On her left lay the gardens of Hermes, where, on the southern side, stood her father's house and that of their neighbor Skopas.

Though the old nurse had indeed talked of nothing that was not pleasant, it was a comfort not to have to listen to her, but to be free to follow her own thoughts.

Nor did she meet with anything to distract them, for at this hour the great public garden was left almost entirely to children and their attendants, or to the inhabitants of the immediate neighborhood who frequented the temples of Hermes or Artemis, or the little shrine of Asklepios, which stood in a grove of mimosas on the skirt of the park, and to which Melissa herself felt attracted.

It had been a familiar spot at the time when her mother was at the worst.

How often had she flown hither from her home near at hand to pour oil on the altar of the god of healing--to make some small offering and find comfort in prayer! The day was now hot, she was tired, and, when she saw the white marble columns gleaming among the greenery, she yielded to the impulse to enjoy a few minutes' rest in the cool cella and accomplish the vow she had taken an hour or two since.