The Press., 1899-08-17
the lava of yesuvius.

the lava OF NCsuV1uS
But what perplexed him more than
her strange costume was to recognize
in the cleaning eyes of the young wom-
an q familiar glance whose sparkle had
once before shone into his. but yet he
could not recall where he had ever seen
her.
ST am called N@voleia Tyche," said
she in clear, musical accents.
The architect started in astonish-
ment.
s.Nevoleia Tyche. the freed woman
Of Julia7''
eyes"
.sThe beloved of Caius Munatius
Faustus?"
s'I am she.
ssToday looked at and admired your
tomb. Tell me, are you dead or living y
'sListen!' And her voice was touched
| with tender melancholy. "That tomb
| built while living for myself and for
| Caius Faustus, to whom the decurions
had awarded the honors of the bisel-
lium, and I hoped some day to find
there eternal rest. The gods willed it
otherwise. Often, returning from my
evening drives. before entering the
| town passed and looked with pride at
| nv superb mausoleum, on which were
carved my own features and form. But
| who remembers now the beautiful and
adored Nevoleia Tyche. who now would
know her in her new shape, who now
could distinguish her from her countless
compartment"
Dazzled by the beauty of the Pom
peiian, bewitched by her enhancing
voice and unable in his bewildered
mind to distinguish clearly between
the boundaries of past and present, he
tried in vain to comprehend the mys-
terry of her strange words.
''Either I am dreaming or else this
wine has intoxicated me and l have
lost my senses, he murmured.
"Wretch, this is not a dreaml"
"Why do you reproach me2'
''In vain did I try to flee. In vain
did struggle. Your cruel hand seized
me just as l ventured one moment from
the cold and gloomy refuge of my tomb
into the bright sunshine and was run
ming across the stones, still warm with
the kisses of Phebus."
"The lizard!" And the young man,
aghast, now recognized the eyes which
had pierced his through the glass OF
their prison.
81 see, like many others, you do not
know the secret CT cur metempsychosis,
and you are ignorant of the mysterious
revelations of Pythagoras. Not all OF
us persisted at the time of the catas
trophe. Venus protected her children
from the anger of the Internal deities
and changed us into lizards. I was
saved, with many others, but. my
dwelling being destroyed, 1 sought ref
uge in the tomb had built B"
"Forgive me. N8voleial"
"Nay, I would not punish you fol
this ignorance, since, unwittingly
through it, you have learned of our ex
istence."
"Your generosity overwhelms me-"
= "And now to our reconciliation
K drink once more of the life givint
wine," said she. smiling in her seduc
tive way and filling the architects cup
81 drink" he said, "to the Pom
y peiian Venus, to beauty ard to grace
drink to the divine the lovely Navolei
Tychel"
He quaffed his cup, and on his brow
he felt the soft touch of the fair one
I lips.
At day break the first rays of the sui
a fell upon Louis asleep with his head o.
the table. Beside him on the floor la
the remains of a broken amphora of an
tique shape.
Waking from his stupor, he passe
% his hand across his brow and locke
. around him anxiously. as if scekin
the presence Of another person. But h
IL was alone with a broken jar, of whic
at that moment he remembered nothing
l. The cool breeze reused him turtle
as the landlord opened the door,
Ii He looked questioningly at his gues
"Have I been asleep heref" sal
Louis in confusion.
: "It was your wish to sleep here
y signor.
u "What wine was that you gave mt
padrone?"
u ga famous one and rare"
l., "Say rather a magic philtre. M
brain is still confused"
II 81 did not know that it was s
T. heady, signor."
'e "Why, it was like drinking liqui
= fire."
"Well, just think, signori Wine {
70. the year of the eruption l"-Frol
the French For Short Stories.