saw little, be- 
 cause, overpowered by fear and horror, she closed 
 her eyes she had driven home with her lover, 
 where the leech had bandaged his injuries, and 
 Berenike had quickly and carefully transformed 
 her own sleeping chamber into a sick-room. 
 
 Barine, after changing her dress, did not leave 
 Dion's side. She had attired herself carefully, for 
 she knew his delight in outward adornment. When 
 she returned from her grandparents, before sunset, 
 she was alone with him, and he, kissing her arm, 
 had murmured that wherever the Greek tongue 
 was spoken there was not one more beautiful. 
 The gem was worthy of its loveliness. So she
 
 CLEOPATRA. 265 
 
 had opened her baggage to take out the circlet 
 which Antony had given, and it again enclasped 
 her arm when she entered the sick-room. 
 
 Because Dion had told her that he deemed her 
 fairest in the simple white robe she had worn a few 
 days before, when there were no guests save him- 
 self and Gorgias, and she had sung until after mid- 
 night his favourite songs as though all were intended 
 for him alone, her choice had fallen upon this gar- 
 ment. And she rejoiced that she had worn it the 
 wounded man's eyes rested upon her so joyously 
 when she sat down opposite to him. 
 
 The physician had forbidden him to talk, and 
 urged him to sleep if possible. So Barine only 
 held his hand in silence, whispering, whenever he 
 opened his eyes, a tender word of love and en- 
 couragement. 
 
 She had remained with him for hours, leaving 
 her place at his side merely to give him his medi- 
 cine, or, with her mother's aid, place poultices on 
 his wounds. 
 
 When his manly face was distorted by suffering, 
 she shared his pain ; but during most of the time 
 a calm, pleasant sense of happiness pervaded her 
 mind. She felt safe and sheltered in the possession 
 of the man whom she loved, though fully aware of 
 the perils which threatened him, and, perhaps, her 
 also. But the assurance of his love completely 
 filled her heart and cast every care entirely into 
 the shade. Many men had seemed estimable and
 
 2 66 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 agreeable, a few even desirable husbands, but Dion 
 was the first to awaken love in her ardent but by 
 no means passionate soul. She regarded the ex- 
 periences of the past few days as a beautiful 
 miracle. How she had yearned and pined until 
 the most fervent desire of her heart was fulfilled ! 
 Now Dion had offered her his love, and nothing 
 could rob her of it. 
 
 Gorgias and the sons of her uncle Arius had 
 disturbed her a short time. After they had gone 
 with a good report, Berenike had entreated her 
 daughter to lie down and let her take her place. 
 But Barine would not leave her lover's couch, and 
 had just loosed her hair to brush it again and fasten 
 the thick, fair braids around her head, when, two 
 hours after midnight, some one knocked loudly on 
 the window shutters. Berenike was in the act of 
 removing the poultice, so Barine herself went into 
 the atrium to wake the doorkeeper. 
 
 But the old man was not asleep, and had antici- 
 pated her. She recognized, with a low cry of 
 terror, the first person who entered the lighted 
 vestibule Alexas. Iras followed, her head closely 
 muffled, for the storm was still howling through 
 the streets. Last of all a lantern-bearer crossed 
 the threshold. 
 
 The Syrian saluted the startled young beauty 
 with a formal bow, but Iras, without a greeting or 
 even a single word of preparation, delivered the 
 Queen's command, and then read aloud, by the
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 267 
 
 light of the lantern, what Cleopatra had scrawled 
 upon the wax tablet. 
 
 When Barine, pallid and scarcely able to con- 
 trol her emotion, requested the messengers who 
 had arrived at so late an hour to enter, in order to 
 give her time to prepare for the night drive and 
 take leave of her mother, Iras vouchsafed no reply, 
 but, as if she had the right to rule the house, merely 
 ordered the doorkeeper to bring his mistress's cloak 
 without delay. 
 
 While the old man, with trembling knees, moved 
 away, Iras asked if the wounded Dion was in the 
 dwelling; and Barine, her self-control restored by 
 the question, answered, with repellent pride, that 
 the Queen's orders did not command her to submit 
 to an examination in her own house. 
 
 Iras shrugged her shoulders and said, sneer- 
 ingly, to Alexas : 
 
 "In truth, I asked too much. One who attracts 
 so many men of all ages can scarcely be expected 
 to know the abode of each individual." 
 
 " The heart has a faithful memory," replied 
 the Syrian in a tone of correction, but Iras echoed, 
 contemptuously, " The heart ! " 
 
 Then all were silent until, instead of the door- 
 keeper, Berenike herself came hurrying in, bringing 
 the cloak. With pallid face and bloodless lips she 
 wrapped it around her daughter's shoulders, whis- 
 pering, amid floods of tears, almost inaudible words 
 of love and encouragement, which Iras interrupted
 
 268 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 by requesting Barine to follow her to the car- 
 riage. 
 
 The mother and daughter embraced and kissed 
 each other, then the closed equipage bore the per- 
 secuted woman through the storm and darkness to 
 Lochias. 
 
 Not a word was exchanged between Barine and 
 the Queen's messengers until they reached the 
 room where the former was to await Cleopatra; 
 but here Iras again endeavoured to induce her 
 to speak. At the first question, however, Ba- 
 rine answered that she had no information to 
 give. 
 
 The room was as bright as if it were noonday, 
 though the lights flickered constantly, for the wind 
 found its way through the thin shutters closing the 
 windows on both sides of th'e corner room, and a 
 strong, cold draught swept in. Barine wrapped 
 her cloak more closely around her; the storm which 
 howled about the sea-washed palace harmonized 
 with the vehement agitation of her soul. Whether 
 she had looked within or without, there was nothing 
 which could have soothed her save the assurance 
 of being loved an assurance that held fear at bay. 
 Now, indignation prevented dread from overpower- 
 ing her, yet calm consideration could not fail to 
 show her that danger threatened on every hand. 
 The very manner in which Iras and Alexas whis- 
 pered together, without heeding her presence, boded 
 peril, for courtiers show such contempt only to
 
 CLEOPATRA. 269 
 
 those whom they know are threatened with the 
 indifference or resentment of the sovereign. 
 
 Barine, during her married life with a man de- 
 void of all delicacy of feeling, and with a disposition 
 as evil as his tongue was ready, had learned to 
 endure many things which were hard to bear; yet 
 when, after a remark from Iras evidently concern- 
 ing her, she heard Alexas laugh, she was compelled 
 to exert the utmost self-restraint to avoid telling 
 her enemy how utterly she despised the cowardly 
 cruelty of her conduct. But she succeeded in keep- 
 ing silent. Still, the painful constraint she imposed 
 on herself must find vent in some way, and, as the 
 tortured anguish of her soul reached its height, 
 large tears rolled down her cheeks. 
 
