I stammered something in answer and was led to a table where two places had been left for us. Cleon and I sat down and food was brought. Lydia asked me a few conventional questions to put me at my ease; but hardly succeeded, for seemingly some hundreds were engaged in staring at me. At last some one pushed the soloist by the arm. "One more verse, Ariston," said he, and Ariston jumped on the chair again, and, twanging his guitar, resumed: "Of swarthy skins she tires soon To her new things must cater, So now she's found a pantaloon-- The Lightning Calculator." My legs were well under the table so I could join in the laugh, secretly satisfied to be associated with her even in the jingling nonsense of a comic song. "Boobies!" exclaimed Lydia, "and Babies!" she added. "Boobies and Babies!" She ran to the door and they all followed her, boisterously laughing, and leaving me alone with Cleon. "I didn't understand much of it," said I. "Who is Chairo?" "Chairo is a great man; one of our great men; the youngest of them; he may become anything; but he is not popular because he is so dictatorial." "And he is in love with Lydia?" "Frightfully in love." "And Lydia?" "Ah! no one knows; she's very sly, Lydia"; and Cleon chuckled to himself. "And why did everybody look at one another when Ariston sang about Demeter?" "Well, the women don't like to have it talked about." I was puzzled. "Do tell me about it," I said, "for I know nothing about Demeter except what I have read in my classics." "Well, Demeter, you see"--but he blushed and stammered--"I really never had it altogether explained to me; the women never talk of it, and yet the Cult, as they call it, 'the Cult of Demeter,' is the most important thing to them in the world." I went on eating my breakfast and trying to guess what Cleon was driving at, but altogether failed. "What does this Cult of Demeter have to do with your sister?" I asked at last. "Why," answered Cleon, looking round cautiously and lowering his voice, "Lydia is a Demetrian." "What does that mean--'Demetrian'?" "It means that she has been selected by Demeter." "Do try to remember," I said a little impatiently, "that I know nothing about your Demeter and can make neither head nor tail of what you are saying." The irritation I felt made me aware that I was jealous of Chairo, jealous of Demeter, and infatuated with Lydia. Cleon's half explanations seemed to be putting Lydia out of my reach, and I was exasperated at not being able to understand just how far. "Well," answered Cleon, "I don't know whether I ought to tell you, but it's this way: Lydia is awfully clever at figures. She can square any ten of them; add any number of columns; multiply any number by any number all in a flash. And so she's been selected by Demeter; that is to say, I suppose, they are going to marry her to some great mathematician." "What!" exclaimed I, indignantly. "They are going to sacrifice her to a mathematician?"