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The guests began the banquet in a very joyous aiety, and the quick intellect and keen wit of the Alexandrians, combined with the choicest viands of the luxurious capital, where the wines and dainties of all the countries of the Mediterranean found sellers and buyers, and the cook's vocation was developed into a fine art, to spice this banquet with a hundred charms for the uished circle of fareat and wealthy nobles, beautiful and aristocratic woed by every one who had admired his Demeter, who coreeable to him or his host

Every kind remark about his person, his blindness, and his masterpiece was repeated to him and, after the wine and the effort to attract Daphne's attention and shine in the presence of his beautiful neighbour had heated and winged his thoughts, he found an apt reply to each noteworthy word

When the dessert was finally eaten, and after sunset, in the brilliant light of the la vessels, all remained silent to listen to his fervid speech

Glycera had asked hi of the banquet, to tell her about the attack in Tennis Now he yielded to her wish that he should repeat the captivating tale to the others, and the spirits of the wine helped him to perform the task with such animation that his hearers listened to his description in breathless suspense, and reat blind artist as if spellbound

When he paused, loud applause rewarded him, and as it reached him from every part of the spacious room, his deep, resonant voice put hiuests, and he ht have been taken for the symposiarch or director of the banquet

This conspicuous position of the feted artist did not please every one, and a rhetorician, fahbour, one of Hermon's older fellow-artists, "What his eyes have lost seeue" The sculptor answered: "At any rate, the i hi more mediocre masterpieces like the Demeter"

Similar remarks were esias asked the faht of Hermon's Demeter, the kindly old man answered, "I should laud this noble work as a memorable event, even if it did not ifted creator's new career"