 These, too, were noticed by her enemy and 
 made the target of her wit ; but this time the 
 sarcasm failed to produce its effect upon the Syrian, 
 for, instead of laughing, he grew grave, and whis- 
 pered something which seemed to Barine a reproof 
 or a warning. Iras's reply was merely a contempt- 
 uous shrug of the shoulders. 
 
 Barine had noticed long before that her mother, 
 in her fear and bewilderment, had brought her own 
 cloak instead of her daughter's, and this circum- 
 stance also did not seem to her foe too trivial for 
 a sneer. 
 
 But the childish insolence that seemed to have 
 taken possession of one who usually by no means 
 lacked dignity, was merely the mask beneath which
 
 270 
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 she concealed her own suffering. A grave motive 
 was the source of the mirth by which she affected 
 to be moved at the sight of her enemy's cloak. 
 The grey, ill-fitting garment disfigured Barine, and 
 she desired that the Queen should feel confident of 
 surpassing her rival even in outward charms. No 
 one, not even Cleopatra, could dispense with a 
 protecting wrap in this cold draught, and nothing 
 suited her better than the purple mantle in whose 
 delicate woollen fabric black and gold dragons and 
 griffins were embroidered. Iras had taken care 
 that it lay ready. Barine could not fail to appear 
 like a beggar in comparison, though Alexas said 
 that her blue kerchief was marvellously becoming. 
 
 He was a base-minded voluptuary, who, aided 
 by rich gifts of mind and wide knowledge, had 
 shunned no means of ingratiating himself with 
 Antony, the most lavish of patrons. The repulse 
 which this man, accustomed to success, had received 
 from Barine had been hard to forget, yet he did 
 not resign the hope of winning her. Never had she 
 seemed more desirable than in her touching weak- 
 ness. Even base natures are averse to witnessing 
 the torture of the defenceless, and when Iras had 
 aimed another poisoned shaft at her, he ventured, 
 at the risk of vexing his ally, to say, under his 
 breath : 
 
 "Condemned criminals are usually granted, be- 
 fore their end, a favourite dish. I have no cause 
 to wish Barine anything good ; but I would not
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 2/1 
 
 grudge that. You, on the contrary, seem to de- 
 light in pouring wormwood on her last mouthful." 
 
 " Certainly," she answered, her eyes sparkling 
 brightly. " Malice is the purest of pleasures ; at 
 least to me, when exercised on this woman." 
 
 The Syrian, with a strange smile, held out his 
 hand, saying : 
 
 " Keep your good-will towards me, Iras." 
 
 "Because," she retorted with a sneer, "evil 
 may follow my enmity. I think so, too. I am not 
 especially sensitive concerning myself, but who- 
 ever dares " here she raised her voice " to harm 
 one whom I Just listen to the cheers! How she 
 carries all hearts with her ! Though Fate had made 
 her a beggar, she would still be peerless among 
 women. She is like the sun. The clouds which 
 intrude upon her pathway of radiance are con- 
 sumed and disappear." 
 
 While uttering the last sentence she had 
 turned towards Barine, whose ear the sharp voice 
 again pierced like a thorn, as she commanded her 
 to prepare for the examination. 
 
 Almost at the same moment the door, caught by 
 the wind, closed with a loud bang. The " intro- 
 ducer " * had opened it, and, after a hasty glance, 
 exclaimed : 
 
 " The audience will not be given in this meeting- 
 place for all the winds of heaven ! Her Majesty 
 
 * Marshal of the court.
 
 2/2 
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 desires to receive her late visitor in the Hall of 
 Shells." 
 
 With these words he bowed courteously to 
 Barine, and ushered her and her two companions 
 through several corridors and apartments into a 
 well-heated anteroom. 
 
 Here even the windows were thoroughly pro- 
 tected from the storm. Several body-guards and 
 pages belonging to the corps of the " royal boys " 
 stood waiting to receive them. 
 
 " This is comfortable." said Alexas, turning to 
 Iras. "Was the winter we have just experienced 
 intended to fill us with twofold gratitude for the 
 delights of the mild spring in this blessed room ? " 
 
 " Perhaps so," she answered sullenly, and then 
 added in a low tone: " Here at Lochias the seasons 
 do not follow their usur.l course. They change 
 according to the pleasure of the supreme will. In- 
 stead of four, the Egyptians, as you know, have 
 but three ; in the palaces on the Nile they are 
 countless. What is the meaning of this sudden 
 entry of summer? Winter would have pleased me 
 better." 
 
 The Queen Iras knew not why had changed 
 her arrangements for Barine's reception. This 
 vexed her* and her features assumed a gloomy, 
 threatening expression as the young beauty, cast- 
 ing aside her cloak and kerchief, stood awaiting 
 Cleopatra in a white robe of fine material and per- 
 fect fit. The thick, fair braids, wound simply
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 273 
 
 around her shapely head, gave her an appearance 
 of almost childish youth, and the sight made Iras 
 feel as if she, and Cleopatra also, were outwitted. 
 
 In the dimly lighted atrium of the house near 
 the Paneum garden, she had noticed only that Ba- 
 rine wore something white. Had it been merely 
 a night robe, so much the better. But she might 
 have appeared in her present garb at the festival 
 of Isis. The most careful deliberation could have 
 selected nothing more suitable or becoming. And 
 did this vain woman go to rest with costly gold 
 ornaments ? Else how did the circlet chance to 
 be on her arm ? Each of Cleopatra's charms 
 seemed to Iras, who knew them all, like a valu- 
 able possession of her own. To see even the least 
 of them surpassed by another vexed her; and to 
 behold in yonder woman a form which she could 
 not deny was no less beautiful, enraged, nay, 
 pierced her to the heart. 
 
 Since she had known that because of Barine 
 she could hope for nothing more from the man to 
 whose love she believed she possessed a claim 
 dating from their childhood, she had hated the 
 young beauty. And now to the many things 
 which contributed to increase her hostile mood, 
 was added the disagreeable consciousness that 
 during the last few hours she had treated her con- 
 temptibly. Had she only seen earlier what her 
 foe's cloak concealed, she would have found means 
 to give her a different appearance. But she must
 
 274 
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 remain as she was ; for Charmian had already en- 
 tered. Other hours, however, would follow, and 
 if the next did not decide the fate of the woman 
 whom she hated, future ones should. 
 
