Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-01-02

appreciated IL all to the full They
sat about in groups on the pavement
beneath the light like a tangle
Of rainbovs for color. and according
to the new custom they went into rap
lures and ecstaSics over their enjoy
ment. Women and men both, they
fingered over each Utilization of the
palate as though it were a carcss Of
the gods.
Phorenice, with her quick. bright
eyes, looked on. and occasionally flung
one or another a few words between
her talk with me. and now and again
called some favored creature up to
receive a scrap of Wand from the royal
dish This the honored one would eat
with cXtrsvagant gesture. or (as hap
pened twice. would put il away in the
folds of his clothes as n treasure TOO
dear to be proianed by human lips.
To me- this fattery appeared gross
and disgust ful. but Phorenice. through
use. perhaps, seemed 10 take it as
merely her due There was. one had
10 suppose, a weakness in her some
where, though truly to the outward
seeing none was apparent. Her face
was strong enough, and il was
subtle also. and, moreover. il was
wondrous comely. All the courticrS
in the banqucting hall raved about
Phorenice's face and the other beau
ties of her body and limbs; and though
not given to appreciation in these mat
tiers. | could not but see that here at
least they had a groundwork for
their admiration; for surely the gods
have never favored mortal woman
more highly. Vet lovely though she
might be, for myself I preferred to
look upon llga, the girl, who, because
Of hor rank, was privileged TO sit on
the divan behind rs aS immediate at
'~ldant. There was an honesty in
Nlga'S face which Phorenice's lacked.
They did not eat to nutrify their bod
les. these fcasters in the banquetng
hall OF the royal pyramid, but they
ate TO cloy themselves, and they strut
ted forth new uSaCes with every plat
ter and bowl that the slaves brought
To me some of their manners were
closely touching on disrespect. At
the halfway of the meal a gorgeous
popinjay--he was a governor of an
out-provincc driven into the capital
by a rebellion in his own iands-this
gorgeo fop, ] say, walked up be
tween the groups of feasters with
flushed face and unsteady gait, and did
obeisance before the divan. Most
astounding empress cried her, fair
est among the goddesSes, queen reg
nsnt of ms adoring heart, hail"
And so the feast went on, the guests
practicing their g,uttonies and their
absurdities, and the guards standing
to their arms round the circuit of the
walls as motionless and as stern as
the statues carven in the white stone
beyond them. But a term was put to
the orgie with something of sudden
ness There was stir at the farther
doorway of the banqueting hall. and
: clash, as two of the guards joined
their spears across the entrance. But
the man they tried to stop-or per-
haps il was to pin-passed them I'M
harmed, and walked up over the pave
ment between the lights and the
groups of frasters. All looked round
at him; a few threw him ribald words;
but none vcntured to stop his prog
ress. 4 few, women chiefly, | could
see shuddered a. he passed them by,
as though a wintry chill had come over
them; and in the end he walked up
and stood in front Of Phorenice's di-
van and gazed tNedly on her, but
without making oheiSance.
lie was frail old man, with white
hair tumbling ON his shoulders and
ragged beard. The mud Of waYfaring
, hung in plots on his feet and legs.