Give me--yourself!" Then he stretched out his arms and drew her to him, all soft and loving and unresisting, and he pressed his lips to her pure and tender lips.
And it seemed as if the heavens opened, and the Night poured down all that was divine of bliss.
But before he could be sure that indeed he held her safely in his arms, she started forward, releasing herself.

Then, clasping Aphrodite and her silken folds, with a bound she was far beyond him, and had disappeared in the shadow of the archway, on whose curve the last rays of moonlight played, so that he saw it outlined and clear.
He strode forward to follow her, but to his amazement, when he reached the place, she seemed to vanish absolutely in front of his eyes, and although he lit a match and searched everywhere, not the slightest trace of her could he find, and there was no opening or possible corner into which she could have disappeared.
Absolutely dumbfounded, he groped his way back to the bench, and sitting down buried his head in his hands.

Surely it was all a dream, then, and he had been drunk--with the Professor's Falernian wine--and had wandered here and slept.

But, God of all the nights, what an exquisite dream!.