Part 4 (1/2)

[36] The opponents of the Epicureans; they n.o.bly antagonized the mere pursuit of pleasure held out as the one end of life by the Epicurean, and glorified duty.

”Pratinas, to see her ladys.h.i.+p!” bawled a servant-boy[37] at the doorway, very unceremoniously interrupting the good man and his learnedly sublime lore. And Pratinas, with the softest and sweetest of his Greek smiles, entered the room.

[37] _Cubicularius_.

”Your ladys.h.i.+p does me the honour,” he began, with an extremely deferential salutation.

”Oh, my dear Pratinas,” cried Valeria, in a language she called Greek, seizing his hand and almost embracing him, ”how delighted I am to see you! We haven't met since--since yesterday morning. I did so want to have a good talk with you about Plato's theory of the separate existence of ideas. But first I must ask you, have you heard whether the report is true that Terentia, Caius Glabrio's wife, has run off with a gladiator?”

”So Gabinius, I believe,” replied Pratinas, ”just told me. And I heard something else. A great secret. You must not tell.”

”Oh! I am dying to know,” smirked Valeria.

”Well,” said the Greek, confidentially, ”Publius Sila.n.u.s has divorced his wife, Crispia. 'She went too much,' he says, 'with young Purpureo.'”

”You do not say so!” exclaimed the lady. ”I always knew that would happen! Now tell me, don't you think this perfume of iris is delicate?

It's in that little gla.s.s scent bottle; break the neck.[38] I shall use it in a minute. I have just had some bottles sent up from Capua.

Roman perfumes are so vulgar!”

[38] To let out the ointment. Capua was a famed emporium for perfumes and like wares.

”I fear,” said Pratinas, doing as bidden, and testing the essence with evident satisfaction, ”that I have interrupted your philosophical studies.” And he glanced at Pisander, who was sitting lonesome and offended in his corner.

”Oh! not in the least,” ran on Valeria; ”but though I know you are Epicurean, surely you enjoy Plato?”

”Certainly,” said Pratinas, with dramatic dignity, ”I suck the sweets from the flowers left us by all the wise and good. Epicurean though I am, your ladys.h.i.+p must permit me to lend you a copy of an essay I have with me, by that great philosopher, the Stoic Chrysippos,[39] although I cannot agree with all his teachings; and this copy of Panaitios, the Eclectic's great _Treatise on Duty_, which cannot fail to edify your ladys.h.i.+p.” And he held out the two rolls.

[39] Born 180 B.C.

”A thousand thanks,” said Valeria, languidly, ”hand them to Pisander.

I will have him read them. A little more white lead, Arsinoe, I am too tanned; make me paler. Just run over the veins of my temples with a touch of blue paint. Now a tint of antimony on my eyelids.”

”Your ladys.h.i.+p seems in wonderfully good spirits this morning,”

insinuated Pratinas.

”Yes,” said Valeria, with a sigh, ”I endure the woes of life as should one who is consoled by philosophy.”

”Shall I continue the Plato?” edged in poor Pisander, who was raging inwardly to think that Pratinas should dare to a.s.sume the name of a ”lover of learning.”

”When you are needed, I can tell you,” snapped Valeria, sharply, at the feeble remonstrance. ”Now, Semiramis, you may arrange my hair.”

The girl looked puzzled. To tell the truth, Valeria was speaking in a tongue that was a babel of Greek and Latin, although she fondly imagined it to be the former, and Semiramis could hardly understand her.

”If your ladys.h.i.+p will speak in Latin,” faltered the maid.

”Speak in Latin! Speak in Latin!” flared up Valeria. ”Am I deceived?

Are you not Greeks? Are you some ignorant Italian wenches who can't speak anything but their native jargon? Bah! You've misplaced a curl.

Take that!” And she struck the girl across the palms, with the flat of her silver mirror. Semiramis s.h.i.+vered and flushed, but said nothing.