Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-11-14
"Open, Atoua r, | sad.

It was Charmion, still beautiful as of old, but sad-faced now and very sweet to see, with patient fire slumbering in her down.
 cast eye.
 She entered unattended; and, speaking
 no word, the old wife pointed to where 1
 sat, and went.
 "Old man." she said, addressing me,
 Head me to the learned Olympus l como
 upon the Queens business"
 rose, and, lifting my head, looked upon
 her. She gazed, and gave little cry.
 "Surely," she whispered, glancing round,
 surely thou art not that" And she paused.
 "That Harmachis whom once thy foolish
 heart did love, O Charmioni Yea, am he, and what thou seest, most fair lady. Yet is Harmachis dead whom thou didst love; but Olympus, the skilled Egyptian, waits upon thy wordsr'
 "Ceaser she said, "and of the past but one word, and then-why, let it lie Not well with all thy wisdom canst thou know true woman's heart if thou dost believe, Harmachis. that it can change with the changes of the outer form, for then as- suredly could no love follow its beloved to that last place ot change-the Crave
 Know thou, learned Physician, am of that sort who, loving once, love always, and be- ing not beloved again, go virgin to the death."
 She ceased and, having naught to say,
 bowed my head in answer. Yet, though naught said, and though this woman's passionate folly had been the cause of all our ruin, to speak truth, in secret was thankful to her who, wooed of all and living in this shameless Court, had still through tue long years poured out her unreturned love upon an outcast, and who, when that poor broken slave of Fortune came back in such unlovely guise, did yet hold him dear at heart. For what man is there who does not prize that gift most rare and beautiful, thatone perfect thing which no gold can buy-a woman's unfeisned love7
 Fl thank thee that thou didst not an- swer," she said; "for the bitter words which thou didst pour upon me in those days that long are dead, and far away in Tursus, have not lost their poisonous sung, and in my heartis no more place for tho arrows of thy scoru, new venomed through thy solitary years. So let it be. Beholdl Iput it from me. that wild passion of my soul," and she looked up and stretched out her hands as though to press some unseen presence back II put 1t from me-though forget it may notl There, 'tis done, Harmachis; no moro shall my love trouble thee. Enough for me that once moro my eyes behold thee, before sleep seals thee from their sight Dost re- member how when would have died by thy dear hand, thou wouldst not slay, but didst oAo AAO AlNO " R1OCh tuS OlOIcE 1Eu1U O1 crime, and be accurs cd by visions of the evil had wrought and memories of thee whom had ruined3n
 "Ay, Charmion, we'll do remember" "Surely hath the cup of punishment been filled. Oh! couldst thou see into the record of my heart and read thereon the suffering that have borne-borne with a smiling face-thy justice would be satisfied indeed !' "And yet, if report be true, ,Charmion, thou nr.t x1,xa F01l !, most powerful and beloved. Doth not Octavianua rive 1t forth that he makes war not on hnto..y, nor even on his mistress, Cleopatr&, ut on Charmion and Irasr' "1 ci,, ;lr thlnk what it has been to me | thus. t:;:2 of my oath to thee, to be forced to eat the bread and do the biddings of one whom so bitterly I hatel-o who has sabbed me of thee, and who, through the workings cf my jealousy, brought mo to 4:'at wl.ic.l j am, brought thee to shame, and e.ll Egyl>1 to i;s ruin Can jewels and riches and the tia,tery of princes and nobles bring happiness to such ono as l, who am more wretched than the meanest scullion wench2 Oh, often have l wept till was blind; and then, when the hour came, I must arise and tire me, and, with a smile, go do the bidding of the Queen and that heavy Antony. May the Gods grant me to see them dcad-ay, the twain of them!-then ny e"il S-isti De CouuenI 10 Qlc! Hard hath been thy lot, Harmachis; but at least thou hast been free, and many is the timo that have envied thee the quiet of thy haunted cave.n
 VI de percelve, o Charmion, that thou art mindful of thy oaths; and it IS well, for methinks the hour of ven Seance is at hand"
 II am mindful, and in all things have worked for thee in secretion thee, and for the utter ruin of Cleopatra and the Roman. have famed his passion and her jealousy, have eggeu her on to wickedness and him to folly, and if all have caused report to be brought to C;csar. Listen! thus stands the matter. Thou knowest how went the fight at Actium. Thither with her fleet went Cleopatra, sorely against the will of Antony But, as thou sendest me word, entreated hlm for the Queen, vowiug to him, with tears, that, did he leave her, she would die of grief; and he, poor slave, believed me. And so she went, and in the thick of the fight, for what cause know not, she. made signal to her squadron, and, putting about, fled from the battle, sailing for Pelopon- nesus. Ard now mark the end. When Antony saw that she was gone, he, in his madness, took a galley, and, deserting all, followed hard after her, leaving his fleet to be shattered and sunk, and his great army in Greece of twenty legions and twelve thousand horses without leader. And all this would no man believe, that Antony,
 the smitten of the gods, had fallen so deep in shame. Therefore for awhile the army tarned, and but now tonight comes news brought by Canidius, the General, that,
 worn with doubt and being at length sure | that Antony had deserted them, the whole | of that great force hath yielded to Cesar" "And where, then, is Antonya" "On little isle in the Great Harbor hath be built him 8 habitation and named it Mmonium; because, forsooth, like Timon,
 he cries out of the fngratitude of mankind
 that hath forsaken him. And there he lies
 smitten by fever of the mind, and thither
 must thou go at dawn, so wills the Queen,
 to cure h,m of his ills and draw him to her
 arms; for her he will not see, nor knows he yet the fuli measure of his woe. But first my bidding is to lead thee instantly to Cleo
 patra, who fain would ask thy counsel"
 II oome," answered, rising. "Lead thou oa."
 And so VIC passed the palace gates and along the AlGbaster Hall, and presently
 once again stood before the door of Cleo
 patra's chamber, and once again Charmion
 left me to warn her of my coming.
 Presently she came back and beckoned to Sn,n a1y