 For this purpose she did not need the aid of 
 Charmian, her uncle Archibius's sister, who had 
 hitherto been a beloved associate and maternal 
 friend. But what had happened ? "Iras fancied 
 that her pleasant features wore a repellent expres- 
 sion which she had never seen before. Was this 
 also the singer's fault ? And what was the 
 cause ? 
 
 The older woman's manner decided the ques- 
 tion whether she should still bestow upon her re- 
 turned relative the love of a grateful niece. No, 
 she would no longer put any restraint upon her- 
 self. Charmian should feel that she (Iras) con- 
 sidered any favour shown to her foe an insult. 
 To work against her secretly was not in her na- 
 ture. She had courage to show an enemy her 
 aversion, and she did not fear Charmian enough 
 to pursue a different course. She knew that the 
 artist Leonax, Barine's father, had been Charmian's 
 lover-; but this did not justify her favouring the 
 woman who had robbed her niece of the heart of 
 the man whom she as Charmian knew had loved 
 from childhood. 
 
 Charmian had just had a long conversation 
 with her brother, and had also learned in the pal- 
 ace that Barine had been summoned to the Queen's
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 2/5 
 
 presence in the middle of the night; so, firmly per- 
 suaded that evil was intended to the young woman 
 who had already passed through so many agitat- 
 ing scenes of joy and sorrow, she entered the 
 waiting-room, and her pleasant though no longer 
 youthful face, framed in smooth, grey hair, was 
 greeted by Barine as the shipwrecked mariner 
 hails the sight of land. 
 
 All the emotions which had darkened and 
 
 / 
 
 embittered her soul were soothed. She hastened 
 towards her friend's sister, as a frightened child 
 seeks its mother, and Charmian perceived what 
 was stirring in her heart. 
 
 It would not do, under existing circumstances, 
 to kiss her in the palace* but she drew Leonax's 
 daughter towards her to show Iras that she was 
 ready to extend a protecting hand over the perse- 
 cuted woman. But Barine gazed at her with plead- 
 ing glances, beseeching aid, whispering amid her 
 tears : " Help me, Charmian. She has tortured, 
 insulted, humiliated me with looks and words so 
 cruelly, so spitefully ! Help me ; I can bear no 
 more." 
 
 Charmian shook her kind head and urged her 
 in a whisper to calm herself. She had robbed Iras 
 of her lover; she should remember that. Cost 
 what it might, she must not shed another tear. 
 The Queen was gracious. She, Charmian, would 
 aid her. Everything would depend on showing 
 herself to Cleopatra as she was, not as slander
 
 276 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 represented her. She must answer her as she 
 would Archibius or herself. 
 
 The kindly woman, as she spoke, stroked her 
 brow and eyes with maternal tenderness, and Barine 
 felt as if goodness itself had quelled the tempest in 
 her soul. She gazed around her as though roused 
 from a troubled dream, and now for the first time 
 perceived the richly adorned room in which she 
 stood, the admiring glances of the boys in the 
 Macedonian corps of pages, and the bright fire 
 blazing cheerily on the hearth. The howling of 
 the storm increased the pleasant sense of being 
 under a firm roof, and Iras, who had whispered to 
 the " introducer " at the door, no longer seemed 
 like a sharp thorn or a s"piteful demon, but a wom- 
 an by no means destitute of charm, who repulsed 
 her, but on whom she had inflicted the keenest 
 pang a woman's heart can suffer. Then she again 
 thought of her wounded lover at home, and remem- 
 bered that, whatever might happen, his heart did 
 not belong to Iras, b'ut to her alone. Lastly, she 
 recalled Archibius's description of Cleopatra's 
 childhood, and this remembrance was followed by 
 the conviction that the omnipotent sovereign 
 would be neither cruel nor unjust, and that it 
 would depend upon herself to win her favour. 
 Charmian, too, was the Queen's confidante; and if 
 the manner of Iras and Alexas had alarmed her, 
 Charmian's might well inspire confidence. 
 
 All these thoughts darted through her brain
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 277 
 
 with the speed of lightning. Only a brief time for 
 consideration remained; for, even as she bowed 
 her head on the bosom of her friend, the " intro- 
 ducer " entered the room, crying, " Her illustrious 
 Majesty will expect those whom she summoned in 
 a few minutes ! " 
 
 Soon after a chamberlain appeared, waving a 
 fan of ostrich feathers and, preceded by the court 
 official, they passed through several brilliantly 
 lighted, richly furnished rooms. 
 
 Barine again breathed freely and moved with 
 head erect ; and when the wide, lofty folding doors 
 of ebony, against whose deep black surface the in- 
 laid figures of Tritons, mermaids, shells, fish, and 
 sea monsters were sharply relieved, she beheld a 
 glittering, magnificent scene, for the hall which 
 Cleopatra had chosen for her reception was com- 
 pletely covered with various marine forms, from 
 the shells to coral and starfish. 
 
 A wide, lofty structure, composed of masses of 
 stalactites and unhewn blocks of stone, formed a 
 deep grotto at the end of the hall, whence peered 
 the gigantic head of a monster whose open jaws 
 formed the fireplace of the chimney. Logs of fra- 
 grant Arabian wood were blazing brightly on the 
 hearth, and the dragon's ruby glass eyes diffused a 
 red light through the apartment which, blended 
 with the rays of the white and pink lamps in the 
 shape of lotus flowers fastened among gold and 
 silver tendrils and groups of sedges on the walls
 
 278 
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 and ceiling, filling the spacious apartment with the 
 soft light whose roseate hue was specially becom- 
 ing to Cleopatra's waxen complexion. 
 
 Several stewards and cup-bearers, the master 
 of the hunt, chamberlains, female attendants, eu- 
 nuchs, and other court officials were awaiting the 
 Queen, and pages who belonged to the Macedonian 
 cadet corps of royal boys stood sleepily, with 
 drooping heads, around the small throne of gold, 
 coral, and amber which, placed opposite to the 
 chimney, awaited the sovereign. 
 
 Barine had already seen this magnificent hall, 
 and others still more beautiful in the Sebasteum, 
 and the splendour therefore neither excited nor 
 abashed her; only she would fain have avoided 
 the numerous train of courtiers. Could it be Cleo- 
 patra's intention to question her before the eyes of 
 all these men, women, and boys ? 
 
 She no longer felt afraid, but her heart still 
 throbbed quickly. It had beat in the same way in 
 her girlhood, when she was asked to sing in the 
 presence of strangers. 
 
 At last she heard doors open, and an invisible 
 hand parted the heavy curtains at her right. She 
 expected to see the Regent, the Keeper of the Seal, 
 and the whole brilliantly adorned train of attend- 
 ants who always surrounded the Queen on formal 
 occasions, enter the magnificent hall. Else why 
 had it been selected as the scene of this nocturnal 
 trial ?
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 2/9 
 
 But what was this ? 
 
