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200 presence, and was received by her right royally. Feast succeeded feast in her palace to do honor to his visit, and she spared no pains to please her guest, putting off day by day his desire to make the fatal choice, lest by it she should lose sight of him whom she felt was becoming constantly dearer. At length Bassanio could no longer conceal his impatience to know his fate, and obtained her consent to make his choice. Portia, Nerissa, Gratiano, and a host of attendants accompanied him to the mysterious chamber where the caskets lay in state, and to the sound of sweet, half-melancholy music, the curtains that concealed them were withdrawn.

The heart of Portia beat fast as Bassanio approached the caskets. He looked from one to the other, read carefully the inscriptions, and guided perhaps by the inspiration of the real love he felt for Portia, laid his hand upon the box of lead. It flew open at the touch, and within fair Portia’s picture, elegantly set in gold and diamonds, lay enshrined, while beside it was a paper on which was written this stanza: