The younger son grasped his father’s hand and pressed it with warm affection to his lips.  Petrus hastily stroked his brown locks, then he offered his strong right hand to his eldest-born and said:  We must increase the number of our slaves.  Call your mother, Polykarp.”  The youth obeyed with cheerful alacrity, and when Dame Dorothea—­who was sitting at the loom with her daughter Marthana and some of her female slaves—­saw him rush into the women’s room with a glowing face, she rose with youthful briskness in spite of her stout and dignified figure, and called out to her son: 

“He has approved of your plans?”

“Bridge and all, mother, everything,” cried the young man.  “Finer granite for my lions, than my father has picked out for me is nowhere to be found, and how glad I am for Antonius! only we must have patience about the roadway.  He wants to speak to you at once.”

Dorothea signed to her son to moderate his ecstasy, for he had seized her hand, and was pulling her away with him, but the tears that stood in her kind eyes testified how deeply she sympathized in her favorite’s excitement.

“Patience, patience, I am coming directly,” cried she, drawing away her hand in order to arrange her dress and her grey hair, which was abundant and carefully dressed, and formed a meet setting for her still pleasing and unwrinkled face.

“I knew it would be so; when you have a reasonable thing to propose to your father, he will always listen to you and agree with you without my intervention; women should not mix themselves up with men’s work.  Youth draws a strong bow and often shoots beyond the mark.  It would be a pretty thing if out of foolish affection for you I were to try to play the siren that should ensnare the steersman of the house—­your father—­ with flattering words.  You laugh at the grey-haired siren?  But love overlooks the ravages of years and has a good memory for all that was once pleasing.  Besides, men have not always wax in their ears when they should have.  Come now to your father.”

Dorothea went out past Polykarp and her daughter.  The former held his sister back by the hand and asked—­“Was not Sirona with you?”

The sculptor tried to appear quite indifferent, but he blushed as he spoke; Marthana observed this and replied not without a roguish glance:  “She did show us her pretty face; but important business called her away.”

“Sirona?” asked Polykarp incredulously.

“Certainly, why not!” answered Marthana laughing.  “She had to sew a new gown for the children’s doll.”

“Why do you mock at her kindness?” said Polykarp reproachfully.

“How sensitive you are!” said Marthana softly.  “Sirona is as kind and sweet as an angel; but you had better look at her rather less, for she is not one of us, and repulsive as the choleric centurion is to me—­”

She said no more, for Dame Dorothea, having reached the door of the sitting-room, looked around for her children.