 While she was still recalling the display at the 
 Adonis festival, the curtains began to close again. 
 The courtiers around the throne straightened their 
 bowed figures, the pages forgot their fatigue, and 
 all joined in the Greek salutation of welcome, and 
 the " Life ! happiness ! health ! " with which the 
 Egyptians greeted their sovereign. 
 
 The woman of middle height who now appeared 
 before the curtain, and who, as she crossed the 
 wide hall alone and unattended, seemed to Barine 
 even smaller than when surrounded by the gay 
 throng at the Adonis festival, must be the Queen. 
 
 Ay, it was she ! 
 
 Iras was already standing by her side, and 
 Charmian was approaching with the " introducer." 
 The women rendered her various little services : 
 thus Iras took from her shoulders the purple 
 mantle, with its embroidery of black and gold 
 dragons. What an exquisite masterpiece of the 
 loom it must be ! 
 
 All the dangers against which she must defend 
 herself flashed swiftly through Barine's mind ; yet, 
 for an instant, she felt the foolish feminine desire 
 to see and handle the costly mantle. 
 
 But Iras had already laid it on the arm of one 
 of the waiting maids, and Cleopatra now glanced 
 around her, and with a youthful, elastic step ap- 
 proached the throne. 
 
 Once more the feeling of timidity which she 
 19
 
 280 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 had had in her girlhood overpowered Barine, but 
 with it came the memory of the garden of Epicurus, 
 and Archibius's assurance that she, too, would 
 have left the Queen with her heart overflowing 
 with warm enthusiasm had not a disturbing influ- 
 ence interposed between them. 
 
 Yet, had this disturbing influence really existed ? 
 
 No. It was created solely by Cleopatra's jeal- 
 ous imagination. If she would only permit her to 
 speak freely now, she should hear that Antony 
 cared as little for her as she, Barine, for the boy 
 Caesarion. What prevented her from confessing 
 that her heart was another's ? Iras had no one to 
 blame save herself if she spoke the truth pitilessly 
 in her presence. 
 
 Cleopatra now turned to the " introducer," 
 waving her hand towards the throne and those who 
 surrounded it. 
 
 Ay, she was indeed beautiful. How bright and 
 clear was the light of her large eyes, in spite of 
 the harassing days through which she had passed 
 and the present night of watching! 
 
 Cleopatra's heart was still elated by the recep- 
 tion of her bold idea of escape, and she approached 
 Barine with gentler feelings and intentions. She 
 had chosen a pleasanter room for the interview 
 than the one Iras had selected. She desired a 
 special environment to suit each mood, and as 
 soon as she saw the group of courtiers who sur- 
 rounded the throne she ordered their dismissal.
 
 CLEOPATRA. 2 8l 
 
 The " introducer," to carry out the usual cere- 
 monial, had commanded their presence in the au- 
 dience chamber,, but their attendance had given 
 the meeting a form which was now distasteful to 
 the Queen. She wished to question, not to con- 
 demn. 
 
 At so happy an hour it was- a necessity of her 
 nature to be gracious. Perhaps she had been 
 unduly anxious concerning this singer. It even 
 seemed probable ; for a man who loved her like 
 Antony could scarcely yearn for the favour of an- 
 other woman. This view had been freshly con- 
 firmed by a brief conversation with the chief In- 
 spector of Sacrifices, an estimable old man, who, 
 after hearing how Antony had hurried in pursuit 
 of her at Actium, raised his eyes and hands as if 
 transported with rapture, exclaiming : " Unhappy 
 Queen ! Yet happiest of women ! No one was 
 ever so ardently beloved; and when the tale is 
 told of the noble Trojan who endured such sore 
 sufferings for a woman's sake, future generations 
 will laud the woman whose resistless spell con- 
 strained the greatest man of his day, the hero of 
 heroes, to cast aside victory, fame, and the hope 
 of the world's sovereignty, as mere worthless rub- 
 bish." 
 
 Posterity, whose verdict she dreaded this wise 
 old reader of the future was right must extol her 
 as the most fervently beloved, the most desirable 
 of women.
 
 2 g2 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 And Mark Antony? Even had the magic power 
 of Nektanebus's goblet forced him to follow her 
 and to leave the battle, there still remained his 
 will, a copy of which received from Rome Zeno, 
 the Keeper of the Seal, had showed to her at the 
 close of the council. "Wherever he might die," so 
 ran the words, " he desired to be buried by the side 
 of Cleopatra." Octavianus had wrested it from 
 the Vestal Virgins, to whose care it had been en- 
 trustedj in order to fill the hearts of Roman citizens 
 and matrons with indignation against his foe. The 
 plot had succeeded, but the document had reminded 
 Cleopatra that her heart had given this man the 
 first of its flowers, that love for him had been the 
 sunshine of her life. So, with head erect, she had 
 crossed the threshold where she was to meet the 
 woman who had ventured to sow tares in her gar- 
 den. She intended to devote only a short time to 
 the interview, which she anticipated with the satis- 
 faction of the strong who are confident of victory. 
 
 As she approached the throne, her train left 
 the hall ; the only persons who remained were 
 Charmian, Iras, Zeno, the Keeper of the Seal, and 
 the " introducer." 
 
 Cleopatra cast a rapid glance at the throne, 
 to which an obsequious gesture of the courtier's 
 hand invited her; but she remained standing, 
 gazing keenly at Barine. 
 
 Was it the coloured rays from the ruby eyes 
 of the dragon in the fireplace which shed the
 
 CLEOPATRA. 283 
 
 roseate glow on Cleopatra's cheeks? It certainly 
 enhanced the beauty of a face now only too fre- 
 quently pallid and colourless, when rouge did not 
 lend its aid ; but Barine understood Archibius's 
 ardent admiration for this rare woman, when 
 Cleopatra, with a faint smile, requested her to ap- 
 proach. 
 
 Nothing more winning could be imagined than 
 the frank kindness, wholly untinged by conde- 
 scending pride, of this powerful sovereign. 
 
 The less Barine had expected such a reception 
 the more deeply it moved her; nay, her eyes grew 
 dim with grateful emotion, which- lent them so 
 beautiful a lustre, she looked so lovely in her glad 
 surprise, that Cleopatra thought the months which 
 had elapsed since her first meeting with the singer 
 had enhanced her charms. And how young she 
 was! The Queen swiftly computed the years 
 which Barine must have lived as the wife of 
 Philostratus, and afterwards as the attractive 
 mistress of a hospitable house, and found it dif- 
 ficult to reconcile the appearance of this bloom- 
 ing young creature with the result of the calcu- 
 lation. 
 
