Sardou's Cleopatra — page 198: what you’re looking at

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

SARDOU’S CLEOPATRA. 183 room, even Ventidius venturing no remonstrance, perhaps, because he understood that all words _ from him would now be worse than vain. Diomedes made a movement to rise, but, with the spring of a panther, Cleopatra was at his side and set her foot savagely upon his neck. “No ! You remain!” she hissed. Then, spurning him from her, she advanced slowly to where Antony still stood, silent and motionless. “IT am here,” she said, in her sweet, musical voice, each accent of which made Antony’s heart throb with love and longing. “I am here to answer the charges that have been brought against me.” | Antony replied never a word. He seemed frozen into silence. His eyes remained riveted upon her. In her simple Grecian robe, which fell about her in soft, creamy folds, with no orna- ment save the diamond buckle that confined her hair, her beauty seemed more wondrous than ever. “You have heard it said,” she proceeded, sor- rowfully and tenderly, “‘that Ceesar first possessed my love. Notso! Cesar loved me, but I loved Antony. Ah! How often have I wished some “comicbooks co 3