He is so _very_ funny,
poor dear, when he tries to be polite."
The face in the glass, framed by two white arms raising a column of
hair, was suffused with rosy mirth.
"I wonder what Horace really thinks of him?"
The face, triumphantly crowned with its dark coil, looked grave.
"He _is_ a gentleman. At least, he lied like one."
By this time Lucia was in bed, and there was no face in the glass to
dispute or corroborate that statement.
CHAPTER XXIII
The next morning he gave into her hands the manuscript of _Helen in
Leuce_. It had arrived two or three days ago, packed by Spinks between
his new shirts. She had expected to feel a little guilty as she
received the familiar sheets; but as she glanced over them she saw
that they were anything but familiar; what she had to deal with was a
clean new draft.
She had a fairly clear recollection of the outline of the play.
In Act I Helen lands in the enchanted island of Leuce, and is found
watching the ship that brought her sailing away with the dead
Menelaus, for he, being altogether mortal, may not follow her there.
The Chorus tells the story of Helen, her rape by Theseus, her marriage
with Menelaus, her flight with Paris, the tragedy of Troy and her
return to Argos. It tells how through all her adventures the godhead
in her remained pure, untouched, holding itself apart.
In Act II Helen is asleep, for the soul of Leda still troubles her
divinity, and her mortality is heavy upon her.
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