 She was surprised, too, to note the aristocratic 
 bearing whose possession no one could deny the 
 artist's daughter. This was apparent even in her 
 dress, yet Iras had roused her in the middle of the 
 night, and certainly had given her no time for 
 personal adornment.
 
 284 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 She had expected lack of refinement and bold- 
 ness, in the woman who was said to have attracted 
 so many men, but even the most bitter prejudice 
 could have detected no trace of it. On the con- 
 trary, the embarrassment which she could not yet 
 wholly subdue lent her an air of girlish timidity. 
 All in all, Barine was a charming creature, who 
 bewitched men by her vivacity, her grace, and her 
 exquisite voice, not by coquetry and pertness. 
 That she possessed unusual mental endowments 
 Cleopatra did not believe. Barine had only one 
 advantage over her youth. 
 
 Time had not yet robbed the former of a single 
 charm, while from the Queen he had wrested 
 many ; their number was known only to herself 
 and her confidantes, but at this hour she did not 
 miss them. 
 
 Barine, with a low, modest bow, advanced to- 
 wards the Queen, who commenced the conver- 
 sation by graciously apologizing for. the late hour 
 at which she had summoned her. "But," she add- 
 ed, "you belong to the ranks of the nightingales, 
 who during the night most readily and exquisitely 
 reveal to us what stirs their hearts " 
 
 Barine gazed silently at the floor a moment, 
 and when she raised her eyes her voice was faint 
 and timid. " I sing, it is true, your Majesty, but 
 I have nothing else in common with the birds. 
 The wings which, when a child, bore me wherever 
 I desired, have lost their strength. They do not
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 285 
 
 wholly refuse their service, but they now require 
 favourable hours to move." 
 
 " I should not have expected that in the time 
 of your youth, your most beautiful possession," 
 replied the Queen. " Yet it is well. I too how 
 long ago it seems ! was a child, and my imagina- 
 tion outstripped even the flight of the eagle. It 
 could dare the risk unpunished. Now Who- 
 ever has reached mature life is wise to let these 
 wings remain idle. The mortal who ventures to use 
 them may easily approach too near the sun, and, 
 like Icarus, the wax will melt from his pinions. 
 Let me tell you this : To the child the gift of 
 imagination is nourishing bread. In later years 
 we need it only as salt, as spice, as stimulating 
 wine. Doubtless it points out many paths, and 
 shows us their end ; but, of a hundred rambles to 
 which it summons him, scarcely one pleases the 
 mature man. No troublesome parasite is more 
 persistently and sharply rebuffed. Who can blame 
 the ill-treated friend if it is less ready to serve us 
 as the years go on ? The wise man will keep 
 his ears ever open, but rarely lend it his active 
 hand. To banish it from life is to deprive the 
 plant of blossoms, the rose of its fragrance, the 
 sky of its stars." 
 
 " I have often said the same things to myself, 
 though in a less clear and beautiful form, when 
 life has been darkened," replied Barine, with a 
 faint blush ; for she felt that these words were
 
 286 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 doubtless intended to warn her against cherishing 
 too aspiring wishes. " But, your Majesty, here 
 also the gods place you, the great Queen, far 
 above us. We should often find existence bare 
 indeed but for the fancy which endows us with 
 imaginary possessions. You have the power to 
 secure a thousand things which to us common 
 mortals only the gift of imagination pictures as 
 attainable." 
 
 "You believe that happiness is like wealth, and 
 that the happiest person is the one who receives 
 the largest number of the gifts of fortune," an- 
 swered the Queen. " The contrary, I think, can 
 be easily proved. The maxim that the more we 
 have the less we need desire, is also false, though in 
 this world there are only a certain number of de- 
 sirable things. He who already possesses one of 
 ten solidi which are to be divided, ought really to 
 desire only nine, and therefore would be poorer by 
 a wish than another who has none. True, it cannot 
 be denied that the gods have burdened or endowed 
 me with a greater number of perishable gifts than 
 you and many others. You seem to set a high 
 value upon them. Doubtless there may be one 
 or another which you could appropriate only by 
 the aid of the imagination. May I ask which 
 seems to you the most desirable?" 
 
 " Spare me the choice, I beseech you," replied 
 Barine in an embarrassed tone. " I need nothing 
 from your treasures, and, as for the other posses-
 
 CLEOPATRA. 287 
 
 sions I lack many things; but it is uncertain 
 
 how the noblest and highest gifts in the posses- 
 sion of the marvellously endowed favourite of the 
 gods would suit the small, commonplace ones I 
 call mine, and I know not " 
 
 " A sensible doubt ! " interrupted the Queen. 
 " The lame man, who desired a horse, obtained 
 one, and on his first ride broke his neck. The 
 only blessing the highest of all which surely 
 bestows happiness can neither be given away nor 
 transferred from one to another. He who has 
 gained it may be robbed of it the next moment." 
 
 The last sentence had fallen from the Queen's 
 lips slowly and thoughtfully, but Barine, remem- 
 bering Archibius's tale, said modestly, " You are 
 thinking of the chief good mentioned by Epicurus 
 perfect peace of mind." 
 
 Cleopatra's eyes sparkled with a brighter light 
 as'she asked eagerly, " Do you, the granddaughter 
 of a philosopher, know the system of the master ? " 
 
 " Very superficially, your Majesty. My intel- 
 lect is far inferior to yours. It is difficult for me 
 thoroughly to comprehend all the details of any 
 system of philosophy." 
 
 "Yet you have attempted it?" 
 
 " Others endeavoured to introduce me into the 
 doctrines of the Stoics. I have forgotten most of 
 what I learned ; only one thing lingered in my 
 memory, and I know why because it pleased me." 
 
 "And that?"
 
 288 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 "Was the wise law of living according to the 
 dictates of our own natures. The command to 
 shun everything contradictory to the simple funda- 
 mental traits of our own characters pleased me, 
 and wherever I saw affectation, artificiality, and 
 mannerism I was repelled, while from my grand- 
 father's teaching I drew the principle that I could 
 do nothing better than to remain, so far as life 
 would permit, what I had been as a child ere I had 
 heard the first word of philosophy, or felt the con- 
 straint which society and its forms impose." 
 
