“The mirror . . . it is stolen, stolen! Ah! haaa! I shall never laugh so much again if I live to be as old as Chronos. Stolen, stolen, the silver mirror!” The singing-girl tried to drag her away, but Philotis had understood. “Hi!” she cried to the others, waving her two arms. “Come here quickly! There is news! Bacchis’s mirror has been stolen!” And all exclaimed: “Papaië! Bacchis’s mirror!” In an instant, thirty women crowded round the flute-girl: “What is happening?” “What?” “Bacchis has had her mirror stolen: Theano has just said so.” “But when?” “Who has taken it?” The child shrugged her shoulders: “How do I know?” “You passed the night there. You must know. It is not possible. Who entered her house? You have certainly been told. Try to collect yourself, Theano.” ill-071 _Thirty women crowded round the flute-girl._ “What do I know about it? There were more than twenty of them in the banqueting room. “They had hired me to play the flute, but they prevented me from playing because they do not like music. They asked me to mimic the figure of Danaë and they threw gold coins at me, and Bacchis took them all away from me . . . It was a band of madmen. They made me drink head downwards out of a bowl overflowing with wine. They had poured seven tankards in it because there were seven wines upon the table. My face was all dripping. Even my hair was soaked, and my roses.” “Yes,” interrupted Myrto, “you are an awful fright. But the mirror? Who took it?” “Exactly! when they put me on my feet again, my head was suffused with blood, and I was covered with wine up to the ears. Ha! Ha! they all began to laugh . . . Bacchis sent for the mirror . . . Ha! ha! it had disappeared. Somebody had taken it.” “Who? That is what we want to know.” “It was not I, that is all I know. It was no use searching me: I was quite naked. I cannot hide a mirror under my eyelid, like a drachma. It was not I, that is all I know. She crucified a slave, perhaps on account of that. When I saw that they were not looking at me, I picked up the Danaë coins. See, Myrto, I have five: you shall buy robes for the three of us.” The news of the theft spread gradually over the whole square. The courtesans did not hide their envious satisfaction. A noisy curiosity animated the moving groups. “It is a woman,” said Philotis; “it is a woman who is responsible for this piece of work.” “Yes, the mirror was well hidden. A thief could have carried off everything in the room and upset everything without finding the stone.” “Bacchis had enemies, especially her former friends. They knew all her secrets. One of them has probably enticed her away somewhere, and then entered her house at the hour when the sun is hot and the streets are almost deserted.” “Oh! she has perhaps sold the mirror to pay her debts.” “Supposing it were one of her lovers? They say she takes porters now!” “No, it is a woman, I am sure of it.” “By the two goddesses! it serves her right.”