Heaven had given him every
blessing but one; it had denied him the heritage of freedom. He was
born in Athens, the subject of Rome. Succeeding early to an ample
inheritance, he had indulged that inclination for travel, so natural to
the young, and consequently knew much of the gorgeous luxuries of the
imperial court. His ideals in life were high. At last he discovered the
long-sought idol of his dreams in the person of Ione, a beautiful, young
Neapolitan, also of Greek parentage, who had lately come to Pompeii. She
was one of those brilliant characters which seldom flash across our
career. She united in the highest perfection the rarest of earthly
gifts,--Genius and Beauty. No wonder that the friendship of these two
ripened into a higher love than that which served a theme for the idle
gossip of the Roman baths, or the epicurean board of a Sallust or a
Diomede.
Arbaces, the legal guardian of Ione, was a subtle, crafty, cunning
Egyptian, whose conscience was solely of the intellect awed by no moral
laws. His great wealth and learning, and his reputation as a magician
gave him great power and influence over not only the superstitious
worshipers, but also the priesthood of Isis.
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