Sardou's Cleopatra — page 189: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

174 SARDOU’S CLEOPATRA, CHAPTER XIV. THE VOICE OF THE CHARMER. In a large room on the ground floor of the villa, which ordinarily was used as the banquet hall, were gathered together Antony and the cap- tains of his legions, Ventidius, Dercetas, Philo, Canidius and Scarus. ‘Their beloved general was once more restored to them, and, save for the dark forebodings in the breast of old Ventidius, joy was in the hearts of all. Ready, as they would have been, to follow Antony to the battle-field and fight to the death for him, they were all glad that civil war was to be averted, and that the reproaches that had been leveled in Rome at their leader for his mad infatuation were now to be silenced. Their joy, however, was destined to be but of short duration, for their deliberations were inter- rupted by the hurried entrance of Eros, his beard- less face flushed with excitement. Before Ventidius, whose fears foretold him what Eomicbooks €o