 " So the system of the Stoics leads to this end 
 also ! " cried the Queen gaily, and, turning to the 
 companion of her own studies, she added : " Did 
 you hear, Charmian ? If we had only succeeded in 
 perceiving the wisdom and calm, purposeful order 
 of existence which the Stoics, amid so much that 
 is perverse, unhealthy, and provocative of contra- 
 diction, nevertheless set above everything else ! 
 How can I, in order to live wisely, imitate Nature, 
 when in her being and action I encounter so much 
 that is contradictory to my human reason, which 
 is a part of the divine ? " 
 
 Here she hesitated, and the expression of her 
 face suddenly changed. 
 
 She had advanced close to Barine and, while 
 standing directly in front of her, her eyes had 
 rested on the gem which adorned her arm above 
 the elbow. 
 
 Was it this which agitated Cleopatra so violently
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 289 
 
 that her voice lost its bewitching melody, as .she 
 went on in a harsh, angry tone ? " So that is the 
 source of all this misfortune. Even as a child I 
 detested that sort of arbitrary judgment which 
 passes under the mask of stern morality. There is 
 an example ! Do you hear the howling of the 
 storm ? In human nature, as well as in the material 
 world, there are tempests and volcanoes which 
 bring destruction, and, if the original character of 
 any individual is full of such devastating forces, 
 like the neighbourhood of Vesuvius or Etna, the 
 goal to which his impulses would lead him is clearly 
 visible. Ay, the Stoic is not allowed to destroy 
 the harmony and order of things in existence, any 
 more than to disturb those which are established 
 by the state. But to follow our natural impulses 
 wherever they lead us is so perilous a venture, that 
 whoever has the power to fix a limit to it betimes 
 is in duty bound to do so. This power is mine, and 
 I will use it ! " 
 
 Then, with iron severity, she asked : " As it 
 seems to be one of the demands of your nature, 
 woman, to allure and kindle the hearts of all who 
 bear the name of man, even though they have not 
 yet donned the garb of the Ephebi, so, too, you 
 seem to appear to delight in idle ornaments. Or " 
 and as she spoke she touched Barine's shoulder 
 "or why should you wear, during the hours of 
 slumber, that circlet on your arm?" 
 
 Barine had watched with increasing anxiety the
 
 290 
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 marked change in the manner and language of the 
 Queen. She now beheld a repetition of what she 
 had experienced at the Adonis festival, but this 
 time she knew what had roused Cleopatra's jeal- 
 ousy. She, Barine, wore on her arm a gift from 
 Antony. With pallid face she strove to find a fit- 
 ting answer, but ere she could do so Iras advanced 
 to the side of the incensed Queen, saying : " That 
 circlet is the counterpart of the one your august 
 husband bestowed upon you. The singer's must 
 also be a gift from Mark Antony. Like every one 
 else in the world, she deems the noble Imperator 
 the greatest man of his day. Who can blame her 
 for prizing it so highly that she does not remove it 
 even while she sleeps ? " 
 
 Again Barine felt as if a thorn had pierced her ; 
 but though the resentment which she had previous- 
 ly experienced once more surged hotly within her 
 heart, she forced herself to maintain seemly exter- 
 nal composure, and struggled for some word in 
 answer; but she found none suitable, and remained 
 silent. 
 
 She had told the truth. From early youth she 
 had followed the impulses of her own nature with- 
 out heeding the opinion of mortals, as the teachings 
 of the Stoics directed, and she had been allowed 
 to do so because this nature was pure, truthful, 
 alive to the beautiful, and, moreover, free from 
 those unbridled, volcanic impulses to which the 
 Queen alluded. The cheerful patience of her soul
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 291 
 
 had found ample satisfaction in the cultivation of 
 her art, and in social intercourse with men who per- 
 mitted her to share their own intellectual life. To- 
 day she had learned that the first great passion of 
 her heart had met with a response. Now she was 
 bound to her lover, and knew herself to be pure 
 and guiltless, far better entitled to demand respect 
 from sterner judges of morality than the woman 
 who condemned her, or the spiteful Iras, who had 
 not ceased to offer her love to Dion. 
 
 -The sorrowful feeling of being misunderstood 
 and unjustly condemned, mingled with fear of the 
 terrible fate to which she might be sentenced by 
 the omnipotent sovereign, whose clear intellect 
 was clouded by jealousy and the resentment of 
 a mother's wounded heart, paralyzed her tongue. 
 Besides, she was confused by the angry emotion 
 which the sight of Iras awakened. Twice, thrice 
 she strove to utter a few words of explanation, de- 
 fence, but her voice refused to obey her will. 
 
 When Charmian at last approached to encour- 
 age her, it was too late ; the indignant Queen had 
 turned away, exclaiming to Iras : " Let her be taken 
 back to Lochias. Her guilt is proved ; but it does 
 not become the injured person, the accuser, to 
 award the punishment. This must be left to the 
 judges before whom we will bring her." 
 
 Then Barine once more recovered the power of 
 speech. How dared Cleopatra assert that slie was 
 convicted of a crime, without hearing her defence ?
 
 292 
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 As surely as she felt her own innocence she must 
 succeed in proving it, and with this consciousness 
 she cried out to the Queen in a tone of touching 
 entreaty : " O your Majesty, do not leave me 
 without hearing me ! As truly as I believe in your 
 justice, I can ask you to listen to me once more. 
 Do not give me up to the woman who hates me 
 
 because the man whom she " 
 
 Here Cleopatra interrupted her. Royal dignity 
 forbade her to hear one woman's jealous accusation 
 of another, but, with the subtle discernment with 
 which women penetrate one another's moods, she 
 heard in Barine's piteous appeal a sincere convic- 
 tion that she was too severely condemned. Doubt- 
 less she also had reason to believe in Iras's hate, 
 and Cleopatra knew how mercilessly she pursued 
 those who had incurred her displeasure. She had 
 rejected and still shuddered at her advice to remove 
 the singer from her path ; for an inner voice warned 
 her not to burden her soul now with a fresh crime, 
 which would disturb its peace. Besides, she had at 
 first been much attracted by this charming, winning 
 creature ; but the irritating thought that Antony 
 had bestowed the same gift upon the sovereign and 
 the artist's daughter still so incensed her, that it 
 taxed to the utmost her graciousness and self-con- 
 trol as, without addressing any special person, she 
 exclaimed, glancing back into the hall: "This ex- 
 amination will be followed by another. When the 
 time comes, the accused must appear before the
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 293 
 
 judges; therefore she must remain at Lochias and 
 in custody. It is my will that no harm befalls her. 
 You are her friend, Charmian. I will place her in 
 your charge. Only " here she raised her voice 
 " on pain of my anger, do not allow her by any 
 possibility to leave the palace, even for a moment, 
 or to hold intercourse with any person save your- 
 self." 
 
