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And, in fact, he did not long claim the attention of his hearers Clearly and curtly he stated how it had been possible to oldsmith had dispelled his first suspicion, and how vainly he had besought the priests of Demeter to be per into details, he inforh an accident, he had now reached the fired to another But, though the latter could not rise frorave, he still owed it to truth, to whose service he had dedicated his art fro, and to the simple honesty, dear alike to the peasant and the artist, to divest himself of the fame to which he was not entitled Even while he believed himself to be the creator of the Demeter, he had been seriously troubled by the praise of so many critics, because it had exposed hi become faithless to his art and his nature In the name of the dead, he thanked his dear comrades for the enthusiastic appreciation his masterpiece had found Honour to Myrtilus and his art, but he trusted this noble festal assee would pardon the unintentional deception, and aid his prayer for recovery If it should be granted he hoped to show that Hermon had not been wholly unworthy to adorn himself for a short time with the wreaths of Myrtilus

When he closed, deep silence reigned for a brief interval, and one man looked at another irresolutely until the hero of the day, gray-haired Euphranor, rose and, leaning on the arh the centre of the arena to the stage, mounted it, embraced Hermon with paternal warmth, and made him happy by the words: "The deception that has fallen to your lot,friend, is a lamentable one; but honour to every one who honestly means to uphold the truth We will beseech the iht to your artist eyes If I a comrade, to see you continue to create, it will be a source of joy to h unasked, lead into the eternal realm of beauty the elect who consecrates his art to truth with the right earnestness"

The embrace hich the venerable hero of the festival seereeted with loud applause; but the kind words which Euphranor, in the weak voice of age, had addressed to the blind uests