Page:The Song of the Sirens.djvu/265

 They have let me alone, all of them. They have had the marvelous good sense to pay me the compliment of supposing I can make up my mind rationally for myself. That makes me like Corinna and like you too. I'm going to give you another chance. She deserves you and you deserve her. Did you come here alone?"

"No, Sir," said Bassus simply. "Corinna and her mother came with me."

The Emperor clapped his hands twice.

A page came, was given his orders, and in a moment ushered in Corinna and her mother.

"No," said the Emperor sharply. "No kneeling! No hand-kissing! Sit down, all three of you. I meant to be severe with Bassus, to make an example of him. But he made me laugh! The first real laugh I have had in months. I had a soft spot in my heart for him anyhow. The man who transformed the most fickle and capricious coquette in Rome into a paragon of constancy deserves consideration. He is a marvel. So I'm going to give Bassus a chance to do better against the Ripustians. This time he shall have ten ships, if he wants that many, and he can pick his choice of ships, men and stores at Ravenna or at Misenum also, if he likes.

"But there are two conditions. First, you two must be married to-day. Not any later day, but to-day. In the second place you must report him