22 Star anfr Meatbet (Bogstp 



Castor and Pollux glittered over her with becoming 

 deference ; Procyon, twelve degrees away, gallantly 

 paled ; the great Orion looked wan after his night's 

 vigil ; Betelgeuse winked in an evil way his orange-red 

 eye ; whilst Saturn, the unthroned, hastened to hide 

 his heavy head in the dim, cloudy recesses of the south- 

 west. Venus, and she alone, by long right and by 

 virtue of her surpassing loveliness, was to usher in the 

 day. Though she might have exercised her unques- 

 tioned authority just a little more pleasingly. 



So harsh was the morning for early September. 

 There was an end-of-October sharpness in the air ; 

 troops of dun-coloured clouds with ominous fuzzy 

 edges passed at the double over the sleeping city, and 

 even round the far-distant south horizon the clouds 

 could be distinctly seen gliding gloomily along like 

 dark animated mountain ranges. An unlovely day 

 to be ushered in by so lovely a planet. 



Sirius, the brightest sun in the heavens next to our 

 own, remained fast behind the cloudy screen. Mars 

 himself was not more held captive by Otus and 

 Ephialtes than was the Dog Star by these aerial 

 barriers. 



The mighty Mars in mortal fetters bound, 

 And lodged in brazen dungeons underground, 

 Full thirteen moons imprison'd roar'd in vain ; 

 Otus and Ephialtes held the chain : 

 Perhaps had perish'd had not Hermes' care 

 Restored the groaning god to upper air. 



Still Venus had a charmed existence. The pertinacious 

 clouds positively could not shut her out. At times she 

 would be overwhelmed for a few moments, only to re- 

 appear as radiant as ever. 