 With these words she passed out of the hall and 
 went into her own apartments. She had turned 
 the night into day, not only to despatch speedily 
 matters which seemed to her to permit of no delay, 
 but even more because, since the battle of Actium, 
 she dreaded the -restless hours upon her lonely 
 couch. They seemed endless ; and though before 
 she had remembered with pleasure the unprece- 
 dented display and magnificence with which she 
 had surrounded her love-life with Antony, she now 
 in these hours reproached herself for having fool- 
 ishly squandered the wealth of her people. The 
 present appeared unbearable, and from the future 
 a host of black cares pressed upon her. 
 
 The following days were overcrowded with busi- 
 ness details. 
 
 Half of her nights were spent in the observa- 
 tory. She had not asked again for Barine. On 
 the fifth night she permitted Alexas to conduct her 
 once more to the little observatory which had been 
 erected for her father at Lochias, and Antony's 
 favourite knew how to prove that a star which had
 
 294 
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 long threatened her planet was that of the woman 
 whom she seemed to have forgotten as completely 
 as she had ignored his former warning against this 
 very foe. 
 
 The Queen denied this, but Alexas eagerly con- 
 tinued : "The night after your return home your 
 kindness was again displayed in its inexhaustible 
 and to us less noble souls incomprehensible 
 wealth. Deeply agitated, we watched during the 
 memorable examination the touching spectacle of 
 the greatest heart making itself the standard by 
 which to measure what is petty and ignoble. But 
 ere the second trial takes place the wanderers above, 
 who know the future, bid me warn you once more; 
 for that woman's every look was calculated, every 
 word had its fixed purpose, every tone of her voice 
 was intended to produce a certain effect. What- 
 ever she said or may yet say had no other design 
 than to deceive my royal mistress. As yet there 
 have been no definite questions and answers. But 
 
 you will have her examined, and then What 
 
 may she not make of the story of Mark Antony, 
 Barine, and the two armlets ? Perhaps it will be a 
 masterpiece." 
 
 " Do you know its real history?" asked Cleo- 
 patra, clasping her fingers more closely around the 
 pencil in her hand. 
 
 " If I did," replied Alexas, smiling significantly, 
 " the receiver of stolen goods should not betray 
 the thief."
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 295 
 
 "Not even if the person who has been robbed 
 the Queen commands you to give up the dishon- 
 estly acquired possession ? " 
 
 " Unfortunately, even then I should be forced 
 to withhold obedience ; for consider, my royal mis- 
 tress, there are but two great luminaries around 
 which my dark life revolves. Shall I betray the 
 moon, when I am sure of gaining nothing thereby 
 save to dim the warm light of the sun ? " 
 
 " That means that your revelations would wound 
 me, the sun ? " 
 
 " Unless your lofty soul is too great to be 
 reached by shadows which surround less noble 
 women with an atmosphere of indescribable tor- 
 ture." 
 
 " Do you intend to render your words more at- 
 tractive by the veil with which you shroud them ? 
 It is transparent, and dims the vision very little. 
 My soul, you think, should be free from jealousy 
 and the other weaknesses of my sex. There you 
 are mistaken. I am a woman, and wish to remain 
 one. As Terence's Chremes says he is a human be- 
 ing, and nothing human is unknown to him, I do 
 not hesitate to confess all feminine frailties. Anu- 
 bis told me of a queen in ancient times who would 
 not permit the inscriptions to record ' she,' but 
 ' he came,' or ' he, the ruler, conquered.' Fool ! 
 Whatever concerns me, my womanhood is not less 
 lofty than the crown. I was a woman ere I became 
 Queen. The people prostrate themselves before my 
 
 20
 
 296 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 empty litters; but when, in my youth, I wandered 
 in disguise with -Antony through the city streets 
 and visited some scene of merrymaking, while the 
 men gazed admiringly at me, and we heard voices 
 behind us murmur, ' A handsome couple ! ' I re- 
 turned home full of joy and pride. But there was 
 something greater still for .the woman to learn, 
 when the heart in the breast of the Queen forgot 
 throne and sceptre and, in the hours consecrated 
 to Eros, tasted joys known to womanhood alone. 
 How can you men, who only command and desire, 
 understand the happiness of sacrifice ? I am a 
 woman ; my birth does not exalt me above any 
 feeling of my sex ; and what I now ask is not as 
 Queen but as woman." 
 
 "If that is the case," Alexas answered with his 
 hand upon his heart, " you impose silence upon me ; 
 for were I to confess to the woman Cleopatra what 
 agitates my soul, I should be guilty of a double 
 crime I would violate a promise and betray the 
 friend who confided his noble wife to my protec- 
 tion." 
 
 "Now the darkness is becoming too dense for 
 me," replied Cleopatra, raising her head with repel- 
 lent pride. " Or, if I choose to raise the veil, I 
 must point out to you the barriers " 
 
 " Which surround the Queen," replied the Syrian 
 with an obsequious bow. " There you behold the 
 fact. It is an impossibility to separate the woman 
 from the princess. So far as I am concerned. I do
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 297 
 
 not wish to anger the former against the presump- 
 tuous adorer, and I desire to yield to the latter the 
 obedience which is her due. Therefore I entreat 
 you to forget the armlet and its many painful asso- 
 ciations, and pass to the consideration of other 
 matters. Perhaps the fair Barine will voluntarily 
 confess everything, and even add how she managed 
 to ensnare the amiable son of the greatest of men, 
 and the most admirable of mothers, the young 
 King Csesarion." 
 
 Cleopatra's eyes flashed more brightly, and she 
 angrily exclaimed : " I found the boy just now as 
 though he were possessed by demons. He was 
 ready to tear the bandage from his wound, if he 
 were refused the woman whom he loved. A magic 
 potion was the first thought, and his tutor of course 
 attributes everything to magic arts. Charmian, on 
 the contrary, declares that his visits annoyed and 
 even alarmed Barine. Nothing except a rigid in- 
 vestigation can throw light upon this subject. We 
 will await the Imperator's return. Do you think 
 that he will again seek the singer ? You are his 
 most trusted confidant. If you desire his best 
 good, and care for my favour, drop your hesitation 
 and answer this question." 
 
 The Syrian assumed the manner of a man who 
 had reached a decision, and answered firmly : " Cer- 
 tainly he will, unless you prevent him. The sim- 
 plest way would be " 
 
 " Well ? "
 
 298 
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 " To inform him, as soon as he lands, that she 
 is no longer to be found. I should be especially 
 happy to receive this commission from my royal 
 sun." 
 
