"You can see. I have no strength left."
Abruptly he broached the subject that was nearest his heart. Was it true that the Queen had given up in despair? That she would rather die than submit to his kindly rule?
She only sobbed.
He went on:
"Undoubtedly Thyreus has not delivered my message properly!"
She said that, on the contrary, she understood what a generous master he was and that she expected every consideration from him.
"Then be brave, Queen. Do not look on me as an enemy."
His voice was gentle, his expression kindly, but at a glance Cleopatra had comprehended. He was hard as a rock. He was trying to look human but she saw only the sharply cut nose that suggested a bird of prey, the dry, close-lipped mouth. No sincere words could come from it. She knew the part she must play. It would be a fencing match, and each must be on guard. She made a gesture of resignation.
"It is true; when Antony died I felt I could not go on living!"
"And now?"