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23 Imagi7iavy Conversation, 23 At these words I saw them both depart. I then looked toward Love : I did not see him go ; but he was gone. The narration being ended ^ there were some who re- marked what very odd things dreams are : but Thelymnia looked almost as if she herself was dreaming ; and Alcimus, who sat opposite, and fancied she was pondering on what the vision could mean, said it appeared to him a thing next to certainty, that it signified how love cannot exist without hope or without fear. Euthymedes nodded assent, and as- sured him that a soothsayer in great repute had given the same interpretation. Upon which the younger friends of Alcimus immediately took the ivy from his forehead, and crowned him with laurel, as being worthy to serve Apollo. But they did it with so much noise and festivity, that, before the operation was completed, he began to suspect they were in jest. Thelymnia had listened to many stories in her life- time, yet never had she heard one from any man before who had been favoured by the deities with a vision. Hope and Love, as her excited imagination represented them to her, seemed still to be with Euthymedes. She thought the tale would have been better without the mention of Fear : but perhaps this part was only a dream, all the rest a really true vision. She had many things to ask him : she did not know when, nor exactly what, for she was afraid of putting too hard a question to him in the presence of so many, lest it might abash him if he could not answer it : but she wished to ask him something, anything. She soon did it, not with- out faltering, and was enchanted by the frankness and libe- rality of her philosopher. Did you ever love any one? said she smiling, tho not inclined to smile, but doing it to conceal (as in her simplicity she thought it would) her blushes, and looking a little aside, at the only cloud in the heavens, which crossed the moon, as if adorning her for a festival, with a fillet of pale sapphire and interlucent gold. / thought I did^ replied he, lowering his eyes that she might lower hers to rest upon him. Do then people ever doubt this? she asked in wonder, looking full in his face with earnest curiosity. Alas ! said he softly, lentil few hours ago^ until