 " And do you think it would dim the light of 
 your moon a little, were he to seek her here in vain ? " 
 
 " As surely as that the contrary would be the 
 case if he were always as gratefully aware of the 
 peerless brilliancy of his sun as it deserves. Helios 
 suffers no other orb to appear so long as he adorns 
 the heavens. His lustre quenches all the rest. Let 
 my sun so decree, and Barine's little star will van- 
 ish." 
 
 " Enough ! I know your aim now. But a human 
 life is no small thing, and this woman, too, is the 
 child of a mother. We must consider, earnestly 
 consider, whether our purpose cannot be gained 
 without proceeding to extremes. This must be 
 done with zeal and a kindly intention But 
 
 I Now, when the fate of this country, my 
 
 own, and the children's is hanging in the balanqe, 
 when I have not fifteen minutes at my command, 
 and there is no end of writing and consulting, I can 
 waste no time on such matters." 
 
 " The reflective mind must be permitted to use 
 its mighty wings unimpeded," cried the Syrian 
 eagerly. "Leave the settlement of minor matters 
 to trustworthy friends." 
 
 Here they were interrupted by the "intro- 
 ducer," who announced the eunuch Mardion. He
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 299 
 
 had come on business which, spite of the late hour, 
 permitted no delay. 
 
 Alexas accompanied the Queen to the tablinum, 
 where they found the eunuch. A slave attended 
 him, carrying a pouch filled with letters which had 
 just been brought by two messengers from Syria. 
 Among them were some which must be answered 
 without delay. The Keeper of the Seal and the 
 Exegetus were'also waiting. Their late visit was 
 due to the necessity of holding a conference in re- 
 lation to the measures to be adopted to calm the 
 excited citizens. All the galleys which had escaped 
 from the battle had entered the harbour the day 
 before, wreathed with garlands as if a great victory 
 had been won. Loud acclamations greeted them, 
 yet tidings of the defeat at Actium spread with the 
 swiftness of the wind. Crowds were now gather- 
 ing, threatening demonstrations had been made in 
 front of the Sebasteum, and on the square of the 
 Serapeum the troops had been compelled to inter- 
 fere, and blood had flowed. 
 
 There lay the letters. Zeno remarked that more 
 papers conferring authority were required for the 
 work on the canal, and the Exegetus earnestly be- 
 sought definite instruction. 
 
 " It is much much," murmured Cleopatra. 
 Then, drawing herself up to her full height, she 
 exclaimed, " Well, then, to work ! " 
 
 But Alexas did not permit her to do this at once. 
 Humbly advancing as she took her seat at the large
 
 300 
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 writing-table, he whispered : " And with all this, 
 must my royal mistress devote time and thought 
 to the destroyer of her peace. To disturb your 
 Majesty with this trifle is a crime; yet it must be 
 committed, for should the affair remain unheeded 
 longer, the trickling rivulet may become a moun- 
 tain torrent " 
 
 Here Cleopatra, whose glance had just rested 
 upon a fateful letter from King Herod, turned her 
 face half towards her husband's favourite, exclaim- 
 ing curtly, with glowing cheeks, " Presently." 
 
 Then she glanced rapidly over the letter, pushed 
 it excitedly aside, and dismissed the waiting Syrian 
 with the impatient words : " Attend to the trial and 
 the rest. No injustice, but no untimely mildness. 
 I will look into this unpleasant matter myself be- 
 fore the Imperator returns." 
 
 "And the authority?" asked the Syrian, with 
 another low bow. 
 
 " You have it. If you need a written one, apply 
 to Zeno. We will discuss the affair further at some 
 less busy hour." 
 
 The Syrian retired ; but Cleopatra turned to the 
 eunuch and, flushed with emotion, cried, pointing 
 to the King of Judea's letter : " Did you ever wit- 
 ness baser ingratitude ? The rats think the ship is 
 sinking, and it is time to leave it. If we succeed 
 in keeping above water, they will return in swarms; 
 and this must, must, must be done, for the sake of 
 this beloved country and her independence. Then
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 301 
 
 the children, the children ! All our powers must 
 now be taxed, every expedient must be remembered 
 and used. We will hammer each feeble hope until 
 it becomes the strong steel of certainty. f We will 
 transform night into day. The canal will save the 
 fleet. Mark Antony will find in Africa Pinarius 
 Scarpus with untouched loyal legions. The gladia- 
 tors are faithful to us. We can easily make them 
 ours, and my brain is seething with other plans. 
 But first we will attend to the Alexandrians. No 
 violence ! " 
 
 This exclamation was followed by order after 
 order, and the promise that, if necessary, she would 
 show herself to the people. 
 
 The Exegetus was filled with admiration as he 
 received the clear, sagacious directions. After he 
 had retired with his companions, the Queen again 
 turned to the Regent, saying: "We did wisely to 
 make the .people happy at first with tidings of vic- 
 tory. The unexpected news of terrible disaster 
 might have led them to some unprecedented deed 
 of madness. Disappointment is a more common 
 pain, for which less powerful remedies will suffice. 
 Besides, many things could be arranged ere they 
 knew that I was here. How much we have accom- 
 plished already, Mardion ! But I have not even 
 granted myself the joy of seeing my children. I 
 was forced to defer the pleasure of the companion- 
 ship of my oldest friends, even Archibius. When 
 he comes again he will be admitted. I have given
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 the order. He knows Rome thoroughly. I must 
 hear his opinion of pending negotiations." 
 
 ' She shivered as she spoke, and pressing her 
 i and upon her brow, exclaimed : " Octavianus vic- 
 tor, Cleopatra vanquished ! I, who was everything 
 ) Caesar, beseeching mercy from his heir. I, a 
 etitioner to Octavia's brother ! Yet, no, no ! 
 here are still a hundred chances of avoiding the 
 orrble doom. But whoever wishes to compel the 
 ;ld .o bear fruits -must dig sturdily, draw the 
 uckets from the well, plough, and sow the seed, 
 o work, then, to work ! When Antony returns he 
 ust find all things ready. The first success will 
 :store his lost energy. I glanced through yonder 
 tter while talking with the Exegetus ; now I will 
 ctate the answer." 
 
 So she sat reading, writing, and dictating, listen- 
 .g, answering, and giving orders, until the east 
 : 'ightened with the approach of dawn, the morning 
 ar grew pale, and the Regent, utterly exhausted, 
 itreated her to consider her own health and his 
 3ars, and permit him a few hours' rest. 
 
 Then she, too, allowed herself to be led into her 
 .irkened chamber, and this time a friendly, dream- 
 ^s slumber closed her weary eyes and held her 
 iptive until-roused by the loud shouts of the mul- 
 tude, who had heard of the Queen's return and 
 ocked to Lochias. 
 
 END OF VOLUME I.
 
 A 000146257 1
 
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