Hadrian had slept most comfortably; only a few hours it is true, but they had sufficed to refresh his spirit.

He was now in his sitting-room and had gone to the window, which took up more than half the extent of the long west wall of the room, and opened on the sea.

The wide opening, which extended downwards to within a few spans of the floor, was finished at either side by a tall pillar of fine reddish-brown porphyry, flecked with white, and crowned with gilt Corinthian capitals.
Against one of these the Emperor was leaning stroking the blood-hound, whose prompt and vigorous watchfulness had pleased him greatly.

What did he care for the terrors the dog might have caused a mere girl?
By the other pillar stood Antinous; he had placed his right foot on the low window-sill, and with his chin resting on his hand and his elbow on his knee, his figure was well within the room.
"This, Pontius, is really a first-rate man," said Hadrian, pointing to a tapestry hanging across the narrow end of the room.

"This hanging was copied from a fruit-piece that I painted some time since, and had executed here in mosaic.