The Nemesis: A Tale Of The Days Of Trajan.

without knowing thyself his merits or his faults ? Hast thou yet to learn that envy of the talents of great men makes the hungry rabble snarl at noble heels ? Come , go with me and judge him for thyself . "

" I go ! " answered Adrian , flushing crimson partly with indignation , partly with an emotion of a tender nature at the proposal . Recovering himself he said : " The Greek has daughters . Listen , my Caius , thou art a poet , and knowest the story of Pygmalion . Shall I read you my account of it ?"

" I shall gladly listen to it . " Adrian opened a roll of papyrus and read the following , which we do but poorly render . It is Pygmalion who is supposed to speak . THE STOEY OP PYGMALION .

" Shine out , ye stars , that , amid your gleamingthrong I may behold the Queen of Love , and bless her ; bless her who unto mine arms has given this heavenly one . " Then addressing his idol spouse , " Aye , love , to her let us pray , who , when my

heart was maddened by the fire lit at the works of mine own hands , didsfc breathe upon thee and give life . Smile , smile upon me , my own , my wife , my dearest own ; for well I know thou lovest me and me alone . Nor ever did thy gaze , before ifc

met mine own , as the rays of heaven shot down their skies into thy sightless orbs , ever dream of other love . Ah ! thou art pure ; no lipped delight of many lovers then ; nor sullied are the chambers of thy heart by passions breath , save the

divine fire burning in my own . My life . My soul . The star which burst upon , night and filled my sky with joy , and caught me up from out the slough of woe and made me blest . Would ' st thou know how thou wast giveu to me ? Then sit thee

here upon my knee , and let the golden glory of thy hair float loose upon my breast , thy head cradled upon my heart , thine eyes on mine , thy thy baud within mine own . " A dreamy orphan I , left to the care of an

old sage , who taught me all his lore about the gods , and those great souls , who made a greater godhead upon this earth , even than that to which Zeus , in envy called them , and snatching them up to heaven sets them to grace his state and

guard his throne . He told me of those fair but deadly maids , who sing by the seashore , and seamen tempt to their embrace , but while couching upon their breasts , they tear their victims to pieces . More he told me—how that on earth , in the great

cities , such women dwelt , spreading their webs abroad to engulph poor flies ; and that the femalesex was false and fickle as the deep blue wave , by * which the Sirens sit and chant their spells . How that they were as false as they were fair—fair ,

butrotten as the fruits which grew upon the lifelesssea . How that they'd smile and kiss and yield until a wealthier came , and that a tinsell'd ray couldwin their love , a feather more or less cast up or down the scale : that their delight was man's

unending woe , to cast him into fires of doubt , and ' try and tempt him as a child with a bird ; but when their appetites were sated , and their vanity full gorged , they left him to the keenness of a wound that never heals , but every wind that races through the azure plains—yea , every note sung

by the wild wood bird , the gurgling streamlet orthe falling dew—cuts to the quick and quivers todespair . "Moved by his warning , in my heart I felt a mighty loathing as of some unclean and evil thing ,

creep through iny blood , whenever I passed a woman . But the march of time removed my Mentor from my untried life . He lived but longenough to see the shadow of my coming greatness , to know me courted by the world , and hear

my name in glory sung , my name a torch like tothe lights of heaven , my every word a law . Thefairest forms of womankind displayed their hiddenbeauties to me . Nay , start not , dearest , nor let the shadow of a doubt disturb thy love ' s repose .

Vain were each charm . Their spells fell from my heart ; as snow from red-hot steel . My heart throbbed only with the lessons of my youth .

" To shame their vileness I assayed to carve a figure , lovelier far than any woman of this day , of rarest beauty . In the secret night I toiled at thee , and grace and beauty sprang into life beneath my touch , until a perfect woman , clad in innocence ,

in purity , in loveliness and truth , stood a brilliant wonder in my hall . " Then grew my wild love . "I knew then the gap within my heart , the solitariness of life that found mine art no longer as

a cherished friend , to guide and cheer me in mine onward way . I longed for something more , I knew not what . I longed to hear the statue I had made open its marble lips and speak . My heart turned round its work until I could not quit the

image I had made , it was so wondrous fair , to which all womankind was as the night to day , foulcarrion to a dove . I could not leave the work of