By day the old folks had ceased to laugh; but at night they still had many cheerful hours, for then Hope would beguile them with bright pictures of the future, and tell them all sorts of possible and impossible romances which filled their souls with fresh courage.  How often they would see Pollux returning from the distant city whither he had probably fled-from Rome, or even from Athens—­crowned with laurels and rich in treasure.  The Emperor, who still so kindly remembered them, could not always be angry with him; perhaps he might some day send a messenger to seek Pollux and to make up to him by large commissions for all he had made him suffer.  That her darling was alive she was sure; in that she could not be mistaken, often as Euphorion tried to persuade her that he must be dead.  The singer could tell many tales of luckless men who had been murdered and never seen or heard of again; but she was not to be convinced, she persisted in hope, and lived wholly in the purpose of sending her younger son, Teuker, on his travels to seek his lost brother as soon as his apprenticeship was over, which would be in a few months.

Antinous, whose burnt hands had soon got well under the Emperor’s care, and who had never felt a liking and friendship for any other young man but Pollux, lamented the artist’s disappearance and wished much to seek out dame Doris; but he found it harder than ever to leave his master, and was so eager always to be at hand that Hadrian often laughingly reproached him with making his slaves’ duties too light.

When at last he really was master of an hour to himself he postponed his intention of seeing his friend’s parents; for with him there was always a wide world between the purpose and the deed which he never could overleap, if not urged by some strong impulse; and his most pressing instincts prompted him, when the Emperor was disputing in the Museum or receiving instructions from the chiefs of the different religious communities as to the doctrines they severally professed, to visit the suburban villa where, when February had already begun, Selene was still living.  He had often succeeded in stealing into Paulina’s garden, but he could not at first realize his hope of being observed by Selene of obtaining speech with her.  Whenever he went near Hannah’s little house, Mary, the deformed girl, would come in his way, tell him how her friend was, and beg or desire him to go away.  She was always with the sick girl, for now her mother was nursed by her sister, and dame Hannah had obtained permission for her to work at home in gumming the papyrus-strips together.

The widow herself was obliged to be at her post in the factory, for her duties as overseer made her presence indispensable in the work-room.