Arethusa

or Carlo gave fifty orders, every one of which he insisted should be executed at once. It was not a small thing to instal a

ms which Zeno set apart for the valuable slave's use while she remained under his roof, yet scimitars, chessmen, and heathen idols of jade were poor substitutes for all the things a woman might be expected to need at a moment's notice, from hairpins a

the soft luxuries of the Roman bath. There was no mirror in his room, no elaborate toilet service of gold and silver, such as fine young gentlemen used even then. He liked a good dinner when he was hun

a woman to wait on her at once, and when he realised the omission, almost at the last minute, the future conqueror of the Genoese, the terror of the Mediterranean, the victorious general of the Paduan campaign, the hero of thirty pitched ba

or the twentieth time, 'go out quickly and buy two maids. They m

s jaw dropped. 'Two maids?'

rful in that? Did you expect

no opened his lit

he-the young person who is going to be lodged h

idea where to go. Before he had reached the ou

ng person. Take two palanquins instead of one, and tell Rustan to let her choose

was a man of business. 'Rustan will ask wh

ll do no more business with Venetians,' answe

two palanquins and eight bearers, besides a couple of Zeno's trusty men-servants, well armed, for he carried a large sum of money in gold. The

ting up his eyes, and preparing to

e waited on her and with whom she is much pleased. As for asking too hig

ting up his eyes, and preparing to

face becoming like stone, 'may my

fate Omobono did not think that the Bokharian risked any

rue, according to your own light. But you must be aware that the price of maid-servants

ad and maintained h

ht the best of them? There has been a plague of smallpox in their cou

rgo, he found it hard to refute Rustan's ar

close on the back of my hand, if I have asked one d

er finery, ushered in Zo?, closely veiled and wrapped in the cloak she had worn on the previous night. It was, in fact, nece

tch those two girls who have waited on Kokóna Aret

out. By this time Omobono had

that we are friends, and do not ask an exorbitant price.

keenly at him and was silent for a moment. Neither of them noticed that Zo? made a quick moveme

ed as he crosse

down and whispered three words in his ear. Before Rustan turned back to hear the clerk's an

swered Omobono, with

'But you cannot expect me to take anything off the price of the

inly! And I th

stan, 'that you woul

answered Omobono. 'Sha

slave-girls, whose commonplace features were wreathed in smiles, and the

e enquired of Zo?. 'My master is very

red readily. 'They are v

was paying four hundred for Zo?, but Rustan did not mean her to see the gold, and had covered it with one of his loose sleeves as she entered. He now begged his wife take the three slaves to the palanquins while he finished counting and weighing, and

strip of parchme

ronicus Augustus C?sar, and the fourteenth of the Indiction, I have received from the Most Magnificent Carl

thusa, without blemish, scar, or birthmark, having natural brown hair, brown eyes, twenty-eight teeth all so

er having been tortured or branded, each having black hair, black eyes, and twenty-eight teeth, trained to wait on a lady, and speaking

l Duc

ji, the son of Da

tian Omobono, o

owledged forty ducats as the price of

ducats,' answered the Bokharian with dignity. 'Moreover, your employer will see

,' protested Omobono, sha

led, in a

said, tightening the strings of the canvas bag into wh

, of which he could not even guess the nature, manifesting itself in such nonsensical phrases as 'four toes and five toes,' and 'over the water,' which nevertheless produced such truly astonishing results. Since the previous afternoon he had met four persons who knew those absurd words,-the negress, her

s incredible that the people who knew the words should not be banded together in some secret brotherhood; but if they were brethren, how could they sell

ke his charges to what was now the women's apartment and leave them there. Zo? obeyed Omobono's directions in silence, still veiled, and the two maids tripped u

to let Zo? pass. 'If the Kokóna desires anything, she will plea

stairs, he instinctively treated her and spoke to her as if she were his superior. She nodded her thanks now, but said nothing, and he went away. She looked after him and listened, but no key was turne

wear. The girls touched everything and talked by signs, lest they should disturb Zo?'s meditations. They told each other that the master of the house must be highly pleased with his slave, since he surrounded her with beautiful things; that these things were all new, which was a sign that there was no other woman in the house; and that they were very fortunate a

him that sixteen ducats had been saved on the bargain, though Rustan did not wish it known. Thereupo

ing the new arrival, which had not been light, and he walked up and down his room in deep thought. He had acted on an impulse

, the merchandise was his property, since he had paid for it. But he must make up his mind whether he meant to call it his own, or not. If he decided

he fancied she was a girl of good family whom some great misfortune had brought into her present dis

me beautiful slave, and had been carefully educated by her mother's owner; and the latter, needing mon

nherent right of freedom, excepting one or two popes and fanatics who had been considered visionaries. To Zeno, who was a man of his own times, it seemed quite as absurd that every one should be born free, as it would seem to you that everybody should be born an English duke, a Tammany boss, a great opera tenor, or Crown Prince of the Empire. Moreover, in the case of a beauty, especiall

did, and when he had made up his mind

ed, scrutinising the girl's common

e you,' she added diffidently, as if half-expecti

me in his memory, 'and what do you ca

puzzled by

' she answered, after

he gives you an order, how do you answer her? You do not merely say,

ed and sho

d. 'Is not that the Greek word fo

dy. But Arethusa is only a slave as you are. Why do yo

er Kokóna she would perhaps pull our hair or scratch our faces. Who knows? We are on

ners, did she?' Zen

osophy beyond her years. 'We have fetched a good price, and we have a good master, and w

asked Zeno,

the slave-prison yesterda

hat t

for the black woman sent the other

r this informati

t I shall sup with her th

y, leaving the master of the house to his meditations. She found Zo? still sitting by the window, and the d

at he will sup with you to

gh the colour rose to her face, and she turned quite away from the maids l

Yulia timidly, after a time. 'You have eaten noth

swered Zo?, turning and smiling a little

at was waiting there. As he stepped in, she drew far back from the window lest he should look up and see that she had been watching him. She heard his voice as he gave an order t

ess, and were fast asleep. The shadow of the house lengthened till it slanted out to the right beyond the marble steps upon the placid water, and the bright sunlight that

even noticed them, but just then the even plashing of oars was heard again, and she saw the skiff coming back, but without Zeno. She looked again to be sure

ought with wonderful needlework, and pale silks, and velvet of faintest blue embroidered with silver threads; and when they had done their best they held two burnished metal mirrors before her and behind her, that she might admire herself. They had lighted many litt

he came softly through the warm lamplight and s

e felt the whole extent and meaning of what she had done.